The Borough Cafe in Wiltshire

The breakfast and coffee order was absolutely fine, I would say Lacking in customer service, a simple hello I’ll be with you shortly when I arrived would be nice, when my breakfast arrived I was told the Cuttery was back at the counter, now I know it’s a café but perhaps they could supply cutlery at the same time as my breakfast?,

Incredibly rude older lady member of staff put a downer on our already ordinary experience at this cafe. Bang average food, slow service, weak coffee didn’t get things off to the best start. That, along with the rudeness and hostile nature of said woman to us and other guests, warrants a 1 star review. Will not return

Looks quite promising from outside but left feeling a little disappointed. Food ok but nothing exceptional- for the price, the quality of ingredients didn't seem great. Service from what seemed to be quite a young and inexperienced staff team was lacking- no real warmth or interaction and VERY slow, despite being less than half full. Feels like some staff training and a menu refresh is needed.

I felt to write this review after reading previous negative comments. At the end of the day we are reviewing a cafe for everyday use. The food was reasonably priced, quality was good especially jacket potatoes, cakes looked really good, service by young staff was attentive and polite. I would recommend for a stop off lunch etc.

Called in for the first time in a couple of years and it seemed to have gone downhill quite noticeably. Previously run by the owners who seemed to pride themselves on good customer service and interesting food, it now seems to be staffed by disinterested teenagers. With some training and supervision, I'm sure they'd be fine, but the lack of warmth, interest or communication skills is disappointing- more like McDonalds than a village cafe. Food was slow to arrive and quite basic- bread used felt like supermarket white sliced. Coffee was pretty good, no complaints there. This place used to be great and could be absolutely amazing with a bit of attention but it just feels like it's been left to drift, surviving due to a lack of competition locally.

Very slow service, no interactions with the staff even when they know you are waiting. Flapjack was delicious though but had eaten that before I reached for our drinks.

Wonderful local little cafe, food was amazing, lovely coffee, great service and friendly atmosphere and doggies can come inside downstairs! Thank u 🙂

This establishment needs to be rated properly. The annoying thing is you can only give a five star review, although the quality of food, with fantastic customer service they should be a 10 star cafe. I WILL COME BACK EVEN IF JUST PASSING. WELL DONE TO EVERYONE.

Young staff not overly welcoming or chatty, food extremely expensive in my opinion £6:50 for a tuna and red onion panini, no side garish or crisps just a panini. My flat white was very nice, again around £3.30, food come before drinks, was a long wait for drinks. If I happened to be in the area I would perhaps grab a coffee if wasn’t a long wait, but with the high prices for the small amount you get I wouldn’t return for food.

We visited your café which we have been to on a number of occasions as we always enjoy the quality coffee/ tea and good food . However this particular visit did not go as well as we normally have had in the past. We were having our food and we had no idea that they were closing at the time, and when we went to use the toilet, we were told we could not go in as they had just cleaned it. They showed total disregard to our need and we had to ask where would we find a toilet. They told us the outside public convenience or the local pub nearby. Thankfully we did not have a medical or mobility problems. We did feel they were completely indifferent to our needs. I Think they need to review their policy for cleaning the toilets which should be done at the end when customers have left and not whilst customers are still there eating in their premises Or at least inform the customer of them closing the toilets before ordering food. This is not what I would expect when you go to an establishment providing indoor eating.

I’m afraid that I have to agree with those who have commented on staff being more interested in their own conversation than in customer service. One can stand at the counter for a long time without so much as a ‘good afternoon’. Customers appear to be rather a nuisance, particularly to the younger staff. This is a shame as it mars the reputation of what should be a local asset. The owners would do well to invest in a little staff training in service, politeness and a sense of urgency in meeting the customer’s needs.

We stopped off here as we'd be out and needed something to eat. Looked great from outside but the staff were more interested in continuing their chat rather than serving us. No hot food available, even though the sign outside says that bacon rolls were served all day. I'd say more of a coffee shop rather than a cafe. Overall very disappointing.

Popped in for breakfast before returning home to Eastbourne with my family. What a lovely place, felt like I’d been here many times before with the attitude of the lovely, friendly staff. Food was great and very reasonable pricing. They also sell lots of locally produced merchandise so thought that was an excellent small business support. Wish I was local, I’d be in there much more!

I tried the Borough Cafe on the advice of my son. This wonderful little cafe is now one of our favourite places to visit. The food is delicious with great variety and the prices are reasonable for quality produce. The staff are warm, welcoming and tentative. Definitely worth a try!

I had the English breakfast. Quality ingredients and well cooked. Good and friendly service. Many thanks.

We ate there 4 times in the week so it had to be ok. Alright there's no competition but the staff were friendly and helpful. The breakfasts were good as was coffee and tea. Our go to place when we're in Downton.

Highly recommend visiting the borough cafe the drinks we ordered were delicious, and the staff were delightful as-well, especially the young man behind the counter making the coffees he said his name was Oliver and he was very polite. I also love the fact that the cafe is dog friendly!!!

I’ve been coming to The Borough Café regularly for years and it still is, as it always has been, a great little café. They offer a wide range of breakfast options (full english, bacon ciabatta, veggie breakfast etc.) as well as paninis and cakes. The brie, bacon and cranberry panini and pastel de nata are my personal favourites! Everything is a really reasonably priced given the quality of the food and portion size. The coffee is always delicious and staff are lovely! Such a shame that people feel compelled to leave small businesses negative reviews for such menial things – they have had a hard enough 18 months as it is, lets support our local businesses.

Have to agree with some of the other recent reviews on here- The Borough Cafe is not what it was. Used to call in here at least twice a month, often with family and friends but have now given up on the place. Menu is unchanging and unimaginative, vegetarian options are poor (no veggie breakfast available on my final visit) and quality of ingredients isn’t great- staff nipping to the Co-op next door for cheap sliced bread isn’t a good look. On top of this, service is often slow and amateurishly bad. Staff seem poorly trained and lacking in confidence and initiative. Walking down for breakfast on a Sunday morning used to be a treat but I prefer to eat at home now.

Having used the Borough Cafe for a number of visits I was really disappointed to see that a cooked breakfast is no longer on the menu. More of a Coffee shop than a Cafe. Cafe is clean and the staff are friendly, just a shame the menu is quite limited and they insist on playing annoying music.

Okay to meet up, nice staff but bland coffee cakes etc. No imagination = bland . Aka dull . There are much better places in the area

What a wonderful cafe in a stunning little village. Received great service and we were treated very kindly. Clean, covid compliant and great facilities. Wish we could have stayed longer. Hope to visit again one day in happier circumstances! Highly recommended.

WELL DONE AMY OF BOROUGH CAFE in DOWNTOWN Stopped for a treat Arrived just after 9 and waited to go through to the back. Group of 4 waiting ahead of us . Once open we went to the back. The lovely Amy was quick to...

This used to be a great little cafe and a regular stop for our cycling club. Unfortunately this hasn't been the case recently, dirty tables, even dirtier toilets and sub standard food. It's very poor given the high prices, such a shame.

Lovely scran! Had a sausage which was very curvy!! The tea was a scrummy. My server, a young man, was incredibly helpful, get this man a promotion. This cafe is very special needs friendly

Came today and wasn’t particularly happy , staff left many tables messy and when eventually cleared one girl didn’t sanitise them personally I think this is very poor due to COVID! Music was too loud I couldn’t hear the member of staff serving me ,...

We came here for breakfast while our car was being serviced and had a delicious bacon ciabatta and coffee. We stayed longer than intended and had more coffee with coffee cake later in the morning. Unfortunately the cake didn’t have much of a coffee flavour...

Pulled in for breakfast on way home. Due to covid we had to leave very early so planned to stop by here. Had read reviews which are mixed. The food was very good but not particularly cheap either. Two of us had the coked breakfast...

We went here for lunch at around 1:45 and waited outside until let in however they didn’t show us to a table and we stood awkwardly for a while not knowing what to do. I wanted a jacket potato but they had ran out so...

My daughters and I visited here for lunch. We found a table outside in the sunshine. My daughter was a bit unclear of the procedures relating to Covid. There was a book outside which seemed to be the track and trace arrangement but we didn’t...

Visited twice when I was on holiday. The first for a takeaway coffee, which took 10 minutes to arrive and was barely warm. Second with my 3 month baby, staff watched me struggle through the door with the pram, I was then jumped on as...

On the way home from Portsmouth detoured to miss the City's traffic and my wife spotted a lovely little cafe. AND parking outside. Brilliant. Tall young waitress did not smile or greet us [see previous post too shame] just what did we want. Ordered two...

I have visited this place twice now and on both times have had a tasty snack at lunchtime, however, on neither occasion was the lady on the till able to manage a smile of welcome. There are a lot of staff around at the back...

8 of us staying locally for the weekend. Decided to visit for breakfast on the Saturday. Arrived around 10 ish. Already busy with locals we guessed. As it was busy, we couldnt sit together, which wasnt a major problem. When we ordered, we were told...

Visited here on a busy day staff were friendly good selection off cakes and great coffee will visit again.

Well we had a little trip out to buy hedging plants at Landford Trees and then, wait for it, afternoon tea and cake at the Borough Cafe. Amazing home made cafes and strong builders' tea- just the ticket!

Abren a las 10 am los domingos y en unos quince minutos estaba muy ocupado. Popular entre los lugareños, turistas y ciclistas de turismo. Un bonito y luminoso establecimiento bien ventilado. Un montón de asientos con abajo, asientos arriba y un pequeño patio con mesas afuera también. Personal muy amable y servicial, muy buena comida, baños limpios modernos y bien cuidados. Mi esposa es celíaca y estaba bien atendida, pero aunque tenían pan sin gluten disponible, la tostadora se usa para todo el pan, por lo que tuvo que rechazar la tostada. Nos lo recomendaron como un lugar para desayunar antes de nuestra visita a Breamore House, que no abrió hasta más tarde en la mañana. Mucho espacio de estacionamiento cerca. El distrito no decepcionó y sin duda volveremos a llamar en el futuro. Bien hecho.

Una agradable y limpia cafetería vibrante con un personal amable. El único problema es que se quedan sin nuestras opciones de comida en 2 de 2 viajes durante las visitas de almuerzo.¡Me aconsejaron que si quiero que una papa horneada en el futuro suene temprano y pida una para más tarde!

Great food, Cooked to perfection. Good Choice. Good choice of sandwiches etc. will make a sandwich at your request

A menudo llamamos para tomar una taza de té y un refrigerio de camino a casa. El servicio siempre es rápido y hecho con una sonrisa. Limitan el menú a una cantidad razonable que puedan manejar y que le brinde al comensal una opción completa. El café es reluciente, limpio y acogedor.

I was getting my car serviced at Mazda round the corner and they recommended this cafe. It was a good choice. Nice environment, good menu, great breakfast at a reasonable price, good service, the cakes looked amazing so will be back to try those soon.

We stopped off for a coffee in Downton recently...found The Borough Cafe in the centre, next to the Co-Op.

Very nice I only had Breakfast Shame no fried Bread to round it off. Worth a visit even just for Coffee.

Very dissappointed with customer service! After being recommended a visit on our holiday my family biked and I walked with our new born for around 3 hours hoping for a lovely lunch! Found I had lost my wallet on the way and only had Apple Pay which was fine to pay for a £50.00 meal however when I asked to over charge me by £2 so I could have £2 change for the bus journey home with my baby this was not available. It wouldn’t have been so bad if they had not been so rude about it and lie to me that it couldn’t be done when I had just paid for a fairly expensive meal the same method. I in the end had to ride one of the kids bikes home and get the car to drive back and pick up my family and then drive back to get the bikes on a 2nd journey. I did find my wallet on the way back but I would never step foot back in such a boulshy establishment again! Poor customer services, food wasn’t too bad but that means nothing in the circumstances.

Prices are really good so it gets ever so busy. A lot of seating space so you should be ok.

Lovely cafe,great breakfast with locally sourced meat. Cakes were great too. Very well decorated. Will return.

I visited the The Borough Cafe in Downton on a warm August day. First impressions are good - the laminated menus are on each table as well as displayed behind the counter and there are clear instructions to order at the counter with food subsequently brought to the table. I ordered an all day breakfast and a cappuccino which came to just under £9.

I love to come down here for a snack or drink with friends. They sell excellent food and drinks. However, most of the menu is over priced, cakes can be expensive for a small piece and milkshakes are expensive for what they are. All around good food and drink, just a little expensive.

A pleasant relaxed atmosphere, it's really nice to find a proper old school coffee shop with handmade food. It is obviously popular with the locals and great for a stop off on the way from New Forest to Sailsbury.

Enjoyed a very well made and presented flat white coffee and a green tea, with two slices of lemon curd and zucchini cake. Yum yum

Great cafe. Very friendly staff. Good food on offer all the time. Strongly recommend stopping by for a coffee. Keep up the good work guys a+

Recommended by a friend for our latest catch up and can't believe I've never been here before such a hidden gem. Lovely friendly staff, great food (we had a toasted tea cake and a bacon sandwich both great). Don't be deceived there is a lot of space in the cafe and wish I had known about this place sooner

I had been on a very long hour and a half walk and was very hungry so I popped into this lovely cafe with my 9 month old puppy. The staff were extremely friendly and went above and beyond to accommodate myself and even bring water for Fingal. The food was amazing and tasted fresh. I have been many times and will go back again for catch ups with friends. Great job!

Run by locals and really good home cooked food. Breakfast is excellent with local produce, nice quiche/salads, excellent cakes and good tea and coffee. Papers to read and a great pace to meet people.

Yes we visited here for the local Jewish Builders society breakfast Friday meeting.

We had the cooked breakfast which was very nice. The staff were friendly and we would definitely go here again. It’s nothing special and a little cramped, but the menu was fine with all the things you would want from a small cafe.

This is our local café and is always a delight to visit- whether for just a cup of coffee (or one of their delicious milkshakes) or a bite to eat.

Popped in Borough Café on Sunday last as I do most days for coffee

A great gathering spot to meet with friends. Service and food are excellent- Pretty impressive variety too. A true reflection of the quaint and friendly village its in!

I had lunch here earlier, having to kill time whilst my car was repaired. Really nice staff, very welcoming. Tastefully decorated, including the toilets. Food was good and not too expensive. Nice to see they are using metal reusable straws, rather than plastic, nicely kind to environment!

Super food; great presentation; sensible prices; very busy but considerate staff; clean loos; popular place; best jacket ever!! Beautiful breakfast!!

Stopped here this morning on a trip to Salisbury market.

Great Cafe good food well cooked great coffee just what the doctor ordered after a cold night in a tent, cheefull staff and spotlessly clean. Dave M

Great little neighbourhood caff. Lovely ladies. Grand cakes and the best burger I’ve had this side of the Atlantic. Keep it up Girls!

Have visited a few times and haven't been disappointed with food, service or drinks on the whole! The staff are always very cheerful, there appears to be a great level of good hygiene, food is bought out within good time etc. My only comment would be that on a few occasions recently I have had a cappuccino with milk far overheated.

This is an unprepossessing cafe from the outside but inside it's friendly, clean and appetising. We had very good coffees and, to my husband's delight, a pastel de nata.

Go to Borough Cafe most days for coffee Great friendly staff , good coffee and gear snacks About once a week late breakfast or lunch with one of my daughters , again great Full English breakfast is good and great value Thank you

Found this place in Downton- not Salisbury !!-whilst out for a drive around the countryside. Nice coffee and panini- scrambled eggs not so good- a bit overcooked.Very clean premises and friendly staff- a very nice surprise in this village and we would return.

Used this place during a stay in Downton. Please visit. Staff are just lovely. Service is good and most of all the coffee and food they serve is just outstanding.

Nice little cafe with quite a mix to chose from. Four of us all had something different and no complaints all round. They use local produce which is all a good standard. Plenty of seating and plenty of parking.

We stopped as this cafe as we were passing through. We used to live in the village and at the time there was no cafe, just pubs. So we wanted to give it a go. Breakfast is served quite late for which we were pleased as sometimes cafe's stop serving breakfast at 11, and it was gone 12 by the time we arrived. We sat outside in the courtyard as it was fairly sunny and not too chilly. We ordered the breakfast which when it arrived was excellent. Local sausage and eggs which were tasty. The coffee was good. Overall the three of us having breakfast would recommend this establishment.

I visited the borough cafe this morning and was extremely disappointed. I was greeted by young girls with bad attitude. They were not friendly at all. I ordered two coffees and one slice of quiche, I was asked if I wanted the quiche warm to which I said no. We sat outside and a while later the quiche was brought out warm, so I sent it back advising I asked for it cold. After waiting some while longer there was no sign of the coffee, when I went in to ask about it the girl said I didn't order coffee. I know I did as I specifically had to ask if they do flat whites. I feel the girl taking my order wasn't listening at all and was not interested in serving me, it wasn't even busy in the cafe so it wasn't because she was rushed off her feet. I wasn't asked if I wanted some coffee made now and no apology made. I would not recommend and I won't be visiting again.

The Borough Cafe is really lovely - the staff are very friendly, the food and drinks are delicious and despite being busy, customers were served quickly and efficiently.

I visit this cafe whenever in the area (motorcycling) and always receive a friendly welcome and good quality food. This last visit I and a friend both had sausage sandwiches which were excellent (flavoured with leeks and available to buy from the butcher next door!). I can heartily recommend this cafe.

But is now thriving as a café, The food's very good and, more importantly for me as a caffeine addict, the coffee's excellent.

Lovely light lunch, just what we wanted. Fab coffee. Happy buzz and a real community feel. Helpful,friendly staff. If you need gluten free just ask when ordering. Will visit again 😊

i ate cake and it was good. if i went back here again because i will i will get cake again because cake is very good taste

Been here a couple of times, nice enough place but if you have a big appetite like me then I would say go somewhere else, had the English breakfast and it wasn't enough to see me through the day, even the sausage was cut in half lengthways ! Never had that before.

Price of coffee (late) and cakes is about £4.20 which is good value nowadays. Good service - they take your orders and bring the coffee and cake to the table at the same time (perfect). Real tea pots with spouts too.I like Linda's flapjack but I would like to know what Linda puts in her flapjack!

I love going to The Borough Café in Downton for my weekly treat during my lunch break. It’s great having a cosy café to go to during a busy working day and the friendly staff and relaxed atmosphere make this a welcome retreat to recharge my batteries! Apart from the great coffee they serve I particularly like the Borough Burgers they make – really tasty and filling and cooked to perfection! You won’t get better anywhere else…

Have tried the cafe several times before and been disappointed in the past with various things but thought I'd give it one last try.

Had lunch with a friend here and we both enjoyed our delicious panninis. The side salad was well worth ordering as an extra to make it a proper lunch. We also enjoyed a slice of home made cake for pudding.

We were in Downton for a Sunday morning event and decided to have lunch here before returning home.

Lovely cafe in Downton. I had a panini which was delicious and friend had scrambled eggs on toast. Great service. Hot food too! Definitely go back again.

Nice coffee but very basic menu, do not eat the cooked breakfast badly cooked very greasy

This is a friendly, cheerful place to meet friends for coffee and cake or a delicious light lunch. It is child and clean dog friendly and full of smiles. The food is really fresh and tasty and cakes to die for. What is not to like?

I came with a 97 year old lady who needed quite a lot of help. The staff could not have done more to assist. Their help made our visit possible. I cannot thank them enough. We had coffee and sandwiches which were excellent. Pleasant decor friendly staff. Would definitely go back.

Wonderful to find a dog friendly cafe, wonderful food and service with a smile. Great choice of sandwiches and cakes just what we needed- all washed down with fantastic coffee! Having braved the motorway service station food service this was just the thing to re-humanise (and the dogs loved it in the courtyard too!) We will be back next year xx

Food was fresh, served with a smile and excellent value. Do not hesitate to recommend and will re visit

Fab food and coffee to die for. Really friendly obliging staff & beautiful surrounds. Couldn't be better. We'll make it a regular stop off.

I had lunch with some friends in this very pleasant, bright cafe. Sandwiches, cake, tea - nothing out of the ordinary. The sandwich fillings were really delicious and fresh but the bread appeared to be from a wrapped supermarket loaf. Paying £4 for a sandwich I would hope for better bread. Good selection of interesting homemade cakes. There are some nice touches, such as complimentary water (help yourself at the counter) but the jug hadn't been refilled and there was only one glass. The place was not busy - only half the tables were occupied so the staff could have been attending to this without prompting from customers. In fact the staff didn't seem that interested in the customers at all - not even a smile.

Food simple and great, good price. Service lovely, dog and family made welcome. Sat in the suntrap courtyard and enjoyed our breakfasts and coffee very much!

Nice coffee shop in a pretty village. Ordered hot chocolates and coffee. Fair selection of drinks and snacks. Staff could have been friendlier.

Right in the heart of Downton this busy little Cafe offers a great range of hot and cold food served by very friendly staff. The service and food was excellent just a pity the coffee's were only luke warm at best.

Loved the choice of cakes including pastéis de nata, (custard tart to you and me). Very friendly staff and it was lovely to sit outside in the sunshine in the courtyard. Coffee was spot on. A flat white for me and a frappé for my friend. Set us up for the walk back to Salisbury. How great to find an independent cafe.

Good food better if there's two or more of you cos small place as no table service so one gets table and other goes to order. Penny provided great service tasty food. Parking at back but gets busy so go early folks it's worth it.

This is a lovely little brunch cafe which the first few times we went we were delighted with, but it is / was sadly going downhill, it is disappointing to be offered a soggy toasted bap as a poor relation to crusty bread and we were unimpressed to have to return jacket potatoes (cold) and limp salad as unacceptable, so sad that the replacement food was very pleasant and well presented, why could they not do that the first time !!?

I use this cafe often. The staff are friendly, it is very clean, there is a lovely atmosphere. The coffee is good and there is always a selection of homemade cakes.

the simple and stylish renovation of a former bank has added a great cafe to Downton. Excellent range of local produce, cakes , soups , quiches etc. Great spot for coffee, a light lunch or afternoon tea.

I went to this cafe for afternoon tea one day last summer. The group leader had booked a cream tea and it was absolutely delicious. Sandwiches, cakes, scones, pots of tea. I would thoroughly recommend this cafe. The staff were happy and helpful. There was a courtyard but we chose to sit inside. I recommend this cafe.