Chatterbox Cafe in County Durham

Awful omelette. I asked not to have the chips served with an omelette and salad for £9:00 Still paid £9:00 for small salad with two fried eggs…not even combined, completely flat, crisp edges….the last thing you would describe as an omelette. Requested salad dressing ‘don’t have any’ was the answer. Small pot of mayonnaise was begrudgingly given after we requested it. Whole place smelt overwhelmingly of frying. Poor dale if it can’t summons up better food than this.

This is our favourite cafe. They serve the best coffee. The food is always really nice. What makes it really special though is the staff, particularly the lad on front who serves, I didn't catch his name but he is so friendly, down to earth, and helpful (I didn't catch his name, but he's from Suffolk).

Lovely homely cafe, very cyclist friendly, comfortable warm, and relaxed atmosphere. Clean loo, good coffee. 👍👍👍

Have just had a very nice cheeseburger, freshly cooked and hot with lovely fresh salad. Very Nice, lovely friendly atmosphere and very efficient, pleasant staff. Many thanks ♥

Absolutely the worst breakfast I have had any where. We arrived at 9.10am and the cafe should have opened at 9am. A scruffy looking man opened the locked door, half dressed and yawning, explaining he'd just slept in. We had to take down the chair from the table, the cushion on mine looked like it belonged on a bonfire. We ordered 2 full English breakfasts and were told it might take a while to cook...fair enough, we asked for a pot of tea for two while we waited. The scruffy man came out again to ask what bread/toast/sauce we'd like and I noticed his legs were covered in what looked like flea or tick bites, he was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes at this point. Eventually the breakfast arrived along with the HP sauce we asked for. The bacon was tasteless and reminded me of plastic. The sausages were nothing but gristle and mush and the black pudding was also lacking any flavour. The egg was nicely cooked, but the beans and tomatoes were just cheap canned rubbish, and there were two hash browns...why these are on a breakfast I have no idea as they are neither English or a breakfast food. My partner couldn't finish hers and I felt sick as soon as we stood up to pay. Now a tenner for a breakfast is bad enough, but add £4.40 to that for a pot of tea...it is literally hot water and a couple of tea bags ! I understand they have to make a living and I would not have had a problem had the quality of the ingredients been reflected in the price, but it was obviously all from the value range of some supermarket. In short I would not give this greasy, dirty place further custom, nor recommend it to anybody who values their health....disgusting...

Fabulous Sunday dinners, hearty portions of well cooked food, usually gammon or beef with a good selection of vegetables.

So friendly, welcomes pets with a treat. Good wholesome food, well cooked and a welcoming atmosphere. Loved it!

We called in for coffee and decided to have breakfast as well. Turned out to be a great decision! The full English was marvellous (and thank you for the extra sausage!), and the coffee was terrific. Added to this was the friendly, happy people working there, and the lovely welcoming atmosphere. Makes me wish I lived in St John’s Chapel, just for the cafe.

We cycled over from Middleton in Teesdale and had a lovely brunch outside in the sunshine. Lovely staff and a delicious brunch. There was plenty to choose from on the menu and we will definitely be stopping off there again.

Fantastic little cafe that was a great stop for lunch after a long walk. Our dog was allowed in and the staff spoilt him with treats and water and attention! Lovely coffee, burgers and cake for the humans and the staff were friendly and efficient. Would recommend to anyone visiting the area.

Called in on the off chance for a coffee whilst passing through the village and were very impressed, lovely coffee, proper lattes made tea high standard. We had a piece of quiche really good, and a chocolate caramel peanut cake which was excellent, one of the nicest cakes I’ve ever had. Would definitely recommend if passing through, really good value for money too. Thank you to the welcoming friendly staff too.

This was the second time we've dropped in to this cafe for a coffee and a snack. Both times we and our greyhound have been warmly welcomed (yes, it's dog friendly) and the quality of the refreshments has been excellent.

Word of caution the photo of the menu on website is out of date and incorrect the actual price in cafe is a lot more expensive

Really lovely little cafe. Only had a coffee but really nice. The 4 kids enjoy it for cake too. :) My son had a breakfast here and really enjoyed it aswell.

I recently visited this cafe and I was more than impressed. The staff were so welcoming and helpful with recommendations and the food was the nicest I have had from a small cafe in a while. The atmosphere of the cafe is absolutely amazing and the seating area us absolutely spotless. I will definitely be returning!

We rocked up here with no expectations at all. But you know what, the minute you walk in the door you feel comfortable. The menu is varied. When we went there were a few items not available but the service delivery in telling us was good and apologetic, and let's be honest, these things happen. We had paninis which were really good. The table next to us were obviously happy too with their choices going on the exclamations we kept hearing - this is divine, super, look how much is in this. The Chatterbox Cafe is definitely somewhere to go if you're looking for home cooking with taste and a comfy feel. The staff may be young but they welcome everyone and have been trained well.

Inside is cosy and warm and the service was welcoming and friendly. The food was great. A very relaxing and enjoyable experience. Will visit again.

Visited twice this week but no vegan options on either occasion (both times told "we usually do, try another day") :(

We came here last year but for some reason the cafe was closed so we were very relieved it was open today. This cafe has changed hands since we visited 2 years ago. It was quiet when we entered but before long it was full. We took advantage of their toastie and soup deal which was great. The soup was broccoli and cheddar and we had a choice of toasties, we went for cheese and onion / ham. The soup was lovely quality as were the sandwiches. We had tea and coffee as well. Service was very friendly. The only thing to note is that all the dishes are made fresh so we had to wait a while for our food order to get served. We are very pleased that the new owners have kept the standards up.

Well what can I say 5 stars for excellent customer service. Had a luxury hot chocolate and gluten free cake. Was bloody loverley. Despite busy there was no pressure to leave.

Wonderful, friendly little village cafe, lovely atmosphere, friendly staff and our fur babies are made welcome. PERFECT !

This is one of the best cafes I have ever visited, from the food, to the staff, to the atmosphere is it genuinely lovely! For being a remote little cafe the menu selection was brilliant and lots to chose from as well as having additional...

Chatterbox cafe is a lovely spot for a bite to eat. The staff are really friendly and the food is great.

Visited for lunch and opted for the hot beef sandwich plus coffees and cakes. Great selection, and what we had was delicious. Service was friendly and prices were very reasonable. There are clearly some trolls on here writing spurious 1-star and 2-star reviews. Pay no...

I come here a lot. I love the cakes and there's always a good range to choose from. The coffee is tasty and my dog always gets a lovely welcome with his doggie breakfast. It's clean and the staff are fab.

I can't believe this establishment has just been given a travellers choice 2022 award by TripAdvisor. On my first and definitely last visit here I witnessed a local gentleman asking for a cup of tea, to which the owner replied "I'm sorry we have run...

Lovely little cafe with friendly staff . We had coffee and panini which were great. Visited twice now and will pop in again before we go home

I come here regularly and could not fault chatterbox at all, the atmosphere is always friendly and welcoming, the cafe is clean tidy and the cakes are amazing we had the breakfast and the food was lovely even served on hot plates and the homemade...

The thing I liked best about this cafe was the cakes. I had stopped at several places in the area during the last week and was surprised to see they all appeared to have the same bought in cakes. This cafe was the exception -...

Called in this morning and was greeted with we are not doing breakfast but can offer you a breakfast Bun?? What is that all about, the young kids seemed to be clueless so that is off the list

A very pleasant afternoon having a working lunch in Chatterbox after filming some stuff for the telly in the dale. A warm Weardale welcome, alongside visitors and locals popping in. Our visit was that good, we somehow ended up spending 5hrs and almost a ‘lock...

Have visited this cafe for both coffee and cake and a fried breakfast. Fantastic service and really friendly staff. Food tastes great and didn't take long to bring out after ordering. They even gave us a doggy sausage for our dog! Indoor and outdoor seating...

This little cafe is absolutely wonderful. The food is locally sourced (wherever possible) and it’s all cooked to perfection on the premises. The owner is so friendly and she’s always willing to go the extra mile to ensure her customers are happy with their food...

Disappointed, only ordered one item to eat, cheese toastie on white - got it on brown, fair enough we'll go with that, but the cheese is horrible, red and white combined in two layers looks pretty but absolutely no flavour from either and a very...

These people deserve a medal! I was there yesterday, four days after Storm Arwen, which had cut off power to the village for three days. They had to rely on a gas cylinder for heating. Most of their cakes had been destroyed because their freezer...

I wish I lived near this café, what an absolute gem. Friendly to absolutely everyone. Great food, freshly cooked to order, high quality products - and a free sausage for the dog! It's also opposite the most stunning remembrance display. Cannot recommend this place enough,...

Lovely cafe, really friendly. The breakfasts are superb. The cakes looked delicious too. We'll have to come back.

Chatterbox Café in St. John's Chapel is a warm, welcoming and happy place serving a wide range of needs: from locals who need to charge their phones, locals who need to ground their mental health and just catch up with others, visitors, cyclists , passing throughers to location scouts for the film industry. The café just quietly gets on with things - with a gentle plan, do, review approach...it evolves into something better and better.The food and drinks are good, but what makes this little gem tick all the boxes is that it never forgets that it's offering a community service and staff go out of their way to help others. Little acts of kindness kindle a loyal and dedicated customer base.Filter coffee top ups, WiFi, lots of plugs, lovely staff - what's keeping you from going?

Lovely cafe, although the tables are not laid out brilliantly (they could make use of the wide, flat, low windowsills!). Super-friendly staff, very good breakfast menu. Easy parking nearby in the square. Very dog-friendly. This really is worth a detour for breakfast!

We stopped here on a long cycle and it was wonderful. Perfect lattes and simply the best cake (peanut caramel slice) I have ever tasted…. Staff were friendly, helpful and polite. We will definitely be back!

Great place, popped in today whilst on my bike ride. Served the best double expresso I’ve had in ages. Highly recommended

Stopped off for lunch on a Riverside walk with my wife and our dog. The welcome was friendly, our dog had water and was offered treats. The food was really nice, freshly prepared and very tasty. Top notch coffee too! We'll be back before the week is out I'm sure.Drop in and support a great independent business trying to get moving after lockdown.

The ice cream tubs they sold us were frozen solid. The only thing you were aware of when eating it was the frozen ice particles, no flavour of the ice cream at all. They need to look at the temperature setting on their freezer and set it to a more appropriate level. We really should have gone back stright away with our complaint but....

Fantastic tea shop, wonderful cakes and great menu choices. Recently had their afternoon tea which was amazing

Visited for take out on a walk out, not for the first time, but as always, a warm welcome and some lovely scrumptious cake. Can’t wait until they can reopen properly ❤️

Popped in today and the nicest coffee I've had in a while. Lovely staff and spotless clean. Would certainly recommend this little gem.

They have just announced free meals for every child and a free cuppa for the adults over half term. That’s a special thing to do and will mean so much to so many during these difficult times. Check it out for yourself this is the post they have put up on Facebook:Team Chatterbox have had a chat and we’ve decided that things are difficult enough for parents at the moment. With the government not backing free meals for kids during the holiday, we’ve decided to supply them ourselves. So between 4pm and 5pm everyday from today until the end of next week (1st Nov)we will be supplying a FREE meal for any child and a FREE cuppa for the adults. No one judging, nothing to prove - #marcusrashford we stand with you! #mealsforkids #nochildshouldgohungry

Never fails to impress me... this little friendly village Cafe is perfect for homemade lunches and scrumptious home baked cakes... I've visited a few times now and just love it!

Delicious fry up, veggie and non veggie. All piping hot and beautifully presented. Fabulous service and friendly staff. Would highly recommend a visit. Sorry it’s taken me so long to write this review.

If you are in the area reward yourself by having a delicious cake etc homemade daily treats and welcoming staff ++++++ then burn the calories on a lovely local walk ! !

Visited twice and on both time the food was good. You can tell that the ingredients are at a high quality. Friendly staff nothing too much trouble. Dog friendly which is always a bonus.

Stopped for a snack prior to a good walk, all precautions in place to protect customers and staff. Good selection of eats for a small cafe. Lots of good quality home made food. Very friendly. First time there for us, will be there again when in area.

We have never stopped in this village before but happened to see this cafe open and stopped for scones and coffee. The coffee is bottomless if you are thirsty. The fruit scones were fantastic, the best I have tasted other than those my wife makes of course.

Just had a weeks holiday in this lovely village. We have been in the cafe a few times during the week for drinks and food. We have had sandwiches, brownies,scones and twice the wonderful breakfast. The staff are really friendly and welcoming and the Covid safety measures are followed. Don't miss this place if you are staying or passing through, it's a little gem.

Fabulous little cafe, small and friendly it’s a great meeting place for locals and visitors and where visitors feel like locals. Very clean and Covid safe, lovely freshly cooked food, best toasted sandwich I’ve had for a long time, and the really hearty Weardale Breakfast is a must, I can really recommend the black pudding Mmmm!Thank you to all the lovely staff for making us feel so welcome.

A lovely little cafe, providing excellent food with excellent service. Would recommend to any walker passing through!

Right in the heart of Weardale, this small cafe is ideal for a stop after a long walk....friendly service, clean, delicious food. We loved the homemade cakes so much that we went 3 times in just as many days!

Lovely, well-presented cafe set in a beautiful village. Very clean and tidy inside with friendly staff. What more could you want?The food was delicious and the service was great. Very impressed with the selection of food and drinks on the menu. Can't fault anything about the Chatterbox Cafe. I would recommend the cafe to anyone who should come across it on their path, or anyone thinking of taking a trip to this lovely place.Keep up the good work guys :)

Called in for a cuppa, really friendly service despite them being busy preparing for a tractor run. Good brew, lovely and clean place, covid aware with hand sanitizer on every table. Made really welcome, lovely place to stop for a decent cuppa

Such a lovely cafe with very friendly & welcoming staff. The food is delicious and everything is homemade. We had breakfast, lunch & cakes and it was beautiful. We would highly recommend and will definitely be back 😊

Unbeatable local food and really friendly staff, Tom in particular is very helpful and welcoming. We visited on a number of occasions during our stay in Saint John’s Chapel. Try the Weardale Breakfast and get a cake to takeaway for your afternoon tea.

During a lovely stay in a friend’s cottage in this fantastic little village in Weardale, we had the Chatterbox Cafe recommended to us, and it certainly didn’t disappoint! In fact, we liked it so much, we visited twice in less than 24 hours . Firstly we had a late lunch, a delicious bacon and Brie panini, accompanied with one of their homemade sausage rolls. Delicious. Oh, and two Twix brownies to take back to our cottage... also so yummy!!The next morning (today) we popped back in for a late breakfast. My partner opted for the full English, which he said was superb! I opted for a sausage and egg butty (pictured) which was really good, good quality ingredients used and I followed this by a piece of their, legendary, biscoff cheesecake. OMG! You need this in your life! The staff are friendly and attentive and took great care in abiding by social distancing and regular and meticulous sanitising of tables and the display counter. You can tell that they love what they do and the place is popular with locals and tourists alike! Give it a try, you’ll love it!

Great fresh locally sourced food. Very friendly and helpful staff. Would definitely highly recommend!

Delicious lunch. Lots of choice, lovely homemade food made using local produce. Very generous refills on the lovely Ringtons tea. Will definately be returning.

I really like the latest incarnation of this local cafe. The food is some of the best in the area and the staff are friendly and attentive. Great spot for breakfast or lunch.

Great find with socially distanced tables both inside and out. Had brunch and couldn’t resist the blondie for a little takeaway treat. Great atmosphere and family run no chain so all food freshly made at source. Great to be able to see into the kitchen which also looked very clean. Will definitely return on our next trip north.

Full English ,and various cake and cheesecake very much enjoyed. Plenty of fresh air circulation. And the toilet was sprayed after each use.

We returned to Chatterbox today, July 25th 2020, and found it in the excellent hands of Sarah and friends! Beautiful lsandwiches, scones, teacakes and cakes and tea etc., Thank you for a wonderful visit. Can't wait to return! Our very best wishes to all for a happy and productive summer, despite addition of anti-Covid masks etc. All handled sensitively by staff. All the very best!

Delicious food, great service and very clean. Will Definitely be going back again. an accidental find which was a treat

I adore this cafe. The food is divine, ive had food in and take away and it is just beautiful. Wonderful staff and owners, tasty good quality coffee Well worth a visit!

We've just had a delicious lunch at The Chatterbox Cafe... warm home made bacon and tomato quiche with side salad. Just what the doctor ordered! We'll definitely be paying another visit soon.

Open with suitable safety regs in place. Excellent lunch with great vege options. We had falafel melt panini and vege sausage roll served with fresh salads. Hearty portions and good value. Cakes look amazing so we ordered two to take away as lunch was plenty. Friendly service. Clean. Comfortable.

Popped in to the Chatterbox for breakfast on their first morning back open. Amazing bacon sandwich, and I also left with some brownies and cupcakes to take home for my family. They were devine. Everyone enjoyed them and I'll definitely be back for more very soon. Highly recommend.

Love this place and visit every time I’m in the area ,lovely breakfasts and now great cakes and brownies too , friendly staff help make the place even better

Awesome caf, awesome people. Sarah always makes me feel so welcome even when I turn up just before closing time. Open until 5pm 7 days a week which is very rare for a rural cafe and a big plus for me.

Open again with new, friendly people in, it was a welcome sight on our trip up Teesdale and down Weardale. There were no meals available from Nent Hall to St. John's Chapel so we were pleased to see a notice outside saying that storm Dennis wasn't going to make them close!We both had the all day breakfast which was very good and very reasonably priced. The menu is small but food is freshly made and cooked. There was one homemade cake on offer and scones. I expect when the season gets going there may be more to chose from.We wish them a good season and hope to return in the not too distant future.

Lovely to see Chatterbox up and running again. Opened its doors once more (on Monday January 20th, we gather) , with Sarah in charge, and the food delicious. Prices were very reasonable, and menu suited to passing trade on bikes, foot or car. The weather was atrocious so there were not as many visitors as they deserved. We wish Sarah and her team the very best for a good season once the weather improves. January is not a good time!!! Lovely to see Cameron Gordon who initiated the cafe some years ago! Greetings and good wishes to all for 2020.

Went into the cafe today and it was lovely. Excellent service and delicious food. Would highly recommend to everyone. It has been a miss, but under new management we are glad to have it back!

Yet another cafe closed , we went to go to maxines that was closed , and so was this place , in fact it doesn’t look like it’s ever open very scruffy looking , pubs all closed , the whole of Weardale is like a ghost town , we had to make a round trip to Allenheads with my disabled mum to get a bloody coffee!

So dull and unappealing for a pretty village, could be a go to and stop place. But it is a go to and drive to a nicer cafe place, shame really. Dull choice of menu, dull service.Must food already finished by 1 pm.Really!!!!! Could be really nice with a bit of effect.

Great place for refreshments in beautiful Weardale. Reasonable prices for good food. The current £3 deal for some hot drinks and a choice of scone, teacake, crumpet or croissant is excellent. Filter coffees are on free refills at the moment too! What’s not to like?

Saw many recommendations for this rather tired small cafe.Travelled some distance and had tea and 'fry up' sarnies which were just ok, after waiting for a good length of time. The food area had some wet dogs shaking themselves,and the place had a smell of wet dog and 'fry up'- being dog lovers we had a dog on board ourselves-but wouldn't have considered bringing it into such a small eating environment,particularly given the weather on the day in question.We were in then out as quickly as delayed serving time allowed-sorry!

Arrived on a wet Wednesday, friendly greeting, pot of tea for two, bacon and egg roll, and BLT roll all as expected,the menu advised to ask at the counter for information on the 'delicious cakes' we were advised that there was only a slice of 'red velvet' cake. Waited and waited and was advised that the cake was in the kitchen,after 20 minutes a small flat slice of cake arrived-with a small squirt of cream to each corner of the plate-I guess that it was about 1/2" thick,we had a forkful each and that was about the complete portion.As for the portion totally dry to the point of being hard.We left,now running late,and on paying the bill I mentioned that the cake was dry and inedible,to be told that it was the last slice and had been there since the previous Friday.I said thank you for letting me know and how much have you charged for it, £2.95 was the reply.It would seem that this was a trimmed down slice, presented as a 'sliver' in order to make the best of a bad job.I should have nipped next door to the co-op and bought a whole fresh family size cake for not much more.My bill in the cafe came to a total of £13.70An interesting situation to say the least!!

Fabulous mother and daughter chef and waitress service. Really nice people. Lovely food and atmosphere. Humans AND Dog made very welcome with bowl of treats as we walked in, plus a couple of extra sausages for the four legged one! Excellent value! Best wishes and hope all works out for your venture.

Really friendly and welcoming We were offered free refills on coffee and tea, the warm scones were fabulous and our dog certainly appreciated the attention and the free treats. Highly recommended, we’ll certainly be back.

very friendly staff- even our dogs were served treats! Enjoyed a scone and cake. Would def recommend.

I live locally so I find this is an ideal cafe for a treat. Claire and the gang are always happy and offer a warm welcome to all customers. Food is fresh and cakes are homemade which is most important, some cafes serve factory made cakes but Claire and Hannah make all their treats themselves. The cheese scones are to die for and Claire makes a mean Cheesecake and it's always a decent cuppa as well.

We had not planned to visit the Chatterbox Cafe on our trip, however we were glad to have done so.

This is a fabulous destination. Always a warm welcome and very helpful. Always enjoy the breakfast and great coffee. Vegetarian’s very welcome. So glad we live close by.

This was a return visit after a break of a few years but, despite a change of ownership, the café still provided excellent food and drink at a reasonable rate. The owners and staff are helpful and friendly and will tailor your meal to your requirements. This café is dog friendly and as well as providing a water bowl for our canine friends they also give them free treats. This café is definitely on our list of places to return to.

Best Cappuccino I've had in years, gorgeous scone and gooey flapjack. Dog friendly, she even got her own pot of dog biscuits! friendlyy staff and lots to look at. Highly recommended.

Dropped in when out for a motorcycle ride on a Sunday. Very welcoming and a nice Victoria sponge and cappuccino!

called in for a coffee with my husband on our way home around 2.15pm. With 3 staff visible and only 6 customers in the cafe I would have at least expected to have been acknowledged as we walked in and sat down, but not one word was spoken, I would have walked out, but my husband persuaded me to stay and wait . Finally, after staff had finished chatting amongst themselves, the young girl asked if we were being served! We ordered 2 coffees and I asked if we could have them freshly made (they had a very expensive looking 'proper' coffee machine behind the counter). I heard the girl ask the young man for our coffees and say that we wanted them freshly made, to which he answered back that the coffee (sitting there in the jugs) was fresh. Anyway, he made the 2 fresh coffees and brought them over,without so much as speaking a single word. The coffee was also very weak. Unfortunatley, we seem to have had a totally different experience to many visitors to this cafe, but in my book customer service costs nothing, and counts for everything. Firstly, do not ignore customers, secondly, a fresh coffee is not one that has been sitting in a jug keeping warm for goodness knows how long, and thirdly a sulky, surly attitude is a big no no! Since we have just moved into the area we were looking for somewhere to frequent that serves great coffee, and more,it's definatley not this place though!

Stopped here on a bike ride as we have done on previous years and I was very impressed by the delicious cheesecake. My compliments to the chef!!

Stopped by on route home and passed through the lovely village. Had brews and nice scone with jam and butter and lovely atmosphere and WiFi - bonus

We called in after a walk to have a drink - I had hot chocolate and my husband took advantage of their offer of tea and scone for £3. We were made very welcome on arrival. Our order came promptly and the scone was enormous, full of fruit and very yummy!

Best scones we have had in a long time.nice friendly staff,and really good value menu.easy parking right outside the cafe.

A great little coffee shop. Locals and visitors alike recieved a friendly welcome. We visited twice and tried bacon and mushroom bun and a bacon and sausage bun. Both really tasty and good portions. We also tried scones which were a homemade treat.

We visited this family run cafe after a long walk in Durham. We were immediately made to feel welcome & our Labrador Tyra too.

had a brilliant breakfast in there this morning ,great welcome and most of all great food and lovely coffee,will i go back yes of course.