Kirkharle Coffee House in Northumberland

Lovely place great staff. We had sandwiches but was asked if we would like salad or crisps or coleslaw with them . Everywhere I’ve been to offers you all 3! Especially at £12 per sandwich. Too expensive.

Came here for first time with my Mum. Just wanted hit drinks and the coffee was very good. Selection of food choices and cakes were amazing. Not cheap but portions looked huge. Lovely setting and the lake walks are stunning. Will return 100%. Quite rude customers having to wait to get out of car park due to single file road and then cursing and swearing at me. Old male with no patience. I’ll pray for him tonight.

Decided to call in for coffee and a cake and a bowl of soup after taking in the short walk around the lake area. On arrival noted the coffee shop was busy but a couple of tables were vacated shortly after our arrival so sat at one of the,even though the table was uncleared from previous customers. After around 10 minutes wait a member of staff removed some of the used plates etc from the table but not all of them then disappeared into the back. After a further 10 minute wait there was still no sign of any staff coming to approach our table to either clear the rest of it or take an order from us. By then there were only a couple of other tables being serviced. After waiting a few more minutes we decided to give up and walked back to our vehicle - and we weren’t the only customers who left due to the dire lack of service. What surprised us after that was a member of staff following us into the car park and then suggesting that we had left without payment. After explaining that we had got sick of waiting no apology was offered but it was suggested that we could return if we wished . Whilst it’s appreciated that it can be busy on occasions there really is no excuse for the staff not knowing who is sitting where and who has or has not been served or paid for the food etc. One issue is the contrived way you have to pay in any event by having to go into the larder shop to settle up - why it can’t be done in the coffee shop has intrigued me in the past - especially due to lack of signage as to how to get there. A very poor visit on this occasion - if / when we return to the courtyard again we will have to reassess whether it’s worth tackling the coffee shop again or going elsewhere.

Don’t advertise that you’re open til 4 then have people glaring at you for entering ( the cafe) and find the ‘art’ centre closed when you emerge. We visited at just gone 3pm. The friendliest people were in the Philip gallery and by far, the microscope workshop. Very disappointed by the attitude of the lady in the ‘larder’. The place seems to rely on you knowing where everything is so the signage is laughable. It all seems a bit ‘can’t be bothered’ and up it’s own …. Could be so much better.

Very average sandwich with salad and crisps (for goodness sake!). Decent pot of tea, but pricey. This place relies on its location in my opinion and needs to up the ante for the food.

I visited with my Mum who is in a wheelchair…it was her first trip out in over 6 week’s following an operation. The shops weren’t very accessible. Gallery we could only just get around. Worst of all we visited the coffee shop, there were only 2 other couples eating, one of the assistants looked from the door of the kitchen then went back in …. whilst I moved chairs to enable my mums wheelchair to be placed at the table. The same assistant re appeared a few minutes later to take our order. She informed us lunch was no longer available as it was 2:30pm we were undecided what to have and I asked what cakes were available ….the assistant pointed to the small portable blackboard which was behind my mums wheelchair and stated the choice is on the board ….she made no attempt to lift up the small board as I was unable to turn my mums chair around in the small space, she then went back into the kitchen and we sat for over 10 minutes and she did not return, we therefore left ! It was such a shame as on a previous visit a few years ago we remembered it being much more welcoming and friendly, we would NOT recommend it and will certainly not return. After making my Mum comfortable in the car I did return to speak to the member of staff and let them know my disappointment, one said she was on her lunch and the other said sorry but did not offer a resolution at the time, she really needs some customer service training in my opinion.

Visit today 30.5.23. Quite expensive and limited menu and availability especially child portion options. Odd that we couldn’t get a bacon sandwich admittedly not breakfast time, but other bap/bun options on offer. Pasty £5+ was a Ginsters microwaved. Lots of vegan options.Scone dry. Coffee average. Busy cafe I know but Cragside so much better as regards choice and quality. Why so much difference, same organisation?

Brunch on a bank holiday (Good Friday) and the cafe was moderately busy, nevertheless, as always, the staff were lovely and welcoming. Not the cheapest sausage sandwiches in the world but very tasty and the tea comes in a pot which always gets my approval. We even bought a couple of local ales in the shop, again, not cheap but the ale was good. I will definitely recommend to friends and we will certainly return. Toilets nice a d clean too.

I had contacted Kirkharle Coffee House a couple of days in advance of bringing a party of 18 in for lite bit lunch. We were seated at the lower area with a roaring log fire on, service was prompt, efficient and super friendly. All 18 of us served drinks and food very quickly as everyone ordered something slightly different. Everyone complimentme on the quality, portion sizes, excellent service. Definitely one for a return visit, thank you for making our lunch stop such an enjoyable experience. March 23rd 2023

Maybe not the cheapest cafe in Northumberland but we had delicious cheese scones with bacon and excellent decaff coffee while sitting at a sunny table by the window looking out at the courtyard. Friendly staff and good service.

We often visit Kirkharle Courtyard and its coffee house. We have never been disappointed. The soup is outstanding, as are the scones and indeed everything else we've ever eaten there. The décor is very attractive and the premises are clean and welcoming. The staff are always very pleasant.

Called in here a few weeks back and sat outside as it was a warm sunny day. The food was good and this country location is so pleasant for lunch. To add to this the staff were very nice and helpful. Would definitely recommend.

Had been here before a few times but was really disappointed today. Chose the Full English at £ 10.95 which consisted, as other reviewers have said, of tiny bits of sausage roll, three small quadrants of pork pie, a pile of leaves, one small slice of bread, two thing slices of cheddar and a couple of bits of ham. The chutney was delicious but nowhere near enough of it. In short, not worth the money. I was still hungry so ordered a fruit scone. That was ok. Ish. It was cold and the strawberry jam had no strawberry. It was like the really cheap basics stuff from a supermarket. Won't be going back for a long time.

Food quality was adequate at best. but portions very small for the price. Full English ( basically ploughman’s lunch) was three small quarters of a small pork pie two thin slices of a sausage roll two small pieces of cheese and two small rolls of cooked ham with loads of salad leaves and couple of small tomatoes with small dish of chutney and piece of crusty bread. At £10.95 I do not consider this good value for money.

Soup and scone was lovely. Kids lunch boxes were really disappointing and strange - half a sandwich and half a piece of fruit all mixed in together?! The kids were still hungry which is a shame as it’s a lovely place. We need value in the cost of living crisis and I can see I’m not the only one to comment on portion sizes so please review!

The waiting staff were so lovely and I think genuinely embarrassed at the lack of food - we had quite a wait for the food and when it came it was just so disappointing. There are a lot of lovely coffee houses around that charge a lot less for a lot more so really cannot blame Brexit or Covid. Sadly out of the three of us none of us will go back. Basically £20 per head and we were all hungry ........

Having reviewed The Courtyard as a whole, this is just about the cafe. Dogs are not allowed in the two indoor eating areas but in good weather there is a pleasant courtyard. There is a wide ranging menu but we only wanted a light lunch and we didn't think it was cold enough to justify the nice smelling soup. We settled for the Chicken Tikka Wraps - which were tasty and washed down with local ale and white wine respectively. Had we been staying nearer, we would have been back for another lunch.

Lots of differing galleries. Coffee, cakes and snacks available. Sometimes a long wait. Interesting grounds and history.

We arrived today at lunch time (family of 4) and asked if we could sit in the other part of the cafe where we've eaten before as it was really busy... we were told it wasn't open as they wanted to keep 'everyone together'. This was baffling given how close the tables are together and the huge number of Covid infections spreading at the time of writing this (over 100,000 a day). So we were forced to sit at a table very close to other diners with no obvious air flow to prevent people spreading covid to each other. We ordered and when the food arrived my order was wrong. The waiter apologised and took the incorrect dish away and brought the right one a few minutes later, however I had no cutlery so he had to go and get some for me (everyone else on the table had it apart from me). When my correct order arrived I was pretty shocked to see how poor the portions were. I had potato wedges with sausages (you can choose a filling from the wraps menu to have with your wedges) which costs £8.95. For this price you receive 4 bland potato wedges (no seasoning) and slices of sausage that amounted to maybe 2 sausages at best. Oh and a few salad leaves. It's an incredibly meagre portion for the price and I had to have more food once home as it didn't fill me up in the slightest. The sausages themselves were very tasty so I can't fault them there, but the overall dish was hugely over priced. My wife had the chorizo and potato tortilla, which she enjoyed apart from the potato being a little under cooked. The kids seemed happy enough with their kids menu selections. I found the experience of dining here really disappointing, and their insistence of crowding all diners in one room when they have other tables available in another room bizarre and irresponsible. The food is of a decent enough standard but the portion sizes do not match the price. Don't think we'll be back.

Friendly and welcoming. The food in the cafe was lovely, the decaf coffee superb. They can do Dairy Free Vegan scones and Gluten Free scones but not GF & DF scones - sadly we do not choose our allergies because they looked delicious! However the...

This is a lovely place to meet friends or go for a short stroll around the lake. The scenery is beautiful and is very serene. The courtyard is 18th century and has some independent businesses selling unusual and unique crafts, art work, glass works, and...