Alexanders of Markethill in Armagh

Disappointing Experience - Need for Improved Allergy Awareness and better customer service. My family and I recently had a terrible experience at Alexander’s on August 28th. We were hoping to enjoy a lovely day out together while facing a challenging time due to my sister's recent cancer diagnosis. We decided to go shopping for baby items given my pregnancy, followed by a visit to Alexander's for lunch. Unfortunately, our experience was tainted by a humiliating and degrading encounter related to my nut allergy. Upon informing the staff of my allergy, I was loudly asked by an employee in front of a queue of other patrons whether I was carrying an EpiPen. I found this intrusive, as my medical treatment is not anyone's business, but responded. After ordering and paying, I was presented with a form requesting my signature and personal details, including my name, address, and telephone number. The staff member informed me that this was their protocol for customers with nut allergies. Reluctantly, I signed the form but refused to provide my personal information due to further privacy concerns. Throughout this ordeal, the owner, emphasised the need to protect themselves, showing no consideration for my allergy or offering reassurance that my food was being prepared in a safe environment. I still have no idea as to why this information was relevant other than to put me in an extremely uncomfortable position. Attempting to enjoy our meal, the owner approached our table and asked about our satisfaction. Given the more intimate environment, I expressed that the food was satisfactory but that the earlier confrontation had soured our experience. In response, she became defensive and referenced a recent case where a person had died from an allergic reaction at another establishment. She claimed that she would refuse to serve anyone with a nut allergy unless they signed the form and further stated that nuts were present throughout their kitchen. Given that I was half way through my meal, this provided zero assurance that precautions had been taken to ensure my food was safely prepared and caused more worry and upset. I strongly urge Alexander's to review their outdated protocols, invest in staff-wide allergy awareness training, and add allergen information to their menu. It is crucial that customers are not subjected to potentially life-threatening reactions or humiliation, such as I experienced. The food itself was nothing special and thankfully I’m still here to share my story.

Great food, atmosphere and a friendly service which made for a very enjoyable lunch. Would highly recommend to everyone.

Have visited many times over the years and we always enjoy the coffee shop and browsing around the shop. We had the pulled pork ciabatta which was delicious and came with salad and chips. The service was excellent and we really enjoyed our visit.

I have always enjoyed meeting up with my Armagh friends in the well known Alexander’s cafe in Markethill but after last week’s lunch offering, I doubt if I will return! We had a forty minute wait to begin with and I was looking forward to my prawn and smoked salmon salad! The two slices of wheaten bread at the base of the salad had two rectangles of frozen butter on. Too hard to be spread! The salad seemed to have been thrown on to the plate but to top it all, there was no Marie Rose sauce in sight. Or indeed in taste! A bottle of garlic Mayo seemed to have been squeezed all over rendering the sight and taste absolutely horrible! My husband’s burger was over cooked and the coleslaw was tasteless - so another dissatisfied customer. The sweets looked delicious, as always, but certainly our lunch was a total waste of money.

We Visited Alexander’s coffee shop last week as we do on our annual visit to their Christmas shop and to say I was disappointed and appalled at the service we received is an understatement. We were approached when trying to find a table for my elderly parents (87 & 78) by a young lady who was very clearly reluctant to allow us a table that would suit our needs. Trying to shoe horn 3 people into a table of 2. The number of people in the queue did not equate to the number of unallocated tables so what the issue was I have absolutely no idea. The lady serving behind the counter when we went to order was like a sergeant major, she was short, curt and clearly not cut out for customer service. Food was overpriced and mediocre at best and staff could really do with some customer service training. We most certainly will not return.

Very disappointed after driving to Alexander’s two days ago to find restaurant and toilets closed !I do not understand why toilets cannot be open even if food is not being served !I loved this shop and always looked forward to visiting it but as it is a good distance away I do not think I will be going back

A cafe in a shop (gift shop, small department store). Outstanding food, all made locally, deserts all from scratch and of the highest quality. Locally famous for the lemon meringue pie. Host many special event evenings. A must eat here if anywhere near the area. Very good staff, very friendly service.

We were invited to Alexanders by a good friend (travelling around 40 miles from Lisburn).A very spacious store that didn't disappoint.It was a Christmas Wonderland. Young children and toddlers were obviously mesmerised.The displays were innovative and artistic; it must have taken many devoted hours (and expense) to create.There is a lift as well as an impressive staircase to the upper floor - which houses further displays and the Restaurant.Our Christmas "Dinner" was served promptly; it was nicely cooked, tasty and served in generous amounts.Hygiene seemed good and service was prompt. All the staff were helpful - but very busy.It is obviously a very popular restaurant with locals and visitors alike.Our 80-mile return journey was definitely worth it.Highly recommended - especially during the Christmas Season.

Alexanders Christmas display is second to none - beautifully done and a delight to see. This is a great place to meet friends and family and there is an excellent restaurant upstairs.

Some of the most stunning christmas decor I have ever seen and travel 2 hrs every year to go to this one shop. However, after my visit today I will never be back the level of customer service we recieved from the 'owner' was downright appauling, rude and aggressive. I have never been more discusted in my life. If a member of staff had have approached customers in such a manner they would have been sacked, however, the member of staff that was assisting us when she (the owner) launched this aggressive verbal spiel was very apologetic and lovely. Absoloutely discusted by this behaviour.

I was in for lunch with my wife , we often go for coffee etc. on this occasion we had lunch and i got a big black hair in my chicken & broccoli bake i never saw it until it was in my mouth , could not believe it , when i took it back to the till and showed it to the staff member all she said was ...oh ........ not happy at all no apology from the manager or a reason for it happening ......discussed ill not be ordering lunch again ,

Visited to look round the shop, then stopped at the restaurant were very attentive staff looked after our choice of meal. Lovely food and good sized portions. The shop itself is also well worth a visit.

Visited today with our 10 year old daughter who has a nut allergy. Once we informed the lady serving we got the usual blurb about not being able to guarantee but nothing in the ingredients about nuts. Lady serving then used tongs being used for salads to lift sausage roll. It just appears saying blurb of not guaranteeing takes away good practice to protect. In the end neither of our daughters could eat the sausage rolls. The taste was not good. On the whole the cafe was chaotic in how they took orders and served.

A few of us went to Alexander's Christmas open night on Wed 14th Nov.We really enjoyed the atmosphere and the Christmas Spirit.Our supper was delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed the selection offered. We were asked by a member of staff what hot drinks would we like. Everyone ordered their drinks, HOWEVER,I do not take tea/coffee, so I asked if I could have a soft drink instead. I was then told I WOULD HAVE TO PAY EXTRA FOR IT. I REFUSED TO TAKE ANY THEN.Teas/Coffees/Lattes/Cappucinos, etc were being served to other tables which I dare say would work out more expensive than a 'FRUIT SHOOT!!!!'I felt the cost of £11.95 per person was quite excessive and definitely should have covered a soft drink, if required by a customer.

Travelled from Enniskillen to see this store and I was not disappointed. Beautiful gifts and so well stocked for Christmas. I just Loved this store The decorations were so so different and the themes were well thought out. I think the circus theme was my favourite. Everyone should visit Well worth the drive down. 5 star rating for sure!!

I have been to Alexanders several times before and although I never found it particularly amazing, I never felt the need to make a complaint until yesterday. Four friends plus myself went for lunch and a wander around the shop. When we went to order our lunch, the waitress appeared distracted, talking to another waitress on the floor. When our lunch came the order was incorrect. When we explained what we had ordered the waitress who had taken the order came to our table and stated that she had taken the order and what we had got was what we had ordered. Stated that maybe we had meant to order something else but hadn't! Basically called us liars! I felt this behaviour was inappropriate and very confrontational! We had desserts along with tea/coffee. The Victoria sponge was dried up, cheesecake tasteless, and tiramisu made with bought sponge and little coffee flavour. All in all not a very pleasant lunch. If I had have seen someone who I thought looked like management I would have spoken to them at the time, but that was not to be. I would be very reluctant to return.

The most gorgeous place I've ever had coffee and the best scone ever had .

we all enjoyed our breakfast today - the scones were delicious still warm and fresh out of the oven- so good! very friendly service also. lovely shop too we would go back! thank you

We stopped for coffee and had a delicious home made scone morning. Found we had delay in pm and needed a snack.Returned to get the same warm welcome and fairly-priced lunch sandwich.well done!!!Very clean,staff all very friendly.l

Dropped in while shopping in the store with the Boss, nice coffee, great selection of afternoon tea type eats, bit pricy, but very nice food and staff were excellent

The restaurant is self service which is fine if the staff explain the options. Unfortunately this didn't happen and my daughter ended up with a small portion of chicken goujons and rice for £8. I asked if she could have chips and was advised that they have to be ordered separately. Confusing! A pot of tea at almost £2 was expensive, although the traybakes were nice. Wouldn't visit again.

Would pop in for coffee and traybake when I am in the area. Service is fast and efficient and the food is lovely!

Went to Markethill and had lunch in Alexanders it would be difficult to find better value for £7-95. There were 3 of us and all were agreed that the food was excellent with generous helpings and very good value for money.

Restaurant / cafe opens at 0930 - we were first in. My wife wanted a scone and we were told the first batch would be ready in 5 minutes. We waited 15 minutes until we saw the scones coming out then went and ordered. There were a couple in front of us.

Have visited here a few times. It is always busy which is a good sign but iv never been blown away by the food. Quite expensive and self service which I hate!

Was here at Christmas for Christmas lunch, vegetables were hard and lunch nothing special, partner and I called in a few weeks ago and when I asked for vegetarian options the waitress just pointed at menu, a toasie came out with no dressing, bit more thought could go into the food, lots of staff but not a friendly atmosphere!

Fantastic shop. It has really beautiful items for sale and displays r fab. Expensive items to buy but worth it. Also had a curtain design department. The restaurant is great and caters for everything food great and the cakes to die for wear elastic top trousers

Just returned from Markethill after a delightful lunch at Alexanders which set us up for an afternoon of Christmas shopping in their beautiful store.

Lovely store with lots to look around, especially for unusual gifts. I enjoyed their Christmas selection of decorations. Café is excellent, great selection of scones and traybakes. The afternoon tea was good value for money, I will have to try this next time.

Great afternoon tea for myself and mother in law. Service was amazing, nothing was too much trouble, making sure we had enough tea and coffee the whole time we where there. The food was great and such good value we will defiantly be back!

Alexanders has always been a top class eatery for lunch.. their coffee is tasty and home made scones a delight.. the service is outstanding and the ambience is cosy. Always worth a visit even if your not shopping in store.

We love a visit to Alexander's , usually nearer Christmas for the Christmas display but it did not fail to please today. The shop is lovely, well arranged and with always an interesting selection of items.

Arrived about 2.30 and the 'specials' were still on until 3.00. Had a lovely light brunch and due to being wheat free they quickly adapted the 'special' dish to suit my needs. Very pleasant and helpful and I really enjoyed it.

There's something deeply charming about this old out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere store!! & slightly addictive!!

Lovely relaxing afternoon tea... excellent service (our server was Angeline she was so attentive and friendly), yummy food, pretty venue and great value!! Would recommend

Lovely stock however very over priced much cheaper competitors In cookstown and lurgan. Restaurant staff not at all nice and not family friendly esp with small babies. Won't be back, horrible experience!!

Visited here with a friend for a nosey round the shop and a cuppa. Food was fine, nothing special for the price paid.

I took my best friend here for a treat on her birthday. We had some breakfast and then treats and coffee. The counter staff were very helpful and friendly, food was lovely. But when we were seated I asked for some ketchup and was told in a nice way to get it myself. The lemon meringue was delicious and very generous but we were charged 45p extra for the cream. We were also charged 50p and 90p and it just said misc. Lovely place but beware of those little 'sneaky' charges

My sister and I took our mum here today for afternoon tea. The service was outstanding and food to match. I would definitely recommend Alexanders for an afternoon tea treat. Thanks for everything.

Le restaurant se trouve à l'étage. Il est agréable d'y manger. Il y a du choix. Parfait pour une pause le midi.

I visit alexanders frequently and today I'm very disappointed...we got a simple ham & cheese panini. We could have made it better ourselves at home. There was no effort or thought put into the service we recieved.

This is one of my favourite shops. Lovely staff, fabulous gifts and household wares, and excellent interior design approach especially at Christmas. On top of all that the cafe on the 1st floor is second to none. The food is excellent and the cafe is spotless. I love dining here and then having a little walk around the shop pondering what to buy.

Not wasting time over a coffee to say too much here. If you are into walking through massively overpriced and pretencious furniture and consumer tat to sit in a place with zero character thats a glorified canteen then this is for you. Food is what you can expect from these places.

Busy weekday lunchtime. Food excellent, especially salads and desserts. Highly recommended . Suit for morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea

Although a bit expensive the food is excellent and the coffee the hottest around. In a gift shop with some of the best house hold goods around the experience is worth the visit.

Stumbled across this shop/restaurant during a quick walk through the village.

A beautiful spectacle of what Christmas used to be. A great choice of gifts and decorations... So much that I want to return.

My husband and I are regular visitors to Alexanders of Markethill. The Market Place restaurant has been refurbished recently to create a calm and relaxing environment where you can enjoy a wide range of delicious home cooked food. The afternoon tea is excellent value and the Christmas nights are legendary. Christmas would not be not be complete without a trip to this family-run business.

My husband mum and l visited the restaurant on Monday for lunch. My husband had the soup which included a large piece of plastic in it.

Came here for Afternoon Tea with an elderly family member - well where do I start - from the moment we were shown to our table to the time we left the service, quality of food, quantity and variety was just excellent. The selection of savoury and sweet items were not just the usual you would find elsewhere - and yes, before you ask - they were very tasty. Refills of tea and coffee was a very welcome bonus - Can't wait to get back again :-)

Went to alexanders today for lunch and we were

I just wanted to say thank you to Alexanders for the tremendous effort the team put into their Christmas displays. We were off work today and took a trip over. The decorations are beautiful and every year they bring in stock you just won't see anywhere else. The staff are lovely and they remember your name and greet you like old friends. The restaurant is a real treat, from beautiful savoury lunches, to coffee and cake. If you like mince pies, Alexanders are absolutely gorgeous. Alexanders makes the roll in to Christmas so special, it has become part of our family tradition to visit.

If you live in Ulster and have never been or, if you are a visitor and you would like to spend time in a most pleasant shop then do visit Alexanders. The area is beautiful, the forest park is just up the road, the town is small but very nice and the shop is excellent. My wife and I were there yesterday and the young ladies of the shop are nearly finished decking it out for Christmas, outstanding and, in the middle of your look round, a visit to the restaurant will really set you up for the second half.

In my opinion Alexanders Markethill is a great place to spend an afternoon shopping with it's large range of goods its friendly helpful staff and the wonderful cafe upstairs as it has so many mouthwatering dishes and as it is now preparing for the Christmas extravaganza which it puts on each year really a great store to visit

One thing Northern Ireland do well is good baking. This is demonstrated here. Wide selection of scones, cakes, meringues, and tray bakes. All freshly made on the premises. Friendly staff. Great for lunch too with freshly made pies, stews etc.

Really lovely lunch with friendly helpful staff. So much food didn't have room for a cake for afters. Absolutely fab. Thank you

me and my family love this place great food and great service. great vaule for money. desserts delicious would recommond to anyone

Had a lovely morning in Alexanders. The new restaurant decor is beautiful and tastefully done. The desserts were just delicious can't wait for our next trip.

We had the most delicious toffee apple crumble ever!! The crumble was chunky which we loved and it was served warm with fresh cream on the side.

Enjoyed a lovely bowl of soup in the restaurant for lunch. Really busy on a Friday afternoon and not many tables... The queuing system was a little chaotic as some people got a table before ordering and if they did they got to go to front of the queue as others had to wait until a table was free. Perhaps a different ordering system may work a little fairer....

Great restaurant and fantastic shop. Good place for some retail therapy and then enjoy some wee treat at the restaurant after. Enjoy🍔🍲🍧🎂🍰🍮

Been here a couple of times for lunch with my wife. Good selection of items reasonably priced and good portions. Could perhaps consider free top ups of coffee.

This is on behalf of my sister who is a regular customer to the Market House. We all visited for our usual scones and coffee. We opted for the chocolate orange ones which were lacking chocolate orange and tasted like flour. This isn't the first time the scones have tasted like this. The coffee was lovely though.

Lovely home cooked food. Will be back! It was late in the evening so our choice of menu was very limited

had coffee and traybake which was really delicious. had walk aron shop and enjoyed looking @ the different rooms done out for the summer season. really liked the light among the blocks in the fire grate . this shop is really worth a visit.

I have visited here many times and never been disappointed. Beautiful homemade and well presented lunches and sweet treats. Plenty of variety to choose from. The staff are pleasant, helpful, and friendly. Excellent value for the quality of food and service.

A trip to Alexanders is always a treat to be anticipated, experienced and valued. After browsing among the ever changing and tempting variety of goods, the restaurant is a perfect place to revive with delicious coffee/tea and scones or pies or gateaux or a fresh salad or bowl of soup, or...... Someday I'll sample the breakfast too. Everything perfectly prepared and clean, severed by patient and helpful staff. Wonderful to meet friends here too. Always reliable delicious food.

We booked for afternoon tea - 2 vegetarians were in our party of 4. the staff were friendly and attentive throughout our tea. Good range of food for all the party, and the waitress shared what was on each stand for us. Tea and coffee topups were welcomed! Lovely atmosphere in the restaurant and its decorated beautifully! After tea we browsed around the gift store - it was a lovely way to spend our afternoon!

This restaurant has been recently decorated to top standard. Lovely food and friendly staff. Family run business with the owners activitely involved to ensure everything is to your satisfaction. One can then enjoy looking around a beautiful store full of the best household items plus some recently added lines likes bags and scarves. A lovely way to spend time with friends or just have some quality time alone.

Beautiful food and very helpful staff. Visit quite often and I have never had a bad meal yet. Breakfast is also very nice

Lovely friendly restaurant that was very child friendly! Good food that was traditional with unexpected twists. Would come a gain as price was good.

We have lunch in this restaurant twice a week. I have never been disappointed. There is a great selection of dishes on the menu, always a choice of soup and the salad bar is excellent. Well done Alexanders

My recent visit to Alexanders for afternoon tea was amazing. The experience was delightful. The service was 1st class and produce offered mouth watering. A real treat and would highly recommend this to everyone

Have been visiting the Market House for years, never disappointed, always great food and friendly staff!

Lovely food well presented always. Staff very friendly and helpful especially as I am gluten free.I would recommend Alexander's to anyone.

We visit the Market House restaurant every week and are always very pleased with our coffee and scones. The staff are so welcoming and know what we want before we ask! Cleanliness comes top of their list, everything is spotless.