The Old Auction Room in Aberdeenshire

Favourite shop! Always something cool to be had each visit!

Great staff and loads of stuff to choose from. Highly recommended

A lovely place to visit, and they might just have that thing you remember from your childhood...

Total fire hazard. A disaster waiting to happen

Such a lovely place to wonder round, lots to look at and buy!

Beutiful shop, you can find treasures in every corner. Those who love antiques or rare things to find this is your place

Wow, this is a fantastic antique store! There is so much to see, you could spend a good few hours and probably still find something you hadn't seen yet. A lot of very wonderful, quirky antiques to buy. I'd recommend a visit & take your purse, you'll definitely find something you want to buy!

Lovely shop, good selection of antiques

The first time I discovered this place i absolutely loved it, unfortunately every visit since then has been disappointing. The last time, we called and asked to book for lunch in half an hour, were told there was no bookings but the place was quiet and we would get a seat. Travelled there with a 1 year old to discover no tables. Waited around for 15 minutes to discover they were not even serving hot food (no one mentioned this on the phone or when we arrived). Also for whatever reason, numerous items for sale have been moved into the tea room making it almost impossible to socially distance or to navigate a pram. Finally, no vegan options and was quite offended by dead animal heads on the wall. So unfortunate as the place has so much character and really could be a destination place.

Brilliant, friendly welcoming atmosphere, great chat !! Amazing shop, when you arrive your eyes won’t stop till you leave. Highly recommend checking it out, there will always be something that catches your eye

Lovely shop! Cafe too, best of all it's dog friendly, inside & out!!

Fab, as always, so glad they are open again. Lovely 'fine piece' and coffee.

Great staff and able to keep me antique hunting throughout the lockdown! Helpful and very responsive through social media. When I've visited in house, there has always been a wide selection and variety of items that you never get bored revisiting. I've bought plants, clothes, oddities, and umberella stands! Always love seeing what they have. Thanks again!

For a super day out just the place to stop.

this is wonderful relaxing place to be ,lovely staff especially Sarah and Chris who are very friendly and always so helpful. There is live music most days from local artists who play piano and sing it's so relaxing.Its also dog friendly so we often take the family cockerpoo with us they sometimes sell homemade dog biscuits what more could you want for visit to a local place.

Great atmosphere and dog friendly! The main food hall is furnished with lots of antiques and paintings as well as a wood burning stove, so it was lovely to sit back for a tasty lunch (the pecan pie and Cajun chicken ciabatta were amazing!) with a dog at your feet and lots of interesting things to look at. Would highly recommend and I plan to go back for high tea in the near future (you need to book ahead for this). The staff were also brilliant and really attentive.

Having had lunch here before, we had afternoon tea for a special birthday treat. We reserved a table for two, which was beautifully laid with 0ld Country Roses crockery, and fresh flowers. The waitress greeted us with a lovely smile, asked our preference for tea or coffee, which was delivered while they got together our food. A stand filled with finger sandwiches, scones, and tray bakes, a slate with 2 cups of soup (cauliflower) slices of warm garlic mushroom tart, and sides of fresh strawberries and delicious bites of chocolate brownies, and butter, jam and cream arrived, a feast for the eyes and the appetite! The room itself was charming, filled with antiques, collectables, and bric a brac. Tall windows tastefully draped, let in light, which is enhanced by sparkling chandeliers. This was a wonderful experience, with friendly and efficient service, and we would not hesitate to recommend it.

Lovely afternoon tea food was lovely and a lot to eat atmosphere was great too

A unique place to have a snack.

Very nice place to go very good service and the food was excellent.

Love the venue and there's always something interesting to see in the antiques and collectables but we've decided to give up going here for lunch and now restrict it to coffee only. First time we went for lunch, hardly anything available except a burger. Second time, got the wrong order and waited ages for it to be sorted out. Third time, waited ages and got served cold soup. Staff are nice enough and we've enjoyed some good food (when we've got it) but they need to sort themselves out or give up a full service and just be a coffee shop.

Delicious home bakes. Good food. Friendly staff.

This place is great! Lovely food in a lively setting. Cakes were just perfect. Staff were very friendly and attentive.

We had lunch here. The place is lovely. The staff were friendly and helpful. The food wasn't great. We were a party of four. Two of us had gluten free ciabatta. The portions compared to non gluten free were tiny. Served with salad leaves that had seen better days. Also served with a tiny portion of coleslaw that looked curdled.

Lovely lunch of quiche and salad. Well worth the visit. Not so gone on the music though. Also the antique shop upstairs was very interesting.

Amazing place great food and lovely settings. A great jazz band played for 4hours. Very pleasant waiter and waitress. Well worth a visit

Loved this place. The flat whites were perfect and the scones delicious. Friendly staff too!

Nice place to go for breakfast or lunch. Cosy surroundings and lovely food. Also collectables and nicknacks to browse and buy.

What an interesting coffee house and Restraunt. Great simple choice of food. Mac & Cheese - a favourite - scored for me 8/10. Take a walk about before or after lunch and you will see many interesting objects, antiques, taxidermy, just so many curiosities.Wether you want to sit at a table or in a comfy leather chair of the old auction room you will most definitely enjoy the under the hammer atmosphere.

Good food but service can sometimes be very slow. It pays to book ahead especially on Sundays. Still interesting venue with a fascinating history

Tart was superb. Great tea and coffee too. Cake a little on dry side on one corner (cake was whole so wasn't due to being left out) but scone was delicious. Would go again. 2 courses, 2 drinks. 15 per head.

it's very relaxing for coffee and cake or lunch , very chilled atmosphere , live music on a Sunday. Pet lovers can bring dogs in and they sell homemade dog biscuits which our dog loved.

Well this is an Aladdin's cave. Nice food. Live music and an antique shop full of everything.

Nice tea-room, but service very, very slow. Only two waitresses on during a very busy afternoon.

Brilliant lunch and friendly staff!

Drove a fair journey to come here for a look round and have a coffee. After a quick swizz at the counter, we were told to take a seat. It wasn't busy inside with perhaps 6 tables occupied. The waitress gave us the menus and we chose the pancakes and a couple of coffees. We waited around 10 mins for our coffees which were nice. After 40 mins waiting for our food and seeing others being served their food and dogs served water in bowls, the waitress came over with our food and apologised, offering us free coffees due to the wait. My food was sadly really disappointing. Cold and hard pancakes which appeared to have been cooked then gone cold whilst waiting for the other pancakes to arrive. I couldn't eat them. My partners wasn't great but he ate them none the less. No check back to see if food was ok - if they had I would have asked them to take it away. Told the waitress when we checked out who stated the pancakes were made fresh - I disagreed. They were cold and hard, not warm and fluffy as fresh pancakes should be.Disappointing.

It was just so different from the norm,lovely

Always enjoy a coffee and a cake. Service can be slow depending on how buay it is but during this visit it was fine! Even picked up a set of deers teeth from the antique room upstairs 😁

Went in for our lunch and were greeted with great big smiles! Orders were taken fast and the young waitress was very well mannered, I ordered the soup and a sandwich, the soup was rather on the small side but was still very tasty! They are also now dog friendly so I’ll have to come back with my pouch.

It was old and smells the service wasent very good. I certainly wouldn't go back and i definitely dont and wont recommend it

Gorgeous atmosphere lovely cafe and antiques to buy

The food was delicious and the place itself is really interesting. Lots of cool objects for sale!

Visited last week for lunch. Asked whether we orded at counter and were told to take a seat and they would bring over the menu. Well 25 mins later staff not at all interested in taking an order, so went up to counter to order . Food when it eventually came was fine .Not in a great hurry to go back!!The staff do not seem interested ion their customers and could do with at least one more menmber of staff.

Food fine, but really need to sort service out. We were shown a table ( which was very sticky) given menu and left. After 25 minutes of waiting for someone to take our order I had to go up to the counter and give my order. Service is extremely slow. They need more staff. Other people have commented on this to me as well.

Beautiful surroundings, polite staff, lovely food, they cater for vegans, and to top it all off they even welcome dogs in! Very impressed and will definitely be going back there!

The pianists gave the place a lovely atmosphere and the antiques and curios give a fine setting for a coffee. However, I was supporting a sensory impaired lad and guiding him to the toilet facilities was a bit of a struggle as there was a massive sideboard on one side and hanging ornaments on other side. This made the journey to the toilets very precarious and we almost knocked things over. Disabled access and facilities could be better.

Old hall used as cafe / antiques shop. Ordered 2 ciabattas for lunch and drinks . Had quite a long wait for food which’s was a bit bland when it finally arrived 40minutes later. Young staff seem a bit disorganised and it wasn’t very busy either .

Tea room which also sells antiques. Quirky and unusual Surroundings. Nice atmosphere and good quality food.

Saw this on Google Maps for things to do nearby and so glad we decided to give it a try as well as having a lovely lunch it was am Aladdin's cave of some stunning antique clothing and nick nacks. A must for all to visit x

Great place to visit for interest & food

Ordered 2 breakfasts and 25 minutes later still waiting. Disinterested staff behind the counter, as we were left sitting. left the building not having received the breakfasts. Disappointing and will not be back.

Second visit to this quaint cafe. Lovely ciabatta sandwich served with delicious tea and coffee. Mushroom soup was okay but not great. Only criticism is the menu is very limited and service very slow. Really nice venue for a catch up

We visit here regularly and, almost always, have a coffee and a snack. One thing I do like is my coffee hot and they never disappoint. We normally have a snack and , today, we both had a wrap. We had a Cajun chicken and a sweet chilli chicken one . Both very good but the salad dressing was yummy. The staff, as usual, were very friendly and helpful. Highly recommended this place. We like a rummage in the antiques too.

Ordered what said on menu vegetarian burger. When arrived I lifted up bun to see only a couple of mushrooms with a bit of cheese.

Lovely place to visit and the menu has a varied choice. The pieces are fine. Stafd friendly and a cosy place. There is also antiques on sale and a couple of wee shops before you go inside

A hidden gem. Really nice setting, food good and staff friendly

Lovely food, lovely atmosphere and such a nice place. Will definitely be again.

Lovely old Auction house full of antiques to look at while you're eating and also an antique shop upstairs to browse through. Limited menu - good home cooked food. Only issue was that it was really cold even though we were seated beside the wood burning fire - wear a jumper 😆

Has become a place to visit regularly. Excellent coffee, delightful surroundings and atmosphere and friendly efficient staff. What more can you ask for?

This is a hidden gem of a place. Not only can you have a fabulous breakfast, scones and tea or afternoon tea, you can shop for a wide variety of antiques.

We enjoyed a fantastic afternoon tea at Cafe 1909 - lovely food and lots of it! We even got two small cups of soup and bruschetta as well as wonderful cakes.

It was nice clean coffee was hot but the building was cold so could not relax.

very nice but breakfast was a little cold and a long wait

For various reasons, I've been here several times over the course of the past six weeks, twice for food and a few times for tea/coffee and scone or cake. The place is beautiful with a wonderful ambience. The coffee is excellent but generally speaking neither the scones nor the cakes are all that good. The food I had was good. The big but is the service. it's as if they're doing you a favour by serving you and it's very slow. Far too much time being spent behind the central coffee bar and not enough time out on the floor. That said, I will go back as it's such a lovely spot. However, I believe Dunes cafe is taking over the Lodge at the community park so cafe 1909 should maybe start pulling its socks up a bit.

Located down a stone paved lane way, the Old Auction Room tearooms are both fascinating and beautiful. Grouped with a flower shop, antique wares and pre-owned fashion finds, the tea room is expansive with soaring cathedral ceilings, wonderful cosy nooks and tables big enough to accommodate our group of ten. At this time of year, a Christmas tree extends all the way to the roof in front of an old stage that is laden with wonderful large antique pieces. The menu is perfect for a chilly winter’s day and can be enjoyed in a warm and very interesting space.

What a little gem,food was excellent. Cosy chrismassy atmosphere and staff a very polite and helpful.definitly worth a visit.we will be back.

Had our Christmas tea there today,the food was delicious and the presentation was beautiful. It also had a cosy Christmas atmosphere, the staff were very nice.i would highly recommend a visit.

Had a lovely afternoon tea. Lots to eat & the meringues were to die for! No alcohol was available but you could bring your own for £2.50 each corkage. Lovely intriguing place, we visited the antique shop & the florists.

We arrived at 2.00pm only a few tables in the restaurant in use. Really cold in the place and door was open causing a draught. Waiter brought a menu, we had to ask him to clean the table which was sticky and dirty. He left a menu. We decided on just soup and coffee. Waited 10 minutes for a waitress to return. Ordered two of the same soups. Waitress came back and only had one kind of soup left, so we agreed on that one and ordered another vegetable soup. Of course we assumed the soup was ready to be served. We waited 20 minutes two waitress and one waiter where clearing tables and washing dishes. I had to get up and go to the counter to ask where our soup was? The waiter said he would get it, he disappeared and returned in 2 minutes with the soup. Obviously, none of them could be bothered to go to the kitchen and get our order which only needed to be brought to us. Soup was very good no complaints. After the soup, I got up to order the coffee. It came right away, it was latte and had no taste, it was like hot water and milk. We would not go back to eat here again as the service was so bad and it seems I am not the only one to complain. Time the Management did something about this.

Went in for high Tea, waited a while although not busy. Lovely scenery, pictures, ornaments, chairs etc. A right treasure trove of goodies, takes a while to look round. Not fresh food items as in made on the spot, already made, so don't know how long they had sat out, All in all nice place to sit, pay a bit more than some places but wouldn't get the same atmosphere. Not for the younger kids as there watched like a hawk, as kids will be kids with touching out of curiosity.

The place is amazing .Its filled to the brim with antiques and curios, all of which are for sale. We have now been a couple of times and the food choice is slightly limited but very good. Now here is the but. I think the whole point of a review is to be honest and the only let down is the time you have to wait for your food to be served. Both times we have been the tea coffee are served very quickly and then the wait begins.At least 20 - 30 minutes. This said it will not deter us from going back. All the staff were very friendly and the food not overpriced.

Son bought us a groupon voucher and having not been there since it was an auction room booked today for 4pm. The entrance took finding as down thexsidecthrough a gate. Once inside was made welcome and

Great cafe in an excellent setting

Arrived early for afternoon tea so decided to have a drink first. It took 20 minutes or more for 3 hot drinks to arrive. But coffee was lovely (saving grace!) Changed tables for the big event. We were bought tea and plenty of it, then another 20 minutes later we had our food selection dumped on our table. Soup, sausage casserole, sandwiches, cakes, jam/cream, and a slate of apple cake with one scoop of ice cream on it. The soup was nice but the casserole not and rather an odd choice. The sandwiches looked ok but the bread was quite stale, they could and should have been delicious. Moving to the scones...is it only us but...why would you serve jam and cream with cheese scones? By now of course the ice cream was becoming rather soft, I don't mind it soft but was beginning to run away. We had to ask for anything we needed clean plates and knives etc. not once did we get asked by the young staff if everything was ok and not once were any pleasantries exchanged. All in all a disappointing afternoon tea, perhaps it was because we used a voucher!

We visited for afternoon tea for my birthday. We also used a Groupon voucher. It was amazing! I sometimes find when using a Groupon that you end up with lower quality then if you paid full price. Im happy to say this simply was not the case!!! Service was outstanding and the tea itself amazing! We had a selection for sandwiches, pulled pork, chorizo, not your usual egg and cress. Scones, a mix of fruit and plain, amazing for us as i like plain but my mum prefers fruit. A lovely selection of cakes and 4 of everything so we all got to try all the cakes, i find with many afternoon teas that you get 1 of each kind of cake and its always disappointing that everyone cant try them all. We also got another plate that had pulled pork sliders and mini pancakes! So much food and a great selection. Tea was refilled regularly, didnt wait more than 2 minutes for a fresh pot.

Fabulous cappuccino surrounded by interesting objects in a surprising space.

This cafe is run by young enterprising folk, who dream up the ambience and service that is unique and very different from your average coffee and tea stop. Food here is great and while you wait fir your order, you can get your hair done, buy antique clothing, or antique furniture. Rainy day, its sorted!

Journeyed quite a distance to visit here. The furniture, fixtures and fittings are unique and the eating areas are spacious and interesting from all angles. The additional areas house a good variety of fresh flowers for sale and another area of antique clothing catches the interest.. One would imagine that the foregoing would suggest an immediate decision to return BUT NO - the service and attitude of young staff in the eating area put a complete damper on our weekend visit. Clearly there was no one in charge. Young girls can be very efficient and an asset to a business but the presence of an older experienced member of staff on this occasion would have saved the day. There were only 3 tables in use at the time including ours and yet we waited 25 minutes after our light meal was served, for Cokes - the opening of which is not exactly rocket science. We had to ask several times. Drinks and eats were ordered together.

Very lovely place to have a coffee, and eat.

We made a visit to Cafe 1909 in the Old Auction Room at Strichen as part of a day out from Aberdeen, some 35 miles away. We had booked ourselves in for an afternoon tea at the slightly incongruous time of 1.30 pm. When booking we had been able to specify the type of bread for our sandwiches, and the fillings from the choices offered to us.

Dreadful. Very poor service, undercooked eggs, stale bread, cold mushrooms which were also on the turn and an uncaring waitress. Never going back

This is my third visit to the cafe and I have to say the setting is fabulous. Very welcoming and warm. Overall it’s nice place to meet friends for a coffee. I had a cheese scone on my first visit and my friend had what we think was a brownie. The scone was not only stale but more like a biscuit. I was quite disappointed but to save embarrassment I just left it after nearly loosing half of it when I tried to saw it open. Anyway nearly 8 months passed by and I thought maybe I should give them a second chance on the scone front. Yet again I was presented with what looked like a biscuit and wait for it ..... it was as hard as the hobs of hell. In my view if you can’t get a cheese scone right just give up or get someone else to make them. Sorry guys great place nice coffee but probably the worst scones I’ve ever come across.

I was here on Sunday with a friend for afternoon tea and we really enjoyed the whole experience. There was lots of variety and plenty of food. Service was good, coffee was a treat, and there was some great live music on the go. We spent a couple of hours here. Highly recommend a visit!

Where to start..... was greeted with a grunt when saying hi to the lady in the vintage clothing shop. Had a quick look round the Café, looked really nice, soft atmospheric music playing. Things looked up (had heard good things about the food). Went up stairs to browse the antiques, two members of staff chatting away at the counter, wasn't acknowledged at all (You need to pass the counter to browse the shop. Whilst crouched down looking at some glass candlesticks a member of staff walked over and can only be described as making sure I wasn't trying to pilfer said candlesticks, as no words uttered from his mouth. Quite how he thought I would be able to hide these about my person is anybodys quess, I had on skinny jeans an equally fitting denim jacket and no bag! Walked over to the counter where the two members of staff had reconvened, still no acknowledgement of me being there.... Simply, awful!

As a treat, my niece took me along with two others for afternoon tea on Friday 24 August and we were very disappointed at the standard of food presented. We were unable to eat the sandwiches due to the unappetising fillings, the scones nor the home bakes were home baked and were disappointing. The first pot of tea was served too early and was bordering on being cold before we were ready for it and the second teapot was weak and cold. Had I been paying for the tea myself I would have complained at the time. It certainly did not meet expectations of afternoon tea nor value for money.

Good service in the main, busy and popular place. Good selection of tasty bits for afternoon tea Although I couldn't go and browse the upstairs antiques area due to the lack of disabled access.

Lovely place for afternoon tea and an unusual selection of fare, beautifully presented. The entertainment was a bit too loud, but overall a very good experience.

This is a bit off the beaten track but still worthy of a visit because of its wonderful assortment of bakes and light meals, You are also sitting in great surroundings with lovely curiosities around the cafe and a shop to visit before or after the refreshments.

Had a groupon voucher for afternoon tea, food was delicious. I did prebook and asked what the sandwich choices were and chose them first. Fancy pieces were all homebaked, we had a choice of caramel square (milk & white chocolate), blueberry cheesecake squares, peanut/mallow fingers and savoury scones.

Went for afternoon tea here yesterday and it was wonderful,so much choice and lots of it ,the 6 of us really enjoyed,thank you

Tried to have our lunch here today but the staff ignored us so we went elsewhere. Not the best customer service we have received!!!

We heard a lot about the old Auction Room and the place itself is very impressive , with antiques and chandeliers . The food is mostly soup, sandwiches and burger of the day. The few times we have been there it has been busy and we have been lucky to get seated. The food is tasty and the cakes quite big, we shared. The staff were friendly and efficient and if you have the time there are small shops at the entrance and an antique emporium upstairs that are worth a look.

Nice food in a "different" location.

Good selection of antiques . Food ok but I found expensive

What a great venue, we had a great lunch, excellent food and drink. Clearly baby friendly with a classic art statement on the wall. Lots of very interesting pieces and collections to browse. Managed to pick up some outstanding chairs at a fair price and exceptional customer service. Will be back often.

Great place With a lovely cafe, antiques & a florist. I visit often & the staff are always nice & willing to help. Interesting place to visit with lots to look at.

Very nice to have a look around and fine soup and bread

Excellent quaint place for visit and coffee

We were at the local Willows Animal Sanctuary and wanted to get lunch locally. After a quick search on Trip, we saw a review for the Old Auction cafe. We had driven past it on the way to the sanctuary and not noticed there was a cafe attached. Entering the cafe was a surprise - not what we expected at all. A rather glamourous large space with lots of antiques around the place. Lunch was simple but good, although service was a wee bit slow but nothing to complain about. My partner had a cheese and ham toastie and I had a chicken burger, with a takeaway coffee and rather lovely vegan chocolate and raspberry brownie to go. We then had a wander around the antiques and there is also a florist and clothes shop attached. Don't drive past, go for a visit.

Nice sandwich nice atmosphere for a coffee and chat