We were very excited to see a London branch of Sweet Chick, and went in with the best of intentions. It's a mixed experience, and different to the US, but the bottom line is the food is still to die for.
Sweet Chick don't do reservations. Which is fine - the US locations are tiny, you wait which creates a buzzy atmosphere for others, etc. The London version copies this. But when we visited for an early dinner Saturday, the venue was half empty. Hoping to eat quickly, we were told to sit at the bar, for "at most a half hour". We did this. During this time, achingly hipster bartenders slowly made cocktails from cheat sheets. The place is new, I get it, but the staff at the front end are there to bring you in. The hostess continually seated larger parties ahead of us, and at times just hung out while tables were available. This is super annoying - it's clearly part of the process, and designed to get you to spend. There was no flexibility to it, and the experience wasn't welcoming so much as just awkward.
BUT - once we were seated, it became a totally different experience. Lovely, attentive service for a start. Help with choosing menu items if you want it, fast delivery that doesn't rush you, and the food...Goddamn the food. Carbs on carbs on carbs. Gooey mac and cheese with a hint of spice and crunchy crumb coating...delicious melt in the mouth biscuits (savoury scones to us) with a salt and herb crust and about a tub of butter in each... and all that before the main course. Chicken and waffles is the staple, and more than filling. Two chicken pieces, deep fried but not greasy, with a waffle. It isn't fancy, and doesn't need to be. It's just delicious and well made.
Prices are reasonable - mains are in the £13-£24 range. Cocktails are nicely varied, made with cheap liquor which is a shame, but still pretty tasty. And maybe if they can iron out the intro experience to make it feel less like every other London restaurant and more like the NY joint, it would be a five star experience. Until then, put up with weird intro, it's worth it for the food. Just leave your belt at home. read more