The Brown Bear Coffee Shop in Amber Valley

Cold cheese and onion toasties cold cappuccino, should have complained, but as just opened will give another chance will give another go just to see

WHAT AN AWFULL PLACE! Rude, unhelpfull and sarcastic owner. After a brief conversation with the owner it was apparent this was not an establishment I wanted to give my hard earned money. I walked out and will not be returning.

I booked afternoon tea for 16 at the brown bear coffee shop and it was amazing! really nice sandwiches and cakes. Coffee and tea kept coming! the shop is amazing too. Highly recommend!

Went for lunch wasn't greeted with a smile neither a please or thankyou from the waitress she looked like she didn't want to be there .I ordered a cheese sandwich it came nicely presented but there was no butter on the bread just grated cheese on dry bread , just plonked down on the table waitress never said a word or smiled just walked away don't think I would go again

A Cold miserable cafe with no heating on. We sat there in our coats - it is the middle of Winter for goodness sake !!!! Fruit loaf is pathetic. A portion not even big enough to feed a small child !! I had to go to Birds cake shop afterwards because I was still hungry !! Staff issues as I had to wait a further 10 minutes for the fruit loaf after my coffee arrived. Serving out of date gingerbread biscuit with the coffee - vile !!! Please do not visit this establishment - its gone to the dogs and they are ripping you off for it !!

What a little gem of a find, first time visit today, homemade bagel BLT was to die for, coffee great too, would highly recommend and will definitely visit again

Exceedingly Good I don’t live in the area but had been invited to a baby shower at this lovely coffee shop. What a surprise, I would never have known this existed, the food and drinks were very good and the prices were exceptional. £6.20 for Eggs Benedict is very excellent. Each drink is served with a small gingerbread bear, what a nice touch. The staff could not have done more for us. Try it for yourselves and hopefully you will be as pleasantly surprised as I was. Ripley is lucky to have such a lovely coffee shop.

Great veggie breakfast and carrot cake 😋. It's definitely worth to come back and try the milkshakes and scones that look stunning!!

A lovely little tea room/coffee shop/cafe. Good choice of menu and large portions. Because of the stairs would not be suitable for the disabled

Called in The Brown Bear for lunch yesterday, first time in a long time. We both ordered from the breakfast menu (vegetarian breakfast and eggs Royale) followed by beautiful raspberry flapjack. The food was lovely, the service good and excellent value. Will definitely be returning

Oh dear! A very unhelpful, unhappy , off putting waitress. The food was reasonable. Nothing exciting. Will not be returning.

Visited the brown bear on Saturday,I have been many times before however on this occasion as we entered the shop ,there was an older woman behind the counter whom was extremely rude,made us feel like we should not have been there, we hadn't read the poster on the door as it was pouring down with rain, it was only when another customer informed us of how to order . My partner and I ordered breakfast...we were then told by a customer we had to fetch our breakfast and had to order toast separately... the staff and especially the older woman were unhelpful slamming plates down ,most uncomfortable meal i have had in a long time very unfriendly atmosphere never again will I go back ...most unfriendly place in ripley 😡

Went for the first time today had the big bear breakfast and it was lovely, they let us exchange items we didn’t like eg black pudding for something else. Good local produce and proper bread. Excellent value for money. People sat at the side of us had preordered afternoon tea it looked fabulous and they confirmed it was. We would definitely come her again for a mela or just coffee and a cake.

Paid 35p for butter to go with scone and got one pat which was not enough. Charged another 35p for second pat, so a grand total of £1.40 for 4 little pats of butter for two of us! Coffee weak. Wont be coming back.

Owner could be less sarcastic and sharp on her replies/responses. In winter, there needs to be some heating on.

Fabulous little place, attractive and clean. The only downside I can see is that it is upstairs with no lift access.Lovely, although not extensive menu which caters for some specialist dietary requirements. Polite and friendly staff; delicious food.The chocolate and jams section is an added bonus.This was our second of what we expect will be many visits

Wow worst place ever , ordered a child's beans on toast and a ploughmans , would you believe me and my disabled child waited 1 hour and 35 mins and when it arrived it was cheese on toast with mouldy bits in it maybe it was the cheese . My ploughmans was very very poor a tiny cheap pork pie, Branson 4 stale cracker left is Apple and grapes and couple slices of cheese one was dried out , we left most the food just wasn't at all nice .The lady isn't very polite or friendly , quite snappy . Wouldn't touch this place again waiting that long was a really bad experience for me with a child with needs . No apology or anything . Next table a man that had to get back to work also waited over a hour , terrible service.

We've walked past this place plenty of times and never thought to go in. Today we do and I'm glad we tried it.Being a coeliac it can be difficult to find places to cater for my requirements. I was pleasantly surprised to find five cakes on the counter (displayed on the top shelf to reduce cross contamination) to choose from. I had a slice of the coffee cake and a hot chocolate, while my husband (no dietary requirements) had an American and a cherry cream scone.We paid a very reasonable price at the counter (less than £10 for two drinks and two cakes) and our food and drinks were brought to our table for us. I found the cake to be light and tasty, and it was a very generous portion. My husband tells me the scone was delicious.The cafe itself is tastefully decorated, light and bright and kept very clean. The toilets were well stocked and also clean. There is a little shop where you can buy sweet treats, cake recipe jars and books.The lunch and breakfast menu was what you'd expect of a cafe, with sandwiches, soups and jacket potatoes with plenty of variety. There was also a note that they could cater for dietary requirements in the menu. Brown Bear is a bit of a hidden gem and I will definitely be returning to try more of their fayre.

All I can say is avoid this place. First time I went my nana asked for a jacket potato which she was looking forward to as we rarely go out for a meal together, to our surprise they did not have any. Okay. Second time my sister and Nana went alone, my sisters chicken was quite frankly charred. The wedges were burnt but still edible to some extent. They tried to return the meal but there was no apology for the state of the meal instead there was a rude remark “ she’s done a good job of eating it” and “ we have to cook the chicken at a high temperature to kill the germs”. My sister had reluctantly eaten 1/4 of the burger and her taste buds were screaming with horror. Do not waste your money here, you will be unfortunately seem to by impolite staff and burnt food and for the prices it is unacceptable. Disgusting that no refund was offered to my 10 year old sisters meal and the sarcastic remarks which were made were pure rude for staff who have a duty to serve the customers. Here is your warning.

This is a nice shop and coffee shop but whilst we was there some incidents occurred. Well, my granddaughter and I went here for some food with our relatives. My granddaughter ordered a chicken burger, she started eating her potato wedges and they was kind of burnt, but they tasted okay. So then as she was eating her burger, we realised that it was was burnt, at the top and the sides it was a dark shade of black. Well, I took it to the counter and I showed the assistant in the shop and she said that they had to do it at a high temperature, but I thought that it shouldn't be black, it would of been okay it wasn't fully burnt. Then she said that my granddaughter had eaten quite a bit of the burger when she ate a quarter of it. We was quite disappointed in this matter of fact, this burger was burnt and we should of had a refund because it was so bad, I payed £6.80 for this burger and it was burnt!! On the good side my bacon cob was delicious! Also the facility was very clean. It was okay this restaurant but it could of been a bit better.

The owner has put so much thought into everything from the decor to the menu design and the food itself. This is a business where they care about the food, the cafe and the customers. We had cooked breakfasts which were delicious but we wished that we had room for some of the amazing homemade cakes or one of the 40 flavours of milkshakes! They also sell takeaway treats so it is worth treating it as a shop if you are putting together a picnic. Best cafe around!

Had a fantastic lunch at brown bear, including this delicious battenburg milkshake. I had a baby bear all day breakfast for lunch which allowed room for cake and my milkshake. Everyone in my party really enjoyed their meal.

This is a nice little place with some lovely unusual gifts to buy. However when I recently went for a drink and cake I was quite disappointed. We had a cake and milkshake. My cake (lemon and ginger) was very dry and it didn’t seem fresh at all, more like like it had been out uncovered for quite a while. The milkshakes looked very nice but were very milky with hardly any taste. Hopefully this is a one off as I’ve been before and it’s been lovely and I will try it again.

We were lucky enough to win the Xmas afternoon tea raffle. We paid a bit extra to include the kids but shouldn't have worried as there was so much food. There was absolutely everything you could think of. The sandwiches weren't finger sandwiches they were doorstop sandwiches. The cakes were a little dry but they were full of flavour

Called in whilst waiting for a job on my car. Had a breakfast baguette which was excellent, it’s a lovely clean place to visit.

I have to say we hadn’t been here before but our normal coffee shop in town had run out of soya milk so we decided to try the brown bear .The entrance to the coffee shop isn’t that great as it’s the back entrance from hurst the chemist .But once inside the coffee shop was really quite nice light & bright with nice comfy sofas to sit on.The lady behind the counter was pleasant and helpful regarding our dietary requirements and they had soya milk plus the cake counter had the top shelf filled with homemade Gluten Free cakes .Altogether we had three coffees plus two pieces of cake mine GF which was lovely and moist and the bill came to just over £10.00 so it’s really good value too . Well this may have been our first time to go to the brown bear coffee shop but I sure it won’t be our last .

A very poor place to dine. Terrible, overated food. Poor quality. Ignorant staff. Say no more! Quality of the meat is awful and the bread is as if it's a month old.

We ordered the ham salads ..great service in a lovely light setting..food was very well presented and nice and fresh ..did think for £6.50 ea it was slightly overpriced however I would recommend this place ..

Called at The Brown Bear Cafe and had a super Little Bear or Baby Bear Cooked Breakfast. As far as a breakfast goes it was super. Well cooked, lovely sausage and not greasy. Disappointed to be charged 70p for 2 tiny extra portions of butter. Two slices of thick and lovely toast came just with 2 tiny pats of butter. We had asked for two extra pats of butter and were told we had to pay. When we came to pay it was 70p.

Walked past the entrance lots of times but today thought I would nip in for breakfast.

I had the vegetarian breakfast and it was amazing- the best I have had. I really enjoyed it. Potato rosti was delicious, yummy scrambled eggs, mushrooms, tomato, toast and avocado (I have never had this in a vegetarian breakfast and it worked really well).

Very disappointed, visited in the past so thought we would have a refreshing afternoon drink and snack after a busy morning. But unfortunately they had closed with no signage outside or on the door to say that they had closed and when I reached the tea room and asked all I got was yes we are closed, no sorry or explanation. Not very good, we even checked the times when we left and it clearly stated 3pm on the door, this was 2-15 in the afternoon.

Disappointed as avocado and poached egg salad run out when went to the counter told the sold out sign was on the blackboard checked again and it was not

Really disappointed, my son suggested we go to the brown bear for lunch, when we last visited we really enjoyed our meal but today it was terrible, we had a cheese & ham panini, made with tasteless cheese, rubbery ham and well the panini was like a burger bun, I had eggs benedict, same rubbery ham, hollandaise sauce was served in a dish and was almost cold, the only good point was the poached egg which were runny, both meals were barely warm, it wasn’t busy, it was the same staff but the food was no where near as good as if used to be. So so so disappointed.

My hubby and I visited The Brown Bear coffee shop on our day off and decided to treat ourselves to breakfast. My hubby ordered the Brown bear breakfast at £5.20 and I ordered eggs benedict, again at £5.20.

The Brown Bear breakfast comes in different sizes to suit all appetites. Mum chose the Baby Bear, which was just right for her. We had the medium breakfasts. There was plenty on the plate, and it was a lovely treat.

Counter with gluten free cakes totally empty and only 12 noon when visited so had sea food salad which was very nice however sauté potatoes very strange but son liked his potato wedges with his burger.

Absolutely awful. I would not recommend at all. There were 3 of us (2 adults & 1 child) and 2 other people in the entire cafe...out of the 4 cooked breakfasts ordered, 3 of them were sent back for being stone cold! Once my breakfast was returned, I realised it had obviously been warmed up in the microwave as the half sausage I sent back was returned to me. Their 2nd attempt at the breakfast was truly awful and inedible. What a waste of money. My 7 year old son had a pastry and fruit platter, which had to be returned as the fruit was not fresh...the cherries and grapes were wrinkly and way past their best and the apples and pears were brown. Disgusting to be served this. When I complained the lady thanked us with no offer of a refund. After spending £25 on what can only be described as a rip-off for inadequate food, we approached the lady to say it was not good enough. She gave us £4 back. What!?!? The lady then reluctantly gave us an additional £5 which probably only covered the cost of the coffee and milkshake. We will definitely not return EVER and advise you to give this place a wide berth too! What a shame it has gone down hill since the previous owners. Terrible!

This cafe is on the first floor of Hurst's the Chemist on the High Street in Ripley. I'm not sure if it is independently owned, or a part of the Hurst's complex. I'm not a resident of Derbyshire, and found the cafe to be poorly signed, both outside its location and inside the shop itself. I had to ask a sales assistant, and her response conveyed the message that she was a bit tired of people asking where the cafe is.

Probably OK for their overpriced milkshakes, but they ain't got a clue about making a cooked breakfast.

I very often call in a The Brown Bear cafe after having a hot stone back massage at Hurst's Beauty in Store downstairs. They do lovely coffees and I can recommend their breakfast rolls, especially bacon and egg.

The worst quality food I've ever had the misfortune to be served!!!

Hubby and I went to the Brown Bear for lunch today. The laminated menus were sticky and could have done with a wipe, but the place itself was clean. Selection on menu was good and had a lot of fresh and tasty sounding options. I had the ploughmans platter and hubby had the medium all day breakfast. I was very happy with mine but he thought his was not really good value for money and was warm rather than hot. Service was courteous but a bit slow.

We ordered a pot of tea for two & cake each.Both were excellent.Portions were generous & at £5.80 I thought...

Would be a 5 star rating if staff were welcoming and if you got value for money. The freak shakes...

had a lunch special creamed Mushrooms on toast came with salad and had a pot of tea which came with...

Vine aquí con varias otras madres y bebés, la camarera/mujer en la era muy frío y hasta al punto. Pedí un sándwich vegetariano, que era bastante agradable, y un apretón de loca, que era precioso, pero a £6. 00 estaba un poco indignado! También pedimos...

Tuvimos un almuerzo informal y sábado de panini de jamón y queso, servidos con ensalada" y col, y mi hijo tenía uno de los cookie Monster freakshake. bien! Relación calidad-precio, servicios rápidos y comida deliciosa, no vacila ante

Been today and had a Baby Bear Breakfast each at £4.20 , Latte and Diet Coke ... latte was tasteless even as a double shot , glass of Coke was flat :( breakfast took 25 mins to come (so I thought it must be being cooked to order as it was 11.20 ) but don't think it was as everything was only luke warm , shame really because the bacon and sausage tasted good butchers quality also better value to have the Bear Breakfast because for just £1 more you get 1 extra bacon+sausage+egg+toast Not sure if I would return ? Quality ok but execution poor

I went with my daughter to this place and found it ok. The only downside I found was the bread seemed soggy as if it had been frozen and then defrosted. As coffee shops go it was ok nothing out of the ordinary but I think a score of 4 is fair.

My sister and I were I town and decided to call in for a drink and some lunch. It was the first time we had visited. On first impression it looked very clean, there were plenty of tables, however most of the tables were empty! Not what you would expect for a Saturday lunch time when Oxford Street was busy with shoppers! We sat down, chose our food and drinks and I ordered at the counter. We both had hot chocolates which were nice but only like warm and both had a panini. The food was nice and well presented. For the 2 drinks and 2 paninis it came to just over £17 which to be honest I thought was quite expensive. Initially I was interested in trying one of their freakshakes but then I saw the price of £6.50 and that was a definite no no!! Overall the place is nice and I would go back again but probably for coffee and cake. Must say that it did lack atmosphere though, could do with a bit of music or something just to make it feel less like a waiting room.

Ideally located for a quick coffee, but main meals leave a lot to be desired. Breakfast was especially mediocre, mainly cold and badly cooked. It's a shame that the restaurant did not live up to expectations in terms of food, when the location and premises are very good. With so much competition readily available, I am surprised that the staff couldn't do better, we were the only two on the premises, so there was no question of having to rush the food, but I actually found breakfast inedible, and we will certainly not be visiting again.

Nice atmosphere and unrushed but a bit disappointed with not only the range of food but the food itself when it arrived. I had a tuna and cheese wrap and expected it to be warm - it was cold and obviously meant to be cold. The tuna also tasted funny. I thought that for the price the meal was disappointing.

Thank you so much for yesterday mad me and my daughter feel really welcome . The food was amazing would recomend everyone to visit xxx Thank you to all staff for a great day xx

My daughter her boyfriend and i went for breakfast this morning when our drinks arrived they where luke warm and the breakfast was cold and sausages undercooked we complained and the miserable waitress just grumbled sorry its not upto standard and walked away no offer of putting it right wont be going again

Sorry to say we won't be going back here. My husband and I called in just before 12 for lunch on a Saturday. There were 2 other customers in the cafe. My husband ordered a jacket potato for me and mushroom stuffed with couscous for himself. Our pot of tea for 2 came to the table in good timing along with our napkins and cutlery. We then waited for 25 minutes for our meal which did not arrive so I told the girl serving that we needed our meal because we had a car park ticket to get back in time for. She then went to the kitchen. No explanations. 10 minutes later we still had not received our meal and had not been given any information as to how long it would be. During our wait, about a dozen customers had sat down and were all being served before us, some with cakes and a couple with bacon cobs. We then had to leave as we would not have enjoyed our meal because it would have been rushed. We asked and received our money back with a very mumbled apology and again no explanation as to why this had happened. Also we didn't find it a very friendly place.

Went in here on spec after trying one of the other cafes in town who had no gluten free options left. As we had a coeliac who is also oat intolerant the lack of GF options was an issue. No problem here. Nice dessert available and the cakes for the rest of us were good. Clean décor but not many people inside so lacking a bit of atmosphere, however useful for a quick cuppa while shopping and considerably more helpful than the other establishment we tried. Nice snazzy toilets which were impeccably clean.

Called in here for the second time in a couple of months (second chances and all that) only to be disappointed, as I was the last time I went in. The best seats in the window were not in use ( same as last time) service was confused and lacked a friendly smile. Also, no atmosphere what so ever. It felt like a doctors surgery. On a plus side, coffee was nice, and it was lovely and clean.

Lovely place to stop for a quick cuppa but also have a great selection of meals and snacks, also do takeaway, pleasant helpful and very friendly staff.

We ate at the restaurant for my Birthday and I can't recommend it enough!The setting is lovely- clean and fresh colours, very welcoming. There are also some lovely handmade items on sale- I was very tempted by the beautiful soft toys but just about resisted and purchased some fabulous cards instead! The items are there to browse if you wish but there is certainly no pressure to do so. Turning to the food (of course!)- it was absolutely gorgeous. All so fresh and, I understand, homemade. My Mum and I had Afternoon Tea and it was fantastic. Very nicely presented, plentiful and so tasty. We had sandwiches (we were able to pick three fillings), cheese straws, pork pie, a scone, two types of cake, a pot of tea.... We couldn't believe the value for such good quality food. My Dad had tea and a cob, which, again he enjoyed very much (and we let him share a little of the cake!!) He also had the meringue- which arrived with cream and a huge amount (and variety) of fruit- beautiful. There were two members of staff on and both were lovely- friendly and efficient. We were made to feel very welcomed and were never rushed. Fantastic value (everything came to under £20), lovely, clean setting and wonderful food.

Nothing wrong with the bacon/sausage bap, cake or coffee that I had here, but! Service from the staff was okay and coffee shop is clean and tidy but cannot put my finger on why I did not feel at home.

What an excellent little coffee shop. Found my way in and had an excellent pot of coffee with a first class cheese scone. Very reasonably priced. This is the place to go if you're in Ripley! Lovely decor and good service. I definitely will be back.

Three of us went for afternoon tea after struggling to find somewhere locally. The place was quiet but very friendly. We asked if they could possibly do afternoon tea for three which only cost £1.20 more! There was a wide choice of fillings and a lovely selections of cake along with crisps and salad and lots of tea! The food was lovely, cheese straws and the raspberry and possibly banana cake were divine. They managed to cut some of the items into three so we all got to try a bit. Toilets were clean and well maintained. There were small gifts and edible items on sale as well.

Charming coffee shop with interesting on trend items for sale.3 of our party had the cheese and tomato quiche which we found to be lacking in taste and over cooked. I had large meringue which was very chewy.

We visited whilst shopping in Ripley, and were looking for a light lunch. The drill is to order at the counter on arrival. We asked the counter assistant for help in deciding our meal, and enquired about any specialities or recommendations she could suggest. Although the tearoom was not busy, there was absolutely no interest in us, our requirements or custom. We struggled to find a suitable offering, and merely ordered tea cakes and hot chocolate. Our order took about 15-minutes to be served, and the quality of both food and drink were very poor! Would not return.

Feel disappointed....went in at 3:45 on a weekday,was empty so asked lady behind the counter if she was still open,to be told only until 4,to which my reply was is it not until 5? Her reply was only for those finishing off their food. I'm confused? I was going in for food? Well a hot drink and a meringue I've been hearing about. So I left explaining I would go somewhere else then. Wasn't a good first impression at all.

Have been here a couple of times now, very nice friendly service, in pleasant surroundings.Always a warm welcome, happy to assist you in deciding what to try and no rush service which helps you enjoy a relaxing break.They also have a loyalty card for the regular visitor, giving you a free drink upon reaching 10 paw prints, each hot drink you purchase gains you 1 paw print stamp.All in all a good stop for the casual or regular visitor.

Great surroundings but the food was terrible, I had a full breakfast, the eggs were crispy to the point of no white left, the bacon was hard and dry and I couldn't cut with a knife and the rest of the breakfast wasn't much better, my wife's meal was cold - I got a refund and went somewhere else - went at a similar time last year shortly after it had been taken over and it wasn't much better then.

Visited with my husband for lunch. He rated his ploughman's platter as the best he's had and my chilli and nachos was lush. A real treat with friendly service and such good value.

An excellent place to meet up with work colleagues or friends, the staff are always very friendly and helpful, and the coffee and food are excellent. There is a good breakfast, snacks and lunch menu, and the food is very good with large portions. There is no rush if you just want to relax over coffee with friends, its an ideal place. The tables are not too close as with the previous owners, making it a very private place too.

I've been in this upstairs coffee shop. Several times now, The decor is lovely and they sell a few handcrafted bits and bobs and foodie items, staff can be very hit and miss regarding their efficiency and friendliness, this time the staff member was fairly ok I ordered 2 Teas and a Cherry scone, they arrived very quickly no complaints there but unfortunately the Scone wasn't cooked through properly and was really doughy and hard to eat, might not bother coming here again

The Brown bear coffee shop is one of the better places to eat in Ripley. The food is all locally made, the cakes are lovely and the meringues excellent. The service is friendly and welcoming. Well recommended.

We called in for breakfast and we weren't disappointed. The Little bear breakfast was brilliant I had it with beans which came in a little cup and my husband had the big bear which came with toast. It was well cooked with extremely good quality produce used. We are look forward to giving the bistro nights at visit shortly.we will be calling again.

Thoroughly enjoyed the three visits I have made to this cafe in the last month. The quality and variety of the cakes is very pleasing and the rest of the menu is enjoyable. The meringues with the fruit plate is excellent. Its clean, friendly and relaxed. If you want cheap, tasteless, fast food go elsewhere. Come here, make your choices, sit back and relax.

Beautifully decorated, incredibly pleasant staff and food good enough to come back time and time again, what's not to love? I have been to The Brown Bear several times and I always see improvement. The menu's are constantly changing (for the better!), the range of stuff they offer is always getting bigger and the staff are always such a pleasure to be around. They will always go the extra mile to ensure you have a lovely experience! As a nut allergy sufferer, I can come to this place and know I will be looked after and they will prepare for me what I ask for. The Afternoon Tea is so far my favourite in Derbyshire!

Pretty decor, only one menu and drinks card on the table so have to share. I'd suggest having several per table. Food choice is good, pretty traditional. Nicely presented. Friendly service but it is slow for what it is. I know that feta is salty but the dressing was also quite salty so was a little overpowering overall. Maybe a salt free dressing for such salads would be better. Good portion size. Excellent milkshake. Toilets are clean. Will return. To improve- a gluten free cake (not just meringues, which did look amazing!) would be a bonus. Also a peppercorn grinder on tables, not just ground, would be ideal.

my friend and myself went in for breakfast, the coffee and pastries were very nice we though the Service was polite and efficient and the girl who served us was very helpful in what we asked her about the bistro which is served once a month. the café itself is very clean and was a pleasure to go there. we are thinking of going back for a lunchtime meal very soon and also take my daughter.

Good coffees served with a great selection of home made cakes and biscuits/cookies. These can also be purchased to take away. A tad overpriced, but not excessively so. Service is polite and efficient, but a bit more personality and warmth could be employed to make this place really great. Certainly the coffee shop with the most potential in the area, and needs a few more bums on seats to give it the atmosphere it deserves. It's directly above (and can be entered through) Hursts, an incredible pharmacy, gift shop and perfumery, selling items that would be impossible to find elsewhere (like Guerlain perfumes). A really nice, unspoilt traditional/old fashioned department store with mahogany counters and glass cases. Well worth a visit from out of town, for nostalgia, amazing perfumes and great coffee!

Popped in for a quick snack before work. Had jacket potato and it was beautiful but couldn't eat it all it was so big. Will definitely go back

went to the brown bear with my granddaughter this week , we had afternoon tea , you get a choice of sandwiches and can choose 3 sorts we only had beef and ham, you get sausage rolls porkpie salad or crisps it varies depending on what they have in at the time , then there is a selection of cakes and scones which comes with jam and cream , only thing was it was the squirty cream and by the time you come to eat it , its far to soft almost runny I would have preferred double cream my granddaughter would have preferred clotted either would have been better .We booked but you don't have to , but then you may have to wait longer for your food , choice of tea or coffee and be careful how you pick the teapot up its hot , and your fingers will touch the pot if not carful as the handles aren't that big , over all we liked our visit its clean and tidy , toilets are clean , cost 13 pounds for two which considering others ive looked at isn't to bad at all , worth a visit , if you arnt to good with stairs it may not be for you as the stairs are a little steep

I recently took my husband for lunch in the Brown Bear and was disappointed in the change of menu style and other changes since the new management took over. Gone are the daily and local papers left for you to browse if popping in for a coffee on your own. The focus seems to now be on crafts, but nothing you could get excited about. My husbands ham egg and chips looked good though the egg was absolutely cremated. I opted for a Daily Special, but first had to ask for the board to be displayed, despite being half an hour into lunch service. I chose the chicken noodle stir fry, but it was very over cooked and made me think of something a student might cook in their first week away from Mum's home cooked meals. There seemed to be a gaggle of girls in the kitchen, but no one was in a rush to come out to take an order. Gone are the lovely fabric napkins, the hand cooked chips and the light as air fish goujons and the ambience has shifted. Sorry to say I'm not inspired to return in a hurry.

A group of us attended on Saturday morning for a fry up breakfast. Service was quick and friendly and the brown bear breakfasts were excellent!

Popped in for lunch and only ordered a tuna mayo panini which took almost twenty minutes to arrive. The cafe wasn't full so not sure why it took so long. Have been here before for lunch and it is a nice cafe with crafty items on sale for you to look at whilst waiting for your food!

I visited the store in April after it had been taken over by new management and I have to say I was surprised at how quiet it was. Alongside that, it took an awfully long time to be given the coffee I had ordered. I had to wait almost 15 minutes after ordering just for the coffee and then a further 20 minute wait for the Toastie. I would not mind waiting in normal circumstances and if the store was busy but there were only myself and 2 other customers in there. The girls were young and appeared to be paying more attention to their conversation than to paying customers. I believe a little support is needed in management and supporting these girls if the business is to grow in the right direction. The decor and environment is lovely, a little more could be done on the craft side but the food is basic and costly in relation to the area and what others are providing. I hope to see it develop in the future.

Not quite sure they are fully on top of things just yet. I thought the coffe was not that great for the price with the quality being a little "thin". Perhaps more experence on the machine will lead things to improve. Hate counter ordering in a place made out to be a little above an ordinary cafe and seems a little like a waste of time when everything is then delivered to your table. Felt a tad amateurish but will return in time and update my views. Way too much competition in Town for it just to be average for long term survival.

Yummy yummy yummy that's all I can say wonderful cakes lovely lunch can't fault them I had cornflake tart it did bring me back to my childhood

Beautifully presented and Immaculate coffee shop. Homemade yummy cakes and the breakfasts are gorgeous. Highly recommend :-)

I have been in for elevenses and always been very happy with the food, coffee, ambience & friendily professional approach by all staff, so much so I commissioned them to provide a buffet for my 150 guests attending my birthday party with the centre piece being a whole dressed salmon, the food was exceptional and presentation fabulous and professional with no hesitation of recommendation to others to approach The Brown Bear Cafe to provide food for any occasion X and I will continue to call in for refreshments served with superb customer service X

I wrote a review a few weeks ago, but added it to the previous owner's Brown Bear Cafe page, which has now been closed. Here's my review......I've eaten here lots of times, but went for breakfast today - the first time since it's been taken over. Everything has become a bit more average than before. I don't think the quality of the food is as good as before, and my beans and toast were cold. One of my favourite dishes previously was smoked haddock on rosti with a poached egg; but the menu has now been slimmed down, and is a bit more ordinary. My partner's drink was brought in a plastic bottle (the kind of brand you get at cash and carry, rather than a Belvoir (or similar) brand. I noticed that my orange juice was poured from a 'value' carton too. The new staff seemed friendly and eager to please, but lacked a bit of finesse that we had before. Places to get breakfast are ten-a-penny, but The Brown Bear was always a cut above the rest. However, I fear that the new tenants have cut corners and quality, so they won't stand out anymore. It was really chilly too - we ate with our coats on! My review is no reflection on Hursts Chemists below. The cafe is just rented from them. Hursts Chemists remains the institution that it's always been!

My husband and I visited the Brown Bear for our wedding anniversary breakfast.Both had the big bear breakfast and coffeeFood cooked fresh, friendly staff and lovely relaxed environmentThoroughly enjoyed it, we will be back soon

A wonderful coffee shop, the food and coffee were lovely. Staff are very kind, helpful and happy to talk. Food is locally sourced, meat from a butcher a stones throw from the coffee shop (which i had to go to as the sausages served were that nice i had to go get some for home) and veg from the shop almost next to the butchers. All the cakes are made fresh and taste GREAT!. Also to add to the place they stock local craft artists so you know your buying something local and helps the local community.i will be seeing you again very soon!

The food was brilliant . All home cooked from fresh. The cakes all home made too. Excellent friendly staff. It's a little gem

Visited Brown Bear today for breakfast. The sign outside said under new management. So, what's new? The Brown Bear used to give the provenance of its locally supplied high quality food on the menu. Not any more. Having eaten there I now know why, the quality of the ingredients is nothing like as good as it was. What else has changed? You now have to order at the counter rather than at the table. Not a big deal. The place has had a fresh coat of paint, which is good. Everywhere looks very clean. There are fresh flowers in vases on the table although some of them were wilting. The menu is missing a lot of the previous items. No hand cut chips, no pie of the day, no San Pellegrino flavoured water, no Derbyshire oatcakes. I had the big bear breakfast. The breakfast was OK but the sausages and bacon were not as good as before. The toast was ordinary sliced white bread. My partner had Eggs Benedict, it was packet ham, cold hollandaise, probably from a jar on a fairly ordinary muffin. All pretty disappointing. Staff are friendly and pleasant, but sadly the food isn't up to what it was. It is now only average.