Food critic Gary Hanna has described his visit to Jamie Oliver's café inside the John Lewis department store on Oxford Street as "misleading," rating the experience just four out of 10. The café, located on the third floor next to the Jamie Oliver Cookery School, failed to deliver several items advertised on its online menu, leaving Hanna feeling "let down."
Menu Promises vs. Reality at Cafe Jamie Oliver
Before his visit, Hanna had browsed the café's website, which boasts a range of "stacked sarnies" and "tasty toasties" prepared fresh daily, including prawn cocktail, ploughman's, ham and cheese, and pepper mozzarella. The menu also advertises a "quiche of the day," herby sausage roll, homemade tomato soup, and a variety of make-your-own salads.
Upon arriving at lunchtime, Hanna discovered that only salmon toasties remained, and the café had sold out of celeriac slaw. When he asked about sausage rolls or quiche, staff told him these options were unavailable. He noted that the available dishes included toasties, make-your-own salads, cakes, scones, cookies, and croissants.
Critic's Verdict: Overpriced and Disappointing
Hanna ordered a salmon toastie for £8.95, a salad for £13.50, a piece of chicken for £4, carrot cake for £5.95, and a cappuccino for £4.40, bringing his total bill to £32.80. In his review for the Gary Eats YouTube channel, he said: "It's kind of a bit of an odd experience. I feel a little bit let down because I did go online, and I wanted to show you the full experience, and I got a little bit excited cos I was like, 'Okay, so we got homemade quiche.'"
He added: "Then I'm sort of standing there, they've run out of the ham and cheese toasties, and it's lunchtime." Hanna described the menu discrepancy as "almost misleading," stating: "If it says it on the website, this is what we actually provide, then it should be what it is."
Hanna showed his salmon toastie to the camera, calling it "disappointing" and noting it had been insufficiently toasted. He joked it had at best "seen a radiator" and was "soggy" underneath, likening it to a "stale bread sandwich" with "claggy" cheese. While he conceded the salmon was "very tasty," he remained largely unimpressed.
Positive Notes Amid Criticism
On a more positive note, Hanna praised his salad, highlighting its "Mediterranean feel" and "absolutely gorgeous" beetroot, and was also taken with the chicken. He observed that "as salads go," it was "okay," but reconsidered when he looked at the price again, declaring it was "too much money."
He also sampled the carrot cake, saying: "It's just a quality carrot cake. The sponge. It's not dry. It's not dried out. I like the cream with it. Everything's very zesty on top. Yeah, that is well worth the money." However, this did not allay his concerns.
Hanna maintained that Jamie Oliver had "absolutely not" met his expectations and urged the celebrity chef to "take a look at your website." He summed up: "It hasn't been open very long. And as I said, what's actually shown on the website is not available in the cafe. It's just not there. You know, when it's just.. I can't keep going through the same bits and pieces all over again. It's just not available. So Jamie, you've got to take a look at your website cos it is misleading."
He concluded: "I think that is overpriced and I don't think it is worth...well, it's not worth the money and it's misleading. And that's the word I keep going back to. It's misleading because I was expecting a lot more. There's not enough range, Jamie." A representative for Jamie Oliver declined to comment.
