Cakes & Ale Cafe in Carlisle

This is a lovely little café attached to a great bookshop in the centre of Carlisle near the castle. The team here are super friendly and the food is freshly prepared to order. This is a sister café to the main John Watt café in town. Recommended for a spot of lunch here.

We loved this place, very relaxed and casual atmosphere. Great place for a cup of tea and a read. The place has a very friendly ad hoc aesthetic, nothing matches and that's very homey and confortable. We had a ciabatta sandwich and a brie salad, both were good and reasonably priced. Enter through a charming little alleyway...or enter by way of the amazing, labyrinthine bookstore next door!

I love this cafe, I'd say it's probably the best in Carlisle in my opinion. The coffee is great, and they don't charge extra for non dairy milk, and they have a few vegan cake options which are nice. My favourite part is the garden which has loads of friendly birds !

Visited four times in one week because they have the best Mocha and the best shortbread I've ever tasted. Bonus points for being in a magical bookshop. Every time I walked in they were absolutely packed. If that's not proof of how great they are, I don't know what is.

Lovely cafe inside bookends bookstore. Definitely worth a visit when in Carlisle. Delicious cakes and scones, great atmosphere and when the weather is good their garden is fantastic for coffee and lunch.

Such a sweet little cafe! Much roomier than it looks from the outside with lots of interesting nik naks to look at.

A brilliant little cafe in an amazing bookstore. I've made the trip from Glasgow to Carlisle just to hang out here!

Relaxing Afternoon Tea after shopping and sightseeing, lovely fresh scone with raspberry jam and clotted cream washed down with gorgeous coffee... Staff very friendly and pleasant. Nice atmosphere with bookshop next door too. 5 star service *****

Nice food, comfortable environment. Spacious.

Great scones, took some while to get the food.

It is a fabulous place to grab a bite and a cuppa. Located at the rear of Bookends, there's also an entrance in the alleyway to the side. Various seating arrangements are available from tables and chairs for 2 to the sofa and coffee table for 6. When the weather allows, there are beautiful gardens with a book theme to the rear with various seating arrangements. Food is fabulous, made on site, with generous portions. I opted for the local ham and smoked cheese panini, cheese scone, and Earl Grey tea. The staff were very welcoming and particularly ran off their feet on my Sunday visit. This was probably due to the suggestions of staff at the Castle at their national lottery free entry weekend. I was advised by staff that they run the cafe at the Castle during the traditional tourist season. There was an all-purpose toilet facility within the cafe, lots of interesting heritage information on the walls, and plenty of book reading encouragement. It's definitely worth the visit, and if you have to wait for a table, it's worth it.

Grumpy staff. It seemed like a chore for them to seat us. Grumpy customers. No atmosphere. It felt dingy and depressing. We left before ordering.

good spot for a slow coffee and cake after a long book hunt next door in the excellent second hand bookshop. Beware, some of the seats are a challenge to get out of an the cakes Moorish. A place to linger.

Cake ale creates a uniquely cultural atmosphere with its attached bookshop and evening events. Lovely home made offerings, quirky layout and attractive gardens makes it well worth a visit

Lovely little cafe, second time we’ve been in and the food is good. Only complaint we had is that we had to wait about 20 minutes for someone to come and take our order, which was taken after they had taken the orders of two other couples who had came in after us. We then waited 40 minutes for our drinks and another 20 minutes for our food (2 ciabattas) when one of the couples who came in after us had eaten their hot food and left. I understand it was a Saturday and the staff looked a bit stressed, but we didn’t even get an apology for the wait.

Total shambles. Anyone ordering coffee and scone didn't get scone till about 20 minutes later.. came to table 3 times to ask who ordered bacon roll, 3 times they were told no one had.... 3 times I asked for glass of water, got it about 50 minutes later..

Great cafe, lovely people and fab food. Whilst the name suggests it’s well cake and ale, it have a really nice menu for breakfast and lunch. We had lunch here. It’s both gluten free and dog friendly which is a plus. Really nice atmosphere and décor, down a little alley (Long Lane) and connected to a bookshop!! What more could you want on a damp afternoon in Carlisle?

Lovely cafe, in a charming location, I wound definitely visit again, when I return to Carlisle.Patricia.North Shields.x

Stop here either before or after visiting the bookshop. Friendly staff and lots of different places to sit.

Just the loveliest staff! Tracy and her team are so friendly and kind. Even when rushed off their feet they take time to chat and make you feel welcomed. The cakes are so good! And you always get a giant slice. And a proper big mug of coffee. This place is a Carlisle GEM!

Have been for afternoon tea today with my work colleagues. There was 8 of us which included one vegan. They catered well for all of us. Everything was delicious and we got to take home all that we couldn't fit in 🙂 I have to say it was very good value for money at £17 or £20 to include a large glass of prosecco. We were well looked after and got refills of tea as needed. I'd never been here before but will definitely be back.

What a sweet little spot for lunch! We sat in the charming garden for homemade carrots ginger soup, cheese scones, various sandwiches, cookies and, of course, tea. Everyone in our party was very pleased with the food and the service was delightful!

We had a lovely lunch here out in the sunny garden today. The service was efficient and friendly and our food was great. The cafe was clearly slightly short staffed as tables weren't getting cleared quickly, but the staff were relaxed and calm and food arrived very quickly even if no-one came to check on how our food was....it was lovely and we didn't need anything, but a check would have been good had we needed it. The garden was lovely and the book shop itself was amazing and made for somewhere really interesting to dine for excellent seasonal food and generous portions. We didn't have room for cake - but they looked amaaazing!!

Probably the nicest place in Carlisle. Bright, comfortable and spacious inside seating area. Intresting and quirky decor throughout. Relaxing courtyard seating area full of flowers. Tasty range of cakes including vegan options. Attached to amazing old bookstore. Both worth visiting if passing through carlisle (you have to pass cathedral to get there and castle is a 2 minute walk away)

Visited here for coffee and cakes during our trip to Carlisle. The café has a real character to it, the staff were all friendly and attentive, and there was a good range of cakes (including a few vegan options). We all really enjoyed what we had. We were still in the café at closing time but didn't feel pressured to leave at all. Would definitely recommend!

The atmosphere is great, love the quirkiness of the cafe. However as a regular customer I've seen a decline in service and food on offer over the last year. A few months ago l was told there would be a 45 minute wait for a sandwich when the cafe was not heaving with customers! We walked out. Recently the quality of food on offer has not been good and often there are still long waits. It's such a shame as this was my favourite cafe.

I used to love this place, the quirkiness, the food, the service. Now the service is not as friendly and the food was terrible last time I was there. DO NOT try the breakfast butty. I have to say it was the worst I have ever been served. Management really need to take these reviews on board and save this place.

Met with some friends while visiting for Christmas - had an amazing turkey/stuffing/cranberry ciabatta with gravy. Still thinking about it 12 hours later, absolutely lush. Also make a mean cup of tea and very friendly staff.

No longer living local and was in town so visited my 'favourite' cafe - massively gutted to find it in new hands - big shoes to fill after the previous owners built up some amazing work even winning Gold in Carlisle Livings Awards. Now table service - would help if there were signs this is the case for both customers and your sake, saves on the snotty response from yourselves. Menus don't have times on when the warm/more wholesome food is served. Drinks are very over priced - in comparison to other independent local cafes that also do loose leaf tea and also serve local John Watt & Son coffee. Hot chocolate good quality but the flat white served for the price could have better coffee art and be served hotter. The ambiance has changed in the cafe - it was freezing! I noticed that a lot of customers were actually sitting with their jackets on - the point of a coffee shop on a cold day is to be able to go in and warm up. Was never cold in winter previously. No music! There was zero atmosphere except from being able to hear banging, whizzing of machines and chatting of the two cafe workers. Takes zero effort to stick on some music when the cafe had been open since 09:30. Will stick to visiting just Bookends now.

Brilliant brie and cranberry sandwich!

Horrible scone was hard coffee was disgusting smelt of cigars and was tea leafs not a tea bag toast was cold very expensive for what we got

Great place to come have local cup of tea and scone. Friendly staff, beautiful historical building with fantastic vibes ☕

As a family we regularly visited cakes and ale for lunch, unfortunately since being taken over it has lost its quirky charm, a lot of the lovely staff who worked there & the quality of the food has gone down considerably. The new owners have changed a lot of menu items, replacing them with obviously cheaper alternatives that just aren’t as nice & it all feels very much like penny pinching, so much so that we stopped going. I also feel, as someone who works in the service industry, that our custom was no longer appreciated as long standing loyal customers & on a final note the whole place doesn’t feel as clean, especially the bathroom which was always spotless with nice hand wash & hand cream available it is now a bit stinky & basic. What a shame!

Lovely cafe with a relaxed vibe. Great place for a light bite.

Poor slow service. Vegan cakes tasted stodgy and stale. Limited menu. About 3 ciabbatas and 2 salads. Overpriced. Poor selection of menu items. Best avoided.

Tasty cake, lovely atmosphere and great bookshop

Shocking service. Was told it was table service only, was sat at the table for over 20 minutes waiting to be served before giving up and walking off. No more than 4 other tables sat in the café. The outside was an utter tip as well, with tables stacked with dirty cups and plates.

We stumbled upon this lovely looking cafe with a beautiful secret garden whilst on a day trip to Carlisle. We arrived a few minutes before 3pm and were given a bunch of menus by a sullen teenage waitress. She told us to take a seat and someone would be over to serve us. We took a seat in the garden and waited for service. They were quite busy, so it was a while before anyone came over to serve us. We were then told that they had now stopped serving food as it was after 3pm (by a couple of minutes) and they stopped serving food an hour before closing at 4pm. We explained that we had been there since before 3pm and that all we were looking for was a couple of sandwiches. The pleasant waitress said she would ask the kitchen if it was ok. I assumed that, good sense and a modern customer service attitude, would mean we’d get our sandwiches. Sadly the embarrassed waitress had to come back and tell us that the kitchen had said no. If we had been told that food was stopping at three we’d have given our order straight away, rather then wait ten minutes for nothing. We left straight away. It’s a lovely cafe but it’s old fashioned charm seems to be matched with an old-fashioned “clock-watching” attitude to customers. Really disappointing and we won’t be back. It was just embarrassing really.

Always such a friendly atmosphere and welcoming....with wonderful array of cakes and teas

A nice sandwich and pot of tea in a lovely garden with a friend. Very enjoyable. Only criticism- the brown bread wasn't wholemeal.

Came across this place by accident in the bookshop.. never seen so many books. Shown through the shop to the cafe and it was like a tardis full of quirky furniture comfort and amazing ambiance Loved it straight away Really nice food including veggie and vegan. Also a beautiful wild garden with tables Staff are lovely and music playing in the background Just past it on the left alleyway is another entrance

Great atmosphere, amazing staff, Reece was brilliant. Food was great, beer - even better, lovely evening

An extremely disappointing birthday lunch experience from our arrival to our leaving. Delays in even giving us a menu on arrival. Our ordered drinks and food took ages to arrive (approx 40 minutes), with no apology. Dirty dishes were not removed from the table long after we had finished eating. Even when we politely requested the dishes be taken, we waited another 10 minutes or so before a man arrived with our ordered cakes, putting them on the table with the dirty dishes!....more delays even bringing out the cakes and coffees (which were brought out separately with 10-15 minute window between). Horrendous customer service from a male member of the team. No apologies from him when we were leaving and paying. Only explanation given was, 'they were short staffed'. If this were the case, this should have been relayed to customers on arrival informing them that delays were to be expected. Moreover, apologies should have been given. Man appeared to roll his eyes and smirk as we left! Awful, awful lunch experience and the customer service was so poor. I like to support local businesses, however this was such a disappointing experience, and I would not return, nor would I now recommend it.

Service Slow. I often visit this quirky cafe for coffee and a scone. Unfortunately every time I go I find the service too slow. But because I like the quirkiness of it, I let this go! However today I watched an elderly lady be ignored for quite some time, which I didn’t like. Lots of staff, but they don’t seem to notice people. Please sort this out or you will loose custom. You’ve now lost mine. Sad.

Best place in town for lunch, one of my favourite places to go. Food is fresh and amazing. However afternoon tea was very disappointing and little over priced. Asked if I could pay more for some extra soup. Staff where not very accommodating. £45 for 3 people for a few sandwiches and some cake. Not very exciting.

Found this place on a weekend away. Tucked down a little alley with a bookshop attached. Hubby had soup - plentiful and tasty. I had Plath sandwich which was huge and totally tasty. The place is quirky in a good way and the staff are friendly. When we paid I noticed a tasty morsel in the cake cabinet - it was a gooey totally devine looking chocolate, coconut thingy which I couldn't refuse, bought and eaten on the spot ! Excellent find - thanks x

A brilliantly chilled cafe with lovely, friendly staff who are always chatty and up for a laugh. They do great lunches and coffee during the day but also fantastic evening events that are a gift to Carlisle. The monthly spoken word night is full of poetry, stories, jokes and much-needed interaction with good people, all led by a host who skillfully, but gently, directs the evening, punctuating it with hilarious anecdotes and commentary. I hear the scones are great too, if you're into that sort of thing.

This is one of my favourite places to come for lunch. And have been for afternoon tea before and it was delicious. So I hope that our most recent experience is a one-off. The sandwiches were lovely as expected but the cakes were tiny portions and there were 2 scones to share between 4! Very strange and not an arrangement I have experienced before... I do hope this was just an off-day but I not sure I will pay £17 again to visit for afternoon tea again.

Very good atmosphere, great creamy coffee but gets a little busy due to how good it is, would recommend:))

A great quirky cafe, with a relaxed atmosphere and good food. Behind a wonderful bookshop. Food and books - heaven really!

4 of us met for lunch after 18 months of not seeing each other except on FaceTime or Zoom. It was a real joy, made more enjoyable by meeting here in this delightful, quirky, cosy cafe which serves excellent coffee and the the most delicious,...

Not only are they very friendly and welcoming, and make excellent toasties and hot chocolate, they provide free period products in the loo, are proudly displaying pride flags, and overall are just a lovely place for a cuppa on a rainy day!

Great garden and drinks. Cakes rather plain but nice location.

Nice atmosphere with the attached bookshop. Comfortable but the service was so slow. We had drinks and a pice of cake and did wonder whether we had been forgotten. I do not expect instant service but I do expect some service. There is a note...

Love Cake & Ale. Food is homemade and really tasty. Great staff. The garden is a lovely place to sit outside and they have a tent and blankets if it is a bit cold and/or wet. They also have evening events well worth a look.

Really difficult coffee shop, really good cakes and coffee but in really fantastic surroundings

A beautiful place to go and sit inside or outside and enjoy delicious food and enjoy the history of a beautiful old building.

Lovely foods and cakes .Lovely staff too .

Beautiful little café/restaurant with a lovely outdoor seating area, perfect for enjoying the good weather or taking shelter on the harsher days. Sadly that's about it for this place when I visited. Simple, easy menu with dishes that don't require much preparation, so when we arrived, having pre-booked a table, we were advised (not on arrival, but only when one of us went inside to ask about something) that there would be a 40 minute delay on orders, which we were ok with, even though I personally don't believe it would take that long based on what we ordered. However it was over an hour until we received our order, during which no one came out to let us know, the only update we got was 20-30mins in when we asked, that we were next to be served. Other than that, no acknowledgement or really much feedback from staff about it. I understand that it's a busy day, but having pre-booked I would hope that they would be a little more prepared (it's a shame to have an experience like this from such a nice place, so hopefully it was just a bad day, of maybe they could reduce the amount of tables slightly, just to make sure they can cope?) The food was nice, but exactly what I mentioned above, tasty but very simple (salad and sandwiches), none of which take much preparation and nothing exotic. I wasn't blown away by what I ordered or overly impressed. The quality of ingredients was good as flavours were present, but nothing that you can't throw together quickly yourself (I understand that people will think that if that's the case why didn't I just go home and make it, but for a light lunch out I wouldn't order anything heavier). Pricing is what you would expect.

My god! This place is amazing! Its a very lovely hidden gem of carlisle. The inside of the tea house is beautiful and welcoming. The staff are friendly and there are books everywhere! The menu is quite small, however they cater to vegans and people who are gluten free, and the prices of the food are excellent! For the quality and taste of the food, they charge a very affordable price. All of the books in the tea house are for sale and some of them are very old books ageing over 100 years. The first floor above the tea house is also a book store. Long story short, go here. Its beautiful and i couldnt recommend this place any more!

Return visit. Introduced a friend. Stayed dry so enjoyed the garden. Ciabata and Ale yummy. Wish I had space for the 🌈 rainbow cake ☹️

Really tasty sandwich - the Attwood (all named and with literary connections). Brie, avocado and chilli jam. Washed down with a Blacksail from Hesket Newmarket Brewery.

Lovely place, food, and staff. Will visit again.

Came here on purpose as had a few hours to kill for my train connection, a bit of a walk from the station but in a lovely setting opposite the cathedral, also fabulous bookshops attached. Went for the soup and sandwich combo, Margaret Atwood!! Service...

Found online and went for some lunch, place was relatively quiet ordered two ciabatta and one soup at 5 past 2 and had to ask if they took our order at 2:50 said it would be another 15-20 minutes so decided to leave and they...

So we arrived to find that they only had half the menue was availble . We then waited for our order to come. One of our party only order a drink as they had a short time and after 30 mims still no drink so...

very nice and cozy place with lovely cakes and coffee :)

Excellent salads worth the visit alone. Coffee, tea and scones show a consistently high standard of food and service. Recommended.

Excellent little place off the beaten track but worth the search. Outdoor area like a secret garden. Food and service excellent.

Stumbled across this cafe while in Carlisle for the day. It has a gorgeous garden with ample seating. Because of its out of the way situation it wasn't too busy. The salads and cake were delicious, and service was good. We'll definitely eat here when...

Stumbled across the place whilst travelling through Carlisle and didn't want to spend the night in a hotel bar. Really friendly service in a beautiful, quiet garden away from the busy centre. Good range of bottled real ales and even better range of fresh cakes....

Had a brilliant evening, love the garden. Staff were awesome, and the cake is definitely worth a visit

Remembered this coffee shop from a previous visit to Carlisle last year but was too late to visit. Glad we returned last week and enjoyed delicious coffee and cake in the quirky, restful garden, sitting under the shade of a tree on a sunny afternoon....

What a great title for a cafe. Perfect combination. Slightly unpromising access from an odd alleyway, but very comfortable and spacious interior. On this trip a very welcome pot of leaf tea a superb bit of millionaires shortbread.

A lovely cafe within an amazing bookshop and a beautiful outside garden. Live food and good coffee! Good service and friendly. A great recommendation from our B & B - Abbey House Guesthouse. Thank you Kelly!

Beautiful sitting in the garden for coffee. Great place to eat lunch friendly staff. Got lots of ideas for our garden

Nice garden. Attached to a lovely bookshop. We waited about 25 mins for 2 teas and a scone. No cooking involved, not busy, at least three staff on. Scone was cold so I asked if it could have 'a few seconds' in the microwave. Five...

Came here to warm up and relax after a morning looking around Carlisle castle, the cathedral and Tullie House Museum. This was close by and attached to a bookshop, so was my first choice for a first time visiting a cafe in Carlisle!!! The cafe...

Food was excellent. However, it took 50 mins to get a sandwich. Staff were chatting and laughing to each other without much work going on. Lots of tables were waiting. We saw 3 different groups turned away because they didn’t have space. If they served a little quicker then they would certainly do better business.

Quirky cafe in a beautiful location, but the thing that makes me continue to return time and time again is the delicious cakes, vibrant atmosphere and the incredibly friendly and efficient service I continue to receive - I would highly recommend you give it a...

As a freelancer, I often work from Cakes & Ale. With it's relaxed environment, beautiful garden and great options of drinks and food – it makes for a great place to work and have meetings from. It's also attached to the areas best bookshop, which certainly doesn't hurt.

Recently visited this lovely little cafe during the eat out to help out scheme. I could not praise them enough, very attentive to myself and my daughter and did all they could for my food intolerances. All the staff were friendly although clearly very busy,...

Delicious food, AMAZING cakes, tasty coffee & lovely staff. Beautiful garden at the rear (which is dog friendly) & a lovely indoor cafe to while away an afternoon in. Great for a simple coffee & cake, an indulgent lunch with friends or even to escape for an hour or two from the home office. Will visit again and again.

The friendliest of staff, very attentive to myself and my daughter - food was beautifully made and presented will be back again!!!

Popped in for a spot of lunch; it was so good, we stayed on for coffee and cake! We sat in the beautiful garden at the rear (dog friendly; not in the cafe though) & whiled away an afternoon in the sun. I enjoyed a really tasty salad: a great variety of ingredients, including dressed leaves, a delightful homemade hummus & a nice crunch from the seeds. My partner enjoyed a very nicely made sandwich with side salad & crisps. Great for veggie/vegan and “free from” diets - including the cake selection! I highly recommend the orange & chocolate cake and the peanut/nut & chocolate slice. The staff are lovely - very polite and friendly. This will be but one of many, many visits to come! Ideal too as a cosy spot to work from if you’re needing an hour or so of variety in your working from home set up; the WiFi is very good.

I have visited this lovely little cafe on two occasions now and I have had a pleasant experience both times. The first time I visited I had a flat white and a piece of chocolate orange cake. the staff were friendly and the service was...

Always such a pleasure coming back here as a loyal customer. The best cafe experience in Carlisle, with incredibly friendly staff upon welcome and a delicious selection of food and drinks. Most importantly a homely, inclusive and peaceful space for any occasion. I really enjoyed my little visit. A beautiful experience every time, will always return here.

First visit to this place. Great food. Decent portions. Friendly staff. Above all, great relaxed atmosphere in unique surroundings.

An absolute gem - the day we were there was lovely and sunny so we sat in the garden which was beautiful - an oasis of tranquility, with wonderful food and coffee! Can't wait to go again.

Being local, I have been a customer at Cakes and Ale for a number of years and enjoyed it. I have to say my visit today was disappointing. Our ciabattas took a very ling time to come out (approx 40 minutes) and we had to order more drinks so we had something to drink with our food. However, these second drinks hadn't arrived by the time we had finished the food so we cancelled that order.The staff were very polite but I just think they have too many tables (both inside and out) and therefore customers to provide a quality experience when they only have 3 staff which is how many were on today.It's a shame as I want to support the cafe but when the experience is poor, you do start considering other places to go.

Great Cafe, cracking food and a lovely sun trap garden in the back. Loved to fruit trees, which hopefully can be used to make some chutney to serve with the food.

Went in one day and was really welcomed. Went in again and was asked if we had booked almost as if we were putting them out! When I replied no the staff member said Should be fine. Why would I book for a cup of coffee?! I’m not sure I would go again. I prefer to feel welcomed.

They always have a great vegan selection. Ambience inside is lovely, and the outside seating in the garden is great, especially now with COVID. Highly recommend this cafe for lunch, cakes, etc.

Ok- I like the idea of cakes and ale next to a book shop-great idea but oh dearie me...Staff attitude just a wee bit frosty and had to ask a second member of the team my order again as the first one had disappeared elsewhereCoffee was decent but asked for milk and not recieved and a pretty good slice of cake as well-mind I was hungry as waited nearly 20 minutes for my huge order!They weren't busyAlso looked around for a friendly Carlisle ta-ra but didnt hear oneShame and maybe just me but plenty of other places about

Nice cafe they have done a great job in trying to keep customers safe (visors on staff, appropriately distanced tables, table service, one way system for walking in and out and plentiful alcohol gel and reminders to hand wash) plus a delicious sandwich and coffee and friendly staff

Stumbled on this pretty & friendly cafe while on a short visit to Carlisle. Lovely well presented with a nice lunch menu catering to carnivores & vegans alike. Cosy well spaced seating including the option of sitting in the pretty walled garden. Friendly staff, good social distancing and Covid measures in place.

Really relaxed atmosphere among sofas and books. Ideal place for a warm tea and a cake.

A friend introduced me to this cafe and I was delighted to find such a lovely, quirky cafe in Carlisle. I was pleased to find that they are open until 4pm on a Sunday so I took another friend for a cup of tea and a scone before going to the Taizé service at the cathedral at 4.15pm. This could have been a lovely, relaxing experience but almost from the moment we sat down, a lady was sweeping up around us. I felt embarrassed for my friend as it felt like we were just in the way and not valued customers. The sweeping probably created a bit of dust as well so I was imagining that landing on my scone! The lady was making a fair bit of noise with her dustpan and with moving furniture and putting chairs up on other furniture. Then she got out the dreaded cleaning spray and started spraying the tables around us. I’m sorry but I don’t want to smell cleaning fluid when I’m eating. They could at least spray the fluid into the cloth so it doesn’t drift everywhere. If they didn’t want customers up to 4pm (we arrived at about 3.15pm) they should close earlier or wait until 4pm to start clearing up. I’m not sure I’ll want to go back before the service next month which is a shame as I’d like to have done this on a regular basis.

I don't usually leave reviews but in this instance I feel needs must. I have visited this place a few times and have always found it to be lovely and charming with a gorgeous garden and friendly staff. My recent visit was not as pleasant. I waited at the counter for a long time before any of the staff came to take my order, or even acknowledge that I was there, they seemed to be having a lengthy chat and a giggle. Once my order was placed and I had sat down with my friend, our chat was interrupted by raucous laughter coming from the staff in the kitchen/counter area and one girl in particular was very loud. Our order took longer than it should have, but after it arrived we once again experienced laughter and the loud girl, who this time was also swearing. In any customer related environment is totally unacceptable. We left as soon as we had drank our coffee and finished our scones, not wishing to hang around any longer than necessary.This cafe for me has previously been a lovely haven within the town and the garden makes it somewhere really special and relaxing in the Summer months. But, the last thing you expect from somewhere like this is to hear members of staff repeatedly swearing, being very noisy and ignoring customers when they weren't particularly busy. Its probably been around a year and a half since my last visit, so whether it's changed owners or the management I don't know, but I'm sad to say that I won't be going back.

Decent sandwiches and cakes, might have to wait a little while as they prepare them, always busy