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| - I am really sad about having to write this review, but I feel like I have to since the latest reviews don't really seem to reflect what's happened to the place. I used to be this place's biggest fan, always raving about it my friends (and even strangers!) but today I was really disappointed and I don't think I'll be going again.
A friend and I came in today and we were surprised by a giant hanging shoe rack-- while fine in theory, people's feet smell, and having several stacked up right by the door was not a great idea considering the place is already narrow. I also noticed that there was a significant lack of lighting, and artwork.
We weren't even given any menus, but were told to grab a couple ourselves from a basket. That was really strange since normally you're given one as soon as you're seated, but I was willing to look past it. The new menus are very hard to go through, so I stuck to the old menu that's been around for years, and picked out a tea. One of the employees suggested something else, and after we agreed to try it, he went off to the back and sang while he made us our tea. It took him a long time to get back to us, passing back and forth while chatting to others, letting us know that he'd be "several minutes." We didn't get our order taken til 15 minutes after sitting down, but we did get our tea quickly once he had a minute. The weird thing is, though, that one of the owners was there, and he was just lounging around.
The tables were sticky, but the employee who sat us down ran off to grab some napkins to clean up. After we got our drinks, we felt like we were unwelcome. The owner didn't even acknowledge us but literally took the time to greet everyone else who walked in. We were also ignored for the entire time we were there, so we ended up deciding to cut our visit short and just pay for the one pot of tea. We left without anyone acknowledging us (after paying), and both my friend and I felt really uncomfortable and like people were being hostile towards us.
We did notice the demographic changed a lot from when we would go in-- there didn't actually seem to be very many people in, but the people who were in were performers for the event happening later on that evening. I always went to Bampot for the atmosphere and the people, but now it seems like those have deteriorated as well. The food was never that great (though I've always loved their sahleb), the service is dangerously close to bad, there seems to be a newly developed hostility to people who don't fit the Bampot "type," and the new seating is really uncomfortable and cramped in the back. The tea is very good, and it always has been, but it wouldn't be hard to find another place to pop in to.
I really hope they get their shit together, I loved this place in the past and it's just so sad seeing what it's become now.
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