Chare Ends Cafe in Northumberland

We visited the Holy Island cafe when heading back to the car park. It’s situated in the perfect spot to grab drinks, food or snacks either before or after you’ve explored the island. We popped in for a hot drink and some sweet treats to take away, the servers behind the counter were all nice and friendly, it was the end of the day so we thankfully didn’t have to wait too long. It had been really busy when we passed it on our way into town earlier in the day. I opted for an ice cream and their lemon and blueberry cake and both were delicious. The ice-cream was amazing, full of flavour and so creamy. The cake was light and fluffy and the portion size was massive. All round a great little place.

Not really sure were to begin here so will keep it short. 2 Adults & 2 Kids + 1 Dog for lunch, how hard can it be? Kids like most kids like it plain and simple, it appeared at first to be an issue to do a plain cheese toastie (the lady at the till had to check with the kitchen, as did another lady to confirm that the first lady was correct). We had: 1 Kids Cheese Toastie 1 Kids Cheese & Ham Toastie 1 Coronation Chicken Roll 1 Baked Potato with Cheese (was like a baby new potato - Butter must of been a premium as it was nowhere to be seen) And a soft drink each. (I should point out, every item came with NO side salad and NO chips or crisps. The plates had nothing on them besides the main item. You also never even got a glass for your drink, it was to be drank out of the bottle) All this for….. drum role….. £48.80!!! I was shocked at first at the price but of course when on the island with the tide covering the road for the next 6 hours they have you. You quite literally haven’t really got much of an option. Captive Audience! Good business model really… I (as a tourist to the area which let’s be honest it is a tourist hot spot) pulled out my wallet and handed the obnoxious lady on the till a £50.00 bank of England note. She refused it. I asked why and her response was priceless, “we don’t take £50,s as it will use up all of our change” i laughed and said “it’s £48.80, surely your till has £1.20 of change in it” Apparently not….. it was still refused. I ended up paying it on my card as i had no other means of payment. Odd that a small business prefers card over cash, also odd that a tourist area refuses £50.00 notes. I personally have never had this issue before. The coffee shop on the island and restaurant we ate dinner on in the island later accepted them without issue, maybe again its because the squad of dinner ladies in here were running a dictatorship and liked things there way. Who knows. (My view here is you either take cash or you don’t, don’t pick and choose what denominations to accept. Cash or card, simple. No In between) Anyways i promised to keep it short so will finish up with best to avoid this place as it really is not worth it. I wish i could say the food was good and saved the day but it was truly bogging. Simply not worth the money or headache that you for free from trying to understand these jumped up dinner ladies.

After a long walk round the island we needed a treat and went in for ice cream, but ended up with hot drinks and cake! The cakes were generous portions, but the differences in the sizes of hot chocolate was a bit confusing, if you had marshmallow, you got a big cup, but without only a small cup, but it was still nice.

Visited this cafe 10 Nov 2024 2pm. We were on a coach trip travelling back to Leeds so looking for sandwiches to take on coach. Very little choice. Ordered two tuna and one coronation chicken sandwich and charged £25.50. This was the only cafe open on the island selling food that day so no choice but to pay. Alternative was a dried up sausage roll for £4. Staff attitude, take it or leave it, I didn’t set the prices.

What a fabulous place. Been looking forward to visiting since I found this cafe on Facebook. Highly recommend. Friendly staff and exceptional value for money. We will be back!

Visited Chare Ends Cafe on Saturday 31st August- I'd already googled Holy Island for places to have lunch and the seafood platters caught my attention. We ordered the Seafood board of the day for 2 people. It was absolutely lovely with an assortment of 8 different seafoods accompanied with side salad, brown bread & butter and a bowl of seafood dressing. People have commented on the cost of food, but at £25 for the quality and quantity, we thought this was very reasonable. We had wanted to finish off our meal with an ice cream, but didn't have room! We returned on our way back to the car park and again we were very happy with our choice of flavours.

Just nipped in for some ice cream as there was a steep ramp I could just about get my wheelchair up (manual chairs will struggle). Sadly there were bollards covering the cafe floor for the non existent que which meant I couldn't actually order for myself. Staff saw this but continued to ignore me. The kids had to order ice creams for us and I wasn't spoken to despite helping the kids order throughout - common occurrence when you're disabled.

We had a fantastic lunch here. Crab baguette, prawn baguette, raspberry and coconut slice and salted caramel, nut shortbread ( came recommended and did not disappoint). The food looked and tasted amazing. The staff were very friendly and the premises was very clean! It was gorgeous weather so we sat outside on the large wooden tables. It was a little pricey but a lot of tourist attractions are and considering that the businesses on Lindisfarne are dependent on the tide, it’s perfectly understandable. I would highly recommend Chare Ends Cafe and wouldn’t hesitate to return.

We visited for coffee and scones. The coffee was really nice but the cups were very small - for the price. The staff were lovely and helpful. The real disappointment was the scones which though quite large tasted like an average supermarket scone. Actually worse than some.

Why I bothered to stay I have no idea and would suggest you don’t even try it. There were numerous staff on duty but only one was serving, a lady who has forgotten how to smile, I waited patiently without her even acknowledging my presence. Eventually I ordered two coffees, which came out of a push button machine, I then asked if I could have 2 sausage rolls please, pricey at £4.00 each but we were hungry, at which point I was cordially advised they only serve breakfasts until 11.am. The time was now only 10.45, therefore No, I couldn’t have a sausage roll. So the sausage rolls remained under there clingfilm, together with sandwich’s etc and there they would remain until the stroke of 11.am. The coffees were vile by the way. It then all made sense, I’d heard another group trying to negotiate a selection of sandwiches etc to takeaway for a picnic and the gentleman assistant was doggedly telling them they would not be served until 11.am - they left . The award of least friendly, most unhelpful cafe should be awarded to this establishment.

The food here is of really excellent quality although on the expensive side the cafe atmosphere is inviting and the staff are really friendly and helpful.

We visited Holy Island reliant on the times of the tide. We arrived expecting Pilgrims Cafe to be open but it closed at 12pm though not advertised. We ended up going to Chare Ends as this was the only place open. Didn't realise they were on the point of closing when we ordered 4 panini's and 4 hot drinks but boy didn't they make it obvious. Clearing up around us and putting the blinds down and locking the doors. 4 average paninis and drinks cost £51.00, worst experience of the holiday.

Had tea, cappuccino and a fruit scone which were okay. Cafe could maybe do with a bit brightening up but okay and pleasant staff.

While visiting Holy Island ( Lindisfarne) my wife an I happened upon the Chare Ends cafe, on entering we ordered a hot drink and sat down. On finishing our drink we decided to purchase a sandwich to take out, my wife ordered a ham salad myself a ham and cheese. When our order came I almost had a heart attack at the price £8.50 each, mine however turned up toasted and not just a plain paint. After stating a minor miss communication to the staff, a woman who I can only describe as a reincarnation of Eva Braun turned up stating she was the manager. When I tried to explain the problem I was ORDERED not only to leave the cafe but also the Island, I think she may have thought she own the whole island. What ever happened to the customer is always right I honestly do not know, bu if that is how this person treats those who complain I wouldn't recommend visiting at all.

Crazy prices, £8 for a ham sandwich which I refused to pay, so I got the kids ham sandwich for £4. All it was 2 slices of bread, butter and some ham inside. Never ever going back

The cafe was very busy but we managed to find a table inside. We all ordered soup and rolls to start with and although the broccoli and stilton soup was very tasty, it was also only lukewarm and what butter was on my roll was melted in and looked very unappetising. We asked for the soup to be heated up and a replacement roll for me...this was done but no apology offered. We were very disappointed and left without ordering hot drinks or other food.

We stopped here for a quick bite to eat on a day trip to Lindisfarne Priory. I was not expecting much but was pleasantly surprised. The food was delicious and the service friendly and efficient during a lunchtime rush. Highly recommend the seafood salads or the kipper sandwich (served warm in stottie, dripping with butter.

I’d researched where to eat prior to visiting Holy Island and found this little gem of a place on Facebook. Their seafood platters and menu looked fantastic. It was busy even on a Thursday lunchtime. I ordered the crayfish and prawn bowl and a pot of tea. It was delicious and welcomed after a morning of exploring the island. Friendly staff and great prices!

We had the crab sub and the prawn and crayfish sub, we split them, and both were absolutely delicious. Nice buns and salad accompaniment. We had ice cream after, too. I definitely recommend the banoffee, so tasty! It was a lovely day, so we sat outside with our dog.

Having seen the seafood platters advertised we decided to try one during our two week stay on the island. We actually ordered two of differing sizes to be collected on separate days. Staff were very helpful with choosing our selection and quantities. The platters were amazing, very fresh, plentiful and extremely well presented....... in fact the family enjoyed them so much we had a third one to share with friends at who visited at the end of the holiday. Can't wait for our next visit to have one again.

We went to have tea and cakes at Chare Ends Cafe and they had a great range of all sorts of cakes and traybakes and the best range of gluten free cakes I have ever seen and they tasted great!!! Other food looked good too, particularly filled baguettes and bagels. Nice outdoor area as well as inside and dog friendly.

Very disappointed with the food, we both had goats cheese and marmalade paninis. Was so much marmalade they were almost impossible to pick up. The tables were filthy, no effort made by the staff to clear or clean them. Food was served in paper chip trays. For the price it was very disappointing all round

Amazing food and friendly staff, beautiful setting on the Amazing Holy Island. Don't miss it if you are visiting the Island you won't be disappointed.

After queuing for ages we finally got served! I had been so looking forward to a local crab sandwich. I paid £9.50 and it was given me in a polystyrene container! (They’re obviously not interested in saving the planet!)The crab had been brushed on and then off the bread! The salad was lettuce, tomato and cucumber! It was the most disappointing sandwich I have ever had! The latte was tiny and cost £3 and wasn’t even barista made! Don’t recommend this place at all- although the cakes looked nice! It was very expensive for not good. I wish I’d bought a £4.50 sandwich from the stand in the car park when we arrived on the island- they were full of crab.

On arrival at Lindisfarne and having checked into our accommodation, we visited here for a coffee. It was really busy, but we manged to find a table which someone was just vacating. We asked for two cappuccinos but what I feel we actually got were really two flat whites with some froth on top.

So disappointed!! We had hoped to enjoy a simple breakfast as a family driving across from seahouses for Sunday breakfast and walk around the island. Of the 5 things ordered four came out incorrectly. Additionally the food was cold and was not very tasty. The staff tried their best but seemed like they hadn’t had any training so unfortunately struggled to delivered much of anything. Keep walking.

We stopped by here once for ice cream and once for cake. The pastry cabinet is TO DIE FOR! Lots of tempting treats. There is lots of seating inside and out and the line moves quickly.