Barkers Restaurant in Hambleton

First Impression not good. Greeted by a notice asking folk to be patient as service is slow due to illness and staff shortage, First queue was to order food, next was to order drinks as self service coffee machine was out of order. Next much longer queue was at till. Result was that when we sat down, food had cooled considerably. To be honest I would rate the quality of the meal we purchased was at a level below our experience of 1960’s school dinners. Would definitely not recommend this establishment.

We arrived about 11:45 before the lunch rush, downstairs was full but upstairs had lots of space. Staff were very nice and happy to see us. The food has a home cooked look and taste, no mass produced rubbish, our server was Sahara? blonde lady who likes chips as much as we do. The food was all perfect and was full of flavour, I will return here.

Popped in for a breakfast just after opening time (stupidly thinking it would be less busy, hence a quick breakfast). Breakfast took about 20 mins to arrive. However, the food was very tasty even if the bacon was a little overcooked and I wasn’t asked why toast I wanted. But then it must be difficult catering to everyone’s personal preferences.

The service I received today was second to none . Too late for lunch SO I decided on poached salmon with a side salad and Proper Chips ( Home Made ). It was absolutely scrumptious . I enjoyed every mouth full. Special mention of Ann Witty. She is so kind and helpful. Every thing was delivered to my table by her with exquisite service. I walked out of Bettys after being told I had to sit where she said. My name for her Attitude Annie. I recommend she comes to Barkers to see how you are treated properly. So glad I did come back as it was nice to talk to Ann Smirthwaite. If you ever want good food and service then just follow me to Barkers Kitchen.

Service is poor. Only 1 person to take orders . Waited 10mins to order breakfast and then told I had missed the 1130 deadline

Always try an stop here for a drink and a cake whenever I can. The choice of cakes is really impressive and every one I try never disappoints. The seating area is very well organised and always clean and tidy. Service has always been really efficient every time I have visited and have never had to wait to long to be served.

The lift is Brilliant for those in wheel chairs, this was my mothers favourite place for a cup of tea and scones, or something lemon, like drizzle cake, not been in for a while must re visit xx

Had a lovely lunch here. Lots of choice for everyone and a brilliant choice of Gluten Free options as well. The panini’s were very tasty as was everything that our group ordered. There are also plenty of seats but I can imagine it could get busy

We called in here last Saturday for a late breakfast. The four of us had to queue for about 20 minutes and then had to give our food order and pay before we were shown to our table. Why couldn’t we have been seated , then our food order taken? Our food then took 40 minutes to arrive. You do need to get rid of the crazy queuing system and get your customers into their seats much faster, or some of them will not return. The food was great, as usual, but the whole experience was not.

Excellent service in difficult times , minimal wait in queue , order taken & shown to allocated seat , drinks brought straight away , food brought in less than 5 mins piping hot , we’d order puddings & staff said they would bring later which they did , all in all 100% service well done to all the staff for your hard work

What is going on here at Barkers restaurant overlooking the car park at the back of the store? Went in for Saturday lunch today. Queuing and seating v slow indeed. Staff dreadfully slow at everything they do. Food ordered was all very bland and boring...... School dinners in the 70s were better! Quiche was tasteless, salad limp and old, chips just awful, coleslaw very watery.... Not impressed.... We hate wasting food but I'm afraid to say today we left some..... Finally queuing up to pay for it.... It got worse.... Service with a smile... NOT!!! Come on Barkers... Up your game, we paid your wages today.

I can't honestly think of anywhere that has been less friendly. The current set up to deal with Covid makes little sense. Why have everyone lined up at the food counter waiting to put an order in when a table service order would have bums on seats. A lady behind us was meeting friends who had already arrived, but she had to wait in the queue for 15 minutes in order to reach her table.... Needless. Clearly the staff are stressed, at least I hope this is the case. From putting the food order in to paying was painful. You aren't doing people a favour by taking our money and bringing us food, though this is the impression that is given. On paying I queried the price of the kids lunch box deal at £4.50 for 5 items, however the contents cost £3.80. "That's just what we normally charge". Great for you, but I don't fancy paying 80p more for exactly the same items. Presumably if you buy either 4 or 6 items then you're charged by item, but if you want 5.... For it to benefit the customer you would need to have a box of 5(half) sandwiches. The lady reluctantly charged the correct amount whilst trying to turn me to stone with a deep stare into my soul. I forget who won the blinking contest. The department store staff overall are always polite and cheerful, perhaps the cafe staff could do with a gentle reminder about customer service.... And by perhaps, I do actually mean get them booked in ASAP. Dreadful.

First visit since lockdown. Shop really well organised with sanitiser points. All staff in visors. Restaurant well organised and good one way system, good cleaning procedures. Lovely choice of food. Served to table. Delicious. Really enjoyed and had confidence in procedures which have been put in place.

All I can say is they understaffed And obviously under pressure by the way the head waitress was acting, no customer service,they wanted to take our order on the way in but we hadn’t decided so asked to order at the table, which was a big mistake no one came back to us So we left very disappointed. I think the front of house staff need a few lessons on customer service as it was certainly poor today

Called in today after months of lockdown and really very impressed as to how Barker's made us feel safe. I personally don't believe that they could actually do any more than what they have. Every safety measure was in place, staff were brilliant and it was lovely to have a good old cuppa and 🍰. Amazing how we used to take such things for granted and now it's a treat. Well done Barkers, we'll be back soon.

We popped in for Sunday lunch and had fish and chips which were excellent and a pot of Yorkshire tea, the fish was excellent and the chips very tasty,

I have not eaten in Barkers for some time and since my daughter was visiting I thought I would treat her and my wife to lunch yesterday . This proved to be a massive disappointment. Firstly it was extremely busy which is not a problem however you need sufficient staff to cope with it, you also need staff who know what they are doing and who provide a service which is up to the expected standards. Both my wife and daughter had soup and were aghast firstly because it was going to be served into a dirty bowls, fortunately my wife brought it to the attention of the server but to add insult to injury it was unceremoniously slopped into their new soup bowls and into the saucers!Next I selected a round of prepared ham sandwiches which looked good and then queued for a freshly made Americano Coffee and a Cappuccino (both regular) next it was off to the cashier to be robbed of £17! At least Dick Turpin wore a mask!!!It was now time to tuck into our fare, hungry and expecting quality........oops disappointed we all were; the soup was bland and tasteless, my ham sandwiches were extremely salty and the accompanying salad garnish was dry and stale, the mayonnaise sachets I got were not of a high Brand type and tasted disgusting.Finally I thought I would be saved with my coffee, freshly made, but...... weak, tasteless liquid I was subjected to!!!! At this point I had lost all my respect for the Barkers Brand and we got up and left.One other point is that the restaurant stunk of fish, not a little bit it reeked of it, no matter where you sat you could not get away from it and when we left our clothes stunk of it!Now the question will be asked....did we complain at the time....the answer is no....why not? I had lost the will to live and I could not bear the overpowering smell of fish it made me wretch!Please don’t shoot me down if you look at my review history you will see that I am extremely fare and complimentary where appropriate, but Barkers you really need to up your game!

We had a booth seating for Sunday lunch for my mothers birthday, and although the manager was off and she forgot to pass on the detail and arrangements that were made weeks before, we were still looked after by the team on duty. The lady on the till was commendable and polite and even gave us table service. The day was saved by her actions and the food was ok as well.

Very good choice of comfort food always on display. I can’t fault it. Recently I had the liver and onions with all the trimmings and boosted my iron content for the year!Absolutely delicious! I was tempted by several other choices including lamb shank and pork stroganoff with wild rice, that’s probably the hardest part-choosing!Amazing.

Just an Idea, my friends and I visit every week, when possible it's either a mug of tea or a cup of coffee ☕ ( Italian), now I have a very good entrepreneurs vision!The first Café to start selling a good old cup of decent INSTANT Coffee will make a killing . If you notice, you can not purchase any thing other than the same old boring (to me) Cappacino, Latte and Filtered, (which is a very harsh drink) etc at any of the Cafés in Northallerton and I suspect it will be the same in most towns.Please give your customers that choice!Just an idea, and see it take off in a big way, the Italian dream will fade!

Visited Barkers Kitchen in the department store on the high street, we both picked the Roast Beef for lunch, quality and well cooked meat, with masses of veg and roast pots, good customer service and great value for money, we will be back again soon.

We called in here today but were too early for lunch so we stood at the Sandwich/Keesh/Salad counter for what seemed like ages. When a 'older' member of staff appeared she was abrupt and unpleasant and wouldn't let me finish what i was asking, she then went on to cough her guts up over all the food (Keeshes) that were not covered, she eventually put the back of her hand up to her mouth while coughing so I said 'no thanks' and walked off to the tea/coffee area. She didn't even have the decency to try and correct herself by turning her head away from the food. She continued with her work without washing her hands.........disgusting behaviour in a food place. Its simple basic hygiene rules that this lady lacks and I'm more surprised that she thought it was OK to do this!! The coffee and cake we had was good I just hope the cake wasn't prepared by this woman with her disgusting habits!

Pleasant ambience but the service is slow and the till very slow. Pleasant views out over the Applegarth.

Lovely selection of good quality, value for money meals. Recommend the quiche. To be honest one of the best places in Northallerton for a quick lunch.

If you like the M&S cafes then you will love Barkers, the staff are excellent and they make you feel like royalty. We tried the jacket potatoes and I can honestly say it was the best potato and tuna mayo I have ever had. Will I go back? You bet your bottom dollar I will.

Always a pleasure to eat here. Being a man I am not the best at shopping with my wife, however Barkers is the one store that makes shopping a pleasure with such pleasant courteous staff. We always have some sort of a meal when shopping at Barkers & I can honestly say without exception the meals have been very welcome, a nice treat combined with such attentive well mannered staff the whole experience is very much a pleasure. Oh yesterday we had fish & chips with bread & butter plus a pot of tea each for £7.50 a piece unbeatable value & very nice to boot.

We have visited this cafe several times now, breakfast a couple of times and also a couple of lunches. We have found it good value, good meals and better than expected! Will return again!!

Visited Barkers on High st upstairs cafe at the rear. Its changed since our last visit. Dont appear to have a sandwich menu? So choice limited. Feels like a 70s style cafe. Service ok but some tables needed to be cleared. We are big fans of Barkers but sorry not of this cafe.

We visited the busy restaurant at lunch on 09 Oct. It had a wide range of meal options. and chose the hot meal at £12 for 2. The 2 staff were not pleasant and stood without comment doing there own thing. We were finally rescued by a 3rd person in the shape of a young man who dished up a pie and mash with veg and a version with chicken. The chicken had a sauce which was quite tart and overpowered the meal completely but the meat pie was OK. The till staff were pleasant but did not mention where to find the cutlery or water. There was a lot of seating so finding a table was not a problem. There are plenty of lunchtime eateries in Northallerton and we shall not be repeating this one.

What a joy to eat genuine home made food in a fantastic department store restaurant. Such friendly, helpful & polite staff and delicious home made food. The potato and celery soup was outstanding and seasoned to perfection. Even though we arrived after 2pm, nothing was too much trouble for the lovely staff to heat some more fresh soup up for myself & my sister. My Mum had sandwiches & salad which were excellent too.

I always come here for my breakfast when in northallerton shopping on a morning for a full english and a tea or coffee is included it is £6.50p really nice fills you up

Once again this restaurant delivered. Good service, warm friendly staff, well cooked and served food. What else can I say. It is there to be had. You know what to do, see you there.

we have eaten here 3 times over the last 3 months and it has been nice each time, there are some really friendly staff and the food has been good, it is clean and tidy too.

Had an enjoyable lunch today in this restaurant. Good variety on menu. Reasonably priced. The restaurant is quite large with plenty of seating. The tables were being cleared and cleaned regularly. Friendly staff. Would definitely recommend.

had lunch with daughter and grand daughter, food was lovely, we all had kids meals, fish and chicken, it was very good for the price as we got a drink and the meal and also a lovely brownie for desert, and it was just right for lunch, tasted yummy too, the staff were very friendly and helpful and we will go again, i didn't use the toilet as it is upstairs and i can't do stairs at the moment so i can't comment on that.

just been for a cup of tea and scone this morning and found the cup and saucer not clean

Lovely food and very nice staff. Very busy so very popular. Would definitely go back again when we require a big lunch.

Food was average and we thought pricety for what it was. Staff were fairly attentive. Upstairs restaurant which is a bit of a nuisance if you have mobility issues.

A lunch time liaison. Great choice of food, beautifully cooked, presented and served. A really good choice from roast meats, quiches, soups and sandwiches. Great to visit on market day.

Sometimes the food in here is great and very reasonably priced. However this is not always the case. We called in last week to have a breakfast which is usually good. This time it was awful with bacon that was rock hard, egg swimming in grease and to top it off a long hair entangled in the black pudding and cold beans! Not good!

Running buffet style which they now appear to have the cold salad area cordoned off from the hot food queue.

Together with my mum we both chose to have the breakfast, and so glad we did. The staff were very attentive and helpful. Angela took our order and all requests were dealt with very efficiently. Katey on the till was also very pleasant and went out of her way to complete our meal with asking about spread or butter etc and brought them to our table very efficiently. All in all a very pleasant experience, and well worth recommending. |t is served only until 11-30 am. Together with a pot of tea or cup of coffee with toast all at only £6.25p. Well worth it. Keep up the good work.

Went to Barkers today, popped upstairs for a cuppa, service quick and efficient, my wife had a slice of quiche, I had very tasty scone, but problem in finding a table. Plenty empty, but at least nine hadn't been cleared, we cleared our own.This was at about one thirty,so lunch rush hour over....

Came with my mum for lunch, both had fish & chips & it was just as good as what you get at the chippie

It still is similar to a canteen despite the make over. There were 6 of us so it seemed the...

Heard a lot about this place but never visited before. Read many of the recent (poor) reviews but decided to...

Went to Northallerton for the Xmas event, and chose to visit the upstairs restaurant. My mum likes a dinner and...

If I could give less tha one I would. I walked into the upstairs restaurant (I use tha word lightly)...

We decided to have lunch in the upstairs cafeteria after shopping in the store. My wife ordered an egg mayonnaise...

We called here for a coffee and a snack last Saturday. Although the downstairs seating area was pleasant and the hot sandwich and coffee we ordered was good the praise stops there. The poor staff who were very friendly and polite were clearly overstretched. They obviously didn't have time to clear tables, restock sugar, napkins etc. The toilet upstairs had no toilet roll and the electric handryer did not work. The coffee and snacks don't come cheap (£5 for a medium sized bacon and brie bun) so come on Barkers-help the staff out and employ another member of staff on busy market day Saturday afternoons!

We had the misfortune of going here for Sunday Lunch. It was cold, vegetables raw and not cooked, no yorkshire pudding, staff that do not know the prices, very young and in-experienced staff with service of food. Need i say more? Have never been back, a different review from my earlier review, shame.

Este es un café de un buen tamaño con un montón de asientos, aunque a veces puede estar muy concurrido. Si te gusta ver gente hay muchos asientos en la ventana. La comida es agradable y la comida que hacen diferentes ofertas en días diferentes si la semana. Un martes es demasiado las comidas principales por £8 aunque es una opción de 4 comidas principales. Buena selección de bebidas y cafés están muy bien.

We never go to Northallerton with out popping into Barkers Cafe there coffee and buttered with sugar topped Teacakes are so tasty.Very pleasant staff,clean and tidy seating area.

Delcious steak pie with 3 veg and spuds. Meaty gravy. 2 main courses for £12. Great food. Great value.

Broccoli soup and tea for two on a shopping trip. The service was very quick, even though it was very busy. The service is always very good.

After a long hours of shopping visited the place to eat some food actually to Grab a quick bite but the food was so yummy and satisfying that you can't call it a bite it was a proper meal according to mem... as I was with my local friends it was their choice where for a certain amount you get a mini meal with the salad on the side which actually becomes very filling .... I had some kind of fish with Egg Salad and also one more salad on the side then I completed my meal with an extra paid for dessert ....I cannot forget the meal here because it was really very yummy

Lunch with Grandma, I had the roast pork with mash, carrots, broccoli and very nice crispy potatoes and gluten free gravy of course. Grandma had a huge slab of steak pie with all the trimming it looked lush, I wish it was gluten free lol. We also had a cup of tea which I have to say is always excellent, the staff as usual are very friendly and nothing is to much trouble. 10/10 Thank you Barkers x

Very friendly staff, best bacon sandwich i have ever tasted. Proper food served by proper people, and people who care. Tasty, HOT, Excellent Service, what more is ther to be said.

Food at Barkers kitchen is excellent value for an average price of £7/£8 for a main course with a decent choice of hot or cold meals The environment is spacious and comfortable affording privacy as adequate space between tables

Went in for lunch. Busy restaurant. Fast and polite service. Good value for money, 5 pots of tea, 2 scampi with chips, plus, 3 soups and bread for £30.00. Delicious food.

Ate here last week, have eaten here before and been somewhat disappointed, but have to say there has been an improvement especially with the staff who previously we have found to be disinterested to say the least. My wife and i both had a salad which i have to say there was plenty of choice from meats, kish,fish and veggie, there was also a good choice of salad.The prices are reasonable as well 10% discount on a Thursday. All in well satisfied.

Had a brief coffee stop here, lovely friendly staff, pleasant cafe, lovely Americans served with hot milk. Definitely will come again

Visited during the holiday week and was very busy. Too busy for the staff who were really struggling to cope. Long wait at the cold counter and even longer wait at the hot counter. Then had to wait longer at the drinks counter, and then long wait at the till. Then found that almost all of the tables were taken. As there was no one clearing tables, the only table not occupied was heavily laden with trays, plates and other waste cleared by customers who had cleared tables so they could sit. By this time,our food and drinks were almost cold.A most unpleasant experience that we will never repeat as we will not return.

Come most saturdays for tea and scone, it is nice and modern. It has good views but can often get too busy if you go 1 hour after openingg

But not outstanding. Coffee not as strong as like and although scones were on the short pastry side they did have quite a strong taste of baking powder. Having said all that it is convenient in a nice department store with reasonable prices

Met a friend here for lunch this week, food is all set out nicely and there is a good selection. Main disappointment occurred when using the self service coffee machine. Although not dirty to the eye, all of the cups and saucers have residue on them. The kind you get if your recycling the water in the dishwasher, or not using detergent/rinse aid properly.I'll try somewhere else next time, plenty of choice in the town

We sometimes call in here before getting the car from the car park at the back of Barkers and yet again we were so disappointed in the food choices. It seems that the restaurant was tried to be modernised even though it resembles a works canteen but the menu wasn't. It's still the same old boring choices served in the same old way. It's no wonder it's so difficult to get in the Bistro, or perhaps that was the ploy.

We popped in for morning coffee and cake, the tables hadn't been cleared and we had to clear our own. This cafe is kind of self serve but the experience is made difficult because there were no trays and it is difficult to juggle two scones with shopping bags and a handbag. We did get a tray at the checkout but my word, what miserable staff!! No welcome greeting, no smiles just miserable faces. When my husband's soup was delivered to our table the experience went like this.....waitress (glum faced)"here's your soup"...waitress, ( still glum faced) departs. Not welcoming at all, and with so many coffee places to choose from we won't choose this one again. First impressions really do count.

Northallerton is one of my favourite places and a delight to visit.I have 'Trip Advisor' reviews for 'Bettys' ,"Lewis and Cooper" and latterly 'Barkers Kitchen". (Link at the bottom of this review.)The 'Full English' at 'Barkers Kitchen' becomes the second delight.My only negative on this particular visit was I felt there had been a change in the sausage supplier.A lady confirmed to me this was not the case but it didn't taste as good as the first and subsequent visits.This review merely underlines the fact that when you visit Northallerton 'Breakfast at Barkers' is a must for "DOUBLE DELIGHTS"

Not having been to Northallerton for a while we decided to pop into Barkers for a look round. We found this self service cafe which looked clean and modern - I think it had had a revamp - and the food looked very appetising and tasty. There was a varied selection on offer and the prices were reasonable as well. The soup was yummy and tasted like homemade. Staff were very friendly. Would eat here again, no problem.

Limited menu. We had panini, and the panini rolls reminded us of those part baked rolls that you can buy, but super underdone-incredibly chewy and doughy. Coleslaw was really heavy on the onion. Side salad had one dollop of acidic dressing right in the middle. Not great, filled a hole. Not up to the standards of the surroundings, could do much better.

This used to be like a school canteen. It has had a complete revamp and is much improved. The layout is still slightly odd but the coffee was acceptable and a child's food box was reasonable value

This cafe has had a recent renovation which looks great. Plenty of seating. Selection of food ok, should be something to suit most people. We had coffee and cake which was nice. I'm from Northallerton and have used this cafe numerous times over the years and it has improved no end. You can sit for ages and not be chased from your table. Not been in when it's really busy but it is very popular with a certain age group. I have no issues with this cafe, I believe cakes are made on the premises.

Saturday lunchtime, about 1.45pm, and towards the end of service. I chose a meaty steak pie with new potatoes, peas and leeks - very tasty and substantial. My friend chose sliced stuffed pork. Again, very good. Things became grindingly slow when we reached the tea/coffee choice section and our dinners were cooling down. Polite staff, but slow to deliver. Same on the till - one open. Comfortable and pleasant surroundings - I'd go again, happily.

Four of us had an assortment of foodHam salad with a good variety of salad Chicken with mushroom sauce was excellent..

Visited in the past & was not impressed, esp after finding a hair in my lunch. Decided to give it another go after giving it a year & after seeing it has had a re-vamp (and everywhere else had sold out of food!), I was impressed, food was much nicer than before & lovely surroundings. The only down fall was the miserable staff, almost felt a burden. But 10/10 for the food & surroundings!

Dined here for a mid afternoon snack. The restaurant is extremely well decorated but most tables has empty coffee cups and food left on which spoilt the look. There appeared to be quite a few staff so by no means were the tables not cleaned because they were understaffed. There is not a particularly extensive choice of food but it was adequate for a mid afternoon cuppa and snack.

This was Ok, but I did expect it to be better to be honest. Barkers are so good for most things and a lovely shop but I think the cafe was a bit of a let down.

called in today after seeing blackboard outside. hubby and me both had scampi with salad,garden peas and good chips with fresh sliced bread and butter and a pot of tea each...all for £13.hubby collected the teapots and cups and saucers etc and food was delivered within 10 minutes...cooked fresh to order.there were other hot meals available at the hot counter as well as cold salads etc which you were served there and then. nice clean surroundings with plenty staff clearing tables and keeping the place tidy.we will certainly go back and try the delicious looking mince and dumplings next time.

Plenty of space and a good variety of food on offer. This makes it an ideal place fir family groups.

What has happened to Barkers! I have been shopping and eating in Barkers for nearly fifty years and have never experienced such poor service. They need to bring back some of the customer service they had twenty years ago when the customer was important to them. It is not acceptable to be told 'we're very busy' at lunch time. Of course you are busy! Although you won 't be for much longer- we certainly won't be back. How long does it take to put a piece of quiche and some salad on a plate? Obviously longer than it took me to eat a sandwich and drink two cups of tea! And then to be told that although there were 4 people standing behind the counter none of them could go upstairs to fetch it! Sometimes 'improvements' are not an improvement. So many others do it better in Northallerton now.

Barkers Kitchen has been refurbished and our lunch time visits were the first for some time.We were pleasantly surprised as the food selection was excellent and the food quality superb for the prices being charged.All meals are homemade and good wholesome food, with generous portion sizes.The seating area has been enlarged and is very comfortable.For an in-store restaurant this is a good choice if in town and appears very popular.Only questionable areas are the queuing procedure for cold meals, hot meals and coffees - very confusing first time round....and the regularity in clearing tables which could be improved.

Northallerton is a charming North Yorkshire market town.Situated near the North Yorkshire Moors and Teesside its busy main street has a lot to offer. It is dominated by private ,family owned businesses unlike the shopping malls and major city high streets.(See my reviews for 'Bettys' and 'Lewis and Cooper' both in the afore mentioned Northallerton category.)One of the oldest business inhabitants is 'Barkers' with its fresh and modern department store (They also have a large and expanding furnishing store and distribution depot on the edge of town with a local work force in excess of 250.)Its founder,William Barker,started an apprenticeship with a certain John Oxendale way back in 1882.They were originally partners in a small shop until it eventually became todays dominant store in the town.With its tradition you half expect to hear a call 'Are You Been Served' as you walk the floors!On the top/first floor is 'Barkers Kitchen' an excellent choice for a meal.snack and tea/coffee.As we were here at 10.30am and having driven from Leeds breakfast seemed a good idea.I opted for 'The Full English' whist Mrs .C. had omelet and bacon on a toasted muffin.With tea the bill was just under £10,very good value.Both fresh and local dishes were cooked to perfection.I have to say the bacon was especially good, Wensleydale I understand, must buy some!The only negative was a nearby child walking and playing on the padded seats surrounding the circular table This potential hazard for the next customer wearing light coloured clothing was obviously not realised by its parents and an older person in their party.This may appear to be a small point but I personally feel chairs should be sat on!In conclusion then when next in Northallerton make sure you shop at 'Barkers' ,visit their 'Kitchen' and enjoy an 'Excellent Full English'.

We called mid afternoon when the restaurant was not very busy.Cappuccino was very enjoyable as was the pot of tea We also had a delicious piece of fruit cake-freshly cut by a helpful member of staff.We have been regular customers for a number of years and having read other reviews I am inclined to agree that the substantial redesign has not been for the better.The position of the tills is somewhat strange and tables have been placed in front of them where trays can be placed prior to payment.We have not sampled cooked food so I am unable to comment on this.

This upstairs self service restaurant was redesigned earlier in the year and what a transformation - the whole place has a light airy mediterranean feel about it with comfort and quality. The servery area is well laid out and enticing - everything looks fresh and is fresh - no dried up salads here - Great for just a coffee (at a very reasonable price) and bun or something more substantial - cold or hot. A very welcome addition that fits well with the modern stylish store that is Barkers.

Have been to the in store self service restaurant a couple of timesThis visit very disappointing . Basically a mature workforce can not handle the pace or pressure. Very slow service to the point meals are Luke warm by the time you get through the checkout.Visited on a Saturday lunchtime only 1 till open . Tables not cleared and wiped . Service on salad counter exceptionally poor and slow.It's a shame because the food is good and very reasonably priced . The room is light and airy with space between tables You need to up your game their is more than the blue rinse set in Northallerton

Whilst we were in Northallerton doing some Christmas Shopping on 25 November 2015 we decided to have a bite to eat and went to Barkers Restaurant. The service was very good and the food was excellent. We were very surprised at how reasonably priced the food was. We will certainly return on our next trip to Northallerton.

We have twice had lunch at the self service restaurantSince it was refurbished. While the food is good ( and very reasonable) the service simply is not effective at bust times. The cafe is big (it has been enlarged) but the long queues to pay take the pleasure away. It is worse at busy lunchtimes. In addition the large delicatessen counter has to be served at the same checkout making pressure on the tills worse. Rethink is needed about layout and payment

Popped in here for a coffee and had what was one of the best coffees ever! The staff are very friendly and it also has a nice atmosphere. As I didn't have anything to eat I can't rate the food here but I have heard good reports from others.

we went in for our lunch which was two for £10,I had liver and bacon that was supposed to be served with dumplings but no dumplings, the peas were terrible, the leeks and roast potatoes under cooked and the gravy very salty, my husband had steak pie and he had the same complaints as my self, the staff are so disorganised and don't seem to have a clue what to do, even getting a cup of tea or coffee seems to take forever and the lack of rails to put your tray is terrible, how customers are expected to hold onto their tray especially the elderly I do not know,and thenyou have to carry your tray a cross to the till where two tables have been placed to put your tray on, these are lower than the till area so not good at all,we think that the refurb has been a disaster and will not be lunching here again,Barkers were always well known for their good service and good food, I and my late parent always enjoyed meals at Barkers over many years so it's such a shame to see it as it is now!!!!

Used to love coming here for lunch with my kids, or my boyfriend, friends or often just on my own. Not any more, we've been twice since the revamp and its awful. There isn't the range of menu choices anymore, the salad bar is very unappetising, portions are smaller and the whole process of ordering food and getting drinks is so disorganized. Indeed by the time we'd actually waited to pay, my cup of tea was cold. Also, I have trouble standing for any length of time anyway and the lady on the till had gone well, I was really struggling to hold onto my bags and my tray by the time she returned.So disappointed, used to love this restaurant, was so much better before.Top Tip - don't sit at a table in the centre, gaps between tables are narrower and someone knocked part of my sandwich off my plate with her huge bag as she barged past!

A relaxing venue to eat. Good service with a pleasant menu. All meals well presented and good value for money.

Called in for a coffee to see the long awaited refurbishment of the cafe. I found it less crowded than the old one the seating was comfortable and the restaurant seemed bright and airy. The staff were coping well with the new layout a little slow but that could be expected. The decor is very nice a well deserved thumbs up for the refurbishment.

We ordered the cheese and onion quiche for my mom she is vegetarian but it had chicken in we took it back to complain we were offered a omelette witch took 15 minutes to arrive which was terrible over cooked very thin it looked grey and tasted awful. The chicken dish I ordered was under cooked no real apologies chicken for a vegetarian not good at all will never return

We called in for a latte and was impressed by the refurb which was light, with and modern. The latte wasn't hot enough unfortunately which I got from the self service machine. The assistant was friendly helpful in assisting customers with the self service, to keep the queues down, but the checkout assistant was not at all smiley and was very miserable....leg the team down.

We have used their restaurant for a number of years, but I doubt we shall be doing so again in the near future. They have spent heavily on redesigning the café, but there are a number of glaring failures in design. Primarily it is the layout of the service area. I know there were problems in the past with people with prepared meals having to wait in the queue with those just wanting a coffee or similar, and they separated out the meals section from the drinks section. However, you then have to carry your tray to the till and if there is a queue there is nowhere to put your tray, and in any case what does someone do who has some shopping bags with them? It might be OK for some, but anyone who has any sort of problem still has to stand for a variable length of time with tray in their hands.If that were not enough they now seem incapable of making something as simple as a cappuccino; when we visited recently we were forced to have them remade, which they willing did, but even then the coffee was almost undrinkable, certainly my wife couldn't finish hers and I struggled with mine.

To be fair, I can't judge the food or drink because I got fed up of waiting to be served at the now much reduced drinks counter. They seem to prefer, since refurbishment, that you serve yourself to coffee etc. and then join the queue to pay, balancing your tray of drinks as you queue. Previously you could slide your tray all the way to the till. I came up to the restaurant because I had just been completely ignored by three staff at the counter in the downstairs streetside (also Barkers) cafe, literally 'blanked' as I stood with my scone awaiting service! No point spending millions on a refurbishment if staff choose to ignore customers.

My husband and I often use the Barkers restaurant, we find the atmosphere very comfortable and the food of good standard.

Bland food, watery coffee served with some degree of difficulty unless you wanted a latte (latty is how they prefer to call it and have issues if you try any other pronunciation). Has had a refurb but still uncomfortable with staff who seem like they really do not want to be there

If I visit Northallerton I usually go to Barkers as the food is usually good and not expensive. I visited on morning and decided to have the 'Full English' I was tempted to have the roast dinner that was just being put out but went for the breakfast. I wish I hadn't as it was horrible! The bacon was like leather and couldn't be cut! I even picked it up to bite into it but couldn't! The sausage was warm and so were the hash browns, the beans were thick and dry! I couldn't eat it! The egg, toast and fresh tomato was ok. Next time I have the breakfast I will check the time!