Cioni's Bistro

There are so many rules in this place. If you order from the snack menu you have to go to the counter yourself and then if you order from the main menu you have to wait for a waitress. Then the waitress that takes the order for your drinks can not take your food order as that is done by another waitress!!!

The food is very basic. For about £4 you could get a meat pie with around a dozen chips to go with it.

The place looks like a greasy joe's caffe with photo's of Italy on the walls. So it's neither an Italian Restaurant nor a British Restaurant. You are made to feel slightly uncomfortable when your order is taken and in our case as we orederd more than one meal from the snack menu they demanded we paid before the food arrived!
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Ieuan Rhys
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4
Sunday, June 19, 2011

Specials menu unclear, if you can find it (it's usually located on the floor in the bistro somewhere!). There are two-course and three-course options that aren't very clear as to what you are allowed to order unless you have the elusive Specials board on your lap! It would help if they had separate menus on the tables for their Sunday dinners and Specials. 'Vague' is not the word! The waitress apparently explained it but she mumbled and seemed confused herself.

Nine of us went for Mother's Day and came away feeling ripped off. We had to send the minestrone soup back because it was cold, the food took ages to arrive and came in dribs and drabs (by the time my mother’s turkey arrived those of us having roast beef were almost finished!) The amount of vegetables with the roast beef would leave my guinea pig feeling short changed and they started clearing the table and taking orders for dessert before my mother had finished eating.

I ordered Bailey's Cheesecake that seemed as if it had been sat in the display cabinet all week - it was so rubbery it was inedible. I did send it back and it was swapped for something else.

The waitresses did their best but clearly lacked the training to work in a restaurant.

All in all Cionis should stick to being a cafeteria and leave restaurant food to restaurants or pubs.

To leave on a high not, though, my son said the bacon and chips was lovely (but he is only 10).
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Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 2
Sunday, March 14, 2010

By far the worst Italian dining experience I have ever had and I say that having worked in and visited Italy many times, as well as owning a country property in Umbria. The Spaghetti carbonara was revolting and my companions meal no less disgusting. Avoid at all costs.
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Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, February 18, 2009