Pitanga Reviews Summary

Food Quality and Taste

Pros:

• "The food was well flavoured but too spicy even though we modified the spice level when ordering."
• "The food tasted so nice albeit a bit spicy of course because that jolloff rice is meant to kick a bit."
• "Food was great in general. Flavourful and good in portion."
• "Food was cooked fresh and everything was full of flavor."
• "The egusi soup was a great size and extremely tasty."

Cons:

• "The food was dripping in oil."
• "Oxtail was not tender and a bit hard to chew and eat."
• "I found some kind of piece of scrubber/sponge in my food upon opening it."
• "The peppersoup was tasteless and the beef was too soft."
• "The rice was tasteless which is an understatement. The fish alongside the sauce was bland, flavourless and tasted stale."
• "Apart from being spicy the meals lacked actual flavour."
• "The chicken was as hard as stone. All ingredients seemed frozen. Not recommended at all."

Service and Staff

Pros:

• "Staff were super friendly and helped us in ordering."
• "The chef was warm and welcoming and helped us pick out some dishes."
• "The other server was very kind and attentive and kept the food and drinks coming out quickly."
• "Popped in to Pitanga on an impromptu walk by & had the best evening. We sat in the garden & were looked after by the fabulous Kate."
• "Her team is pleasant and willing to go the extra mile with dietary preferences, and even portions."

Cons:

• "She proceeded to be rude and condescending from the point we paid the tip."
• "Is it the owner’s defensive stance when I told her how the food I paid for didn’t taste good or just how terrible the food was."
• "First time we did take away portions were VERY small, ridiculously small for that price and completely wrong level of spice."
• "The staff were a bit awkward and standoffish but were trying to mask it by being overly nice but certain comments and actions were snappy and abrupt."
• "The lady who runs the place could be cheeky maybe meant as a joke but it could come off wrongly."
• "Rude staff who make you feel unwelcome. I was the only person in the cafe, and was told I had taken too long with my coffee."

Ambiance and Environment

Pros:

• "It’s a small, cosy restaurant on the North End Road, they have a nice terrace outside and some indoor seating too."
• "Absolutely amazing place! Came here with my family on a whim and we cannot stop talking about how good our experience was."
• "The music was very loud as if I was in a club 😂 it’s a vibe but we had to ask the staff to turn down the volume a bit."
• "This place is an absolute gem! Have never eaten in a vegan restaurant before and wasn't sure what to expect.... But I leapt in at the deep end and went for the 'African Vegan'."
• "Pitanga has a very welcoming atmosphere that brings to mind a cozy living room where you have been given a special invitation to dinner."

Cons:

• "Interior is low quality and is nothing close to an exquisite dining environment so definitely not the place for dates."
• "The decor is very very poor. The chairs and table are cheap and unstable and the cushions kept sliding off."
• "The tablecloths looked like they are never washed and don't get me started on the cutlery."
• "What is with the overhead heating system that is frying the customer’s head off."
• "The dining room was so unimpressive, I dared not try the bathrooms."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "Charming little restaurant serving Nigerian and West African food at reasonable prices."
• "We paid £55 for two and thought it was good value."
• "The portion size was great, (I can eat a lot of food so this was perfect for me)."

Cons:

• "Tasty food but pricey for what it is."
• "The portion sizes are ridiculous for the price you pay! £8 just for jollof."
• "Akara was way too hot and only 6 balls. Yam fries were undercooked."
• "Overall, the food quality is good but heavily overpriced, which takes away the satisfaction of the food."
• "Paying high price for small portions made me to expect high quality or at least more fresh ingredients."