Reviews of Lokma

Was completely comical our last and definitely last visit. Seated with the question lunch or breakfast at 1145 , "lunch" was our reply. Decided to order a Mezze platter while we decided on mains , the waitress stumbled and stuttered said it takes a long time to make she would check with the kitchen. Turns out Lunch doesn't start until 12!!! I'm ok with that but not when I have a hungry 9 and 2 year old. So we decided to go straight for mains, placed our order more stumbling and stuttering. Then we hear the chef shouting from the kitchen, waitress comes back, "sorry we have no Haloumi and no Mergeuz Sausage but you can still have the Lamb for your Lamb n Merguez burger. To cut a long story short it took 25 minutes to order food we couldn't have, so we left, much to shouty shouty chefs disgust. I commented to the Waitress that the reviews are all true, she said I know I have read them and its getting worse .........

Yes the reviews are correct - Del Aziz has the worst service in the area. It's actually comical, as there are always loads of staff milling around looking lost and confused. I don't know where they get the staff from. Some are quite sweet and friendly but they have no clue.

Everything takes soooooo long: getting seated, getting the menu, ordering, waiting for the food, getting the bill and so on. Dropping in for a quick coffee or snack is absolutely out of the question.

I'm sorry to say that I rarely go there now.

Was really disappointed with the breakfast and the service last Sunday. The service was slack, ordered a white coffee and had to asked 4 times for the milk. Then had to ask 3 times for salt/pepper. The waiter then asked when we paid the bill why he didnt get his service charge!! Hmmm, work that one out for yourself.

Has been a mixed bag really - largely disappointing. I took my mum there for dinner and the food was quite flavourless and expensive which was a surprise as I thought it would be sumptious feast and the food be a bit like ottolenghi, which we love. We are generally big lebanese, middle eastern/turkish food fans in my family and as such expected much better. The decor is fab and it gives you quite high hopes. It was in the first few weeks of opening. Since, then the boyfriend and I have had amazing cakes then quite dry/bit stale numbers. I would love to try there though for drinks/cocktails in future as I think it is a nice addition to the neigthbourhood but maybe not go back for dinner

went to Del aziz a couple of weeks back on a Sunday morning. the place was about half full. took ages to be greeted and then were asked "have you a reservation?" now clearly there were about a dozen tables free and we did not intend to stay all day so how come the unhelpful attitude. if a table is booked for 11 and its 10 o clock why not let someone use it? strange
oh and their coffee isnt great but their cakes are

I guess it all depends on expectation. After reading all your feedbacks, we decided to go without any expectations. So verdict: service for a busy Sunday was great, we got looked after very well. Food was average, a tick expensive for what we ordered, nothing really fancy but atmosphere and setting was nice for a semi moroccan decor which made it a good experience.. The bakery cakes are worth taking home, best place around the area!!

There's no doubt that Del Aziz is at first sight an impressive operation, combining bakery, bar, cafe, deli and restaurant in an inviting, buzzy environment. My experiences eating there, however, have been hit and miss. The hits have been the cheesecake and szarlotka: £5 a pop, but then each slice is easily big enough for two - and rather delicious.

The misses have been everything else I've ever had there. For example, the worst eggs benedict in my life - but that didn't compel me to write a review; it was soon after they first opened, so I charitably gave them the benefit of the doubt.

But today I was truly stung, paying over £15 for a 'gourmet' lamb sandwich, a fruit tart and a cup of tea, all of it so-so. Upon paying the bill, I was so taken aback that I couldn't help but say "Wow! Quite expensive..." To which the member of staff replied: "Yes, but it was a very big sandwich," adding drily: "did you manage to finish it all?"

Being British - and it's times like this that I rue the fact - I didn't want to make a fuss and instead replied blandly that it was very nice anyway. What I should have said was: actually it wasn't that big a sandwich. Yes, there was a lot of bread and lettuce, but hardly any lamb. For a £5+ sandwich, I'm expecting the shizz, not a morsel of meat as thick as a baby wipe.

I can see that Del Aziz is in many ways a rather wonderful, distinctive chain, and that with their own in-house bakery and a large number of staff, no one's expecting to pay the same as they would in Greggs. And luckily, I can take the hit if the quality delivers. But what's the point of ripping off potential regular customers? It only puts us off going back.

If the food had lived up to the price - and it would have had to be pretty amazing, but stranger things have happened - then I'd have been happy to become a regular. Not now, though.

I went this afternoon with some friends and I really enjoyed the huge banana and pear cake I had. It is very good value for money and it is very relaxing. Unlike the previous post, I really enjoyed the fact that there were NO screaming children.

I went for lunch last Sunday with my husband, our 3 year old daughter and a friend with his 5 & 3 year old. We asked if they had a kids menu - they did not. We asked if they could do half portions and charge half price - they would not. So all 3 kids had to eat the same dish and shared it. Not ideal if we were going by ourselves or the kids wanted to eat different dishes. The worse thing was the apple juice - I asked for small glasses but when they arrived they were large tumblers (thats all they do - wish they told me when I ordered) and when the bill came they were over £3 each - thats £10 worth of apple juice for the kids! They're missing a market here. I'm a member of the Riverside Parents and Carers Association - there are over 300 registered parents in SE1. Surely they can accommodate the kids? Mrs Erniebug.

Went with the family for breakfast this morning - I really liked the place. Good range of breakfast options around £7/8. Staff still finding their feet but really friendly and great with the kids. The glass floor in the bar area is amazing with views of the Bermondsey Abbey. Food was fresh with nice quality ingredients and fresh bread baked on-site. It was also very busy today with a nice mix of people.

As its just across the road I visited Del Aziz for the 1st time this week. There is a really good feel to the central bar area, and the deli is full of evocative smells and sights, however the restaurant area at the back felt a little bland in comparison. The food was acceptable but nothing special - we went for the meze plus a number of additional small plates and some were very rich in flavours and others rather bland and uninspiring. The main meze arrived with everything on one plate, although its clearly a sharing dish. The servise was best described as laid back, and we had to ask several times for the bill. I confess to feeling dissappointment, and will probably give it one more try, merely on the fact that it is so incredibly handy. But with so much competition locally it has to raise its game.

Took advantage of the se1 50% offer and went for lunch on saturday. Very good food and wine. So good, we returned on sunday lunch. Its Mediterranean / North African.

Great spaces, good service. Shame about the wannabe Tom Cruise juggling bottles behind the bar.