Le Pain Quotidien

I loved the food and the bread and the garnishes enough to buy the cookbook for an unconciously expensive $40.00- - but never found enough in it to use it - - before somebody "borrowed" it ---never to be seen again. Service is another matter - what shoul;d be a reasonably quick sandwich lunch somehow ends up being a leisurely (i.e. long) time waiting for food.

I love LPQ, and I totally disagree with previous reviewers. I am from Europe, and this is one of the few places where I can find good quality sandwiches in Phily. I hope there is going to be more locations of LPQ in the future.

I looked forward to LPQ's opening in Philly because I liked it in NY. I've been twice to it. The first time was already a sign - we got a wrong sandwich and had to wait for it for over 30 minutes or more... just ate what we got because we were hungry. And we also had to chase our waitress (who was nice otherwise). The second time was a disaster -- we had to leave the restaurant hungry because the food never arrived after we spent about an hour waiting and we didn't want to wait a theater performance.

I ordinarily tip at least 20%, and in two decades of dining out, I have never left less than 15%. Until this evening, at Le Pain Quotidien. Things started off OK--my party's initial drink orders arrived fairly promptly. Then our waiter disappeared for 15 or 20 minutes. Finally, we were able to order, and the food arrived after a reasonable interval. That's when everything truly went to pot. Over the next hour, one of my companions had to get up and walk the length of the restaurant to the other end, where our waiter was loitering and looking everywhere but at our table--not once, not twice, but THRICE. The first time to inform him about a dish that was so oversalted as to be inedible, the second to ask for water, and the third to request the check. As to the inedibly salty item, the waiter did nothing--didn't offer to ask the kitchen to try again, didn't offer to substitute another item, didn't offer to take the dish off the tab. As to the water--it never arrived. As to the check--this was finally brought by the manager, whom we asked to strike the charge for the uneatable dish. (She complied, but only after making a face and an uncharitable remark.) I should note that the restaurant was empty when we arrived, and only one other table was occupied by the time we were done. When I leave a restaurant, I should be sated and happy, not embarrassed and angry. In no circumstances will I be returning to LPQ.