The Punch Bowl

I made a reservation online for this restaurant, called 3 or 4 times the same evening to confirm, but got no answer. I called again first thing the next morning and my call was eventually answered by a very rude lady and told that the restaurant doesn't answer calls in the evening as they are a bar/restaurant with no receptionist.

I was then told my booking request (made through their website) hadn't been answered and that the email had been left unopened in the inbox, not my fault!

When asking if there was anything they could do to squeeze me in (as it was for my boyfriends birthday) I was told no unless I come at 6 as they need the table back by 6pm. I then commented on the appalling, unaccommodating service and was answered with ‘goodbye’ and the phone was hung up.

This is atrocious service and out of principle I will not visit. No one deserves to be spoken to like that! Guy Ritchie needs to hire staff that understand how to be polite!

The Punch Bowl is in one of the nicest parts of Mayfair and very conveniently located for local businesses. It's also a very nice pub in itself, it has that old world charm without the scruffiness.
I booked a table in the restaurant area over 24 hours early and got there right on time. Our table hadn't been cleared yet so they asked us to get a drink at the bar which I did.
When I got back to my friends with the drinks I noticed our table was taken! My friends said they'd been told another table would be found for us.
We were given a table just by the bar which is extremely busy with people standing, drinking and talking loudly. To mellow us we got a glass of very nice champagne but it really wasn't enough as it was just too noisy and we were there to have a chat with each other.
The waitress apologised and said one of the owners had come in and taken our table! I said that surely the owner wouldn't want to disappoint one of his customers… Anyway, I don't know where he went but hopefully he saw sense and we got our table.
The food was delicious and very well presented although a bit colder than I like, they did get my order to perfection though as I am a very fussy eater… The lamb sausages were excellent.
We had a very nice waiter who brought us a bottle of complimentary wine and generally looked after us.
So all is well that ends well. They were very keen to make up for the initial mishap which we really appreciated.
And as I understand the pub is quite well known for potential celebrity sightings I can report that Sting and Trudie Styler sat at a nearby table.

I have eaten at many top pubs and restaurants in London and this was probably my worst experience. I had 3 different people serving me. Had to ask for basic things (soup spoon, bread, menus, water) several times and even ended up going to the bar twice to chase down. All the while trying to entertain an important client for the first time! I asked to see a manager to complain, the answer was “no manager on duty”. I hve never had such a poor experience, after hearing so much about this place.