Jolene Hornsey Road (aka Big Jo) Reviews Summary

Category: Restaurant London

Address: 324 Hornsey Rd, Finsbury Park, London, N7 7HE, United Kingdom

Phone: +442039156760

Rating: 4.2
based on 153 reviews.

Staff and Service

Pros:

  • "Staff were all really approachable and smiley too."
  • "Our waiter was very attentive and chatty."
  • "The staff are also super friendly and welcoming."
  • "The service is calm and casual yet knowledgeable and helpful."
  • "The staff are great and on the ball."

Cons:

  • "When I emailed about social distancing rules they just never responded."
  • "If you’re into... a condescending and unhelpful member of staff who refuses to turn around a pick up another one of the pre-made sandwich’s that isn’t soaked through... then this is the place for you."
  • "Totally off with timings so my friends meal arrived 10 mins + before the others while remainder of the table waited hungry."
  • "Booked for lunch knowing full well there’s 90min allocated for each booking, but really did not appreciate staff reminding us every 10 mins like a human countdown."
  • "Waiters rush you out, bring bills when you didn’t ask even when there is no queue and lots of free spots."

Food Quality and Taste

Pros:

  • "Absutely loved the atmosphere, fresh apricot danish and loose leaf green tea!"
  • "The plum and custard danish I had here is probably the best pastry I had ever had! Sandwiches and pizza also excellent."
  • "The food is incredibly fresh (they literally prepare it in front of your eyes), and tastes amazing."
  • "Best lemon sponge cake I have eaten. Moist, not too sweet and great flavour."
  • "Food tasted great and well seasoned."

Cons:

  • "6£ for an egg mayo sandwich with one egg, lots of mayo a tiny leaf of salad, barely any seasoning...."
  • "The food isn’t good! The pizza fritta tasted cheap, flavourless, and oily."
  • "The chocolate bun was average for me. Nothing special about it and so I won't recommend it."
  • "Pizza was yummy and I like the variety of toppings but it was dry."
  • "The pasta and pizzetta didn’t really cut the mustard either unfortunately."

Ambiance and Atmosphere

Pros:

  • "This place definitely has the modern cafe-restaurant aesthetic down."
  • "Lovely, rustic, vibey pizzeria-esque place serving pizza by the slice, and various other breads and salads."
  • "Overall, a really cozy space and friendly staff."
  • "A really lovely place with stylish decor, somehow creates an atmosphere that feels like you're not sitting close to a main road."
  • "The interior has a rustic and earthy farmhouse atmosphere which was lovely."

Cons:

  • "It's a bit noisy for conversation - partly the music and partly the acoustics in this kind of space."
  • "They were NOT following social distancing measures and relied on customers to enforce rules themselves."
  • "The music is also loud and obnoxious for this price point."
  • "They turn the tables over quickly and there is a lot of pressure from the staff to get a move on so you can’t really enjoy the meal."
  • "We wanted a table for 2 but the bold manager/waiter said the place is fully booked and said we can only sit at the bar."

Pricing and Value

Pros:

  • "It's not cheap, but for the quality of food and experience, it's a decent price for the area."
  • "Given all this, in my view it is also good value."
  • "To all the reviewers complaining about cost - you get what you pay for! This is fantastic food in a great setting."

Cons:

  • "This place definitely has the modern cafe-restaurant aesthetic down. They serve lots of small plates with small portions so you have to order quite a lot and it gets pretty expensive."
  • "super over priced ... I dont know what the owner think about the pricing but it is totally insane. I will never go back."
  • "£3.50 for a Pain au Chocolat is outrageous, no matter how nice it may be."
  • "The price of the apple juice was daylight robbery."
  • "This is massively overpriced if you consider the price of the plates (£5-10 each) and also the surrounding area."

Health and Safety

Pros:

  • "It is possible to buy takeaways and lunches are available."

Cons:

  • "Being a fan of the other restaurants in the group I went for a meal at Big Jo soon after they opened, had what was a delicious meal. Unfortunately suffered from food poisoning soon after."
  • "Very poor hygiene standards. Coffee cups are chipped, cracked."
  • "Wouldn't serve my friend because he was allergic to nuts."
  • "After being a regular of this restaurant and bakery for 2 years, I was turned away the other day due to the fact I had a severe nut allergy."
  • "Recurring issue with them not listing all the ingredients in their sandwiches and pizzas on the board outside."

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