Penelope's Restaurant & Farm Shop | Sidcup

Featured reviews

• G

  Georgina Morelle

  ·2 months ago

  “Waited an hour for our food to arrive and, unfortunately, when it finally did, it was incredibly disappointing. The bread was stale, there was a fly on the salad — which itself consisted of wilted lettuce — and the jacket potato with cheese and beans was honestly inedible. I wouldn’t have served it to my dog. The staff were apologetic and explained that they were short-staffed and that the chef had just returned from leave. To be honest, judging by the food we were served, he should have stayed on leave! What makes it more frustrating is that previous reviews have raised similar issues, so you would expect these problems to have been rectified by now. Penelope’s is a lovely venue with so much potential, but looking nice only gets you so far — the food completely let it down. In the end, we left and went to the White Cross just up the road, and the difference was night and day. It’s genuinely disappointing because I really want Penelope’s to do well, but they just seem to keep getting the basics wrong. There needs to be a serious shift in the kitchen and overall food service, because at the moment they’re simply driving customers towards other nearby venues. Perhaps it’s a nice place to stop for a drink, but sadly I won’t be ordering food there again. I’ve tried and tried again, and there comes a point where you have to give up.”

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• C

  Cenk Oflaz

  ·3 months ago

  “Great atmosphere especially if you have kids. Breakfast menu finishes at 11.30 even on Sundays which is a pity. We ordered halloumi & avocado on toast and ciabatta with sweet & regular fries. It took them 30+ mins to serve our food and it was not even crowded. My wife’s sandwich came on white bread instead of brown and not toasted. The chips were not warm when served. We sent them back and waited another 10+ minutes to be warmed up. The food tasted average at best. The waiter was very courteous but it did not really make up for the shortfalls. They need to do something about the kitchen🤨Not good value for the money paid…Best to go there just for a beer.”

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• H

  Hollie Gibbons

  ·3 months ago

  “Booked Penelope’s for my son’s 1st birthday party at the end of May. Nicola and her team were amazing the whole way through from booking to on the day. We opted for the hot food buffet and were really happy with the quality and quantity of food. Our guests were well fed and enjoyed the vibes out on the terrace. The feedback we had from our family and friends was how nice the whole day and venue was. We honestly couldn’t have asked for a nicer way to celebrate our son’s first birthday. Thanks Nicola and the Penelope’s team”

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• K

  Kerri Harris

  ·3 months ago

  “Visited today with my godfather for lunch, and it was a very disappointing experience from start to finish. We ordered two BLT sandwiches and two orange juices, which came to over £30. For nearly £12 per sandwich, I expected much better quality and service. We had to clear a table ourselves because dirty plates had been left everywhere, despite there only being around 15 customers. The menus were sticky, the sauce bottles were empty, and nobody came over to serve us. We specifically asked for one BLT to have well-done bacon, and I watched the staff member add the note to the order. Both sandwiches arrived with cold bacon that had clearly been cooked hours earlier, so the request was completely ignored. After waiting around 35 minutes, it was frustrating to receive sandwiches that didn't even appear to have been freshly made. The bread was basic supermarket-style sliced bread, there were only a couple of slices of bacon, hardly any lettuce, and overall they were very poor value for money. To make matters worse, we bought an ice cream afterwards from the side kiosk. It was £3 for a single scoop in the tiniest cone imaginable. Overall, the service was slow, the food was overpriced and underwhelming, and the attention to detail was lacking throughout. We certainly won't be returning, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for good value or decent service.”

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• C

  Christine Boshelle

  ·3 months ago

  “I very much wish that I read the reviews before trying to eat here. It looked like such a lovely spot for an alfresco breakfast. When we arrived it was fairly busy but about a third of the tables were empty. Ordered 2 breakfasts and then waited. After about 40 minutes I went into chase my order. I was told ours was next and it would just be another 5 minutes. About 7/8 minutes later they brought out two completely stone cold breakfasts. Not even our full order. I simply asked for our money back and we went to the giggling sausage. Very disappointed as the place looked so nice. I might go back for drinks, but never again for food.”

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• M

  Martine Varrall

  ·5 months ago

  “If you’re looking for a place to test your patience, Penelope’s might be the perfect spot—otherwise, avoid it. From the moment we arrived, things went downhill fast. The staff were painfully slow and seemed completely out of their depth. Orders were taken incorrectly (multiple times), and no one appeared to notice or care. For a place charging those prices, the food was incredibly basic and nowhere near worth it. What’s genuinely concerning is how they handle allergies and dietary requirements—basically, they don’t. There seems to be no system in place at all, and when things inevitably go wrong, there’s no accountability or urgency to fix it. That’s not just poor service; it’s careless and dangerous! The manager was no better—disorganised, unhelpful, and clearly setting the tone for the rest of the team. It’s no surprise the staff have no clue what they’re doing when leadership is that poor. To top it all off, the restaurant wasn’t even busy, yet service dragged endlessly. We asked for a jug of water when we arrived… three hours later, it still hadn’t shown up. Dirty plates sat uncleared, and we had to hunt down clean cutlery ourselves. All in all, a chaotic, frustrating experience from start to finish. Save your time, money, and sanity—don’t bother going.”

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• I

  Itsadavisthing

  ·5 months ago

  “Although busy, staff were great. Slight wait on food but drinks were flowing, nice atmosphere and a gorgeous terrace patio area to enjoy the sunshine. What’s not to love ? Thank you we had a great time. Will be back soon :)”

• L

  LolaLondon

  ·7 months ago

  “Shocking slow service and expensive. Booked for lunch at 1.30pm (deposit of £10 per person required to book). Arrived on time and wasn’t given a menu or offered a drink until I went up to the counter at 2.10pm. The menu had a limited selection for lunch, jacket potatoes, wraps, sandwiches and soup alongside a pizza menu. We ordered pizzas which tasted good however we ordered two portions of chips which were ridiculously overpriced at £5.95 a portion - very small portion - you’d get more fries in a happy meal, there was barely a single potatoes worth of fries!! Pizzas were also on the pricey side when compared to other local outlets which also have a pizza oven.”

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• L

  lily knight

  ·10 months ago

  “I came to Penelope’s for lunch with my partner and two friends on Thursday afternoon. The food was absolutely phenomenal and the restaurant was beautifully decorated for Christmas, the location of the restaurant is stunning with lovely views all around. It’s definitely a hidden gem in the community, if you haven’t checked it out yet you definitely should. To eat we had a few items off the lunch menu which they serve between 12.30-4pm, my friends had a cheese and bean jacket potato and a chilli jacket potato both came with a side salad and they were delightful, the potato was lovely and soft inside and the fillings were loaded! My partner had a fish finger sandwich and I had an amazing falafel, hummus wrap which had roasted red peppers inside, the falafel was delicious I will definitely return for that alone. We also tried from the festive drinks menu an orange hot chocolate which was really delicious and looked beautiful too! We all cleaned our plates and left very full and satisfied, we will definitely be returning especially with all the exciting things they have going on over the Christmas period, the staff recommended us to check out their instagram to see their upcoming events and we’ll definitely come to bring the kids to meet Santa in their Christmas grotto!! If you haven’t been down to Penelope’s I’d recommend popping down, we’ll be trying their pizza next as that looks unreal too!!”

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• B

  Becky Witt

  ·1 year ago

  “This place has a lot of potential and the outside seating area is lovely but 45 minute wait for one pizza on a Tuesday afternoon was the first issue. We had to ask 2 different staff members for plates and cutlery . We also ordered a “ salad” which was essentially a tiny plate of one cut up tomato and a bit of mozzarella for £7 really overpriced for what it was. We came away quite disappointed.”

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