Murdoch's in Charnwood

A lovely little gem of a place. Great food and drink, attentive staff and a nice ambience. Wish I'd found it a lot earlier!

Murdoch's is one of my favourite places to eat in Loughborough! Super food, super friendly staff and lovely surroundings.

We popped in here whilst waiting for our daughter. A lovely place. Good coffee and amazing cakes. The rocky road is huge. Staff are very friendly and helpful.

Ordered the Avocado and Poached Egg on toasted Muffin. Honestly, it was literally perfect. Very generous portion, ripe sliced Avocado and two perfectly cooked poached eggs..... Delicious.....Cannot wait to go back.

Settling our Son into his uni accomodation. Went out to lunch to Murdochs. Lovely food,had the blue burger,chilli and the Faggots.The food was amazing.The young lady who served us was very friendly and welcoming

We have visited this wonderful cafe numerous times over the past couple of years as the service and the food are always good quality. Great choice of dishes too. Can highly recommend the prawn and salmon salads. Very helpful staff when needing help with food intolerances. Ate here again last week and once again enjoyed our time here. Highly recommended.

Great breakfast thank you. Smoked salmon egg spinach cheese on a bun.very good value. Kind and helpful staff

In Loughborough for the weekend and decided to pop in for breakfast, the food was amazing and the staff could not have been more helpful. Will definitely visit again if we are back in the area.

Found this cafe by chance and am I glad!! From the friendly welcome to the shady courtyard, this place is a delight! Perfectly poached eggs, coffee to your taste. Nothing is too much trouble. The staff are friendly, the ambience relaxing. Give them a try!

Had breakfast here three times whilst working in Loughborough ..Very good food.. But PLEASE STOP PLAYING THAT DEPRESSING MUSIC !!!! Who wants to listen to that before a days work .. We heard an enjoyable selection coming from the kitchen why not use the the same out in the dining area .. We will be back in May and have already decided to eat elsewhere if we arrive at Murdoch's to hear miserable music music playing !!! Good food,wonderful staff,..Let down by terrible music choice ..

We came for breakfast following an overnight stay at the premier inn (7 min walk). I had googled before we came and read previous reviews so we had high expectations. We weren’t let down. We were first through the door and were warmly greeted. The room looked beautiful (but don’t tell the owner as it might go to his head we were warned😂). The service was great and we all went for the big breakfast. It was really great quality with the bacon and grilled tomato standing out for me. Best breakfast I have had for awhile and would visit again when next in town.

We weee looking for a light lunch and this looked like a nice place. A friendly welcome and a good selection on the menu, we all found something we liked. Very good food and good service. Just what we wanted

Delicious Afternoon Tea. Served promptly with a tasty assortment of sandwiches and cakes. Accommodated my vegetarian needs with no issues and on a separate platter. Beautifully decorated outside in their Secret Garden. Polite and Professional staff and adhering to social distancing and mask wearing to keep customers safe. Thoroughly recommend.

Great quality breakfast, dry cure bacon, fresh eggs, avocado, served by friendly staff. Highly recommended.

Been here a few times on market day for breakfast. Chose a selection of food from the breakfast menu, others had set meals. All served well cooked. Good quality bacon, dry cured, and really fresh eggs. Staff very accommodating and service with a smile (under a mask!). Good system for Covid 19. Would definitely recommend.

Nice cafe , hadn’t been for a while but obviously very popular as busy! We only had drinks so can’t comment on food but looked nice!

So, our usual breakfast haunt was busy and I’d walked past Murdochs previously and noticed they had a lovely menu and honestly what a delight! The service was great, there were options for types of egg/tomato within the cooked breakfast selection...coffee was hot and plentiful...the food itself was lovely, hot and well presented! It won’t be the last time we visit! Thank you!

myself and a couple of past work colleagues met up for a bite to eat and chat about what we were doing now. Staff very friendly and very considerate to the amount of paperwork on the table.order taken and food brought to the table promptly. Coffee was well made and presented far more care than some national company’s. only thing I would ask is could you serve on a warm plate please as we were chatting it went cold quickly. Ps keep up the excellent service.

So, here we go then - let's start with the bottom line - we (my wife and I) dropped in for an impromptu lunch and the food was "fine" in terms of quality and the service was friendly enough.However, and here's the thing, it could have potentially been a much better experience, with a few extra items of attention to detail easily bumping up the score to 4 or 5 instead of a 3 rating which we have given on this occasion. I hope therefore that the owners take my comments in the spirit they are given (positively and constructively) to hopefully make the experience better overall for future customers.Despite living in Loughborough, we have never noticed this place actually being there before and indeed having walked up Church Gate intending to go to Goodliffe's for lunch, we decided to have a quick mooch around the Gallery just a little further up the road and just happened to notice (almost by accident) Murdoch's when we came walking back towards Goodliffe's.We popped in and I wanted check that the "main meals" were served all day (I fancied something more than the lunchtime bites) so we asked at the bar and were politely advised that they were.We were asked to take a seat by the lady behind the counter and we would be brought some menus - which we promptly were.A short while later, a gentleman popped out with a small notepad and stood there poised to write.Here's the first bit of advice - a bit of introductory chit chat would not have gone amiss here - there wasn't even a "so can I take your drinks order first" uttered. As this establishment is trying to be a little more than a run of the mill cafe, a little friendly banter would have been as welcome as it was noticeably absent. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't unfriendly per se, just not at all engaging. An opportunity missed to inject some unique character.Anyway, we took it upon ourselves to order the drinks (a coffee and a pot of lemon & ginger tea) and then our meals which were a jacket potato with tuna and sweetcorn for my good lady (who specified no butter and asked if it came with a salad , which she was told it did) and chicken pasta for myself. I also asked for (it wasn't offered, which you might expect with a pasta dish) a portion of garlic bread.Whilst we waited for our orders, we took the opportunity to soak up the surroundings. Some effort has been made with the lighting - an eclectic selection of ceiling and wall lights are present, though the ceiling lighting is perhaps let down a little by the modern suspended ceiling tiles which I suspect are in place from the premises' previous life as a shop and not really in keeping with the rest of the styling. Walls have a panel effect in one area, what appears to be corrugated metal covered in clocks in another, and painted walls elsewhere - again, an eclectic choice - one wall seemed to have been started as a photo wall of old pictures of the area, but there were only a couple of images, leaving the wall looking "unfinished" in my opinion - more photo's please to add some interest and more character! Having said all that, the surroundings aren't at all unpleasant.The coffee (with separate milk - my wife was asked it she wanted hot or cold milk) and tea soon arrived and we were asked if we wanted sugar (none on the tables) which we didn't.Whilst I was faffing about with my pot of tea, I managed to knock over my wife's separate mini bottle of cold milk - I went to the bar counter and asked for a couple of tissues to clean it up and the lady serving followed me over to wipe the table over for us, which was most welcome after my mini disaster.The meals arrived a little while later.The Jacket Potato:As ordered, there was no butter on it, so that was a good start, however whilst it was as tasty as a jacket potato can be, it was served with a separate pile of plain tuna, a separate small pile of sweetcorn, and the "salad" which was miserly at best - one small cherry tomato cut in half, half a slice of cucumber (yes, half a slice) and at best half a dozen very small mixed leaves . This was all "presented" on a large plate with the potato, making the portions look even smaller than they were (no mean feat in itself). My wife asked for some mayonnaise and was brought a very small egg cup type container with about one and a half teaspoons of mayo - after a short pause, my wife was asked if that was "enough" and whilst she refused (more out of surprise than a proper refusal) , the portion sizes for the meal and mayo were not what one might consider adequate. Needless to say she finished it all.The Chicken Pasta (with extra garlic bread)To be fair, I can't really fault the pasta, It was served hot and it was very tasty - not a big portion by any means, but with the extra garlic bread (also tasty and this time a reasonable portion of 4 thin slices) it was probably (just) enough overall. I could have easily eaten more though - looking back, it perhaps seemed more like a "starter" sized portion. A nice touch would also have been to offer some Parmesan and maybe some fresh ground black pepper. Salt and pepper shakers were put out on the table (pre-ground pepper) with the meal, but sadly no offer of Parmesan. There were only a couple of other tables occupied when we were present and on reflection, I think we need to try again for an evening dinner visit to get a real appreciation of the ambience, service, and the meals.I would always have a preference to eat at an independent establishment such as this and I do hope that our "OK" lunchtime experience was not representative of what this potentially great little place has to offer.At the end of the day, we paid just short of £26.00 for two lunches and two drinks, so its not "cheap" and you would therefore expect just that little bit extra over and above a normal cafe level of experience.I actually do believe that this place is probably a great place to eat, however sadly it wasn't fully represented on our visit on this occasion.The portion sizes have been remarked on in other reviews here and it wouldn't have taken much to change the "Jacket Potato" and "Pasta" experience for the better - I appreciate the owners have outlined they do not like "waste" but there is a fine line between avoiding waste and leaving diners feeling short changed - you shouldn't have to feel obliged to "ask for more".I really did want to score 4 out of 5, but sadly on this occasion it is a 3. Sorry guys, although I am actually looking forward to coming in again to see how the experience differs next time and I do hope you can appreciate my honest comments reflecting how we felt from our first visit.

My son and I visited this charming restaurant for an early dinner when I came to see him last week and I have to say it was one of the best places I have eaten in a long time!The waitress who welcomed us was friendly and helpful, the service excellent and prompt. The food - I had poached eggs with avocado on a muffin, my son the chicken and bacon salad - was amazing! Simple but beautifully cooked and presented, totally delicious! Then we shared a Toblerone mousse...divine. All in all, I would thoroughly recommend this lovely restaurant to anyone visiting Loughborough. Friendly, helpful service, a welcoming atmosphere and ambience, and wonderful food at a reasonable price. We're definitely going back!

I love Murdoch's so much that I've switched my business meetings there now... it's unhurried, it's relaxed, it's quiet... it's friendly, it takes care over service and quality... it's homely. There are so many good points.

Easy to miss because it’s on the edge of the town centre, so not overcrowded. Excellent cream teas – unlike most places they make their own scones. Good selection of other light meals. They do a good Italian-style espresso. I really like the quirky decorations – every lampshade and chair is different, but they all complement the shabby chic environment. Prompt and friendly service. Good value for money.

Still not really sure what this is trying to be. Ok as a cafe, although the latte is soooo weak and the cake really wasn’t tempting today! Maybe need to try at lunchtime.. but no one really stamping any character on the place!

I’ve been visiting Murdoch’s regularly this year with my young son, friends and family and believe this is the most friendly and welcoming cafe in Loughborough. It’s certainly the only place I go for coffee and breakfast now! The staff couldn’t be more accommodating with babies / children and the service, coffee and food is consistently excellent. The baby changing facilities are always clean and pleasant and separate to the main toilets. I would agree that side portions are a little on the small side and not particularly value for money, but that is the only constructive feedback I can offer - and easy to change! Keep doing what you’re doing!

Have visited here many times. Service is amazing. The girls are always cheerful and can’t do enough for you. Breakfast is also delicious. Definitely recommend.

Met friends here for a super afternoon tea. The staff were friendly and very helpful. Happy to rearrange the table for an extra guest. Checked for any special dietary requirements. Top notch choice of cake! You should visit!

This entry is amazing, they serve a variety of different foods for everybody liking. The food that they serve here is a delight, they are happy to make any changes to the food for dietary requirements or just maybe because you don’t like something that the meal comes with. I went for an afternoon tea not too long ago and was delighted with all the different choices they had for us to chose from. It was as supper filling and so lovely to be able to just sit and relax with being made to feel rushed to eat and leave. All the food they serve is well presented and if there is an issue they are more then welcome to solve it.The staff are very welcoming and are happy to serve you in any way that you need, the decor is very inviting and retro making everyone feel welcomed. It great for a little coffee stop during a shopping spree, great place to stop and have a good catch up with some old friends and lovely place to go with you children, as they do a children’s menu and serve food for younger children.

Took my mum and dad for a meal on the 16th of june. Was a lovely atmosphere great place, staff were lovely. It was great being able to celebrate both in one place the afternoon tea was great and the menu selection i found was so accommodating

Third visit to Murdochs. Each time we have been the food has been lovely.

We had breakfast here on a Saturday morning. The waitress was delightful and friendly. The coffee was great and the food was delicious, well presented. The decor is really lovely and different. We will be back to try it for dinner. I would thoroughly recommend

The food is tasty and the cakes are very scrummy. Pots of tea with hot water top ups are spot on. The service at Murdoch’s is excellent; friendly, efficient and with great attention to detail. The acoustics are great - even when full you can hear what your friends are saying. The tables are large enough that you’re not all crushed in together and the ambience is spot on.

Myself, daughter, granddaughter and greatgrandson visited this restaurant. We were served and made to feel welcome throughout.

Took my mum for afternoon tea, great selection of sandwiches, even better selection if delicious home made cakes. Great service in lovely surroundings. Can't wait to come again. Definitely recommend to everyone, and worth 5 star rating

Down a quiet lane (church walk) is this new cafe/restaurant. It has table service although I failed to attract the attention of a waitress until I made myself known to them. I had a decent breakfast and the food was tasty the portions were not very generous for the price compared to some other cafes nearby. However it is well worth a visit.

Went here for second time.Had a lovely lunch food very nice.

We came here for breakfast and it’s nice to have a good cafe that’s open on a Sunday! The waffles were so tasty - I ordered with a side of yoghurt which I was pleased I did as I don’t think there was enough fruit or compote if I hadn’t have had the yoghurt as well. Will definitely be back to visit again as the staff were lovely as well and there is a good variety of options. My other half said the coffee was excellent as well!

Had lunch with a friend... my soup was very nice altho a smallish portion. Pleasant altho a few new cafes around and nothing particular to make it stand out . Will try again at a different time of day but a lot of competition nearby !

A great place for coffee, lunch or even a glass of wine. The best fish finger sandwich I have had in a long time. My son recommends Tea Pigs tea, best cuppa ever! Newly opened great decor,quirky tables and a lovely bar.