The best restaurants serving Other cuisines food in Markethill Armagh Southern NI

Very nice food and plesent staff

Disappointing Experience - Need for Improved Allergy Awareness and better customer service. My family and I recently had a terrible experience at Alexander’s on August 28th. We were hoping to enjoy a lovely day out together while facing a challenging time due to my sister's recent cancer diagnosis. We decided to go shopping for baby items given my pregnancy, followed by a visit to Alexander's for lunch. Unfortunately, our experience was tainted by a humiliating and degrading encounter related to my nut allergy. Upon informing the staff of my allergy, I was loudly asked by an employee in front of a queue of other patrons whether I was carrying an EpiPen. I found this intrusive, as my medical treatment is not anyone's business, but responded. After ordering and paying, I was presented with a form requesting my signature and personal details, including my name, address, and telephone number. The staff member informed me that this was their protocol for customers with nut allergies. Reluctantly, I signed the form but refused to provide my personal information due to further privacy concerns. Throughout this ordeal, the owner, emphasised the need to protect themselves, showing no consideration for my allergy or offering reassurance that my food was being prepared in a safe environment. I still have no idea as to why this information was relevant other than to put me in an extremely uncomfortable position. Attempting to enjoy our meal, the owner approached our table and asked about our satisfaction. Given the more intimate environment, I expressed that the food was satisfactory but that the earlier confrontation had soured our experience. In response, she became defensive and referenced a recent case where a person had died from an allergic reaction at another establishment. She claimed that she would refuse to serve anyone with a nut allergy unless they signed the form and further stated that nuts were present throughout their kitchen. Given that I was half way through my meal, this provided zero assurance that precautions had been taken to ensure my food was safely prepared and caused more worry and upset. I strongly urge Alexander's to review their outdated protocols, invest in staff-wide allergy awareness training, and add allergen information to their menu. It is crucial that customers are not subjected to potentially life-threatening reactions or humiliation, such as I experienced. The food itself was nothing special and thankfully I’m still here to share my story.