Restaurant at Saltholme Nature Reserve in Hartlepool

We visited on a Sunday and the cafe was very busy, with only one member of staff front of house taking orders and making coffee / tea, serving cakes etc, so service was pretty slow. We had intended to have a snack, but nothing looked appealing, and it also looked expensive for what you got, so we just had a coffee. We love strong, robust coffee and ordered an espresso and americano, so nowhere to hide. The coffee was truly awful however - bitter and acrid; a couple of small sips and we just left it. It states that the coffee is bird life friendly and I whole heartedly commend that, we are RSPB members after all, but I don’t understand why that should compromise taste and quality. Suffice to say we’ll be taking a flask and picnic on our next visit and we went home after our walk to get a cafetière on the go. On the plus side, the young lady making the drinks was really pleasant and good humoured, despite being incredibly busy, and the design of the cafe, which overlooks the reserve is in a great location … if only the coffee was good.

Although our trip was pleasant and the views from the restaurant are beautiful. We found that the food was extremely expensive for what we received. £6.40 for 7 potato wedges and the smallest salad that I have ever seen. Almost £3 for a very small cheese n ham sandwich and £1.20 for a small pack of pom bears. The whole bill was just short of £30 for a small snack. This used to be a great place to pop in and chill for a couple of hours.

This upstairs restaurant is bright and airy. The food is healthy and well prepared and the staff are friendly - they carried our tray when they saw we were elderly. While eating and drinking customers can sit by the large windows and watch the birds on the lake below.

This is a lovely place to visit. It is so tranquil. The cafe is lovely and clean. They have a very good variety of foods and drinks to choose from, at reasonable prices. We had breakfast; just a bacon and sausage sandwich and they were very tasty.The staff are brilliant. Sometimes it’s quite full but you always get a seat. The views from both the ground and first floor are fantastic. Don’t pass by, it’s worth a visit.

really good filter coffee and superb carrot cake - in modern building with very good views over the reserve and some outside seating

A most enjoyable pot of tea here giving three cups too. Admirable large slice of St Clements cake completed the visit. Airy and bright with a helpful lift for the disadvantaged. This would be great even in inclement weather. I joined RSPB for a year since 9 visits woukd be easy to achieve and make it worth the outlay

No Sunday Lunch in spite of it being advertised, even had a sign on the counter!! In spite of this the hot food option was pretty good! Great to have a good cafe on site.

I have visited this reserve several times with my grandchildren. The whole place is brilliant -the staff are helpful, the shop good and the restaurant excellent - food for all tastes (reasonable price) and great views from the window. There are toys for children to play with and a playground outside. There are long walks for those who are energetic and buggies for use of the elderly. My grandchildren love it and so do I. Plenty of birds to see in a fascinating setting- part nature, part industry and not far to drive to many river and coastal sites for birdwatching.

After a good walk around the nature reserve the with 2 young children we had all built up an appetite. The food in the cafe/restaurant catered to my taste and the children's taste, and there seemed to be a selection of food for all age groups. My wife and I had a tasty soup with fresh crusty bread and a large cup of tea and the kids had fish and chips and fruit juice. The prices overall were very reasonable.

Absolutely terrible Sunday lunch, completely tasteless. It was very cheap, but maybe increase the cost and quality. Have had tea and cake many times and enjoyed, but avoid Sunday lunch.

A present to us and very good this was too. There is a canteen feeling so atmosphere could be better though large picture windows looking out onto the wetlands was impressive. Sadly the strong December afternoon sun (yes we do get this here from time to time) resulted in serious glare which was a shame. A pleasant afternoon.

If eating here you are assured a fresh hot meal.There are always 3/4 choices of hot meal,along with home- made soup and a roll.Tea ,coffee and a range of cold drinks, cakes and scones.

We've eaten at Saltholme regularly since the reserve opened and this is our second review. In our first review in 2012 we commented favourably about good food at a fair price. Snacks are now regrettably quite expensive e.g £2.75 for a sausage bun and the latte coffees rather weak that we now have think twice about eating here and often eat elsewhere on our birdwatching circuit. Whilst we're normally happy to give money to the RSPB we can no longer justify the prices and weakish lattes which rather quickly mount up for two. Don't let our review our you off. The restaurant offers lovely views over the main lake of the reserve and the food is good quality.

Some of our party had drinks and snacks while 2 of us explored the reserve. Drinks and snacks were excellent

Great place to call in to have a snack, whilst looking out over a lake/pond Birds of all species flying about. there are walks around the lakes etc great place to spend a few hours.

We came into the restaurant freezing cold to find a warm welcome & a delicious gluten free hot chocolate & scone suitable for me as a Coeliac; gorgeous. Thank you to the helpful, friendly staff.

Nice walking around the site .Lots of birds to see and the lake was lovely .Nice café overlooking the lake .In the main foyer there is a shop and lots of telescopes to view the birds.Children will love it

Often call in here when we are out with the grandkids at Saltholme. It’s a good day out and the café is ideal for a bite to eat.

We visited Saltholme on bank holiday Monday and even though it was very busy the staff were still very informative and accommodating. The place is a wildlife haven for birds and they have something for everyone. The toilets are spotless and the restaurant is wonderful. The staff are really lovely and so helpful to all including children and the disabled,they are a credit to their team. Well done and well worth a visit.

Lovely little café in the Salthome Nature Reserve. You can get hot food which always looks nice, homemade soup or sandwich [served with choice of chips or soup]. Lovely food, freshly prepared. My only slight criticism is that by late lunch everything goes and there is nothing to get. By 3pm forget trying to get a sandwich. Beautiful views of the birds. Highly recommended. Why do they close so early? In the summer it would lovely to spend an early evening here.

The cafe area is upstairs at the RSPB visitor centre. My wife and it went during the week so it wasn't too busy. We both had well filled baguettes (many places skimp on the fillings) plus you get chips or crisps. I had the chips (fries). Wow, chunky with a yummy coating. There's a balcony area where you can look over the land although the views from inside the cafe are far superior as they look over the wetland areas themselves. The food was very nice and the staff friendly. It seemed a little strange that after we'd eaten you bring your tray back to a rack where it's stacked ready for taking away. It wasn't a big deal, though. All in all, a nice place to go especially after trailing the long tracks around the wetland areas.

What a beautiful lunch I had at at this Reserve. Freshly prepared baguettes with plenty of meat in them. The meal deal that I had included a bowl of chips and I never ever thought that I would say this about any restaurant I would go back for the chips alone. Gorgeous chocolate fudge cake with cream included a free cup of delicious coffee. The views were stunning and the cafe staff friendly and helpful. The views are great as the large windows overlook the reserve so there is plenty of action. This reserve has been open for about 5 years and I am sorry to say that this is the first time that I have been there, without doubt it will not be the last as we are to take our 3 year old twin grandchildren there next week.

Home made food and good healthy food selection .great views if get window seat.reasonable prices.only gripe is you are supposed to clean own table b4 u leave and there was 3 dirty so i cleaned our table b4 and after also some tables a bit rocky.gets busy as only quite small but wouldnt stop me coming back.

great day out lots to see and do fantastic to take the children great for picnics also has a great cafe

A pleasant cafe with good home cooked food reasonably priced. Lovely views onto main lake. Kept clean, with friendly staff.

.......plus some reasonably priced hot food. Although I did not partake, the breakfasts looked delicious. A great view across the lake - get a window seat if you can.

Nice staff and a good range of meals and snacks. Vegetarians catered for too. Sand martens visible from the restaurant.

Card payment is an attractive feature for foreigners who dislike carrying significant amounts of cash.Location is convenient for my work place, which I can see from the panorama lounge. If the lounge view had been 360 degrees you would be able to take in the full contrast between the Nature Reserve and all the old and new industrial landmarks.The food quality is satisfactory and ranging from light refreshment to full and rich meals.Remember to get your parking fee refund if you stay less than an hour.

we only really wanted some thing to eat and you do have to pay to get in £3 but you can get it back if your only going for food as its for the the charity we didnt bother

excellent ease of access, great points to view birds, can be cold even in summer but well worth a visit.restaurant is clean and tidy, basic but nice. dont expect high class cuisine, prices not too bad and certainly not expensive.i waited quite few years for this place to be recognised as a nature reserve. but dont expect a nature wonderland, after all, it is in the heart of a major industrial area. it must be good, thousands of winged visitors flock there all year round so why not give it a try.

Fairly average cafe with great views if you are into bird watching. Been twice and have managed to get a wobbly table both times - coffee in the saucer within seconds!! Sandwiches fresh and good value. Grandson loved the picnic box.

Food is OK here, Nothing special, but reasonaby priced and nicely presentedTables take a long time to be cleared of crockery..What really makes this worth a visit is the wonderful viewsfrom the picture windows of the Nature Reserve.

Good food, plenty of choice, great outlook, friendly staff.

Excellent restaurant with fantastic views over Teesside for bird watching and sunsets

Been a couple of times now to look round the reserve. Used the cafe each time...well worth a visit...great coffee with fabulous views. Excellent value breakfasts. Lift was good for elderly parents. Used by families as well as enthusiasts...lots going on...will return.

thefood can be left to sit for a while during the day.The drinks aregood but snacks are lacklustre. The best bit are theveiws of the birds

nice cafe for families and roof terrace. Love the birds-good play area for children

We go to the cafe about once a month during visits to the main reserve. There are a number of options: from a bacon butty which is very generous on the bacon at a good price; to a Sunday lunch which is delicious. The food is prepared freshly and is tasty. The coffee here is to be recommended. There are also views over the reserve and free wi-fi is a nice touch, and best of all the profits go to the RSPB to further conservation work. The reserve is popular on weekends and it can be a squeeze in the restaurant when it's very busy - but usually there are at last a couple of tables free. Ample parking spaces.