The Longholme Cafe in Bedford

Expensive menu. Took ages arriving so that my granddaughter had to get a takeaway container, as she didn't have enough time to eat it before college . And while two of the meals were great, the mozzarella pesto roll turned out actually pesto and cheddar - not so nice as expected. No apology. The salad looked great but the dressing was not very nice. Disappointing but the setting was lovely of course by the river

Perfect place for Sunday brunch. Always friendly and welcoming when entering. Food was great and fresh. We really enjoyed our brunch. Thank you.

Nice food in great location for a sunny brunch

Pastrami baguette. £12, hardly any Pastrami, side salad was so vinegary, couldn't eat. Pesto baguette again so vinegary. Longholme potatoes was extremely salty. Expensive and poor food. Take order and deliver food to the table and add a 10% service charge. Not good, avoid.

Great fry up and fantastic service from a beautiful tall brunette, wish I got her name. Will recommend to others for food and drinks

Went there on a sunny Saturday, the food was lovely, the service on point and the atmosphere was really good. I definitely recommend it for anyone who likes having lunch outside on the nature 😊

Ordered pastrami baguette. £12. Bread was stale and dry , I needed to ask for butter. 1 thin slice of pastrami folded 3 times. Red onions soaked in vinegar made it look more. Salad too vinegary. Tea pots half full so asked for more hot water. Nice sitting looking at the river

A lovely cafe situated close to the river, with stunning views to look out on. Warm and friendly customer service. Great tasting coffee and food. Dog friendly and they do take away service.

Gran ubicación y buena comida. Hemos venido aquí desde el día en que abrió. La señora sudafricana que nos acoge, siempre nos hace sentir tan bienvenidos, otra razón por la que seguimos regresando.

Atendido por Paula que dio un servicio excepcional con una sonrisa alegre. La comida era genial y el sol brillaba, así que fue un desayuno de cumpleaños fabuloso. Gracias.

We regularly stop here for a coffee on a walk along the river. The staff and friendly and we don't normally wait long for our drinks. We've had food here too and it's lovely to sit for a while watching the world go by in such a beautiful spot by the river, especially on a warm and sunny day.

An impromptu visit, never been before. Smashing and will definitely come back! Thank you

Situado en un pequeño lugar hermoso con el sol brillando con vistas al lago de navegación. Vinimos aquí para el brunch ayer y aunque estaban super ocupados el servicio era genial. Uno de los mejores cafés que he probado. La comida estaba en el siguiente nivel. Elegimos el menú especial de tortitas. Llegaron y simplemente WOW. Todos tuvimos diferentes tortitas, pero las cerezas y bayas una que yo tenía. De la presentación a los sabores 100 / 10. Me dejaron boquiabierto y pueden decir que son unas de las mejores tortitas que he probado. ¡Grita al chef! Recomiendo encarecidamente y sin duda volveremos.

I last reviewed this cafe some years ago when it first opened as a proper cafe but yesterday was my first visit in its present incarnation. My first impressions were not wholly favourable. I rather fancied a snack in the form of a sausage roll of the bread type but I changed my mind when I saw this would set me back £7. As regular cafe visitors such as I will know, the average small cafe price for this item locally is about £4.50 and the rest of my visit did little to explain the 55% markup. I am not sure that adding the word Lincolnshire before sausage wholly justifies it. Having scrutinised the premium prices, we decided to opt for a takeaway tea. The only staff visible during our visit were two teenage boys, one of whom disappeared backstage with our order. In typical coffee shop fashion. I stood to one side waiting for my name to be called. And waiting. And waiting. Our teas finally arrived 10 minutes or more later. I am guessing this must be par for the course as no word of regret was offered. The location is, of course, excellent and this may well be enough to see this venture thrive, but neither value or level of service seemed to us in its favour.

Tuvimos las tortitas especiales para el almuerzo de hoy eran excelentes y están disponibles toda la semana. El personal, debe mencionar Paula, nos atendió muy bien como de costumbre.

Stopped off for a quick drink and snack as we walked along the river. We were seated quickly and offered to order from the table QR code or a very pleasant server with a tablet. The drinks and food were very quick in arriving considering they seemed quite busy. The cake we ordered was light and delicious. The atmosphere is lovely, overlooking the lake with ducks, swams and geese aplenty. The longholme is dog friendly and even sells doggy ice cream for your furry family on a hot day! All together it was a lovely experience stopping for brunch, pleasant, relatively inexpensive with my wife and I have drinks and snacks for under £14. We would have no hesitation in recommending The Longholme for a snack or indeed a main meal.

Lovely cosy spot - friendly service and good food. Plenty of veggie options.

Lovely food and brilliant service from Paula, we'll be back again soon.

It's ok but I cant book table for one need minimum of two people so if things are going on especially in the summer I have hope for the best there is a seat available for just the one or go on the boats hire for one need minimum of up to four but my opinion I'm shure two people be ok apart from that nice food and nice views

Lovely place for food, drinks and beautiful surroundings. Would recommend

Very sweet spot!! Paula was lovely and sat us by a table with a heater (much appreciated!). The food and coffee came quickly and was very tasty. Thank you Shannon and Paula!

Paula la camarera era muy amable y amable, pedí un bollo de salchicha y llegó muy rápido y era sabroso gracias al chef Shannon! Sin duda volvería de nuevo.

We found this little gem of a place along the embankment earlier today. We were greeted with a warm welcome from the lovely Chelsea who kindly took us through to a small hub of seats, tables and heaters. Our drinks were delivered promptly, not far behind was our food. Delicious food, beautifully presented and piping hot. What more could you want on a cold, freezing Sunday. Thank you for looking after us so well Chelsea … it may have been our first visit but now we’ve found you we will be back!

Lugar encantador para el brunch / almuerzo Personal amable y servicial, Paula es muy servicial y dar las mejores recomendaciones de menú! ¡Todo lo que ha sugerido ha sido súper delicioso! ¡Tomé el queso a la parrilla hoy, fue increíble, como Paula dijo que sería! ¡Gracias Paula!

Food fantastic. Staff very helpful and they allow dogs. Good value for money and very cosy and warm. They have blankets and heaters for you to use.

Enjoy a coffee the English way and take a walk in Bendford

Un gran hallazgo para el brunch. La comida era excelente y el servicio era muy amable y atento. Sin duda volveré cuando vuelva en Bedford!

Ok, I hadn’t realised that the seating was outside! But actually, lovely-just lovely. Very happy with this place. Pricey but not too bad.

Este lugar es increíble, la comida es perfecta, la ubicación es genial y el equipo es tan amable Paula fue una destacada para nosotros, muy amable, nos vemos en la calle 1 🎉🎉🥳🎊

Stopped at the Longholme while visiting and having a walk along the river. What a lovely find and really enjoyable experience. The atmosphere is great and the setting lovely. We had delicious drinks and a lovely lunch here and would highly recommend it. Service got rather busy and slow and it seemed their attention turned to tidying up ready to close 30min before closing time and weren't fully focused on tables even though I'd asked for a menu again and it sat on the table for over 20min. But we were enjoying the time and conversing so it wasn't a major problem. I imagine the setting and atmosphere is even better in warmer months and hope we get back to experience it again.

Great place eat for lunch, staff friendly and food was great, nice looking over the lake, nice touch with able to have blankets and heaters going.

Could be the best jacket potato I've ever had! Superb service, wonderful food, dog friendly, very welcoming. I rarely leave reviews, but everything about The Longholme was first class, thank you.

Great place to meet up and have a relaxed chat, cuppa and cake. Genuinely lovely staff- never got round to going there before but I know I will be back 🙂

I come here almost every week - it's one of the most baby-friendly places to eat and drink in Bedford in my opinion. They always have space for us, no matter how big our group or how many babies we have with us - the staff really are stellar. The cakes are lovely and I recommend the chai latte. I don't have any pictures of the food but I take pictures of the surroundings, which are beautiful (right on the Boating Lake)!

Para ser honesto, solo he comido aquí un par de veces, pero la comida y el servicio ha sido ejemplar. Tiendo a tomar café para llevar al caminar por el río, que es bastante frecuente y creo que hacen el mejor café con leche en Bedford bar ninguno!

A little overpriced. From what I saw it appears the cappachino is made with instant coffee and frothed up. Really for £3.30. On plus side friendly staff, and so they should when 10 per cent service charge. Waitress overworked today when visiting but friendly. Also Off putting when you have school children coming to use loo with foul language and trying to jump queue. It should be for paying customers. Staff never asked them to leave. Thank you for your response. I was not aware that your coffee was powdered until I walked upto the counter and saw the young guy putting 3 spoons of powdered coffee into a pot , topping up with milk then frothing up. I drank the coffee I had which at the time didn't taste like bean coffee. For all intents and purposes it looked like instant coffee The people using the facilities were school children iand had friends waiting outside for them. I now that as the young girl said to me can I jump in front of you I'm desperate and need to get back to school They came of the street, and definatly not customers and did not order takeaway As You appreciate a review is a review and it's the reviewers experience at the time of visit

Fantastic coffee, delicious cakes, and we could take the dog

Lugar perfecto para un almuerzo de cumpleaños familiar. Estábamos sentados en la zona cubierta en la parte trasera, que es perfecto para un grupo grande con un rango de edad de 2 a 84 años más un perrito. Excelente servicio de Paula, que era amable y eficiente. Cada uno disfrutó de su elección de comida, que va desde rollos de desayuno, envolturas, tostadas y bagels. Un toque encantador fue sacar un brownie de chocolate con una vela para el cumpleaños de mi hija. Habíamos mencionado cuando estaba sentado que era su cumpleaños, pero nunca esperábamos esto. Qué lindo regalo.

Love this cafe. Had a bacon roll which was really good. Nice coffee too. Friendly staff.

We had lunch here on a nice sunny September day. The service we got from Paula was professional, friendly and prompt. She made us feel so welcome, Checked back with us twice during our meal and was there to say ' come back soon' which we will Paula, thanks!

Nice cafe between the river and boating lake. Good choice of snacks and cakes, coffee very good. Service very slow but it was a lovely sunny day so not a problem.

Had a lovely breakfast at The Longholme. Great food with a wonderful view of the lake. Plus they allow dogs, which is always a bonus!

Had a great time like usual at one of mine & my partners favourite food spots, Paula our waitress was an absolute star like always, shes friendly, welcoming and she came out with a candle in the cake we ordered and sang me happy birthday which I really appreciated. We loved it here and would highly recommend 😀

Food was nice but rather expensive. Service was very poor. Had to wave someone down for cutlery after food arrived and had to go to the counter to interrupt waiting staff's chit-chat to order a drink. Unbelievably they then added a 10% service charge and didn't tell us or give us the opportunity to refuse it. We definitely won't be returning because of the service.

Este es un café encantador, excelente comida y comida muy relajada al aire libre. Tuvimos un tiempo maravilloso mientras los adolescentes fueron a paddle boarding en el río. Mención especial para Paula que fue tan servicial

Codswallop, absolutely brilliant food!! Very very good, I'll be back!

Rude staff member, seems by the previous reviews it wasn’t just myself that has had the pleasure of crossing paths with him. Unless you enjoy feeling like a piece of dirt on the bottom of somebody’s shoe, I wouldn’t bother coming here.

Servicio fabuloso, café fabuloso, vista fabulosa. Somos asiduos y siempre impresionados con el servicio y la calidad del café. Paula es una gran persona, muy bueno en su trabajo, acogedor y un gran servicio. Definitivamente 5 estrellas!

Nice food but expensive for what you get. The staff all seem rude and under trained.

The food was delicious and the customer service was excellent.

Magníficamente situado junto a un lago de navegación, el Longholme Café va más allá, para garantizar que su clientela disfrute de su visita. Generosas porciones de comida con café recién hecho reemplazaron nuestras expectativas, qué joya de un lugar.

Went for one of the fish and chip suppers with 2 friends as usual didn't disapoint, lovely food good service, staff always so friendly and helpful. Sitting by the lake on a lovely summers evening what could have been better.oh yes because we booked on line the wine was good too

Love the spot and the coffee is lovely but you do have to wait to be served and sometimes they need reminding!

Service is poor, we got told to go up to order or use barcode but table next to us got waiters asking them for their order. Manager is not very considerate of guests. We got told to join a waitlist to move table under the shade.. why is it so hard to move an existing customer when the people waiting for a seat won’t know the difference??? I’ve worked as front of house and from going to cafes they wouldn’t make a fuss over that, stupid and unnecessary to be honest. Food and location are decent

First trip here beautiful views excellent food great price ! Big plates of food well presented defensively recommend & coming back thx staff friendly was served by Paula beautiful lady x

Although coffee machine was broken prices were fair instead of overinflated like other coffee stalls at Bedford Festival. Ice cream was delicious and fairly priced too. Service was excellent

Visited for bottomless brunch during the River Frstival. Food was amazing and I was plied with endless Prosecco. It was simply the best way to enjoy the River Festival. Paula was an amazing host. Highly recommend.

Fantastic cafe, best scone EVER, fab service Paula, Sarah, & young man (sorry I can't remember your name!) Defo be back 😊

Great place for a light bite and watching the boats on the river and boating lake

What a lovely little gem, the staff Paula and Sarah are just so polite and friendly and chatty. Never been before but will definitely be back

Fantastic food/staff, but when the heavens opened, I got wet. I understand that you can't control the weather. Idea: If you collect old umbrellas, you could collate them together as rain protection for those seated by the opened side?

Awesome venue. Visited several times and the food and service is amazing. We were lucky enough to attend Ade and Sharon’s wedding recently, which was just perfect. The location makes it very special. If you are going for a walk I’d really recommend you stopping for a coffee or a glass of wine and trying one their lovely sandwiches. Oh I forgot to mention they do boat hire as well. I’m looking forward to taking our grandsons soon. Cheers

Wonderful location; service always with a smile; excellent food and very good value. Would definitely recommend and will definitely be visiting again. Thank you

The Longholme was set up with Marquees and they created an amazing and beautiful private setting for a very special wedding. The excellent service and hard work of all the staff coupled with great food, drinks and special company made this a truly wonderful day that will live forever in the memory. Thanks so much to Tom, Andreas and all your amazing Team.

What can I say! Absolutely beautiful surroundings for a private wedding, food delicious, from the canapes to the delicious sandwiches and locally made patisseries, hot food and ice cream to the included drinks. The day was magical and the dragon boats were available for guest use. The attention to detail was amazing. Much nicer than being stuck inside a function room at a hotel.

We were very lucky to attend a wedding reception here . It was absolutely wonderful, the setting was sublime on a warm June evening. The food and drink stunning. We went out on the boats which was a real treat. Staff couldn’t do enough. Would 100% recommend a stunning venue

I loved the food and service ,Lucas served me and he was extremely friendly and helpful.

Beautiful café by the river, the staff was friendly and helpful, specially Lucas, who served me today.

Lovely place with views onto the water and great food. Perfect for a sunny day! We had a veggie breakfast and a halloumi homage! Paula served us and was really lovely

I was unaware that they were hosting a fish and chip evening so I asked for iced latte, he told me it would be a 10 minute wait in a very condescending and rude manner, he made it very obvious that I wasn’t welcome. He seemed to be giving great customer service to everyone else, the only difference is our ethnicities so hopefully that wasn’t reason. Treat your potential customers with kindness, i understand the stress of a busy day but don’t take it out on people helping a business out.

Sever Samuel was amazing, made sure everything was going great, lovely lad

the server sam was amazing! very smart polite boy

nice lunch, Paula was lovely :)

What an amazing find in such a tranquil location. There was a lovely atmosphere and warm welcome from Paula, great coffee from Seb and an excellent breakfast from Abii. We will be back!

Worth a visit, supporting local as well

A nice river view, friendly staff and tasty food. The food took 40 minutes to arrive after ordering, wait staff did advise 20 minutes. I think the wait was too long for the bean on toast and sausages which we ordered.

Great venue for drinks and a catch up boat hire fee bit steep. Now they have cut back the read around tje boating lake you can see alot more.

No joke excellent toilet 😉 food is great 👍 TOP breakfast

The food is always good here and great staff

Brilliant eatery on the banks of the river with a great menu and fantastic service!

I attended a party on Wednesday 8th May ..food was amazing. Service on point ..a special mention to Sam he was very attentive and polite well done Sam you keep smiling goes a long way especially from someone so young ❤️

We are traveling, from America, throughout the UK. We met an online friend "in real life" at this cafe yesterday. It is in such a beautiful place and it's very dog friendly! The service (and food) was fabulous. We will recommend it to all. Thank you.

Always seems busy and popular. Didn't try food this time but had some ice cream.

Had a lovely time, beautiful food and service! Paula was a brilliant server and was super helpful

Popped in after a long walk along the river for a coffee and a sandwich.

Lovely coffee in the sunshine and Paula was super friendly and helpful .

We were served by Paula who was superb and very friendly. Food was excellent with a good veggie selection on the menu. I had a grilled cheese sandwich which came with a very nice side salad. Everyone enjoyed their food, we won’t hesitate to return.

Here for breakfast this morning. Lovely location and beautiful weather made this all the better. Food was fantastic and the waitress (lovely South African/Geordie lady) was fantastic and attentive throughout. Thank you. 5*

The menu is good and varied, staff are pleasant and helpful if you have special requirements. Very dog friendly. Lovely views

Lovely place for a cup of tea and a chill out. How great it is to sit beside the water, with the sight and sounds of nature for company. The food is great and the service excellent (particularly mention for Amber and Paula). Recommended for your refuelling stop on your riverside walk

Lovely lunch sitting in the sunshine at the Longholme on Monday. The Longholme hash was delicious and the service excellent - thank you Paula and the rest of the team.

I visited for brunch with a friend and ordered a vegetarian breakfast. I very clearly asked for gluten free toast, as I have severe IBS which is triggered by wheat, amongst other things. When my food arrived the whole meal looked delicious, and particularly the toast looked far too appetising to be gluten free and so before eating I checked with the waitress that it really was gluten free. She assured me it was and that she does 'Keto' (I didn't really know what this was but she was super reassuring) and orders this bread specifically and that it's delicious. I had never seen gluten free bread look so good so I was excited to tuck in. It tasted amazing, far too good, but having been assured it was gluten free I ate half a slice and had made a start on the second half when the waitress came rushing over and told me that the bread wasn't actually gluten free. I was mortified. For almost 20 years I have been gluten free as I have severe IBS which is triggered by wheat, which I have avoided this entire time. And so to have inadvertently eaten wheat was so upsetting and this was evident as I was quite teary. They were really apologetic and took the toast off my plate and offered to make some gluten free toast, which I declined. They didn't charge me for the food but I was so upset that I just wanted to leave and pretend it hadn't happened. Another member of staff came over and apologised and said they were training up a new chef. I really just wanted the whole situation to stop and to leave and so I tried to just brush it all off. But almost immediately my IBS flared up and I was experiencing all the horrible symptoms that I've successfully managed and avoided for so long by following a gluten free diet. To experience it all again was incredibly distressing and upsetting. I really hope this was an isolated incident. I could not have been more clear of my need for gluten free bread and I would hate for this to happen to someone else, especially someone who has an allergy and where the consequences would be far more serious than mine. If you have any plans to visit and you are coeliac or gluten intolerant make sure you are 100% certain that what you're eating is gluten free. My instinct was that the bread seemed too good to be true (because we all know that gluten free bread is nothing like 'real' bread) but I took their word and very much regret that now. Sadly I would not visit here again nor recommend it.

Lovely view of the water and perfectly cooked scrambled eggs with lots of luscious smoked salmon. Would Def go back

A lovely spot by the river, it’s nearly always busy but they didn’t keep us waiting long for a table. The tables are all outdoors with covered areas. Our dogs were welcomed with a biscuit and a fuss. The brunch was really tasty, as was the coffee and cake chasers! Thanks to Paula, Ollie and Seb for great service and good food.

Lovely cafe in a lovely peaceful location. Food and service was amazing. Great choices and large menu. Coffee and cakes great too.

Beautiful location, lovely set up and fantastic food & drinks. Thank you to chef Ollie, barista Seb and Paula who served us. Friendly, helpful staff who went above and beyond to ensure we had a wonderful experience. Thank you, we will be back very soon. Emma & Jo

Wow, we totally loved it here today! The best service from Paula and Amber - we shall be coming back soon! Great food and vibe with exceptional views and fresh air- 10 stars :) Thanks!

My most favorite spot for coffee, breakfast or lunch. We always have a chat and a laugh with the staff who are so friendly.

Absolutely loved this place . Had the bacon butty gorgeous. Served by Paula who was just a shining star of the place . She made us feel very welcomed . Ollie was the chef fantastic job cooking . Seb was the Barista who done great job . Will be back again and again

We had a really lovely lunch at the Longholme. Especially with the heater and blankets making it a cosy affair. Our waitress Paula was absolutely brilliant. Great food and such a nice place to go. Would highly recommend.