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I rarely leave reviews like this, but unfortunately our experience at The Good Front Room fell well short of expectations.
For context, myself, my wife and another couple regularly meet for lunches and dinners, and recently we have made a conscious effort to support Black-owned and operated restaurants. We all want the same thing, to see our cuisines reimagined, elevated and presented at a level that is accessible to all.
We were particularly excited to visit after hearing glowing feedback from our friends who attended the pop-up at The Langham Hotel. We went in with high expectations.
Our visit was on 21/03/2026, and our party size was four. The total bill came to £413.40.
I will start with the positives, as there are only a few. Tyree, who looked after us, was clearly making an effort and did his best with what seemed like limited training. If not for him, we would not have paid the service charge. The starters were also enjoyable, particularly the jerk chicken and tempura jackfruit. The rum punch was good too.
Unfortunately, that is where the positives end.
From the outset, things felt disorganised. No one greeted us on arrival, we had to ask for menus, and even getting someone to take our order required prompting. We waited an age for everything throughout the evening, and at one point someone came over to ask how our starters were before we had even received them, which summed up the lack of coordination.
One member of staff assisting with service had a noticeable body odour issue, which was unacceptable at this price point.
It is also worth noting that this is a set menu only, priced at what can only be described as Mayfair levels, which for Dalston feels completely disconnected from reality.
Service throughout the evening was painfully slow. We had a 19:30 reservation and ended up spending over three hours in the restaurant, not by choice.
The handling of allergies was also extremely poor. A manager came over but did not introduce himself, and the interaction was ultimately pointless. He simply stated that there were nuts in the kitchen and that he could not guarantee anything. There was no attempt to reassure me as the person with the allergy, no explanation of processes to prevent cross-contamination, and no allergen list was provided. He then left and was not seen again.
As for the mains, pork belly, salmon and mutton, none were particularly memorable. There was no sense of elevation or creativity. The pork belly was overwhelmingly sweet, with an overly rich glaze, the salmon was average at best, and the mutton lacked proper seasoning. The sides were fine, although the rice portions were insufficient. To their credit, they did provide more when asked.
Dessert was particularly disappointing. Apple crumble is a personal favourite, and somehow this version missed the mark entirely.
As a group, we even questioned whether we were being overly critical because this is cuisine we know well, but the consensus was clear, we were not.
At over £100 per head, regardless of cuisine or location, you expect a certain standard of food, service and overall experience. This simply was not it.
There is nothing wrong with hiring young staff, but when you are attaching your name to a venue associated with Dom Taylor and The Langham Hotel, the lack of training and polish becomes glaring and ultimately undermines all the initial promise.
Would we recommend it? No.
Would we return? Not a chance.
A disappointing evening overall, saved only by great company and the opportunity to catch up with good friends. Sadly, this is one to forget.
I do hope this feedback is taken in the constructive spirit it is intended.
Just to add, although the offer was extended to open up a line of communications. Nothing was followed up on and after multiple attempts from my side to connect with Chef Dom or someone from his staff we ultimately ignored.
