Bishop's Eye in Mendip

We stopped fro coffee and cakes before a tour of the Bishops Palace, the coffee was great and the cakes were really good with my wife commenting that it was the best almond croissant she had ever had. It can get busy so service can be slow at times but it is worth it especially if you can get a table outside and watch the world go by.

I don’t like to leave negative reviews and can tell this would usually be a nice place, but their toilet was out of order today (not what you want when you’ve travelled for an hour and bought drinks). We were directed to the pub, which we could have just gone to instead, and the town hall where we felt out of place. It’s just not good service and not really acceptable for a restaurant/cafe/bar, where presumably they want people to spend time and feel comfortable. We also weren’t offered a menu when we walked in because we said we were coming in for drinks… you’d still expect to see a menu, the pricing and options are not obvious.

Outrageous rip-off! Three of us dropped in for lunch and ordered two BLT sandwiches, a bruschetta, and two diet cokes, and were slapped with a bill of over £50! Yes, the prices are on the menu, but we assumed for that kind of money, the food would be exceptional and filling. How wrong we were. The food tasted ok to be fair, but £13 for a BLT with a handful of crisps and an excuse for a salad is nothing short of daylight robbery. And don’t get me started on the bruschetta—a single measly slice of bread with barely any salad, and they charged £14 for it! To make matters worse, they have the audacity to tack on a 10% service charge, pushing the already ridiculous price even higher! Avoid this place at all costs. There are plenty of other spots in Wells that won't rob you blind like this one!

Great food and service, perfect spot to grab a drink or lunch.

Stopped here for a lovely lunch, food was brilliant with great portions & friendly service!

Delicious, great quality food and lovely atmosphere! Friendly servers and perfect location. Will definitely return when we next visit Wells.

Highly recommended. Small, but excellent lunch menu and a great place to sit outside. The staff were lovely and the food was fresh and very tasty. We liked it so much, we went back later for coffee and cake. Some interesting history in the building, so visit the upper floors and take a look.

A beautiful place to sit on a warm summers evening 🍷 🥂 🍷

The menu was interesting and the food was excellent but the service was very poor. We had to wait for quite a while for the food to be served but the waiter did not have a clue to which table he had to deliver it. On his second attempt to deliver the food (we were sat outside), I had to indicate to him that the plates he was holding were probably for us. Having finished our meal, we had to wave at a waiter to get them to show any interest in us and ordered coffees. After a long wait we enquired where they were only to find they had been forgotten about! It's such a shame that the service was so poor and detracted from what should have been a lovely lunch experience.

Absolutely superb baked Camembert and cheese and meat platter! Generous quantities served beautifully on wooden “eye” boards. Went early prior to a concert in the cathedral but the place was busy and had a great atmosphere and friendly staff. What would it take to get to 5 stars? Some really minor tweaks, which wouldn’t stop me going again…. A couple of extra knives as we had meat, cheese and fish pate (we should have asked) and a quick proof read of the menu. As a percentage rather than a star rating, 95% Exceptional. If it was our business, we’d be delighted!

Excellent food and exceptional staff service....a very welcoming and enjoyable visit

We visited twice for a wine and nibbles and watch the world go by. The service from the team was friendly and efficient and the quality of the wine was excellent.

An awesome historic building attached to The Bishops Palace. Quant,bijou and attractive. Dissapointfood choice but what was on offer was delicious

The cakes are delicious and friendly staff. Definitely recommend.

A lovely 2 story café - with a 3rd loft floor with a single unisex toilet. Staff were friendly when serving hot drinks. The café also allowed us to return later on (around 16:30 GMT) to use the toilet when the other public toilets had closed. Would recommend

Adding a service charge is a bit cheeky as prices are high.

Excellent cafe bar right in the heart of Wells. The inside felt spacious & there’s also loads of outside seating. We were served by a charming young man with impeccable manners & and a great sense of humour. He supplied Mikey the Jack Russell with a welcome bowl of water & us with 2 Earl Greys & 2 of the best homemade mince pies I’ve tasted in a lot of Christmasses. 5 stars; thanks guys! Keep being wonderful.

Stopped here for lunch - good food and service thank you, very pleasant

Lovely food and great atmosphere. Little bit on the pricey side though took some of the shine off

My friend and I visited bishops eye for the first time and we had a light lunch plus coffees. It's not cheap but it was tasty and good quality so, worth paying that bit more. Nice location, service was also good. Will be returning again soon!

Great place for lunch, nice on the square. Food tasted good, although there were some questionable choices regarding side dishes, such as chips.

A place that's greater than the sum of it's parts... the service isn't the best... the food and wine's are good... but if you can get an outside table, it's a great place to meet some great people and watch the world go by... Note to the owner re your reply: Although the service wasn't perfect, it didn't detract from our visit... The Bishop's Eye was and still is our favourite spot in Wells

Lovely place with a great location, service, food and drinks. We’re foodies and we loved the fish platter.

Attended a wedding reception. One toilet for over 50 people and overpriced drinks will be my lasting memory.

Enjoyed an early evening drink here. Waiters attentive .Very nice unusual gin and tonic and sat upstairs overlooking Wells Market Place.

Cozy, clean, friendly. Food was very good, Had eggs and bacon on crumpets it was perfect. Will try lunch next time.

ABOSOLUTE RIP OFF , £15 for a horrible coffee that didnt even taste of coffee and hard horrible sour dough bread which I didn't want having requested wholemeal then told they didn't have any, small sandwich with barely any brie or bacon in it, I could eat at all toasted rock hard it would have taken skin off my mouth, so returned for un toasted but still dry and tasteless and crust were impossible for me to eat and I haven't even got false teeth , god help anyone if t and tried this and when I got told how much it was I almost keeled off. I will be contacting someone over this in due course , but tomorrow I have a long journey. This is 100% an honest account of my bad experience. Way too much for a sandwich which wasn't anything exciting.

Great cafe/wine bar to sit and enjoy. The food is delicious, a lovely selection of platters and nibbles. Ideal for sharing. Plenty of drink options. Fantastic atmosphere, both indoors and out. Will definitely return 👌

One of the best cream teas I've had. The young guys serving were very friendly, polite and helpful.

I have given 2 stars for atmosphere only because the market was busy, the weather was beautiful and we were in a good frame of mind. We were visiting Wells as we have a family connection going back over a century. At lunchtime we thought to take up the atmosphere of the Market Place, we would grab a snack at the beautifully positioned Bishops Eye. This was a mistake because not only were we ignored by waiting staff, even after my wife collecting a menu, we continued to be ignored, although we had by then selected our lunch. It was then, that another customer carried out her business by conversation on her mobile phone at full volume - both parties were clearly audible to us and, I suspect, the Market Place. You can clearly do little about the latter, but your service was very poor (indeed, non existent) and we believe you should do better.

A roundly-great place, excellent food (the breads in particular), very nice drinks, in a lovely setting - perfect in every way, thank you.

Great location in historic market square, best shared with great company as I did!

We are regular customers to this coffee shop and live in Wells. It has always been our preferred place for coffee or drinks with friends. However, our last visit was a long way off the mark. The truth is that the service has never been brilliant and I think this is due to employing students who don’t really care too much. On our last visit we ordered two flat whites. A young chap brought them out on a tray but in doing so sloshed 1/4, of one of the flat whites, into its accompanying saucer… this was just set down in front of me with no acknowledgement of the mess he’d made and then turned tail to go back inside. My wife turned and said “could you provide some tissues please”, he replied “yeah”. Although, one might expect an apology by default and offer to remake the coffee! Nowhere close to what actually happened. We care for the establishment but there needs to be more care and attentiveness demonstrated by the younger staff who are representing one of the more upmarket places in town.

Excellence location and the best coffee in Wells. Recommended.

Don't think the menu does the justice! So much more than what it says! Three atmosphere was also lovely.

Good coffee; excellent action of cakes and nice atmosphere .

Excellent coffee and cakes. Very quick and attentive service in a interesting setting.

Lovely decor and friendly service but OMG is it expensive!

Staff were super cheery and friendly. They all seemed to get along with each other and there was a great atmosphere in the cafe. Apart from a wobbly table, I loved it. Definitely coming here again.

Great venue. Efficient and friendly staff.

Best place in wells to go for food and drink with exceptional customer service! I was served by a lovely lad called Will Lear he offered exceptional customer service, if you ever go to Bishops Eye send Will Lear my regards I’m sure he will go far in life!!

What a gem. The staff are helpful, the decor great and the food is excellent. Have your hot chocolate with rum . .lush in a soothing ambiance.

Excellent ranges of wines. Very good light bites and cheese/charcuterie boards also available

Great coffee and cake but spoilt by owner/manager who shouts at his female staff!! It was quite clear that 2 members of staff were quite new but he shouted at them for not knowing the table numbers. Another female member of staff looked thoroughly cheesed...

We visited last weekend. Cocktails before dinner were the best. Espresso martini best ever had and would definitely recommend. All delivered by Finn. Thank you

We had the cheese and charcuterie platter which was excellent. Decent selection of cheeses . Sitting outside overlooking the market, great for people watching. Recommended

We arrived at Bishops Eye ready for an afternoon of delicious wine and cheese. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. The cheese selection is very limited, and unless you like particularly stinky cheese, you’ll likely be disappointed. Nevertheless, we ordered a lovely bottle of Sauvignon Blanc...

...a range of charcuterie, local cheeses and seafood. We really enjoyed our meal here washed down by Somerset cider of course! Being set in the lovely Market Place, it is an excellent spot to enjoy the surroundings (especially on a sunny day) and we look...

Great platters and lovely setting

Lovely service in a traditional building near Bishop’s Palace. The food is lovely but there could be a few more veg options. Good selection of wines and ciders. Very pleasant so we keep coming back. The staff are loyal too which is a good sign.

Great location, and food, so sad to see what appears to be little if any sustainability or customer service when things go wrong. On first visit watched waiter toss glass bottles in a street bin and staff bin large bags of waste including bottles in general waste bin. Come on you can do more. Second visit used a gift card (no expiry date) told by waiter all good to use. When went to pay told couldn't be used as a older version. Had to pay in full, advised they would check and contact ne to resolve. Week later no contact so chased up. They had lost my details, £30 on card. Advised me now expired, I advised no date on the card. After a battle eventually offered £30 card or refund. Ask for a refund only received half.

Sat upstairs for a change. Simple decoration with a nice design edge. Made a big effort with my guests food who is a vegan, without making a fuss. Service was spot on, nothing was to much trouble. Bit of tweaking needed with the salad plating - no biggy!! Really worth a shot ....

Love it so cosy and friendly perfect for a glass of wine

Hiding at the top, lovely nibbles and wine bar, comfortable , historic surroundings a lovely place for evening relax 😌

Called in for a light lunch whilst visiting Wells cathedral. Nice out doors seating area on a sunny day, we both had the duck rillettes on toasted sourdough bread which came with pickle and side salad which we thought was good value. Service was polite and efficient, so all round a good bet.

Sunny Friday evening, felt like I was on holiday. Staff were super nice, the food was incredible and the wine I was recommended was sublime. Also the building itself is fascinating. I'll be back soon.

Louis helped us very well and is very friendly I have some allergies and he thought about what I could eat. We all had a great breakfast, you should try the oat cookie with a lot of nuts.

This lovely little place is situated right at the top end of the high street. We sat outside where there were plenty of tables and particularly on market day (Wed) a great place to people watch and listen to local performers. We had the charcuterie...

Fabulous food, service and location I definitely recommend trying here when in Wells. If the weathers good it’s a great location to people watch

Great to find a place in UK that does really good coffee! Limited selection of cakes, but they are all brilliant. (I'd rather have a small selection of fresh cake than a large selection of stales ones!). Lovely quirky building.

Lovely time people watching drinking local rocket fuel parading as beer, great stuff thoroughly enjoyed the time, very friendly staff, good experiance. Don't worry got the bus home.

What a delightful find! Everything just hit the mark: fantastic location sitting outside on a sunny evening, glorious wine and cocktails and simple but top quality sharing plate. But the best thing for me was the service. Nobody was left without being attended to and...

Over priced tourist trap. Like the shop called London House. which also faces into the Market Place. If you want to shop go to the independents at the lower end of the high street. Also the independent old fashioned place to eat is Pickwicks on...

I'm surprised that The Bishop's Eye does not rank more highly. I have eaten there twice during my stay in Wells. I had a delicious cream tea (and I'm very fussy about my scone...this one was perfection). I also had lunch there.... I had a...

Warm welcome in lovely historic building, 5* friendly welcome, we had excellent coffee and homemade cake

This was a nice stop for coffee before starting our tour of the Bishops Palace. The space is quite nice with good coffee and nata. Service was a little slow with some staff seeming to stand around while customers are waiting to order.

I visited Bishop's Eye with a friend for the first time on 09/05 for a light lunch, following a neighbour's recommendation. First impressions were good, it seemed quite inviting - really good location and nicely decorated. We sat at the back of the ground floor...

Great place to sit outside with a drink and watch the world go by. Didn’t eat but saw some platters being served to nearby tables and they looked delicious. You must pop to the loo while there as the building inside is beautiful

We have had drinks outside and a meal inside several times before which we have enjoyed. However, last night was not so good. Two of the Winter warmers and the soup were not available so limited choice on a cold evening. Starter of bread and...

Amazing little spot in the UK's smallest city. Unsuspecting, delicious and comfortable. Definitely recommend!

Really excellent selection of wines and a very special place to sit and have a drink with views over the larket square.

Just in for drinks which were well made and pleasantly served by the friendly staff.

Very pleasent experience sat outside in the sun and enjoyed a glass of good wine and a snack. Staff very attentive and helpfull.

I cannot recommend this venue highly enough. I reserved the beautiful upstairs room for a party of 20 people. Everyone was so welcoming and the ambience created was very special. The food (an afternoon tea) was delicious - especially the chocolate brownies. Everyone commented on...

We visited on Sunday afternoon 27/02/2022. My wife and I both ordered the mackrel pate starter at £8.95 each, and a glass of 175ml wine at £5.95 each, which we were charged over £32. We were very disappointed with the mackrel pate as we were...

Delicious food and drinks, and wonderfully friendly service, in a stunning setting

Felt very unwelcome. Was attempting to help my disabled mum through the door and the person behind the counter just kept asking what we wanted rather than giving us time to even get in the building or see what they had to offer. Was planning on having lunch but the guy behind the counter was extremely rude and just wanted to rush us through so we just ordered what we could see and then left, if my mum hadn’t needed to sit down so much we would have gone elsewhere! Quite disappointed as it’s a lovely location and the interior was stunning, it’s a pity the staff seemed like they didn’t want customers there!

Sat outside undercover right next to the busy Saturday Market. Really friendly service and beautiful food. We choose from the light bites menu but will be back for the great looking full menu.

Good drinks selection and great, central location.

We popped in on the off chance of a bite to eat and were extremely happy with the tasty food and excellent service we received. Bruschetta board is excellent and the coffee was very good. Looking forward to the next time we're in Wells to...

Very unfriendly welcome from someone I'm guessing was titled, but really not acting, as the maitre d'. Table service from surly, young students was lacklustre and poor. As locals we thought that this was going to be a regular haunt, but to be honest we have not returned since the service we received

Been here many times and loved it. But there is a complete lackof respect for basic covid precautions and therefore customers. All staff are walking around chatting with out masks and food for sale is unprotected on the counter and the staff are breathing and...

Really great evening meal had here, with good service and tasty smoked fish platter most memorable. Came back in the morning and had a fabulous cinnamon bun and good strong coffee.

We’ve been here 3 times over the last 3-4 months, have always had good, reasonably priced food & lovely wine. We’re nearly always there on market days, being local to the area, but service is always prompt, polite but not intrusive. Probably our favourite restaurant...

Whilst visiting friends in Cheddar we drove out to Wells and discovered the delightful Bishop's Eye for afternoon coffee and cake. We were made most welcome by Lucy and her companions and served the smoothest best tasting coffee ever. Alan's was with milk and mine...

Great setting with windows overlooking the moat and the market place. Tasty food and good coffee. Pricier than some.

Great staff and sumptuous food in a lovely location with nice atmosphere. Couldn't recommend more highly

Good service and nice coffee. They have created a very nice setting here

Just had a lovely meal here with delicious wine. The staff were friendly and very helpful with recommendations for food and drink.

Lovely staff, good eats,coffee and wine, nice atmosphere...will definitely return

My favourite place to grab a coffee or sit and have something to eat. Beautifully delicious hot stews as well as the cold boards. We have tried everything from coffee to wine and charcuterie to stew! Diamond of a place. Staff are always welcoming and efficient.

Delightful good quality food and friendly service overlooking the picturesque town square. The food is not cheap, but the quality and quantity is exceptional. Well worth taking the time to enjoy a bite to eat here with your friends and family.

We called here and sat outside for a coffee in the morning after our tour of the Cathedral and then again for lunch after the Bishop's Palace. We had the plate of sourdough toast with smoked salmon, tomatoes and crayfish. It was lovely and we...

Really gone down hill. Now longer the quality of service. Eye off the ball because they assume it's a money spinner for it's location.

I am a local and have been to the Bishops Eye many times with a local friend for lunch and for coffee. We loved it! Yesterday, I had agreed to meet said friend for a coffee at 11.00. When I couldn’t see her at a...

We chose from the light bites menu, sounded simple but served with superb bread, top quality butter (i don’t usually eat it), zesty touch of dressing on the salad. Mum had smoked trout pate, i had hummus and spicy bean paste. Tasty, very good, satisfying...

I went for a coffee. It was the best coffee I’ve had for ages and the smell of the breads stacked up was mouth-watering. I returned later for a great smoked fish sharing board. Good service and well staffed.

This was a truly memorable lunch in a stunning outdoor setting. We had the fish sharing platter for two and the cheese and charcuterie sharing platter for one. All excellent, but if there was one stand-out, it was the chicken paté. The service was superb...

We had lunch here a few days ago. We sat outside and were a walk in, so they quickly cleaned down a table for us. Some cheeses were unavailable due to a late delivery. So we ordered alternatives. I liked one of mine so much...

Really lovely place 😍 Good location central to the town, restaurants and market place. Usually my first meeting point in Wells and hss a great focal point for the town especially on market day. It is a wine bar and you are welcome to have coffee and are not snubbed for doing so. Give it a try you will enjoy it 😉