Gino’s Cafe

First things first — a review of anywhere or anything in Slough has to be contextualised. It’s not like other places. Everything is a bit worse.
As such Gino’s gets three stars whereas if it were in London it might get two. It is a tasteful greasy spoon, with a fairly effortless (and entirely genuine) retro feel. The staff were polite and happy to do what you might ask. But it’s somewhat let down by old-​fashioned English-​style cuisine; the food feels additive– and flavouring-​fuelled and smacks of having been preprepared in bulk. The price point, for Slough, is not cheap.
The menu consists of paninis, burgers and thundering cooked breakfasts. I’ve not tried much from the menu, but I have heard of respectable people ordering the same thing there on multiple occasions, so it can’t be a complete travesty. My panini was a bit bland but I knew what I was getting; my chips were a bit oily and tasteless and the salad was unexciting. But none of this shocked me; I asked for it, was fully prepared, and not disappointed.
If you’re hungry in Slough and are not in the mood for a chain restaurant, it serves as a safe bet. As a small, family-​run independent business powering through these miserable times, it has to be fully credited for standing out from Slough’s identikit high street.