Deb's 1 in Shropshire

I called into this establishment three years ago with my elderly father whilst on-route to Ludlow. I had often passed this Cafe and that day I decided to try the food. In retrospect, wished that I hadn't stopped. And judging from the current reviews from others, I can clearly see that nothing has improved. There wasn't anyone in when I entered and the lady behind the counter (presumably the owner) wasn't of the welcoming ilk. Her 'froideur' didn't run well with the cafe and she made us feel downright unwelcome. Her whole 'being' seemed to generate an awkward atmosphere that made you feel more like a minor inconvenience than a customer. That aside, I stayed and ordered. Our order was taken by a man who I assumed was the husband. He was more personable and approachable and we ordered a breakfast. I made the profound 'faux-pas' by asking for scrambled eggs which earned me the almost shocked response of 'I'm sorry, but Debs doesn't do that'. (Cue the distinctly awkward moment that makes you feel that you're in a bad Terry and June BBC comedy sketch from the 1980s.) The whole dining experience there was a farce. The meal wasn't the best nor was it enjoyable in such drab and unwelcoming surroundings. The greatest comedy value for me were the signs dotted about saying, 'Ask Debs' if you require anything. Oh, the sheer irony of it! Ask a woman who doesn't want to make even a modicum of conversation with you. My only conclusion to this absolute travesty that attempts to pass for a 'cafe' is simply to avoid it. When on the A49, please divert your eyes away from 'Debs Cafe' and drive on. I'm sure that other establishments will give you a far better welcome than this miserable place.

The owner stood behind the counter and glared at us making the two teenagers I was with extremely uncomfortable and feeling under pressure to order. Any questions we asked were not answered nicely. A young lady came in and asked if she could use the loo for her toddler and initially the owner lied and said it was out of order. When questioned again she shouted that it was only for customers and the young lady left looking very upset. I politely explained there was nothing we wanted and left. I have never been made to feel so unwelcome anywhere before!

We found this cafe on Google as we drove north on the A49, having just missed the Garden Centre a mile or so before it. On entering the the premises, I thought I'd gone through the wrong door, as there was a surprising amount of bric-a-brac all over the place. But there were tables and a young chap at the back waiting to eat and quite a heavy aroma of cooking. The proprietress was not quite the 'welcoming type' - but took our order - one cappucino, one pot of tea and two toasted mozzarella and basil paninis. The cost was an eye watering £16. When I asked if they took card payment, I got a withering look and a strained "Yes, but you'll have to wait". So we sat down and waited and waited. At one point I considered leaving, but, even though it was freezing cold inside, I was hungry, so continued to wait. The drinks came, they were OK. The paninis came, with a salad. The panini was toasted, but the heat never got anywhere near the middle, so it was a hot panini and raw mozzarella, tomato and maybe some basil. Not the best lunch I've ever had, but it was food and filled the space. Upon finishing our 'meal' we managed to make a card payment, which was nice. Would I go back? NO! If there is a next time, I'll carry on to Whitchurch.

Miserable "Deb" would be an understatement!!! Absolutely no people skills at all. Would never go there again. Didnt eat or have a drink as left during order. Not welcoming. Sort yourself out. No wonder it was empty.!

Oh dear! Wish we’d just kept going. It was a rainy Saturday morning and when we walked in a couple (owners?) were doing paperwork at a table. They barely looked in our direction, which, given that there were no others customers, was disappointing. No smiles, no chat, nothing. After a lengthy wait the coffee was served in the same unpleasant manner. The coffee wasn’t great, customer service was non-existent, surroundings were dim and dismal. Won’t be stopping here again.

The country is awash with lovely coffee shops. This isn’t one; a lady, we guess the proprietor, just wasn’t interested. The coffee was ordinary at best, when it arrived, and the homemade cakes didn’t look remotely tempting. Decor tatty and drab. Not another soul in the cafe. If this the #1 cafe, keep me away from #4. Report card says ‘must do better’.

We have often used this restaurant on our up the A49 way. The food quality has always been very reasonable and at a good price. Most of the times we visited a young girl has served and been very prompt and very, very polite. Unfortunatley the last two times an older woman, which we presume is the owner has served us and been extremely grumpy and gave us the impression that she really didn't want to be there serving us or maybe have any customers in. Seeing as there's a cafe in the garden centre just up the road going north and two cafe's a couple miles further on we suggest sevice with a smile might be a good idea for her. Shame, it used to be good.

We have driven past here on several occasions over the last two years & decided to call in & sample the food on Thursday 10 August 2017. On arriving we walked in & my wife attempted to engage with the lady behind the counter, which we assumed was the owner. We got no response to my wife's comment on how lovely the weather was. Just a sort of Hmmm. We looked at the board on the wall to decide what to choose to eat. There was no communication between this lady and ourselves, the tea arrived, "your tea is here" and plonked on the table, no conversation, no pleasantries. The food arrived, two ham and cheese panninies with salad, no communication or conversation, nothing to say enjoy your meal. No one was in there except us, she was on her phone all the time and when we left there was no acknowledgement that we had even been there. The food was very average.

We came across this lovely cafe by chance on the A49 at Prees Green, it is in the encore an attractive brick building, there is a small outside seating area ideal in nice weather, inside is one long room with lots of tables, the cafe is bigger than it looks from outside. It is run by a very nice couple and the food is excellent, they have a good menu reasonably priced, everything is freshly cooked, and they make all their cakes and deserts themselves. They also do outside catering, special cakes which looked delicious, and there is a small craft/gift section. Prices are low to mid range depending on what you order. If you are in the area this is definitely worth a stopover, plenty of parking.