GAIL's Bakery Blackheath Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "This place literally has the best carrot cake I've ever had."
• "The bread, croissants, cookies, buns etc. are delicious."
• "Possibly the BEST bakery in London. Their bread and food are always tasty and the pastry is second to none."
• "Every item on the menu is delicious. Top top quality."
• "The food is very nice! Favourites for me are the chicken parmesan roll and the spinach and ricotta pastry."
• "The pastries were fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented, making it a delightful experience overall."
• "Cinnamon buns to die for, unbeatable cheese straws, best pecan brownie ever!"

Cons:

• "The bottom of the bread disintegrated from being completely soggy from where the pesto had soaked through."
• "The sable and shortbread biscuits are underwhelming."
• "The food is not good enough for the price and the ingredients are not always properly listed."
• "The melted cheese was cold melted cheese."
• "Food is extremely overpriced and does not justify the average taste."
• "The crustless quiche that I did have was delicious, and my partner also enjoyed his food a lot!"
• "The plain scone was served cold."

Service

Pros:

• "The staff are lovely."
• "The service was good. The cinnamon bun was delicious as always."
• "Great little cafe with excellent baked goods, brunch menu and friendly staff."
• "Staff are very nice and we were served quickly."
• "Another member of staff was very kind and offered us a refund on our drinks due to the delay."
• "Staff are friendly and the manager Ruby is great, always smiling."
• "Staff are amazing and friendly even though they are often rushed off their feet!"

Cons:

• "Queue in the morning was out the door and only one person at the till."
• "Please train your staff on allergens! I am gluten intolerant and visited the cafe today for lunch."
• "Please hire friendly staff. Don’t hire staff that are cold mannered and appear to judge you based on your look/what you’re wearing."
• "The lady at the counter that served us didn’t say hi when we arrived, but we were also rushed despite there wasn’t any other customer waiting."
• "The two people serving (a girl and an older guy) were so unfriendly and came across as really irritated."
• "The girl who served me, to be frank, was unwelcoming and I felt as though I was an inconvenience."
• "Staff was rather rude and useless."

Price

Pros:

• "Very expensive but worth it for some of the delectable food (when served hot, and not made to wait)."
• "After reading other reviews claiming prices high, quite confused as everything seemed to be priced fairly."
• "It's a bit expensive but worth the price tag."
• "The produce is quite pricey but always very yummy."
• "Most of their goods are worth the money."
• "The baked goods are top notch if a teensy bit pricey but you get what you pay for and most of their goods are worth the money."
• "Gail’s may be a little pricey but so worth it!"

Cons:

• "Great coffee and a wide selection of foods. A bit overpriced."
• "Some of the cakes are good - if overpriced."
• "Very expensive for what you get."
• "£7 for two tiny pancakes is a bit too expensive."
• "Charging £14.00 for a small Babka loaf is shamefully taking advantage of customers."
• "Everything is overpriced."
• "Food is extremely overpriced and does not justify the average taste."

Ambience

Pros:

• "Lovely (but expensive!) bakery. Much bigger than it looked from the outside, with lots of tables up and downstairs."
• "It's a great place for enjoying a coffee in a contemporary looking setting area where there are only just enough seats at peak times."
• "Nestling amongst the busy high street of Blackheath is this oasis of peace and calm."
• "Lovely relaxed atmosphere. Friendly staff and a huge variety of bakery options."
• "Lovely relaxing atmosphere."
• "The ambience was warm and welcoming."
• "Lovely location in the heart of Blackheath village."

Cons:

• "Very poorly laid out and unclear system to manage the number of people inside."
• "The tables outside were not shaded."
• "However, the management need to deal with those who occupy a seat for hours using the Wi-Fi whilst customers are unable to find a seat."
• "Acoustics aren’t great so it can be quite loud inside and hard to talk."
• "The music is a little loud, which made it difficult to have a comfortable conversation."
• "General chaos - staff are dismissive and more interested in larking about than looking after customers."
• "All the tables by the walls and windows were taken by people sitting with laptops, only two of them were drinking coffee or eating, the rest just taking up space for paying customers."

Hygiene

Pros:

• "Very clean, following all the current rules Covid related."
• "The bathrooms were clean."
• "Coffee was great and the bathrooms were clean."

Cons:

• "We all love Gail's products but the number of flies sitting on the exposed cakes and pastries in the Blackheath Village is absolutely disgusting."
• "They suggest a major lack of good management and still more importantly a total lack in an awareness of hygiene."
• "They never seem to wipe down the tables outside."
• "No social distancing, some employees wearing masks under the nose."
• "The lovely products on offer are left uncovered in front of an endless queue of customers leaving them exposed to serious contamination."
• "Tables were left uncleared for the whole time we was there and just shifted from table to table by customers."
• "Also one of the tea pots was quite grimy and dirty."