REfUSE Cafe in County Durham

Quite noisy and couldn't concentrate when I volunteered here and it got too much but staff are friendly.

Don't often visit Chester-le-Street but great to see they've a food waste cafe. Nice chilled atmosphere and tasty food.

Delicious food and a great idea! Very friendly and helpful, nice interior and plenty to see. The portions are not massive but they are very good value.

I discovered this place 5 years ago - what a fantastic idea using food that would usually go to waste and making it into delicious meals - with a fantastic variation changing everyday depending on the donations of food. I have to say the food is restaurant quality and would give Gordon Ramsey and Jamie Oliver a run for their money. I only get to Chester Le Street about twice a year but if i lived here i would be in here every week. The staff are lovely and friendly and all seem to be Volunteers working extremely hard , such a lovely place and it is based on a Pay as you can afford / pay as you think situation. It is a cosy setting , lovely people coming in to eat and chat. I cant think of anything to say but - KEEP UP THE FANTASTIC WORK - YOU SHOULD ALL BE REALLY PROUD OF YOURSELVES and the Chicken Teriyaki i had on Saturday was truly amazing - thank you so so much. Mark and Alison

My son has to visit the hospital in Chester le Street and we stumbled across this wonderful place on one of those visits earlier this year. Now everytime he has an appointment he looks forward to it because we can visit the cafe. He has tried food he would normally turn his nose up to at home because he thinks it is cool there and there is always a great atmosphere and a buzz about the place. It has also inspired me to waste less at home and be more creative with left overs and less fearful of 'best before' dates. Brilliant cafe 👏 looking forward to our visit today 26/11

Came across this place when having a look of where to meet in Chester le Street. I think you need to get here as soon as lunch service begins as it was busy and some of the gorgeous food I saw being served sold out quickly. The service from staff was lovely, kind and happy to go through the menu for you, even happy to explain the concept too. I had cake and a hot chocolate which were both wonderful. This is more than just a place to eat, it has the community at it’s heart and offers so much to support it and bring it together. Can’t wait to return, especially to sample the evening menu. Well done to the creators of this fantastic venture.

Love it. You can go with a friend or group of friends or on your own and feel comfortable. You get an envelope to put what you want to pay for what you eat. xx

Great idea for a cafe, and a great cafe! You can even take your dog inside! Good luck to all the volunteers.

It’s great. Such a good idea. Friendly staff. Look at what is on offer and picture it going to waste. Unthinkable. The Pay What You Can envelope is a fantastic idea. It allows people, who may be struggling, to eat with dignity as well as enabling those who can to help out by “paying forward”. Good luck for the future.

Visited here this morning with friends, was unsure what to expect but was very pleasantly surprised. Such unique recycled decor, a lovely atmosphere from staff and customers. The pay as you please aspect is so needed in the current climate and the idea that you put your money in an envelope for a more discreet donation is fantastic. Brilliant idea and I am very proud to say that it is in my local community. Will definitely be visiting this place more often!

This amazing cafe is a not-for-profit social enterprise. They collect perfectly edible food that would otherwise go in the bin and produce very diverse dishes with creativity and flair. The Pay-As-You-Feel meals are delicious and varied. I love the idea that nothing is wasted and that every person who volunteers or who is welcomed as a customer has a unique value. There is a real sense of community and acceptance here. The restaurant nights also are a joy with a great atmosphere and inspiring menus. I think that mediocrity very often rules in the catering world and I rarely recommend anywhere. I'm delighted to write this review and say that REfUSE is outstanding in vision, quality and ethos and deserves to go from strength to strength. Simply Fabulous! Go and see for yourself.

We visited tonight as a family of four the food was excellent the lasagne was the best we have ever tasted also the service and staff were excellent thank you very much

I popped in with my little boy as I had promised him pancakes. Fresh food, loads of choice and amazing to think the asparagus and mushrooms were destined for the bin. Excellent chef and friendly volunteers. Good to see it busy.

Having walked past a couple of times I was keen to try this cafe where the ingredients are donated foods that would otherwise go to waste. Surplus produce from allotments and unsalable supermarket fresh food, for whatever reason, find their way onto the menu and the community fridge and shelves on a "pay as you feel " basis. The cafe is a large, quirky space with mismatched tables and chairs, bare brick walls and recycled pallets. We ordered a selection of hot dishes and chose what appealed. The soup, spiced pumpkin, was tasty if a little thin. Beef stew and mash was standard winter fare. The squash and grain dish was a dish of two halves. One part was a mixture of squash cubes with quinoa that was just warm but seemed to have burnt on the bottom of the pan while the other was a pile of mashed spicy squash that was piping hot. We also ordered tea and one piece of cake and took a pot of soup from the fridge that came from Booths, the Waitrose of the north!!The positives are the friendly volunteers and the overall concept. Points for improvement include the general finesse of the dishes and the temperature of the cafe which we found a bit chilly, especially when the staff went into the back. One toilet had no toilet paper and the other had no hand towel. Overall it's worthy of a repeat visit and I wish them every success. We paid what we would normally spend on lunch at one of the pubs on Chester le Street Front Street but ate freshly prepared rather than commercial food which is always a bonus. You can also pay by pledging a service such as washing up or playing live music.

Nice cafe with friendly volunteers.great food that has been saved from going in the bin. Always busyou when I go in. Pay as you feel maKes you really value the true cost of food.

Visited the cafe for a late lunch today with my parents and received a warm welcome. Dad had a lovely vegetarian omelette, Mum a bacon sandwich and I had smashed avocado on toast. We finished it off with some of their excellent coffee - definitely think it's the best place to go for a latte/flat white in the town.

This is now my go-to place when out in the town. You just can't fault the staff, and what they do with the food is superb. I am yet to be disappointed! Clearly you can't know what is going to be on the menu as the staff don't know what is coming in - but do give it a go, it is such a worthwhile enterprise!

On the face of if this place is a perfect cafe, good food, great coffee and lovely staff.

Visited ReFuse today for the first time. It was really lovely, friendly and the best Gluten free, vegan coconut cake ever. Will definitely be back. This is a Pay-As-You-Feel cafe, part of the Real Junk Food Project and a not for profit social enterprise. Outstanding ethos and outstanding food.

Faith In Our Community members wanted to find out more about REFUSE and we arranged with Nikki to visit the restaurant. What a super place. We were greeted by the friendly volunteers who served us with an excellent two course lunch (soup, lasagne, macaroni and King Prawn salad were choices, followed by coffee). Amazing meal made from waste food. Nikki kindly showed us around. She described the vision for REFUSE and explained how it was being made a reality. We were very inspired.

First time I've been. Staff were very helpful and friendly. Treat myself to goats cheese quiche and potato salad. Homemade and delicious. They operate a pay what you feel system.

A great evening with good company and great food. The full menu was made from ingredients that would otherwise have gone to waste. Happy and friendly staff with a lovely low key atmosphere. Looking forward to the next event.

Great venue, lovely food with lots of variety. Friendly staff. Great music nights. Using food that would have been discarded by supermarkets is excellent principle. Creative cooks to produce a menu from unknown variety of food coming in.

I have visited a few times and always had delicious food and a warm welcome. What a fantastic addition to the community. Keep up the great work

We often visit this cafe and support thier work...The cafe is friendly and has a lovely little children's area so i get a cuppa in peace. We have used the communuty fridge too - great idea to divert food waste .Last week we got a pumpkin which we baked for tea. The staff and volunteers are so welcoming.

Stopped off for one of their Thursday evening dinners and the food and ambiance was fabulous! What a great team. Highly recommended!

Wow...!!! Is all I can say about this place. If you're in Chester-Le-Street you need to go. The volunteer staff are so polite, accommodating and speedy! We visited on a busy Saturday and we were made to feel important and welcome. Lots of dairy alternatives which is amazing! The food menu we didn't try but will do in the future! Can't get enough of this place!

My daughter and I stopped off here for a Saturday afternoon cuppa.

Refuse café was set up to tackle food waste, and to do this well you need excellent and creative cooks. Well they are here!

Refuse is a pay-as-you-feel cafe set up to combat food waste. The staff were brilliant and you could tell they were really dedicated to the cause. Great coffee too.