Canalchef Cafe in Rugby

This is a quirky and interesting little place in a lovely spot by the canal but falls short beyond that. We only ordered coffee and tea due to poor service and quality of the drinks. The drinks were not hot. Tea was served already stewed and luke warm from a machine and the coffee was cool and tasteless served in tiny cups. I had to ask for hot water and tea bags and start again with the girl serving as there was no communication. I felt as though I was a nuisance asking for hot drinks. This place could be so much more. The prices were cheap but I’m happy to pay more for a decent cup of tea and coffee. How can that be too much to ask? We decided not to risk ordering any food!

A lovely place to stop at and have a bite to eat and something to drink..I know some reviews have said different but we have been a few times and always had good service and great food.

Really lovely location - but be warned ! So as a boater we stopped outside to have lunch. After tying up outside (for planned stop of half an hour in total) went into the cafe the rude lady informed us that we would have to pay £20 to moor outside the cafe. Nothing on the menu was worth paying £20 to pay and moor, so we left and went to a lovely pub with lovely food just up the canal. Lady was quite rude and 2 sets of different regular customers outside approached us and said 'she can be a funny bu**ar'! so we won't be going there again and surprisingly in the days climate, you would think any trade is worth taking !But not today. Can not recommend sadly.

It was a relief to find such a lovely place open on the canal side. Ordered x2 breakfasts, chicken goujons and chips. Everything was cooked to order, we didn't mind waiting as the cafe was full of lovely photos & objects to look at. Food tasted great & it was just perfect, cafe owners were nice to chat to & didn't mind us having our dog inside with us.

Unhelpful, unfriendly, poor attitude, no atmosphere. And not surprising not many customers - why?! Don’t bother.

I went in and had a cup of coffee, it was all quite pleasant. Excellent location. Good spot to watch boats go by

So I was visiting Rugby and stopped here for breakfast at 10.10 am. Friendly staff and cute little café, on the edge of the canal. Cup of tea was brought out first, followed by the breakfast. I ordered sliced bread, as I was not wanting toast. There was four distinct spots of mould on one slice and a hole in the second slice, (Had they cut something out of the second slice ?). The two sausages that was served, were of the hotdog type, (On a breakfast). There was something in the beans, which was white in colour and when I moved it with my fork, It was a piece of paper and on turning it over, it was red on the other side, which I assumed had come from the baked been tin. This would of not bothered me, (being a chef myself) but with everything else, combined into a vile, unsafe, disgusting breakfast. I started to take pictures, and the lady came over and asked if everything was ok, I obviously said no, and she started to slide my plate towards her. I grabbed the other side of the plate and and held onto it until she let go, then went into the kitchen area. the chef/owner appeared and started to argue with me that he can rectify the mistake and bring me a fresh breakfast. I told him to leave the plate alone as I was taking pictures to send to the Food safety standards, Health and Hygiene, also Trading standards. He then grabbed the plate, and pulled it away which then went all over the table, all over his white apron and all over the floor. He got very abusive and swearing a lot, which I did just record the end off, turning on voice recorder on my phone. after putting the plate on another table, he proceeded to pull me by the arm and still swearing abuse, asking me to leave. He was very threatening and aggressive, So I did leave and walked back to my car where I stood and started to check what pictures I had taken. Just then, the other couple that was in the café, walked over to me and asked if I was okay. I said yes, and they chatted to me, saying they were not going to stay in there after that experience and left without paying and he was very abusive to them as well. They gave me there names and number to help with anything I was going to report and said they are happy to pass them on as witnesses, and thanked them as it would help in the report. I admitted my report, photo`s and short recording to Food safety standards, Health and Hygiene, also Trading standards, which they are now following up. Simple to say, Don`t eat here, food is the worst, management is aggressive and threatening. It is just not a nice, safe place to eat. Thursday 07/07/2022.

Parking was available right outside which was good. Menu also available to see outside on the wall near the parking before you go in. Lovely canal next to the cafe. There was some outdoor seating but aside from a 2 seater, it was all in use. As there were 3 of us we ended up inside. The lady patiently waited whilst we talked amongst ourselves about what we were going to have. We then ordered with 2 of us asked for the same food (literally saying ‘I’ll have exactly the same as her’). The lady did struggle when asked what was in the salad part of the prawn salad; the answer was a confused sounding ‘it’s just salad’. We didn’t prompt further & ordered it anyway. Prices were great value! Drinks were done immediately. Coffee didn’t come in a real cup (was in a cardboard takeaway one), but tasted nice. We went into a small room at the side. It was all very old school, with old pictures on the wall, old wallpaper, etc. Foggy looking air. Clean place though. We could see the gentleman cooking food in the kitchen from where we were. We were told knives, forks & sauces were from a table nearby so got those. We did notice straight away that most of the ketchup, mayonnaise, etc sachets were out of date... some by 3 years. We opted not to use those ones. They did have some in a pot and we tried those which were fine (possibly out of date too but what we couldn't see couldn't harm us). There was a sign on the table saying that it was not a fast food place and that food was prepared to order and wouldn’t be cooked until the chef received the order. We guessed they’d had feedback about slow service and were prewarning customers. We’d just come from a location nearby with very slow service; in comparison this place was quick. Food came in a very reasonable time. The prawn salad was basic but nice. The salad with the prawns turned out to be simply iceberg lettuce. The burgers that came were amazing; very impressed with those and great that the burger buns were toasted. The fact you can have anything you want on them for additional cost was a great feature. Don’t know what ingredients they use for those burgers but they were honestly brilliant! Will definitely be back to eat those!! We had burger, bacon, cheese & onions... and we noticed other people also eating burgers too. Some had opted to double up and looked massive! Only one lot of the two chips ordered came so we asked a younger looking girl if they were coming. Staff were always available which was great. She went and asked before returning quickly saying it wasn't on the receipt so it hadn’t been cooked and if we still wanted them, would we mind paying the £2 as we hadn’t been charged. We said yes. Unfortunately that meant a rush on for the chips to be cooked for the chef as we already had the rest of the food and whilst I must commend the response to the missing item in terms of service, the chips came pretty much raw inside. We did pay for them and didn’t complain or ask for them to be cooked longer as we felt their cost overall was very reasonable, however we didn’t eat them all unfortunately as they were not overly edible. The first lot of chips were perfect though so we shared them. We used the toilet and found a sign in there referencing a request to put some money in a money container on the way out if using the toilet but not purchasing (somewhat an attempt at humour or sarcasm we guess). Also a sign saying the slide & not turn the door lock which we found funny. Pleasant and more modern toilet than the cafe itself. We bought some duck food on the way out for £1. It’s sold likely to feed the ducks in the canal, but I actually bought it as I have multiple wild ducks whom have made home in my back garden at the moment. Afterwards we sat outside as we had time to spare (it was all finished much quicker than expected) and made conversation with a random couple. They canal boat to this place regularly it turns out and they say it’s a great place to stop for beer and reasonable food and had been stopping there for years. They spoke very highly of the place. So we didn’t have a 5* experience with zero issues hence not 5* given, but we left knowing we’d had an amazing burger that far outweighed the chip problem, had quick service, was able to sit down with a decent atmosphere, saw canal boats, parked with no trouble, used a decent toilet and all at a very reasonable price. We really enjoyed our visit and will definitely return! Thank you.

This place is amazing to look at. Had a nice bottle of beer with my friend. I'm mooring next to here next month so will return. Haven't tried the food yet but it looks lovely.

Absolutely lovely atmosphere both inside the cafe and out, great food…especially the breakfast that runs all day!! Would definitely recommend

Popped in for breakfast out of curiosity of it’s location . Breakfasts was served quick and easy being very filling and of good quality produce. Very snug and friendly atmosphere with walls full of boaty memorabilia . We shall return !

We are walking the Oxford canal in sections. We walked the Hillmorton section on Saturday and had lunch at the Canal Chef Cafe. What a find! So much character. The staff were friendly and the food really good and reasonably priced. We sat outside in the sun and to be honest life does not get much better. Thank you

just to warn people of the cafe will not serve without a mask but i found her rude as well but her choice if they have this rule they need to serve from the door or window

My family visited, such a great location but off putting by the lady that runs the place, made to feel so unwelcome. Such a shame.

A lovely cafe with good food & friendly staff. It’s idyllic sitting by the canal watching the boats go by. Some seem upset by the Covid rules but the proprietors are just working hard to protect themselves & their customers which is perfectly reasonable.

The food was average, but more than that a lovely canal side setting was ruined by so many COVID-19 notices you felt unwelcome. I had left my mask on the boat, and popped my head round the corner to ask if a scarf would suffice...

What a very arrogant and rude owner...disgusting the way she spoke to me cos I didn't have a mask...I am exempt and fully vaccinated....just couldn't believe how damned rude she really was...defo will not be going back there in a hurry...

Lovely lady served us. Coffee and walnut cake was excellent. Very helpful even offered after sun for my burnt feet. Beautiful place overlooking canal. Would go again!

This cafe doesn't look much from the outside but it's got a great canal side location and very quirky interior. We had a great and friendly welcome for breakfast. It's not the fanciest or best cafe. Ingredients were average. But it's not bad and certainly...

This is a lovely spot by the canal but the poor customer service and negative attitude were disappointing. The drinks (coffee and tea) were poorly made and tasteless. The owner offered me skimmed milk as a choice when I said I couldn’t have dairy!! We...

On a long bike ride we discovered this cafe. I’m afraid the lady - assume owner - was rather unfriendly and rude. My husband stood at the door because he had no mask with him (but could be exempt with asthma anyway) while I bought...

Called in here yesterday, planning to have lunch before walking our dog. We'd seen a couple of bad reviews, but we prefer to judge for ourselves. The Full Breakfast was amazing. Hot, freshly cooked, and plentiful. No problem with ordering extras, or swapping items, and...

Visited with a friend, my son and nephew, great COVID measures, with a one-way system, masks for sale and a screen and food collected from a window at the back. Seats outside were well spaced out, as well. Food and drinks were great! The lady...

AVOID this place like the plague. The lady owner is the rudest most obnoxious person I have ever encountered. She needs to look up the word hospitality. Do not waste your money or time. If you want to keep customers be polite. It costs nothing

I’ve visited this establishment a few times and have special memories so i’m looking forward to returning. Badseys is a cozy little place tucked away in Neverneverland beside the Oxford canal locks in a beautiful setting. If you’re looking for fancy Horte cuisine in a...

A simple cafe in a beautiful location. Calling it a Bistro is a little strong but it offered good simple food in a traditional setting. Limited room inside but additional seating outside. Only open from spring to autumn. Some parking on site otherwise Avery short...

Great location, great brunch and table service. Very good! A nice friendly welcome, fascinating interior with lots of interesting artefacts to spike the interest.

This would be our 3 rd visit in 15 months we love the full English breakfast my wife loves the Latte we find the people that run it very friendly and enjoy a good chat the place it self has a wonderful decor as one...

CRAP FOOD, and the beer was flat and warm with alovely long hair in it which wasn't one of mine. Owner very rude maybe you need to retire. Never go again that's for sure.

I was brought up in Hillmorton many years ago. And to think I use to work on this site now a cafe. Which is lovely inside as well folk. I find it cosy with all the surroundings. Food and beer is lovely too. I'll be...

There comes a time when you need to take notice of customers (who aren’t locals) finding the service rude. Woman (owner) awful. Young boy behind counter, awful. No eye contact, no please, thank you, hello or goodbye. Really? We chose to ignore his constant complaining about customers ordering lattes and breakfasts whilst we ate. The arrogance of the responses to unhappy customers who’ve spent money in your cafe is shocking. Please hand the cafe over to a team that have a basic understanding of customer service. And yes, this is a genuine review.

Stopped here for lunch on our way along the canal. Not made to feel very welcome, we were, at first, the only customers sitting inside and the owners sat talking very noisily that we couldn’t hold a conversation of our own. We ordered drinks first then food - 3 of the 4 drinks arrived but they had forgotten to bring a coke. We then waited 20-30 minutes for our food to come, which came in dribs and drabs - 2 of the 4 meals coming first we then had to wait another 5 minutes for mine to come and then a further 5 minutes for the last meal to arrive by which time two people had finished their meals and I was half way through mine. I got almost to the end of my jacket potato before finding a hair which put me off eating any more. The food was below average (depending on what you order) - fish fingers were tasteless as was the minimal amount of cheese in my cheese and beans jacket potato. When we came to pay we had to recite everything we’d had to the unfriendly boy who works there - no please or thank you either. Certainly won’t be returning on our return back to the marina and wouldn’t recommend to anyone visiting for the first time. Sadly, there doesn’t appear to be any competition nearby hence why they can get away with poor service and poor food.

I usually avoid curry other than in Indian restaurants- but when asked how hot I wanted a beef madras I couldn’t resist. End result was excellent. Spicy and full of flavour with good meat. Great location by the canal and perfect stop off for canal boat lunch

Friendly owners, dog friendly, nice cooked food, in a lovely cafe, right by the canal. Their full English is well worth it. They let themselves down a little with the drinks though. chilled drinks are not usually chilled properly, and they have a habit of adding ice with their bare hands.Well worth a visit though.

First day was nice. A good lamb shank and quite a few pints. So went back the next day but as soon as we walked in, the lady owner was quite hostile and told us that we couldn’t sit in the empty tables at the back as they were booked but said we can sit at the front but food is over an hour wait. We hadn’t even opened our mouths to talk.

Beautiful location with some stunning views however the service leaves a little bit to be desired.....A welcoming smile is all that is needed....

Love this place, we have visited a few times when cruising pass on our boat and now that we are moored close by I know we will be popping up so to say on our boat when they open in couple of months for brunch and to meet up with friends there as good parking as well as been next to the canal.

Third visit here. Lovely food, plenty of it & reasonably priced. Friendly staff and a good location.

The hostess has quite a quirky personality, may accidentally come off as a bit abrupt. I would second those who have reviewed saying that the atmosphere is slightly awkward. The food however is cheap and cheerful and had no complaints. Plenty of decorative pieces to look at and read whilst waiting. Nice location. Dog friendly.

We had intended to stop here for light refreshments on our cycle ride but before we even got a chance to order a woman clearly associated with the cafe came out shouting at myself and my 8 year old son for damaging her solar panels which apparently chef had seen on the CCTV. My son's back tyre hit the wooden surround on her 'home' but was nowhere near any panels. We cycled on to Clifton and enjoyed lovely refreshments at The Bull which I can highly recommend.

I have lived near here for years and only went in for the first time last week what a revelation it has a fantastic atmosphere with a really friendly staff.We had the steak and chips the steak was enormous and really nicely cooked with proper chips as well and to finish off we had the homemade sponge cake which was delicious.The café has a licenced bar and also serves soft drinks tea coffee and ice cream,If your by the canal and need refreshment I fully recommend the Canalchef.

All day breakfast and Rugby Ale definitely requires a siesta. Fascinating display of canal memorabilia together with some good archive photographs.

Brilliant homely place family run for years great beer, fresh food. All in a building that daubles as a museum. Great place to stop and refresh your selves 😊

Hemos pasado por aquí muchas veces a lo largo de los años en nuestro barco viajes. Ian y Leslie cocinar algunos alimentos frescos y sorprendentemente para un café siempre tiene unas cervezas de barril si quieres algo un poco más fuerte que café!

Had a delicious time here sat by the canal watching the boats go by. I had ratoutie which was scrumptious

I love this place, so peaceful and quiet, to just sit and watch the world and the barges go by in the summer sunshine. I have never had a bad meal, lunchtime snack here, reasonable prices. Leslie and her husband I have always found very friendly and chatty.

Volver a probar la maravillosa aunque la llovizna limón panecillos son muy sabrosos. Sentado en el banco de picnic en el sol y viendo el barco pase por el estrecho. Un lugar muy especial y no muy concurrido.

Brilliant Location, very good food and the service was excellent. After reading a few of the previous reviews I wondered if I was in the right place... the lady owner Lesly was very engaging, chatty and charming. The all day breakfast I had was very reasonably priced and tasty. I would recommend a visit if you are in the area I wish I lived closer and could visit socially and enjoy the licensed bar...

We took our children and grandchildren to the Canalchef on a Sunday afternoon and gave ourselves a real treat. There is a small but surprisingly capacious restaurant, which we did not try, and a bar and refreshment area, which we did, and then one can sit outside at one of the benches and enjoy the traffic on and the wildlife around the canal area in an environment which is welcoming to all and very safe as long as little children are guarded from the water. The photographs and pictures of canal life inside the Canalchef cabin were really interesting and the lady who was serving was amazingly able to hold a large order in her head, add up the cost and then provide the required refreshments. It was not haute cuisine, but it was a welcoming and friendly place which did exactly as was expected given the location and the nature of the business.

I came here for breakfast with two friends and their 2-year-old son. First, it has to be said that the quality of the breakfast was very good - even the sausages were a decent quality.Secondly however, the atmosphere doesn't feel friendly or relaxed. You almost feel uncomfortable about speaking. Perhaps some music might help to lighten the mood.This place is in a picturesque location and with a small amount of effort, this could be a real goldmine.

The location is brilliant, and the potential this place has is amazing, but they desperately need new management to take over and put some love into it.The staff are NOT friendly, no one says hello to you, no warm welcome, in fact when I walked in and said 'hello' to them I barely got a response more of a mumble.We ordered a take away cappuccino, which when handed to me looked like a cup of warm milk. I tasted it briefly, and then asked the boy serving if he could put an extra shot of coffee in for me because I couldn't taste any coffee, to which he responded by shrugging his shoulders and then pouring a dribble of watery FILTER COFFEE into my drink. I explained to him that Cappuccino's are not made using filter coffee - looked like this was news to him - I told him it should be a shot of espresso to which he argued with me 'no a Cappuccino is filter coffee topped up with milk'' The manager then stood up behind me and very sternly and extremely frankly said 'Give her the £2 back we won't have complaints like that' as if I had said something really horrible and bad?! Who can top up a water filter coffee with luke warm milk and call it a Cappuccino, and then get angry at the customer? If it was different people running this, I am so sure this could be an amazing spot, selling lovely cakes and real coffee!! Such a shame because the locks are gorgeous and this place could be so successful.

I visited on a Sunday dinner time,nice friendly staff,meal was ok,not super tasty,but the waiting time was a joke 45 +minutes,and it wasn't that busy,nobody came and checked to see if we were OK,only until they served us with,our meals,did they say they were sorry for the waiting time,and nothing off the bill.

Moored up pass the locks for the night. I need of refreshment. This is a lovely, quirky cafe by the canal. A chocolate muffin and one of the best cups of coffee I have had in a while ( I drink a lot of coffee, so praise indeed)

The cafe is closed October through to March. It's been open a few weeks but yesterday was our first visit back. Luckily there was still some lemon drizzle left which was delicious. The afternoon was cool but sunny and perfect for sitting on a picnic bench and enjoying the narrowboats going through the locks. The lady is always very kind and has a good supply of chocolate for my daughter! The volunteer helping on the locks was very helpful and my daughter helped push the gates to help out. Lovely place to visit. We'll be back-so peaceful.

Maybe the food was fine, but we never got to find out so I have to give 1 star.We were walking on the canal and decided we needed some food, so went in. The lady was doing something with some tables so we stood at the bar and looked at menus that were there. The lady walked behind the bar, but didn't say hello or make eye contact, so we continued looking at the menus. When we had decided what we would like, we put the menus down and looked hopefully towards the lady. She was really too far away to shout hello or excuse me to, and we expected she would turn and speak to us. However, she carried on talking to some other people on the other side of the bar. When the conversation had finished, she still ignored us and asked another customer if he would like his pint refilling, which she then did. I thought she would surely talk to us after she had done this, but no! she asked someone else if she would like another tea. She then went to the drinks machine and began making her tea. By then we knew she must be ignoring us on purpose, but we had no idea why, and we we too embarrassed to speak ourselves, so we just turned and left!

I returned here recently for a lovely breakfast and discovered the café is also open for food on Friday evenings (last orders 8.p.m.) I also mentioned I had done a Trip Advisor review about the cafe a couple of years ago. However, I heard from the people who run it that they were upset that their good Trip advisor profile had been spoilt by a poorly behaved and rude individual writing a bad review.Anyway - it is pleasing to see that recent visitors are delighted with their experience - and recognise it as a friendly canal side café with a homely feel and delicious and freshly cooked home made food. I went with a friend on Friday evening - we booked ahead because space is limited. We arrived to find a tempting special curry and trimmings being offered in addition to the usual menu which looked lovely. In the end we both opted for Hunters Chicken with peas and a choice of potatoes or chips for £9.45. It was excellent, very tasty and quite filling.. We were not in a hurry - lots of chatting to do - so there was no issue with it taking a bit longer to prepare and cook things to order and we took quite a long time to eat it!. Although we were quite full after the main course we went for a quick walk about outside along the canal and made room for a pudding! Well worth it. Full menu details are displayed on the website - there is a great selection to choose from.It is just such a joy to go to somewhere that serves good food and drink but is not a noisy pub or formal restaurant. It is more like visiting a friend's house - where you are made to feel welcome and looked after personally - rather than being processed as a table number on a computer print out! Will certainly visit again plus there is so much to see inside - an amazing collection of canal artefacts, models and memorabilia. The cafe is open March to October.

We think this place should have been a lot busier on a sunny Saturday lunchtime. All the reviews about the location are spot on. The service at the bar was barely lukewarm though and we waited so long for our food that we began to understand why last food orders are at 2 but they don't shut until 6! But the homemade ratatouille was fab and it was a "proper " baked potato. It's lovely and there is potential to be so much more. But that would probably spoil it. Go, relax and enjoy.

We visited here for the Friday evening bistro for my birthday along with 8 members of my family. The cafe is situated in a charming location alongside Hillmorton double locks. The food was excellent and the place oozed with character with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere that made you feel at home. Don't get impatient if all the food doesn't come out at the same time when in a larger party as the chef works wonders in a small kitchen with everything cooked from fresh. All in all they were very accommodating and I look forward to visiting there again. Thanks, Mark

I agree that this has a very good location at the side of a canal , and there are tables outside where it is lovely to sit and watch the boats go by. However, I am not sure about the interior- little light, gloomy with old fashioned furniture and table settings. I just had a cup of tea which cost £1.50 and was 'stewed'. The place was cluttered with old papers and other stuff. This place has a lot of potential, and with new furniture and some decluttering, it could be a very place to sit and relax .

This is such an unusual bistro/cafe situated on an idyllic part of the canal close to the bottom lock. You absolutely must visit even if you don't fancy anything on the extensive cafe menu. The immediate area is immaculately maintained and inside is clean and quirky. A real museum of canal memorabilia. The owners and staff are friendly and helpful. My modest meal was cooked to perfection. I will go again and look forward to it.

This lovely little cafe has a lot to offer!! The owners and staff welcome you with such a friendly smile and are eager to please!! The food is of good quality and service is good!! Great place to visit on a walk with the family along the canal

What a delightful little place, quite unique and situated in an idyllic setting by the canal. Extremely friendly and welcoming, spotless café/bistro - the meal was superb, home cooked, plentiful and delicious. The cheesecake was to die for! It was so tasty I almost licked the plate - will definitely return - thank you for a very pleasant lunch time treat!

The food had that "home-cooked with care" feeling about it. Atmosphere was good, although the place is quite small & was busy. The location is perfect for a gentle stroll down the canal once you are done eating.

We stumbled across this by accident, but what a fantastic discovery! It is very quaint & has canal narrowboat etc memorabilia for you to browse while awaiting the superb food! Its a welcoming charming place with very helpful friendly staff, the quantity of the portions are generous with varied choice & options for light eaters. Best of all the price is realistic! This is the place to go for tranquility & great food with a choice of sitting in or outdoors watching the canal wildlife...lovely surroundings! However, please check their opening times & I expect it will be much busier this summer.

From the moment you enter this quirky waterside cafe you feel welcomed, and that's before the staff actually welcome you. The menu of home-cooked food has something for every taste, and needs careful study, for example the pricing and choice of fillings for baps, jacket potatoes and omelettes are exactly the same. Worthy of note are the AC/DC soup, a traditional Pot au Feu which has been going, I think, for some years, and the steak and kidney pudding. No doubt there are others as good, but we couldn't try them all.Opening times, too, are unusual, only March until October, so it's worth visiting their website before going there : http://www.canalchef.co.uk/

We had a lovely Sunday lunch at the Canalchef Café. All of our meals including a great traditional roast were delicious with good sized portions. The owners made us feel very welcome despite not booking in advance. As well as the great food the café enjoys a lovely canal-side setting just by the Hillmorton locks. We will certainly go back.

Visited with a group of friends from the canal for a Friday evening meal and then breakfast later in the weekend. Good food, owners and interesting canal related memorabilia. D&S 8/14

Lovely location, lovely helpful and friendly staff. I go frequently taking family and friends and always feel totally relaxed afterwards.

I booked myself and my son and his wife in for Sunday lunch here as I thought they would enjoy its "quirkiness" and it is quite near to where I live. The table was booked for 1.30pm and as it was a beautiful day we placed our orders, then went outside to sit by the canal for a while with our drinks. After we returned we enjoyed looking at all the "canal memorabilia" which decorates the cafe, and shortly afterwards we were served the meals we had ordered. We had been given a choice of three roasts and we all chose lamb, which came with freshly cooked brussel sprouts, carrots and savoy cabbage, plus of course roasted potatoes and a piece of Yorkshire pud. It was all very nice, though the carrots were slightly underdone for my taste. Two of us then had a pudding. My daughter-in-law enjoyed hers though she had forgotten to say she didn't care for custard, and I had a typical ice cream sundae, obviously bought in as my spoon got stuck at one point and as I pulled it out a plastic sundae shaped container came with it, obviously designed to put straight into a sundae glass and serve - so not exactly home-made, but nevertheless acceptable. All in all the meal was not at all bad though, and better than some roasts we have had elsewhere but the atmosphere would have been nicer if we had not been the only diners.

Today we left our narrowboat (moored above the locks) and walked down to the Canalchef Cafe after a recommendation from a fellow boater. We ordered the 'full' breakfast and a smaller one for me, along with drinks. The cafe is decorated with canal memorabilia and we stood for a while admiring all the exhibits until our breakfasts and drinks came. We really enjoyed the meals and found they were extremely reasonably priced. The owners were very friendly and the whole atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming. We will definitely revisit on our way back and spread the word! Thank you

What a joy !! to find a truly warm welcome, homemade food,served in fine crockery ,what a treat!!!! just like we used to have in our childhood. Recommend to all age groups ,will return ,Fantastic!

Wanted a place to go for a Sunday breakfast out of town and not a pub! Looked on the internet and found this - but because the name has been changed to canalchef café at Badseys Wharf - we picked up the wrong details and telephone number. The correct number now is 01788 567600. When we looked up opening times one site said 12.00 onwards and there was no answer from the phone number we had. Nevertheless - we decided to go out on a bike ride around that way - just to see if it was open and yes it was! We arrived at about 9.45a.m. We were rewarded with a freshly cooked, superb full English breakfast for £4.95 sitting in peace and quiet on the canal side and watching the boats go by. A lovely place for a sleepy Sunday morning experience. It opens at 9.00 a.m. Breakfast was very well cooked and substantial - but for the lighter appetite you can pick and mix different ingredients and have what you fancy. Owners were very pleasant and friendly. Would certainly recommend it - even though rather reluctantly as it may not be so quiet next time! There is a website www.canalchef.co.uk/about us but it talks about duck and swan food not the wonderful full English which made the bike ride back home again just a little bit slower!

We have been here a few times. They are lovely people who serve lovely food at a fair priceWe would recommend the full breakfasts for £4.95 - It even fills us hungry bikers up!!

Have eaten here many times over the last 12 months and absolutely love every minute spent there! The food is top class, staff are so warm and welcoming and nothing is too much trouble for them! We only found out about this little treasure whilst having work done on our house and one of the kitchen fitters recommended it. Cannot recommend highly enough!

Friendly little cafe/restaurant by Hillmorton Locks on the Oxford Canal. Tasty, home-cooked food; bottled ales from local breweries. A nice place to go on a Saturday afternoon in summer. My one regret is that they are not open in the winter. Looking forward to them reopening for spring/summer.

what that woman wrote in the previous is unbelievable to say the least!...I have been there many times and the food has always been excellent as with the service; as would many testify.Anyone reading this remember theres always two sides to a story!!Please reconsider closing the bistro!!

My husband and I visited this establishment on the evening of Friday 14th September 2012, the last evening of a two week narrow boat holiday. The cafe/restaurant/bistro claims a number of awards and accolades for the food, boasting ‘quality ingredients and generous portions’. Promotional literature warns customers not to be mislead by the awards, which ‘may give the impression of a top restaurant experience of nouveau cuisine, crisp linen and grovelling waiters’, stating that it is ‘only, after all, a cafe’. Bit of an identity crisis, maybe, but we decided to give it a go.The evening started so well. The cafe was cosy and quirky, the waiting staff polite, if not somewhat patronising, with a good choice of food on the menu. There was clear impression given of food being prepared on the premises. Unfortunately, I did not explicitly ask about this, before making my main course order of chicken korma. My husband had pizza. Our starters of ‘Hot Cheese’ for me (deep fried, bread crumbed patty) and Big Dipper (load of deep fried, battered things) for my husband were average, nothing to write home about. I was hugely disappointed, however by my chicken korma. The sauce did not seem to be homemade at all; I would put my money on it having been Sharwood’s finest. I am not a person who usually complains lightly, usually mumbling that everything ‘was fine’ in these circumstances, and then going home feeling very disgruntled. However, the menu did seem to positively encourage feedback if there were any issues. Emboldened by this, I did raise the matter with the waitress. Huge mistake.The initial reply from the waitress, who immediately appeared to take umbrage at my daring to question this, was that she ‘didn’t know’ how the chef prepared the food. She said that she would raise it with him. She left, taking with her the last two slices of my husband’s pizza, for which he requested a ‘doggy bag’. She returned seconds later, with the bill, stating that the pizza had been ‘thrown in the bin, as you have upset chef!’ We were astonished. She claimed indignantly that the sauce was homemade; a request to discuss this with the chef was met with ‘he is too busy preparing a roast’ (only four customers left in the place and it being way past the 8pm cut off for ordering food). What following was a very undignified verbal exchange, as I attempted to make my case, which was met by further patronising and belittling from the waiting staff. As it became clear that we were not going to be able to resolve the situation, we left, having paid the bill in full and feeling very disgruntled. I did state that I would be writing this review, which was met with the reply, ‘if that’s what you feel you need to do, dear, go ahead!’Well, here it is. I stand by my view that the korma sauce tastes like it was ‘shop bought’. The rest of the food was very average and overpriced. The customer service was utterly appalling. The waiting staff were very arrogant, lacking in manners and with not even a rudimentary knowledge of the basics of customer complaint resolution. In summary, this establishment is indeed, just a cafe. A very mediocre and down market one at that.