Orton Grange Cafe in Carlisle

Following a shop in Cranstons at Orton Grange we decided to have a bite to eat in the cafe. Having walked up the stairs to the cafe we found a table and were quickly attended to by an assistant. Having read the menu we ordered tea for two and two bacon, brie and cranberry toasted ciabattas with a shared portion of chunky chips. The ciabattas came with accompanying side salad, a gorgeous beetroot slaw and some tortilla chips. Service was really prompt and the food was fabulous. The ciabattas were very tasty and lovely and hot. The chunky chips were very good and hot. As said the beetroot slaw was very good and nice and creamy as well as crisp. The lunch was very enjoyable. With it being lunchtime there weren't many people upstairs and this meant that there wasn't a terrific atmosphere although the background music was really enjoyable but not so loud as to be intrusive.

A great place for lunch or even a coffee and scone 👍 Good service from friendly staff offering excellent food 👌

Very expensive for food restaurant there would be better if cheaper didn't have much variety i wouldn't go back there has I thought very expensive there

Very poor service. Leaving this message for management because your team failed. We left without ordering. We were told “please find table upstairs, it’s table service”. 15 minutes later we left, passing the staff that were chatting with each other. Very, very poor service to the point they lost our business. Not sure we’ll try again.

Great coffee, homemade scone and tasty chocolate cake. Lovely staff but can see why some reviews a little negative. No-one with experience and authority to take ownership of the customer experience. Still, we look forward to returning.

Always great service. No food this time. Is always spot on when we do eat here tho. Highly recommend.

Gone very expensive. Changed our order of a brioche bacon roll to bacon in toast. We were then charged full price for the brioche bun bacon sandwich then £2.95 for 2 slices of toast on top. So that was nearly £6 for 4 slices of bread. No wonder the place was empty. Have to say the sandwich was very nice, but beware of messing around with the menu.

I am a regular. I do feel staff feel like they do you a favour by serving you. I sometimes go in 90 minutes before closing time. Often being told I can’t sit on the comfy chairs upstairs. Therefore having to sit on hard cafe chairs downstairs. Today I went in 16:25. Hoping for a coffee. Being told they stop serving at 16:30. Obviously they were in a rush as all cakes, scones etc were cleared away. Customer service is awful. Food is nice though

Orton Grange is a blessing to Carlisle and the environs.

Stopped in for lunch, £17.95 for a burger & fries, no garnish, no salad just a plain old burger is ridiculous for a cafe! It wasn't even very good, the chips were awful, burnt & greasy. A can of coke £3.50, nearly sent it back, though I was getting a draught pint.

The food here would be ok at a certain price point however £17.95 for a mediocre burger with overdone frozen fries is ridiculous, not even a garnish to soften the blow. Then to charge £3.50 for a can of diet coke left me feeling like I'd been mugged. To put this into context, this place is more expensive than many of the nicer restaurants and bars in the local area for food which is well down the pecking order. With all of our meals, the fries served with two and the chips served with another were overdone to the point of being inedible, the burger was ok however shaped like a cricket ball, too thick and at the same time of a small diameter making it difficult to eat and most of the experience had me chewing at an empty bread roll. The service was good though and the only reason I've been generous enough to give two stars.

Fab place to shop and hit the cafe up!

Disappointing. Used to love this place, but service, food and staff friendliness definitely on downward trajectory, it's almost like they don't want customers?!

It's a converted barn and very comfortable food served quickly and was hot.

I had the jacket potatoe withe brie and cranberry.when it came it looked like a small babies leather shoe.I was like leather and all I ate was the potatoe inside and a bit of salad.certainly not worth £14. didnt even get a discount just "I am sorry about that" will not be going back.They also have a problem with flies.

Very expensive , service slow despite being quiet

My husband & I were traveling from Scotland to the Lake District and thought we'd pop in for some lunch. We both ordered sandwich with salad, coleslaw and crisps( no cutlery) tea and a piece of cake each, which was average. When I went to pay the bill I was utterly flabbergasted at the total cost of £37 for sandwiches!! I know we're all going through a so called cost of living crisis but this was just a rip off You are going to lose an awful lot of customers going by other feed back which I previously read. Think your prices need a serious revamp!! Won't be back!

Called at 2.30 this afternoon. A guy showed us to our table, sat us down and we never saw him again. My mam went to the counter to ask for a menu and was told they were really busy due to a large group, but to sit down they wouldn’t be long. Fair enough. Sat for 15 minutes, no one came to take our order. Showed 2 other tables in & sat them down. The ladies on the table next to us got their second coffees they asked for, still never even looked at us. Then proceeded to take orders from the tables that had just come in. We sat patiently waiting for 30 minutes then got up and walked out. Was a regular visitor here but unfortunately we won’t be coming back. It obviously depends on who you are as to weather you can be served or not. Very disappointed

Great products, check out the meat offerings, had the breakfast in a box, excellent value. Black pudding scotch eggs were lush and the crust on the potato pie was perfect. fantastic staff too

Stopped off for lunch and enjoyed the upstairs views over the farm at the rear. The food was lovely presented but not a fan of the purple slaw.

Popped on route to Carlisle this morning. We asked for 2 sausage baps and 2 cans of pop and was told it would be £24.00. I asked how much the sausage baps were and was told £8.50 each (fair enough) but surely it wasn’t £7.00 for two cans of pop? I pondered if I was being a tight so and so, but no! These are ridiculous prices. I walked out not knowing if I was embarrassed or angry!

First time stopping here great selection of locally produced food at reasonable prices and had a meal in the Cafe great service very pleasant staff and food was fresh

Popped in today for anniversary brekki with my hubby. 1 English brekki (changed fried egg to scrambled) hubby had cheeseburger with fries 1 orange juice and a myself coffee. Tasty enough nice atmosphere. But.. Got the bill and read it after we left £46???are we in the Ivy?? £3 charge for scrambled egg on top of brekki?? No wonder hospitality is struggling. Absolute rip off. Totally unacceptable. I understand its locally sourced but that's terrible.

The best breakfast I've had FULL STOP! Had a sausage bap, best sausage I've ever had, hot chocolate was one of the best I've had and my partner had pancakes with coffee and he said it was one of the best too!!

Excellent food and fantastic service, arrived quickly too. Well worth the price you pay, thanks!!

Had coffees here, coffee & cakes were ok, but very expensive. Good selection of foods etc in the shop

Great food and nice staff would of been 5 stars but a bit expensive but these days what isn't

A really nice place, airy and accommodating, the perfect place to meet friends and enjoy some lovely food and a coffee. Recommended 👍

Way too expensive for what you get. I'm sure this place used to be better. The baked potato was grey and watery and the fillings were not worth the hefty price tag. Won't be back in a hurry.

The staff are amazing and so is the food. Definitely recommend to everyone. They milkshake vending machine is brillant (cream egg, chocolate, strawberry, hot cross buns) flavors. Awsome.

The food is ok. The service is slow. We have visited a number of times. What lets the place down badly is the cleanliness of the toilets. On visiting one week apart, once for lunch and once for breakfast the toilets were in need of a thorough clean. I suggest, like most places nowadays, hourly inspections and a good wipe round. This aspect lets the place down.

Had a fabulous breakfast, lovely shop, excellent staff.

Wow we were shocked at the extortionate prices!! My wife and I have been here many times before over the last few years but on this occasion we were totally taken back by the incredibly high price for two fairly basic “snacks” - £28.90 for two farmhouse sandwiches and two tins of Fanta! I fully appreciate that everyone has to make a living but this is nothing short of daylight robbery!! Staff were nice and food quality was decent but I’m sorry at these inflated prices we won’t be back.

Pop in often. Great coffee and food. Nice atmosphere and attentive staff

Great food but expensive 2 all day breakfasts & coffee's, £36.

Food was delicious, coffee was just right, and the shop was full of interesting and different things, well worth a visit.

Disappointing service today. A simple order for a couple of lattes and a scone seemed to be an issue. TBH a place like this should never run out of scones - at any time of the day, but it was today - and not for the first time. The young lass took the order - and in robotic fashion and with eyes rolling up to the ceiling - instructed us that there were none left. Not that there would be some ready in 10 minutes or so, but none left. End of! As we basically came up from Carlisle for a coffee and a scone, that seemed to be out the window. I passed on the scone and ordered a latte on its own, my wife also opted fir the latte with a cake. The order appeared minus a latte, which appeared over 10 minutes later (just as we were picking up our jackets to walk out). The quality of the coffee was simply awful, which is unusual, although this isn't the point here. The staff on duty were (as far as I could see) entirely young lasses of school age working part time. The last thing I would want to do is criticise them for doing their best and trying to earn some pocket money while they can. Fair play to any of these kids that are keen to get a foot on the ladder of their working life. So I won't criticise them at all. Those who seem to think it is acceptable to let these youngsters deal with customers at the front of the business ARE to be criticised. If we wanted a basic snack, with a coffee you know will be of a certain standard, we would have jumped into Greggs! It would be half the price, and you know what you're going to get. The standard at Orton Grange is clearly dropping. The owners should take responsibility, not the youngsters that are out thete trying their best. One star awarded. Poor service. Poor quality.

Great service, lovely staff but very pricey for a bowl of soup , fish finger sandwich and two sticky toffee sponge cakes came to £35.30 bit much for a quick bite to eat!

Excellent food and good atmosphere

Having been several times in the past, this turned out to be a disappointing visit. Such a shame because it’s a countrified cafe above a delightful shop, with a superb Cranstons deli serving fresh farm produce right next door. Two of us required gluten free food; unfortunately little gf available, unless you wanted a slice of gf cake. Generally, we felt the food was overpriced and ended up having coffee and two snacks between us. Surprised to see an Afternoon Tea for Two, with Prosecco, at £68. This is high considering Afternoon Tea for Two at the Ivy (minus Prosecco) is £60 and Bottomless Prosecco Afternoon Tea for Two at The Mayfair Lounge (The Cavendish) in London is £67.50. A closer to home valuation at Armathwaite Hall offers a traditional afternoon tea, no Prosecco, for £63. The latter venues are stylish and white table cloth affairs; silver service, so to speak. So, I fail to understand the price of a similar offering at Orton Grange. The waitrons were friendly and efficient, no complaints there.

What a disappointment! The menu is not as good as it used to be and the prices are just stupid for what you get. On principal, we could not bring ourselves to spend such money for basic food, so in the end we ordered three coffees, a scone and a teacake. That came to just over £18 and there wasn’t anything special about any of it. Virtually no gluten free options either . Apart from carrot cake and the usual boring offering of a brownie and a flapjack. A burger I think was £17, quiche or a baked potato was £13.50, Breakfast was £14.50, afternoon tea for two was £65. We had just come from Dobies where it was getting busy in the cafe and Orton Grange was virtually empty, at lunch time. Hmmm…. Sorry, but for the same quality food we’d rather go to M&S or Pioneer cafe and pay less, or pay the same prices and head to a nice pub or restaurant. This place is trying to be something it isn’t. It’s not Mainsgill farm shop cafe or Burford Garden centre cafe. One star goes to the friendly staff. Such a shame because we did enjoy having lunch here a number of times.

Wr were met by a lady who said there was over an hour wait for food she was not friendly at all . There was 3 of us plus a 15 month old child, the food came after about 50 mins was very disappointing and for the cost of it we could of gone to a restaurant.

A very disappointed visit on 04/02/24 we only had sausage egg & chips! Sausage very overcooked eggs undercooked chips disgusting tasted of old oil meal cold when it arrived after a long wait

We had a lovely lunch it was very tasty and reasonably priced. The service was excellent and the staff very friendly and helpful. The shop was very well stocked with a variety of things. Would recommend a visit, plenty of parking on site and easy to get there. 👍

Extremely expensive and in honesty not worth the money. Plenty of parking, convenient for Carlisle but due to price won't be going back.

Lovely renovated old barn serving excellent food and service. Especially the fantastic berry smoothie I had. Thank you very much. We will definitely be back again

Been here quite a few times and it has gone downhill massively, the last two visits went with a friend for coffee and cake and thought they had made a mistake with the price but no they hadn't , really overpriced ! Then went again with my husband for breakfast, the sausage was like grit and did notice everyone had left the sausages , rest of breakfast really average, would not return as there are better options elsewhere at a more reasonable price .

Only one problem the price £ Not many people in at lunchtime today but no surprise as very expensive for example £3.50 for a scone plus add jam and cream total is £5,50 for a scone.

Nicely furnished but the iced latte I had wasn’t great, a funny taste so felt slightly disappointed

Highly recommended friendly staff good service great location 👍.

Staff were very pleasant but it was disappointingly expensive.The bill said £11.95 but the actual cost was £12.50 for 1pot of tea for 2 & 2 little mince pies. Much better value across the road at the garden centre. Sorry Orton Grange, but we won't be returning.

£15 for a Christmas baguette was expensive we originally went to Dobbies but was to busy so called in and never thought we would get a table we did and when we saw the prices we new why I know food prices have gone up but £15 for a turkey cranberry baguette ( no gravy no pigs in blankets) a few chips not good enough sorry sandwich shop on Orton road full proper Christmas baguette with all the works less than a fiver .

Lovely place but just too over priced. £12 for a jacket potato with cheese ,side salad and coleslaw. Dearest I've ever seen ! Too expensive by far.

My main course today was probably the worst I have bought in a long time. I ordered the festive roast turkey slices etc in Yorkshire pudding. The Yorkshire pudding was not freshly made and I can only assume it was bought it. I expected the turkey slices to be carved off a turkey but instead they were what I might call processed sandwich turkey. The sausages in bacon were too tough to eat. The whole lot was topped with a massive amount of undercooked chips. The whole dish was most unappealing to look at. I picked at it as I was hungry. The stuffing was ok as was the small amount of cranberry sauce. I begrudged paying for it as it was a very poor meal. The passion fruit cake and the pot of tea were fine. Pat Sweeten 231123

My car was on the EV charger so we popped in for a coffee and cheese scone. Very clean and with helpful staff.

Excellent customer experience. Stopped off for a Breakfast Bap after an early hospital appointment. Delicious food, friendly efficient service. Lovely selection of gifts in shop too - tempted to buy more than I intended!

Treasurer trove of Food, Drink and gifts in a beautiful setting.

I came across this place while searching for a charger to charge my car. They have a bank of four Instavolt chargers, all of which are functional. While waiting for the car to charge up, we visited the cafe. The service was excellent, the portions were fantastic, and the mushroom soup of the day was delicious. The kid's cheese sandwich portion was incredibly generous, and the side of chips with skin was perfectly cooked. Whenever I am near Carlisle and need to charge my car, I will not hesitate to visit this place again!

Unfortunately when we visited they had no Chicken or minted lamb steaks which we’d come for

We are local and have eaten here often. Today’s experience wasn’t as good as previous visits. Order was taken promptly. The food was ok despite being given a toastie rather than a sandwich, which I didn’t return as my companion would have been eating on their own. Following our meal we planned to order two cakes and two coffees, however our lunch plates weren’t cleared away for well over an hour by which time we decided against having coffee and cake. We could have asked for the plates to be cleared but we wanted to see how long it would be before they were cleared! When the plates were eventually cleared away we weren’t asked if we would like anything else. The cost for a jacket potato, a sandwich and 2 drinks was £28.00. However we saved ourselves £10 plus by not taking the coffee and cake.

Consistently good food served by pleasant and professional staff.

Met family at the cafe, my suggestion, and enjoyed coffee, then lunch the more hot drinks and desserts. Then bought some cards from the gift shop and shopping from Cranston. I have found out my cousin who arrived early and had hot drinks before my arrival got a £100 parking fine. Was there 3 hours 10 minutes! I have never seen the sign about leaving your registration number if longer. Needs to be more prominent and staff should mention at the table. Sign in cafe had a person stood in front so missed that one. I am so upset at this. Sadly will not suggest again. 😥

Breakfast is nice especially before 1030 for free coffee. A bit pricy for pancakes £11.95 but nice thought. We chose here because of the fast electric charger. Bought Cumberland mango and chutney from the farm shop. I should’ve bought more as it is super good when I pan fry it at home. Wish I know better last few days I could then have it for breakfast. Fully recommend to buy more Cumberland sausage back home.

Stopped by again for breakfast and not disappointed.

Lunch was òk but overpriced. Staff unfriendly. Really could have done wity a friendly face as I'm currently having chemotherapy. Service slow waited half an hour for someone as I tried to order a coffee. Then when my friend arrived was asked 3 times if I was ready. Staff so sombre and abrupt. Heard lots of people complaining about the prices too. To top it all got a 100 parking ticket..never again

We're local and called in for breakfast. Ordered 2 breakfast baps and 2 brews. Food was OK. Bacon a bit flabby and served in sweet brioche which seemed odd. When I got to the till, I was asked for just shy of £32. After establishing that the lass was actually charging me for the correct meal, she itemised it for me. £10 per butty!!!! And an extra £2.50 for an egg. That's a fiver for an egg each!!!!!!! I should have scrutinised the menu more thoroughly before ordering. Had I done so, I'd have left and gone elsewhere - Dobbies accross the road do an excellent 7 item breakfast for about a quarter of the price.... we'll stick to that. Just as a footnote, normally on a Saturday at 10.30, it's very difficult to get a seat at Orton Grange however, it was sparsely populated on arrival and we had a choice of tables. People are clearly voting with their feet.

SUCH A SHAME ABOUT THE £100 PARKING FINE Met with family for a nice late morning coffee then stayed on for lunch, more coffees and then desert. Staff were nice and helpful but not once mentioned about the time limit on the car park. We will not be coming again if this is who they treat customers who spent nearly £100 in their restaurant alone never mind the shops.

Expensive and not dog friendly. Stay well away

Very very expensive and not good quality food, quiche with 4 dry wedges, not the best 2 average meals 3 coffees £40 very steep

I ordered a prawn sandwich, a halloumi wrap and 1 coffee, came to £33!!! I asked how much the sandwich was, £15 for a sandwich is absolutely ridiculous for a cafe!! Where are these prices from?? £3.95 for a can of Fanta also! what the!!!! You don’t pay these prices in high end hotels. I think someone needs to review these prices as most of these reviews on here are about how expensive it is.

Arrived at the cafe, waitress asked where we wanted to sit. I pointed out a vacant table at the window- nope, it's reserved. We should have left then, but we were seated in the middle of the restaurant. Ordered breakfast and swapped one item for another - that will cost extra, I was told. Fair enough, but £2.50 for an egg? The food is okay, but overpriced for what you get. Having said that, the ciabatta was so hard I could not cut it. Tea is free with breakfast before 10am, we arrived at 10:10 - £3.20 for a cup of tea, so that 10 minutes cost an additional £6.40. Had to ask for my extra egg, had to ask for teaspoons, service was pretty poor in my opinion. Very pretentious for the levels of service vs prices charged. We won't be back (even though I got the feeling that we were regarded as foreign/tourists due to my accent - in truth we live 15 minutes away)

Lovely place that's clearly forward thinking with the addition of some of the best EV car chargers around. Who wants to sit in the ques at gretna green services for a charger when you can visit here, grab a coffee and return to a fully charged car.

We stopped here to charge the car and for a better lunch than we could have had at a Services. The burgers are substantial and really tasty, highly recommended. We were too full to eat cake, but that all looked really good too.

The food is expensive and so unimaginative, similar to service station. Such a shame it used to be good.

Excellent in every way but a little expensive and dogs not allowed

Called in this morning, bit earlier than anticipated, so only breakfast menu available. Saw breakfast bap. Thought yes. Then looked carefully. It was a Brioche bun contains bacon or sausage or both with a side of a hash brown! The other choice was a warm...

Very poor. We are locals, so we don’t expect a lunch here to be cheap, but until recently it’s always been good quality food, prepared and served well. Sadly that was not the case today. The sandwiches were made with budget sliced white bread, the...

Venue placed in ideal spot for meeting place to catch up with friends. Have been before and enjoyed breakfast. This time was a little greasy.

Excellent service offered by Alison who went out of her way to look after me, as I was using crutches and needed help to get seated. Order taken promptly and the food was of an excellent standard. Thank you Alison.

Stopped at this cafe for a light lunch. To be fair the food was OK and the setting nice and server friendly. But the prices as others have noted are way beyond normal for the area. We will be not be returning.

We popped in for a snack, and after being seated viewed the menu and walked out. Upon exit one of the waitresses asked us if it was the price, what does that tell you, we said yes it was. We realise inflation is a big...

Food good BUT!!! JUST BUT... Tea for two, two cans of pop and a burger. £30 please. Come on. All they are missing is a striperly top ana a bag with 'swag' written on it. RIP OFF. And..no I am not mean.

Check your bank balance before you go, shockingly expensive, very small portion and very poor service avoid like the plague.

Nice hot latte and fresh warm scones (bit crumbly) but very nice has more cake and sweet selection than previously, pleasant staff. Good shop for meats and veg at a good price.

All ways brilliant service in the cafe

The cafe serves consistently good food, where portions are smaller than in other similar facilities; which is good. The coffee is decent, as is the tea. Parking is excellent, and they now have re-charging points for electric cars, where there is plenty of room for larger vehicles. They staff are polite and they listen, which is more than you find in some similar facilities; the staff are lovely.

Great that there is a charging station here

The chips were over fried. The food was over priced for mediocre quality. Wasn’t going to say anything about discovering a hair on the breakfast, but the waitress asked if everthing was ok when I went to pay, so I told her. She was stroppy about it, said we should have said and they would have replaced breakfast - given my partner found it in the egg nearing the end of the meal, not sure he could have stomached a second. They did refund the drinks, but waitress had a total attitude that I had said there was an issue when she asked if everything was ok. Bit of an odd customer service strategy. Won’t be going back there. Crofton Hall/Moota Garden Centre/Dobbies Garden Centre much better service and value for money for anybody looking for something nearby.

Outrageous prices never before seen the likes of this in this area. I know things are expensive at the moment but this is beyond a joke. No other local place is this expensive.

Met a friend for coffee and cake. Sat upstairs on one of the comfy sofa's. It's a long time since I've been here. But would definitely go back.

Excellent. Good food, pleasant service and good selection of local food in shop. Well worth the visit and will recommend

A lovely cafe and set in a great butcher's shop Cranston's one of the best in Cumhria. Hence the food is top notch and the service is excellent plus lots of room between tables.

As a regular that lives close by I will always come back to orton grange as the staff keep the facilities in excellent condition (despite certain customers who are less than respectful) A must visit x

Considering the cafe is right next to a baby/kids swim school, not child-friendly. Some exceptionally rude staff and overpriced food. Avoid. Cranstons and gift shop are great.

One staff member exceptionally rude. Not child friendly, considering through the door to a baby/kids swim school. Used to come on a weekly basis but food now over-priced and some staff exceptionally rude. Avoid.

A first class farm shop .a good variety of food . And an excellent restaurant.

Popped in for an all-day breakfast on our way home, food was very nice, good service and happy polite staff.

Oh dear! It’s a little while since I’ve been here and I certainly won’t be rushing back! The homemade quiche had a very soggy bottom, the homemade coleslaw was cut far too fine, it was just mush, the salad was minimal and were the tattie...

Was OK staff pleasant dishes a little pricy for what we were served

Very nice food a little expensive so it was a treat