[James]

Please Vote in this Poll and Add a Reply if you have any comments about this Café Restaurant

Domali
38 Westow Street, Crystal Palace, London SE19 3AH
Open Monday and Tuesday 9.30am-6pm
Open Wednesday to Sunday 9.30am-11pm

Web: www.domali.co.uk
Email: not available
Phone: 0871 811 1493

Vegetarian specials, fish dishes, veggie breakfast & snacks. Sunday night DJ. Happy hour, half price cocktails every evening 6-8pm.

[jannism]

If you have a few hours spare, you might just manage to get a coffee in.

[jamesl]

Done very well to build up a surprisingly loyal custom base - personally I feel Domali has benefited for too long being a big fish in a smallish pond

When I first moved to CP I went alot but now refuse to go on principle - generally I find the service poor and the food bad value (hidden by using cheap filler like too much bread ) and an uninspiring menu which hasn't changed significantly in 4 years (as I recall).

Personally I think the place (or is it the staff) massively overates itself and could do with a real kick in it's complacency by some more competition
.
I will walk the extra 10 mins and go to mangosteen -- better service , better food and much more appreciative of your custom.

This post has been edited by jamesl: 19 August 2005 - 04:11 PM

[howdy]

Uncaring (and often-changing) staff, uninspiring grub.

[weeble]

Despite being 'anti Domali' spent a pleasent couple of hours in the garden last weekend, enjoying the last of the afternoon sun.

Had a nice juice and some mackerel pate, and whilst I could have knocked these together at home in about five minutes, they were both good and not as expensive as I remember.

And service wasn't excruciating - had quite a lot of staff on, quantity making up for lack of quality.

But it could be sooo much better!

[twinkle]

the garden is the only thing that keeps me going there...

[Mr Voroshilov]

Can never work out how it's always so busy. Because of this, I'm often tricked into returning, thinking that I must have been in on an off-day. But every time, without fail, I get rude grumpy staff, lousey service and so-so food.

I'm probably the wrong side of 30. Perhaps if I still dressed as a French existentialist, insisted on carrying a 50s Penguin edition of the Collected Stories of Saki in my jacket pocket, then I might (just might) receive a Veggie Brie BLT within 10 minutes containing ALL of its advertised ingredients.

See you in La Brushetta with all the other non-pseuds

[andyb]

Mr Voroshilov, on Oct 10 2005, 05:43 PM, said:

Perhaps if I still dressed as a French existentialist, insisted on carrying a 50s Penguin edition of the Collected Stories of Saki in my jacket pocket

Saki said:

As cooks go, he was a good cook. And as cooks go, he went.

Or something along those lines . . .

[anopheles]

I really wanted to like this cafe and we have been a number of times since we moved to the area almost 6 years ago. Each time has been a bad experience. Service slow, soup that tasted like grass clippings (and not even fresh ones) and some fish that was absolutely raw in the middle. Experience has triumphed over desire and although the imaginatively priced fresh juices are good, it really needs more than that to lure us back.

[HillBilly]

This place has an identity crisis methinks! My man and I have had mixed experiences here; the garden is pretty and great to doss around in, but an evening meal here was worse than my rather awful home cooking...!

[Aunty]

A while ago I was duped into going to Domali to celebrate a family birthday. The group bill was close to £200 (there were a lot of us!) and when we all put in our share there was £16 change. The manager helped himself to all the change as a tip / service charge without bringing it back to the table for us to decide what to do with it. He was very difficult and gave me a filthy look when i asked for it back and has done so every time I've been in there since.

There is more than enough excellent competition for Domali in the triangle for this not to bother me! I used to go there regualry and it was great a few years ago, but I simply don't bother any more.

Aunty

[theandrewssister]

To all those who wonder why Domali dominates the Palace cafe scene -- I can tell you why I and a lot of people I know go there despite the fact that all the other cafes around are better value. It's because we have small children. Alone in the Palace, Domali absolutely shines in the welcome it gives to those, like me, with babies or toddlers. The last time I went with my brattish 2 year old a waitress shot to the door as soon as she saw me and helped me in. There was only one table free, with a reserved sign on it -- but she whisked me to it, and couldn't do enough for us. I have never once found the service bad, I have to say, although the food is, I agree, lacklustre and overpriced.

This post has been edited by James: 13 February 2006 - 11:50 AM

[loplop]

theandrewssister, on Feb 13 2006, 11:31 AM, said:

Alone in the Palace, Domali absolutely shines in the welcome it gives to those, like me, with babies or toddlers.

And La Bruscetta ? Extremely child-friendly.