Hatch Luncheonette in Darlington

My recent visit to left much to be desired. While the oat flat white was good, the sandwich mix-up was a letdown. I received a cheaper sandwich instead of the one I ordered and paid for, and the staff's lack of friendliness added to the disappointment. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I couldn't address the issue immediately. Hopefully, improvements in service and accuracy can enhance the overall customer experience at the shop.

I've eaten out a lot recently and decent customer service seems rare. Luckily the Hatch differs with their happy, and welcoming staff to their gorgeous coffees and cakes. Enjoyed it so much, went there twice on the same day.

I've been going to Hatch now for a while. It's my favourite place, great food, great staff and great atmosphere. What I like is it's just that little bit different to other cafes in what it offers. Phil and Jasmine work so hard to deliver they best they both can. I always find great food is worth waiting a few minutes for it to be cooked freshly for you, and in reality it's not that long at all.

Alongside hatch to go, you can find some of the best coffee in the town. It's standard rounton beans, but the baristas are great at pulling the best qualities out from them. Definitely check out the food though, with extremely fresh and bright flavours delivered across a well curated menu. Most ingredients are locally sourced, and a picture attached below shows some of the providences. Breakfast is served all day (we were told!) but even if you miss it, the bowls are honestly to die for. I recommend the buttermilk chicken and the falafel, but the salad is the star of the show and is included with most dishes. Al fresco dining is uncovered, but sheltered from too much noise, wind, and sun. In door dining finds itself in some extremely quaint, cutely decorated rooms over multiple floors. Service wasn't really "with a smile" on our visit, but we couldn't fault the speed and efficiency of our server.

Come here quite often, such a nice place to pop in for a coffee and breakfast or even later on in the afternoon for a drink. Definitely my go to cafe in Darlington

One of the best places in Darlington if you want a relaxing environment to sit and have a [really nice] coffee, a bit of cake or something cooked. I’ve never had a bad experience at Hatch; the staff are friendly and the welcome is always warm. The place does get busy on weekends but that just shows how well liked it is. The staff clearly do their best in busy times, and the food is always spot on. Definitely recommend! Dog friendly as well!

Best little cafe in Darlington! Food is amazing, always manage to get a table and the staff are always lovely ☺️

I regularly visit this great little independent place... It's often busy so sometimes you do need to understand that and be a little bit patient but it's such a lovely place to sit while you wait it's really no hardship. It's sad to see some negative reviews when we should all be applauding the fact that a local independent business is thriving. Never been disappointed with my food and I'm looking forward to visiting again soon 😊

One of our favourite places to go for breakfast/brunch. It is our ‘go to’ place for special occasions as they are so accommodating for families with young children and we often suggest it to others who are visiting Darlington. The atmosphere is lovely, the food is delicious (especially the avo on toast and the freshly baked cakes/pastries) and the coffee is even better. We are so lucky to have this on our doorstep!

Hatch will forever be my favourite cafe to visit. The staff are so friendly and there is always a warm atmosphere. The decor inside is beautiful and modern, and is the perfect place for a coffee catch-up with friends, to read a book in peace or study. The food is amazing, it is high-quality and well-presented and there is a wide selection of cakes - something for everybody! The coffee is lovely and the baristas are very talented with their latte art! I love the coffee so much that I use their own beans (that can be purchased from Htch to Go) in my coffee machine at home! Could not recommend more highly.

Great location, we watched the road bike race from here, enjoying sunshine and and drinks whilst the cyclists put the effort in! Always a welcoming, relaxing and reasonably priced place to enjoy good food and excellent coffee.

An absolutely gem of a place, all the staff are so lovely and the quality of the food and drinks are exceptional. It does get busy as it’s so popular but the staff try so hard to accommodate you. Highly recommended.

Been here multiple times and it is always excellent! Service and food are both brilliant, particularly the Turkish eggs! Our favourite place for brunch

Disappointed. You are unable to give an order at the till. At the table was only card with the drinks. Cake names were wrong labelled. We waited ages for taking an order.

Visited here as 4 adults, 2 toddlers and a baby. From the get go, the lady with glasses had a terrible attitude towards us. Said it was ‘busy you won’t get a table for a while’ so vague and unhelpful. Tables directly next to the door were all free, asked if we could sit here and was immediately told ‘you can’t push the tables together’ but no explanation as to why. Really disappointed and upon reading other reviews, we aren’t the only one to receive such a poor customer service and attitude.

My partner and I recently had breakfast here and can definitely recommend it. We both opted for scrambled eggs on sourdough with a side of bacon, which was good (the bacon was especially good). The coffee was so really good, which is the main reason we visited. I was a bit hesitant after having read other reviews about the service but we have no complaints (we were served promptly and by friendly staff). Although it was a week day, so that might make a difference. All in all, everything was good and I'd try it again!

Went for coffee with my sister who was visiting from out of town. We ordered 2 hot drinks which after 25 minutes I had to go down and ask where they were. To be told they would then do our drinks, however waited another 25 minutes for them to still not show up. Told them we had to leave, no apology, no drink so no return visit give it a miss!

2x oat milk cappuccino’s and a super food flapjack. Absolutely tasty and feel good place

Probably the best brunch place I’ve been to in England! Unreal food, v reasonable prices, and the upstairs seating is gorgeous

Attempted to eat for brunch - tables were available and free and we were just turned away due to “kitchen being too busy” despite letting a group of 4 in just before. No option or suggestion to wait a bit longer for food as they are busy, which would have been ok. On the way out I said that’s disappointing, only for the person behind the till to mimic what I said to their colleague? Bizarre decision making on both counts.

The only place in Darlington with a decent vegan option for breakfast/lunch. I avoided trying their vg sausage focaccia for ages thinking it was another cop-out, how wrong I was! It's the best! Unique sausage, amazing bread, special mayo and salad and homemade chips all top notch. Just super flavourful, can't wait to have it again. Please do some vegan specials this is the only place that doesn't half-arse it. Also great coffee, and I loved the pear soda. ALSO allows dogs and is open earlier!

Dissapointing. Visited 3/3/24 @ 11:45. Great start: warm welcome and seated quickly. Great vibes and the food looked amazing. We were seated, we waited 10 minutes before drinks order (2 lattes) taken and another 20 minutes for them to arrive. In the meantime we asked 2 separate members of staff for menus which did not appear so we didn't order breakfast as intended. We weren't asked, at any point, if everything was okay, we just weren't made to feel like valued customers. Might give them another chance if passing.

Fab brunch place in Darlington centre. One of the best coffees and fab Eggs Benedict.

Got a takeout latte. Friendly service, and one of the best lattes I've ever had (perfect milk with really nice coffee).

We had a wonderful brunch at hatch. I went for classic poached eggs on sourdough toast and it was delicious. Husband was more adventurous with a breakfast brioche and thought it was amazing. The food came really quickly today which was great as we were in a rush! It was so yummy we didn’t manage to take any pictures. Lovely atmosphere sat up top people watching on the high street. An amazing place for coffee and brunch- great for the town.

I travelled a long distance and arrived at 4pm on 21/10, Saturday. I was told they were closed but this Google page says the place closes at 5pm. Very frustrating. There's also no website.

My girlfriend and I decided to go out for breakfast Sunday 08/10 and decided to try Hatch. The lady who greeted us asked if we wanted food which we did. As all the dining tables were in use she suggested we could sit at a shelf table in the venue’s front window next to the door and have a coffee whilst we wait for a table, which she said wouldn’t take long. We wanted to try the food at Hatch so decided to do as she suggested. We ordered a coffee and the lady gave us a copy of the menu to review whilst we waited. Over the next 20 minutes several groups of people left the venue but we weren’t seated for food. A couple then walked into the venue and the same lady asked if they wanted food, which they did, and she seated them at a table straight away. When the lady returned to the front of the venue I asked her why the walk-ins had just been seated straight away given she’d asked us to sit in the window until a table was available. She said she thought we looked comfortable and wanted to stay sat in the window. I advised her this wasn’t the case and not what we’d agreed or were expecting to do. The venue door was open it was cold outside and we were very cold sat next to an open door. Furthermore, the table in the window isn’t somewhere I’d want to sit for a meal given it’s very narrow. I advised the lady that this was appalling service, requested the bill and said we’ll pay for the coffees and go. She said it wasn’t and offered to seat us to rectify the matter as there were several tables available. I advised her she’s in a service business and what she’s just done is appalling with her resolution being to do what she should have done in the first place, evidently much earlier when a table became available as groups had left. Given the compact size of the venue I’d recommend to the lady and other male member of staff she spoke to that it’s not a good idea to speak condescendingly about customers who’ve complained as they’re several feet from you and can hear everything you say. Especially given any reasonable person would agree we had a very legitimate reasons to complain. We waited several minutes and the bill didn’t arrive so we had to go to the till to pay for the coffees. Any company wort its salt who values customer service and satisfaction wouldn’t have charged for the coffees in the circumstances. Safe to say I’ll not be going back to Hatch and if customer service is something you like you may want to swerve this place too. We left Hatch and went to Imperial Express Cafe where the food and service were excellent.

Me and my dad love coming here on our days out together. The coffee is 10/10! Food is delicious, high quality and always beautifully presented. You can tell the chefs take pride in what they serve. Friendly staff as always:)

We have been to Hatch many times, it is our go to place for Brunch in Darlington. The buttermilk chicken is to die for! Staff are always friendly and helpful. We always recommend Hatch to our friends who are looking for good food and drinks in a relaxed and informal soundings .

Regularly visit this lovely cafe. Very friendly staff and really tasty food. Cakes are really good and the sourdough is the best.

As ever, Hatch was the perfect place for breakfast. Friendly staff and delicious food, one of our favourite places in Darlington and has been consistently since it opened. Even better that you can get something from next door at htchtogo to take home with you.

We love Hatch, the staff are lovely and the food is amazing. I go in regularly with my dog and he loves it too. I can’t recommend highly enough if you’re looking for a delicious breakfast or lunch. The coffee is the best around too!

Go to place for brunch or breakfast in town. Food is really good, would definitely recommend.

Staff as fantastic as ever, I come in with my Nan regularly and she often comes on her own too as she says the staff are always look after her. Food and coffee excellent as ever!

Wish I could comment on the food but unfortunately they never took our order! Sat us down, took our drink orders and asked if we wanted a food menu. We said yes but the menu never came. They then proceeded to come back to take our food order to which I’d said they hadn’t even given us the menu to begin with! We finally got the menu but they never came back to take our order… We had our drinks, paid, and left. They didn’t even acknowledge the fact that we said we wanted food but never ordered. They simply forgot about us. They were also inconsistent in when/how they were turning people away. One of the staff said it was “getting quiet” yet they turned someone away 2 minutes ago. Wouldn’t be so quiet if they took our food order!!!! Extremely disappointed at how unimportant the staff made us feel.

We definitely made the right choice stopping here for a bite to eat for lunch. The food was beautifully presented and was really tasty. Nice setting too. Can recommend.

First time here for brunch. Food and service very very pleasant. Will definitely recommend and return 😊

I am SO disappointed in what has become of this place. During the Pandemic I worked close by and regularly visited, even though they only had a take away service available. The staff were lovely and the food and coffee were always spot on. I came in for a late lunch just after 2 pm today. No tables downstairs, so I asked if there were any upstairs and I was told there were. I found one upstairs and sat and waited... and waited... I was on the verge of leaving, but another customer ( who had had her food and was about to depart) very kindly said I'll give the staff a nudge for you on my way out. By this stage, I had been waiting a good 15 minutes to be acknowledged and offered a menu. The same waitress who had told me that there were seats available upstairs then came along to take my order, only to inform me they stopped serving hot food at 2 pm. So I was left sitting there for 15 minutes, hungry, thirsty and also in need of the loo and afraid to go in case someone happened to come along to take my order, only to be told they weren't doing hot food any more! I decided to use the loo before I left to go and find somewhere else for food, and that was blocked with toilet roll and didn't even flush, so another reason to be unimpressed. I would strongly suggest that you advise your customers that you stop serving hot food at X time BEFORE letting them take a seat and then letting them wait for an unacceptable amount of time without any acknowledgement, and that you keep an eye on your toilet hygiene too. Appalling customer service. I will NOT be back.

Terrible service! There were 4 girls in the cafe and 2 boys in the shop. It wasnt busy. After waiting my cappuccino and croissant for about 15 min, I just left. Shame, the place is nice. To the management: invest in your staff training and some energy in kicking their slow bottoms, instead of business expansion.

Always absolutely superb here, am never disappointed. It's my 7 year old favourite go to place too, she loves the croissants! Service always great. Can highly recommend their menus!

Took my friend for brunch today as I have been to Hatch a couple of times previously and found the food lovely. However. Had to wait today for 45 minutes to be then told by the kitchen staff that they had not made it yet as a fault with the order/till. We had watched other customers that came in after us get served. Instead of a heartfelt apology she was actually quite confrontational!! Then brought the food out and said sorry you had a bit of a wait. If there was a sincere apology and also a token gesture of even a complimentary coffee I could have brushed it off but this attitude was appalling. Charged for everything even though we were clearly unhappy. I will not return to Hatch.

Took my friend for brunch today as I have been to Hatch a couple of times previously and found the food lovely. However. Had to wait today for 45 minutes to be then told by the kitchen staff that they had not made it yet as a fault with the order/till. We had watched other customers that came in after us get served. Instead of a heartfelt apology she was actually quite confrontational!! Then brought the food out and said sorry you had a bit of a wait. If there was a sincere apology and also a token gesture of a complimentary coffee I could have brushed it off but this attitude was appalling. I will not return to Hatch.

Just Had the most delicious food at this wonderful cafe. The service was amazing. A lovely atmosphere inside and a nice seating area outside. The food was lovely and fresh would defiantly recommend the Turkish egg bowl along with the butter chicken bowl Very good and will definitely be returning

Very relaxed atmosphere, with friendly staff and good cake and coffee. Caters to children. The kind of place Darlington has been missing.

Poor service & 40 minute wait for food.had to ask to take order. Coffee was warm not hot.food average

Nice little place, lovely staff, delicious food and the best fresh orange I can remember. Will definitely visit again!

Hatch has an absolutely amazing chilled vibe. With a rustic feel to it. Lots for plants, books, wooden tables. It shouts hygge! The food is outstanding

What a fabulous little cafe this place is! Good coffee and great food. I had the falafel bowl and it was excellent. Dog friendly and excellent service.

Absolutely amazing breakfast at Hatch, miso mushrooms on sourdough, Jasmin & Phil's attention to detail and flavour is second to none.👌 Staff always have a welcoming smile and do a great job attending to customers.100%

visited over the weekend with a couple of friends… i had the eggs royale and it was DELICIOUS! the best one i’ve ever had!! the coffee is exquisite ☕️ the staff were super friendly, cleanliness was on point 👌🏼 will definitely be back!! P.S i...

Visited Hatch a couple of weeks ago with a family member. We enjoyed avocado and vegan feta on sourdough, and the bacon ciabatta with a side of ‘Hatch beans’. Our food was delicious and the presentation was lovely. We sat upstairs, the atmosphere was very...

Sat outside on Saturday morning as there was 6 of us and no room inside (although not particularly busy) and despite waiting 30 mins and requesting twice to order we were ignored so gave up and went elsewhere. Service has definitely gone downhill sadly

A lovely cafe with tasty roasted Rountons coffee. Flat whites are nice and strong tasting. You can get To Go from next door, or to sit in over two floors with a small seating area out front that catches the afternoon sun. A nice home from home ambience with greenery and modern decor. It’s also open later in the afternoon than other cafes in town. Food is served to mid afternoon and a sweet cake offering all day.

Wife and I popped in for coffee and breakfast. We were presented with the best cooked bacon in a ciabatta roll and accompanying coffee. Staff were wonderful

Sat outside this morning with my dog lovely cuppa and hubby had great bacon sandwich really nice chatty young lady served us made us feel so welcome would recommend

Really good service and the best coffee in darlington

Ordered a wrap and a salad bowl with flatbread. It took over 35 minutes for our order to arrive. When I enquired as to the delay was advised that the bowls take longer and something to do with them being “fired” which I’m guessing is to do with the flatbread. This should have been explained when ordering. Also ordered a pot of tea and got no milk. Asked for milk and still didn’t arrive. Had to ask again to get it. The food was lovely but the service wasn’t great.

Excellent breakfast brioche. Beautifully cooked and presented.

I have to say I was so pleased to find this lovely little place. Friendly staff clean premises and amazing food and dog friendly too.. perfect!! Shall be back

We forget about this place, never disappoints

Absolutely love this place. It is clean and well presented. Central location. Very friendly staff and great table service. The food is delicious with a few vegan choices also. The cakes that are suitable for vegans are palatable for all and taste divine. The carrot and choclate cakes are the best. Johnny and Andrea served us and they are super helpful and friendly, that goes for all the staff. A great local business. Give this little gem a whirl.

Beautiful breakfast! Great atmosphere. Dogs welcome. X

A lovely little place to have a nice cup of tea and a snack.

We used to enjoy coming here, but now everytime we come they mess up our drinks. One time we got soury, expired cream on our hot chocolate. The time after we ordered hot chocolate with cream again and didn't get any cream at al. The guy who served us today had such bad customer service, moody and not asking if everything was ok just a "do you want to pay?". Ordered white hot chocolates and got dark ones. Won't be going here again. The food is always very good though!

Hidden gem in Darlington. They have nice food and drink options (with a good selection of healthy meals). The staff are also really friendly. Will absolutely recommend.

Vegan sausage ciabatta... Delicious! 👌

Small coffee shop, with both indoor and outdoor seating. I had a latte (served with a small glass of water), and my friend had a hot chocolate, served with a marshmallow. Both drinks were very good! Food is also available, but we didn't eat when visiting. Recommended!

Always friendly Always good food that is consistent the staff are very friendly and the coffee is excellent What more do you want from a cafe?

Nice spot for brunch, accommodating and friendly staff and tasty food

My first visit, very impressed, fresh amazing food, excellent service, clean and tidy. recommend.

Lovely cafe with a cosy upstairs area and a book exchange 😍, excellent service with great cakes and coffee

Fabulous food. Good staff but Downstairs seating area was cold...

Lovely people, delicious food and dog friendly!

Great brunch menu, really tasty dishs, good cocktails. Even took some cake home which was also delicious! Service was a tad slow but as most places are after covid.

Amazing food, my partner and I came in with my brother and his girlfriend when they were visiting. We will definitely be returning, the staff were very friendly and we really enjoyed our food

Based on an excellent cappuccino!

Can only recommend it here - meals are delicious and the staff lovely. Everything on the menu looks good but the Turkish eggs are my favourite. Really good coffee too!

Absolutely gorgeous food and drinks, and friendly staff

Best chicken wraps I have ever had. Lovely interior and extremely friendly staff. 10/10

Visited yesterday for the first time and had a great experience. Staff were really friendly and was served by a very young girl who was really friendly and answered any questions we had about the menu. The food was amazing ! I had the buttermilk...

We arrived mid day on a Sunday, were provided menus and seated outside, this was our first visit to this nice funky feeling cafe. After approaching the bar and asking if we could order drinks and being directed back to our table it was then...

90% of serving staff appear to be new to Hatch. Sadly they’ve changed the ambiance which used to be great. They shout loudly to each other, talk loudly to each other about themselves ignoring customers in doing so and their appearance is mostly grubby. This...

Great original street food and a cityesque vibe in a small town.

Fantastic brunch options with great coffee, really loved this vegan sausage focaccia.

So many nice food and drink options, and good things for vegan and meat eaters. The strawberry hot chocolate was especially delicious

Not enjoyable. Asked for extra wet cappacino recieved luke warm insipid drink a third foam and chocolate sprinkles. Ordered peanut butter brownie server had a dialogue with other server as to which one it was. Could not taste peanut butter so I guess it was just chocolate. Asked for the drink to be warmed up...told she would check it with the instrument. So yes can hardly wait to refer it to others

Fabulous food, Fabulous people, Fabulous place!

Good food in town center takeaway only at the moment. Staff very friendly

Great panko chicken sandwich, and very friendly polite service. 👍.

Have previously found Hatch to be a bit hit or miss when eating in. However, their takeaway game is strong! Consistently friendly and efficient staff serving so you're never waiting long. Wouldn't say the hot drinks are the best but use of reusable cups and...

Really great food and they have vegan options too. I highly recommend the skinny fries with vegan hot pepper mayo

Good coffee and tea served correctly

Love this place. Coffee is lovely. X

Came to Hatch Luncheonette for brunch today and wow we weren't disappointed. A bit of a wait for menus which wasn't an issue. I ordered Turkish eggs which was 2 poached eggs, Greek yogurt, spicy sauasage and Sour dough bread toast. The whole dish was...

This place is just mint. The coffee is 100% amazing and it's also dog friendly! There's a large selection of cakes and the food menu is unique, tasty with some great specials on weekly. The vibe is chilled, the staff are so welcoming and you cannot go wrong whether you're in for a quick coffee, some cake, a lunch meet with food or simply an end of the day Gin (8pm closing on Fri and Sat 👌) I will be visiting regularly 😎😘 If you like this review, please support by leaving a thumbs up and post to your friends using the share tab 😊👇🏻❤️

I can't recommend the Buttermilk Chicken enough!

Visited last weekend. The food was amazing and initially the service was fantastic from a young waitress. What spoilt the experience was (what I assume) the terrible management. She came half way through our lunch and made us feel extremely uncomfortable. She was awful to...

The coffee was okay but very small for the price

I ordered a Caramel Latte, there was far too much syrup to even drink it so it ended up in the bin.

Had 2 Lattes this morning, looked & tasted lovely, shame they were only lukewarm.