Pizza Express

This is a regular branch of Pizza Express set alongside the bank of the River Welland in the upmarket town of Stamford. It has a good number of tables as usual set around an open view kitchen area. There are also about three tables set on a balcony over the river but I have never seen these open for use and the chances of staff remembering you are out there are very slim. The food was average Pizza Express fare although I am always surprised how the same pizzas look different every time you visit or between different branches. I thought, especially for nutritional information purposes, they would all be made exactly the same rather than allowing them to be open to interpretation or maybe some chefs are lazier than others in the way they prepare things. Also the chilli oil was incredibly mild to the point it wasn't worth bothering with which is a shame as I particularly enjoy it. Staff were friendly enough but were very slow and didn't pay enough attention to what was going on. This led to our children getting bored and restless for what should have been a simple lunchtime meal. We ended up being there two hours when we expected to be there one hour. The toilets were clean and respectable enough although we were there not long after opening so there shouldn't have been a problem. The gentleman's toilet needs to be better signposted. A number of men accidentally use the ladies as it isn't clear where the gent's is. In places the restaurant is looking rather tired and could do with a bit of TLC but in the current climate I doubt that will happen. On the whole it is ok and perfectly acceptable but it just backs up my idea that going out to a restaurant no longer has any wow factor and you are just as well eating at home and saving money.