Maxines in County Durham

We took this way as a change from Barnard Castle, Middleton in Teesdale, Alston route. What a super drive through Stanhope and up lovely quiet roads in beautiful countryside. Hill and dale, valley after valley, rivers and burns and more stone barns than you can imagine. We just happened upon this eating place and decided that it might be the last option. We were glad we did. The staff were very friendly and helpful with a bit of humour which always goes down well. The loos are upstairs, period in style and immaculate. The whole building must have been Edwardian Tearooms and still retains many of the original features. Furnishings are “ eclectic “, I think that is the right expression. The food is homemade not the often seen homecooked. The latter is really factory food heated up like you get at Franky & Bennys. I had homemade Steak pie, very tasty and filling. I forget my wife’s choice but she enjoyed it. They had a new lady cook who took over the day before. On this experience we will be back. Aside from the food, most of the antiques seem to have disappeared except the ones we were sitting on. Don’t except to see the stuff shown in the photos, it’s not there unless they restock. Look forward to our next visit. Thanks.

Found this little gem of a tearoom whilst staying at Barnard Castle for a short break. Received a friendly welcome and huge smiles from lady as we went in. Also excellent service from a lovely young lady waiting on the tables. Many other tearooms should take lessons from these two. Hubby had sandwiches with salad, freshly made coffee. Know this as young waitress commented on small wait due to making fresh coffee. I had cheese and onion toasties, also with salad and pot of beautifully made tea. Keep up the good work ladies.

A lovely place to take a break. Really welcoming for humans and dogs. The scones and jam are brilliant and home made. Always fresh. A great welcome. Very relaxed atmosphere with a quirky touch to the decor. Highly recommended.

We visited with friend, strange unloved place, needs a good display artist to display their tables bric a brac is an appealing way. Food awful. Horrible scones. Tasteless jam. Dull menu. Why would you bother to own a cafe if you could not put some effort into it. Dnot understand some business at all!!! Could be really lovely with a bit of thought and a better menu. Furniture set up nicely. Outside a bit cleaner and more inviting. Nicer choice of tea cakes, The only nice thing about it was the very girl girl that was serving us. It looks and feels uncared for, St. John chapel is such a lovely village but as the two most horrible cafes.

Lovely little tea room with reasonable prices. Plenty of character, relaxed and dog friendly. Also has ice cream to take away with lovely flavours (we had Horlicks and Maltesers).

A greatly underrated part of the UK, and it's quite courageous to run a tea room in a village that is a little off the tourist map, albeit on a main road. The eclectic decor and tables and chairs from a number of eras perhaps reflects the character of the owner, and there are also items dotted here and there that you can buy. To get to the point, the pot of tea was really excellent, but the toasted teacake could have done with some more fruit. Well done all the same.

We called in by chance on Saturday afternoon for coffee and cake, it was horrible weather but what a lovely warm welcome we received, everything was perfect we were served by an amazing young lady called Jasmin what a credit she is to her mother Maxine who owns the cafe. Food was excellent we will certainly be a regular visitor and would highly recommend anyone who is passing to call in. You will not be disappointed.

Cold wet and windy outside but warm fire and very warm welcome inside with hot food, refills of tea and coffee;very friendly staff Food allergies not a problem for them. Dog friendly We'll be back

Fresh relaxed feel with friendly service., lovely food and excellent coffee. Nice little village conveniently situated for stop off enroute to lakes.

We came last January for a afternoon snack the cafe was empty.When a waitress eventually emerged we were told in a hostile manner, most items on the menu were off because they had a rush on.So we had what was available which was pie and salad when it eventually arrived it was stone cold we ordered this was also cold.When we complained we were told"you know what you can do if you don't like it"Will never return

A traditional cafe that does great coffee and super cheese scones. Lovely customer service, we’ll certainly be back!

A delightful and relaxing tearoom. Wide menu of snacks and drinks. Great service from friendly staff.

Called in on the off chance, just for a drink. Had a cappuccino & a pot of tea. Also had the toasted tea cake & the scone with melted cheese & cracked black pepper. So, so tasty, & the service was second to non. Will be back.

stopped for a cuppa and were pleased to get a huge pot of tea for 2 and mugs! why don't more places do mugs? Lovely staff, the loo was amazing. sat outside in the sunshine, doesn't get much better.

Broke down on my motorbike at 5pm near closing time on a Sunday over 100 miles from home. Maxine and her lovely young daughter Jasmine (the weekend waitress) gave my friends and I tea and coffee and wouldn’t take a penny from us, rallies friends from the village to come to my aid, sat with us till gone 7pm and then helped find me a place to stay for the night whilst my bike was recovered. I have never and I mean never experienced such a kind, polite, warm and helpful family as Maxine and Jasmine...and the village residents too, they all did all they could to help a complete stranger and I am forever grateful, I will be back in future.

We stopped for sandwich lunch at Maxine’s during a day out in the dales. The owner and her young daughter were very friendly and the food good served with a plentiful supply of tea. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and would recommend it and would definitely visit again. Thank you for the friendly welcome and the chat before our leaving.

We stopped off for a visit whilst out for a drive in the area. A lovely polite little girl took our order . There was a big fire on and the decor was quaintly old fashioned. The pot of tea was enough for two cups each and the food was brought out hot and tasty. We only had a sausage bun and a bacon bun but they were very nice with good quality bread buns .

Warm, relaxing coffee shop. Lovely scones, jam and cream. Mysty our rough collie was welcomed and enjoyed her dish of cheese and bowl of water. Cosy corner to rest a while, plenty of books to peruse too full of history of the region.

Just the job for a village café. Unpretentious and homely. Lovely little girl running the show with a little help from her mum. They were both very polite, warm and friendly. My wife and I had a light tea, bacon sandwich, cheese scone, lime and chocolate cake and a slice of strawberry cheesecake. All very reasonably priced.Will certainly call again.

We called in here on way to Stanhope what a find it's lovely! I had a cheese scone home made and my husband had a toasted teacake the order was taken by a lovely little girl the drinks were brought out by an older lady service was friendly we will return

So we stopped here for a morning cup of tea, coffeeWhat a friendly little place, comes across as family run just for the visitorsThe decor is not what you would imagine of a cafe, so unusual But so in keeping with a traditional old world cafeJust call in and see for yourself

We randomly stopped in St John's chapel while on a bike trip. There is parking right in front of it which is very handy. We had the afternoon tea. They were happy to serve it even though it was not 3pm yet. The sandwiches, scones and cakes were delicious! The staff were great and Maxine is very nice too. Highly recommended!

What an absolutely delightful gem! We stumbled across the cafe whilst doing a mini tour of the countryside with our young baby and what a wonderful find it was! The food was incredible, just amazingly tasty home cooked food. The tea and lattes were also perfect. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this splendidly quirky cafe and would highly recommend a visit! The cake did not disappoint either, yum yum! We will be making the journey back soon to enjoy another mouthful of that exquisite soup.

We normally visit a neighbouring cafe, however a change of ownership prompted a visit to Maxine's. unfortunately, the owner has recently become very ill and some friends had stepped into the breach to keep the place open. With no experience of running a cafe they were soldiering on heroically trying their best to provide an extensive menu as possible whilst keeping customers entertained. Which they did admirably. We had a lovely cream scone and a cup of tea for a very reasonably priced £5 between us. It's fantastic to see that neighbourliness is alive and well. We will definitely call again.

We decided to try a new tea room in St John's Chapel and so went to Maxines. The room is delightful and cosy and a good menu, but sadly the lady who served us wasnt terribly friendly. We didnt have a welcome when we arrived nor a goodbye when we left and not much in between, which was a shame as it spoilt our visit. Other customers who were regulars seemed to get much more attention than we did.

Following a walking break in nearby Alston, my wife, dog and I called in at Maxine's on the Main Street in St. John's Chapel. It turned out to be an excellent decision as the whole experience was very enjoyable. We were treated to a lovely pot of tea accompanied by toasted tea cakes in front of a coal fire. The friendly owner provided a bowl of water and treats for our dog. The cafe itself is a real curiosity. The furniture and fittings are all antiques and there is an "olde worlde" atmosphere to go with the excellent service. Call in and see for yourself !

Real old fashioned charm, coal fire burning in the hearth and a warm welcome from the hosts. I only called in for a coffee but decided to try a home made scone which was very good; it's a lovely place to call in for a bite or something to drink and makes a real change from some of the soulless places that serve food.The only thing I disagree with is allowing dogs on the premises, I am strong believer that animals and food establishments do not mix.

We called here for a cup of tea and a bite for brunch to warm up after a walk. The owners and staff were lovely and made us feel very welcome. The tea room has vintage look and feel which we loved. They welcomed our Jack-a-doodle as well and offered him a drink and a well earned treat. Had a lovely bacon bun and a cup of tea. Would definitely recommend this tea room to others.

Excellent service my passengers really happy with the service and quality and more so the prices well done

A warm welcome, great table service and a wonderful, traditional, Sunday lunch with generous portions. As a bonus there was convivial chat with owner Maxine at the end of the visit!

I was so impressed by my recent first visit to Maxine's cafe for Sunday lunch with my wife and my mother, that it prompted me to write my first review on tripadvisor. We pre-booked, and chose our main courses prior to our arrival. (I think pre choosing your main course helps them out, but it's not obligatory). They also confirmed that well controlled dogs are very welcome. When we arrived at Maxine’s, we were warmly greeted and politely shown to our table. For our main course, two of us enjoyed the turkey, which included stuffing and a slice of lovely home-made sausage meat, whilst my wife thoroughly enjoyed the beautifully tender beef. The selection of tasty swede, carrots and sprouts were nicely cooked, without being at the ”al dente” end of things. The home made red cabbage dish really was so flavoursome, whilst the parsnips and potatoes were beautifully roasted and golden. (Surprising how many eateries can’t get that right). Finally there was a very scrummy bread sauce plus a cranberry sauce, (which I forgot to try). All the food tureens, plates and gravy boats were lovely and hot, helping to keep the food nice and warm.For dessert, our sticky toffee pudding with some small dates in. The sponge was beautifully moist and tasted wonderful. We had ours with cream, it really was extremely nice.I phoned Maxine the cafe owner, after our meal to say how delighted we were with all aspects of our Sunday lunch. She was so appreciative and grateful for my call that she very kindly phoned me back later in the day to thank me once again.The café is really easy to find in the village of St John’s Chapel on the A689 and is directly opposite the war memorial soldier statue in front of the small town hall. The entrance to the café is through the post office door, below the red post office sign. (It’s just three doors down from the co-op shop)Maxine clearly puts a lot of thought, time and effort into producing her home made fare in a lovely café environment.Summary: Excellent home made food, polite and friendly service from start to finish and good value. (P.S. Well done to whoever put all those super decorations on the huge Christmas tree in the cafe).

Great venue Quirky but quirky good. Great coffee and scone. Very welcoming. The lady who served us was fabulous. Nothing a problem.

Stopped for a quick lunch between area visits. Nicely done place with large windows viewing the street area. Scones are not to be missed with tea. Good sandwich menu and friendly service. Not there for tea time, but I'd bet it would be equally good.

We've visited twice in the last few weeks. Maxine runs the the St John's Chapel Post Office and opened her traditional tea room in June this year. Love that it's so spacious and bright with floor to ceiling windows looking out onto the Town Hall and the war memorial, with fabulous views up towards Side Head on the other side of the valley. There's an eclectic mix of furniture and ornaments, but the atmosphere is very homely. Her cakes and pies are all home made, delicious and very reasonably priced. The mushroom quiche we had was very tasty with perfect deliciously short pastry and came with a variety of side salads. We shared a piece paradise cake which was lovely and moist with almond,cherry and apricot. Huge china pot of tea complemented the food really well. Maxine is friendly, welcomimg and ,as a native of St John's Chapel, down to earth. We'll definitely be back again!