The Botanist Liverpool One

Wonderful food, excellent service, stunning surroundings...a perfect night out!

My wife and I dropped by on September 12 to celebrate a small anniversary. We originally sat outside and ordered pizza, beer and coffee, but it started raining right after we placed the order. We went inside and asked for a table so we could sit down. We were told the only option was the bar, but it was already packed, and we could only stand at the very edge of the bar counter. Meanwhile, there were plenty of empty tables, but we were refused because they were all supposedly reserved. Since it was our anniversary and we wanted to enjoy a quiet time rather than stand by a noisy bar, we asked if we could cancel our order. We were told yes. At that exact moment, a waitress brought a tray with our coffee and milk right to us near the host desk. My wife said she had nowhere to sit and drink it, reminding her that we asked to cancel the order. The waitress then started complaining that they had already spent money making the coffee. It’s hilarious that the restaurant cares so much about the cost of a cup of coffee, but doesn't give a damn about a guest who has nowhere to sit. She basically forced us to take the coffee, saying everything else would be canceled. While my wife was awkwardly drinking her coffee standing up, the server brought out my beer as well. When we pointed out the order had been canceled, the manager and the waiter refused to listen or offer a real solution, they just demanded we pay for the drinks anyway, despite my wife repeatedly offering to just sit at a table long enough for us to finish everything and leave. In the end, with our anniversary completely ruined, we felt like we were sitting at a train station. We drank our coffee and beer on a outdoor bench where it was slightly less wet (without even a table) and went to have dinner at another place. Unsurprisingly, we have zero desire to ever come back here.