Pontis

The one word I would use to describe this place is «Chaos» but I always end up going back. Ponti’s is a nightmare, where you queue to have your order taken only to join another queue to pay and join a final queue to collect the order. So it is actually a perfect fusion of Italian and British culture.
Ponti’s is located a stone’s throw from Liverpool Street making a convenient work lunch time spot. This particular branch hosts a spacious dining area but as a creature of habit I always opt for Spag Bol to takeaway with garlic bread. The food quality is excellent so I return each time only to get annoyed by the ordering system and then impressed by the food in equal measure.

My jacket potato with goats cheese and caramelized red onion certainly tasted nicebut there is no way that something so small and easy to make should be worth four pounds fifty!
The system for ordering and queuing here is a bit of a mare too, but then they do get very busy.
I doubt I will be back as there are many better places in the area.

There was a Pontis where i went to university, so whenever we fancied a massive breakfast we’d descend up on here in our hungover state and feast. For a long time Pontis represented that place and time in my life, so i was really surprised to find them all over London, especially in business areas. Seeing a suited businessman chowing down on my hangover cure was hilarious!
So basically Ponti’s (sounds like Pontins as well which always makes me laugh) is a cheap lunch caff, serving a range of Italian treats — pasta. lasagna, risotto, ciabattes, as well as the standard smattering of jacket potato’s and salads. The best thing is about Pontis is that it’s cheap (around £4 a dish) and really quick (it’s not particularly ‘fresh’, your pasta is pre-​made and warmed up) so if you’re in a rush and want to be in and out quickly then this is perfect. You can eat in, or take away, perfect to get you through those long winter days in the office. Oh, and they serve beer, in what is essentially a café, brilliant!