Pizza Express Red Lion Street, Richmond

I hadn't been to pizza express in months, so was intrigued to learn that the Richmond branch has been transformed into what Pizza Express calls a 'living lab'; it's a cool concept; kids can make their own pizzas, there's a virtual playground and the menu has been overhauled to offer brunch dishes, afternoon snacks and pastries. I guess they are trying to make it less fast food and more of a social gathering place. Apparently they will be running Play Dough Hours, film and music nights, wine and pizza tastings. It's a vast improvement on the previous incumbent, nevertheless expensive. And forget using your voucher here - Richmond is NOT included in any of the promos.

Perhaps Pizza Express have taken there family-friendly ethos too far! We went for Sunday lunch and the place was heaving...with kids. It was like a creche. Felt very sorry for anyone eating there without children. Service was a little bit hit and miss - kept having to ask for stuff - but the food was good as always and our kids do love it. They would go off and play with the toys by reception or do their colouring sheet whilst waiting. This is the place to come to if you're new to the 'eating out with small people' thing and want safety in numbers!

We went with a newborn baby and the restaurant was great with us. The staff were really friendly and found us a spot a bit more out of it where we could put the pram. The decor is pretty much the same as the other pizza express's so lovely. There is a kids menu which looked great. The restaurant was quite busy on a friday night and not many tables left when we were leaving at 8pm. They brought us boiling water in a dish to warm our baby milk and had changing facilities and clean toilets. We really enjoyed our meal and would definatley recommend.

Oh dear - what ever happened to the Pizza Express I used to love? The discount vouchers (which seem to be on permanent offer these days) may help to fill the restaurants, but the standard of service, quality of food and overall experience has sadly diminished. I guess you get what you pay for. I'd have gladly paid full price for a quality experience - but this is really no better than a trip down to the golden arches. I won't be going back here in a hurry.

Still the best pizza in town for children despite the formulaic menu. The Richmond branch has some great little touches like a small kids play area, as well as the usual crayons and activity pack. On our last visit the place was packed - not sure if they were running one of their voucher offers? The staff were struggling to cope so the service not up to par. Otherwise it's a great venue to eat with the kids.