That “ate there once, never again” place at Gatwick
Garfunkel’s at London Gatwick shows up in Reddit threads and TripAdvisor mostly as a warning: people remember one meal, a £10–£15 plate, and then swear off it. It’s a legacy sit‑down chain with the usual fry‑ups, burgers, and a couple of pastas, but very little in the way of lighter options or fresh stuff. The overall rating hovers around 1–2 stars on review sites, which matches the 1/5 consensus here.
Breakfast is the main seller: full English fry‑ups, eggs, bacon, and toast from around £9–£13 as of recent menus, with coffee pushing £3. Several TripAdvisor reviews mention that the food arrives lukewarm and “utterly forgettable,” even when the dining room isn’t full. Portions are decent but quality feels closer to late‑night motorway services than a proper restaurant.
The other theme is time. One Google review says service was so slow they had to bolt their food and sprint for the gate, and that’s not unique. Long waits to order, then another long wait for the bill, come up over and over. People often end up here only because queues at nearby spots like Nando’s or Giraffe look worse, then realise they’ve traded a queue at the door for a wait at the table.
Regular Gatwick flyers on r/uktravel openly say “you can do better than Garfunkel’s in either terminal” and usually point first to Nando’s or Giraffe. A few admit they still use Garfunkel’s when travelling with older or less mobile relatives who need an easy chair just off the concourse and don’t want to juggle trays. Expect a basic chain feel and staff going through the motions rather than keen service.
Tip: if the wait list here is more than 10–15 minutes, walk on; grab a quicker option elsewhere in North or South and keep your buffer for boarding.