Food Critic Delivers Scathing Verdict on Asda Café Experience
Renowned restaurant reviewer Gary Hanna has delivered a damning assessment of Asda's in-store café offering, describing it as "the worst food he'd had in a supermarket" following a recent visit. The critic, who runs the popular GaryEats channel and has reviewed establishments across Britain, found both breakfast and lunch offerings severely lacking during his visit to the retail giant's dining facility.
Disappointing Full English Breakfast Falls Short
Gary began his assessment with Asda's Full English breakfast, which initially presented well visually. "First impressions, it's a nice looking plate," he commented as the £7.28 meal arrived. However, this positive first impression quickly faded as he worked through the components.
The sausages, while having excellent colour, proved deceptive. "It's caught me out because I thought the snap on the skin would help. But it is very mushy. That surprised me. It looked better than it tasted," Gary observed. Both the sausage and bacon appeared to have been cooked in advance and kept under warming lamps, a common practice in supermarket cafés but one that compromised quality.
Perhaps the most disappointing element was the baked beans, which arrived cold. "Oh dear," Gary stated. "We need the sunlight to beam down on them because they are cold. They're not quality either. Not mad about the tomato sauce on them." The meal, which included hash browns and tinned tomatoes alongside the problematic elements, failed to justify its price point according to the critic.
Lunch Offerings Prove Even More Problematic
Hoping for improvement at lunchtime, Gary selected two dishes to gain a comprehensive understanding of Asda's culinary standards. He deliberately chose a jacket potato with beans to test whether the bean temperature issue persisted throughout the day.
While the jacket potato itself was acceptable, the grated cheese hadn't properly melted and the beans remained disappointingly chilly, rendering the entire meal underwhelming. The situation deteriorated further with the burger selection, which Gary described as looking "very sorry."
"That was really hard to eat. It's like eating cardboard. The burger is so dry... It's been in the sun. It's been in the Sahara; it is absolutely not good," he remarked. The kitchen had run out of both burger salad and appropriate cheese, and the loaded fries accompanying the burger were only slightly better, remaining "not particularly warm." Gary's ultimate recommendation was blunt: "You're better off going to McDonald's."
Systemic Issues Beyond Kitchen Control
Throughout his review, Gary was careful to distinguish between the efforts of café staff and the systemic problems affecting the food quality. He praised the woman who served him for genuinely attempting to make his meal as decent as possible within the constraints she faced.
"It's not fair on them," he noted, highlighting that staff were obviously giving their all with limited resources. He pointed the finger squarely at management decisions, particularly the purchasing of cut-price ingredients that compromised the final product.
The resource limitations extended beyond food quality to basic amenities – there weren't even proper napkins available, with staff instead providing customers with toilet paper. Little wonder, Gary observed, that the café resembled "the Marie Celeste," with scarcely another customer to be seen during his visit.
Context Within Broader Supermarket Reviews
Gary Hanna has built his reputation through comprehensive reviews of supermarket cafés across Britain, having previously assessed establishments at Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons and Booths. This context makes his verdict on Asda particularly significant – when a reviewer with such broad experience declares a meal the worst he's encountered in a supermarket, it carries substantial weight.
The café's pledge of "quality ingredients and great food" stood in stark contrast to Gary's experience, raising questions about whether Asda's catering operation can deliver on its promises to customers seeking affordable dining options while shopping.
As supermarket cafés continue to compete in the increasingly crowded budget dining market, reviews like Gary's highlight the challenges they face in balancing cost control with acceptable quality standards. For Asda specifically, this assessment suggests significant room for improvement in their café offering if they hope to attract and retain customers seeking decent meals at reasonable prices.
