The Old Bakery Tea Rooms & Restaurant in Newark and Sherwood

ABSOLUTELY DREADFUL. UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP. WAITED 45 MINS FOR FOOD, WHEN IT ARRIVED IT WAS BADLY SERVED AND POOR QUALITY SO MANY OTHER OPTIONS IN NEWARK. SHAME BECAUSE THIS USED TO BE SO GOOD.

We stumbled upon this place looking for somewhere for lunch. Inside is so querky, quaint and traditional with a really old fashioned bakery section selling a good range of cakes. What we ordered was tasty and homemade, friendly staff (yes all of them!) so couldn't ask for more.

Can't speak highly enough of this wonderful tea room, food is great, Black Forest Gateau is the best I've ever had, staff are exceptionally friendly, will definitely return.

Fabulous food and a lovely atmosphere, a lovely place to visit for lunch or for breakfast and tea.

Called in for something to eat as we came to Newark a few years ago and stumbled on this quirky little gem that sold homemade food and lovely cakes. However, it has changed hands since we last came! The food is still good and the waitresses tried their best but the owner was arrogant. His attitude with both the staff and customers was terrible, I don’t know why they work for him and we definitely won’t be coming back which is a shame as the food was good but he spoiled it and caused an atmosphere.

Very disappointed went Wednesday In August to find it closed !!!! No notice of opening times no explanation given other than the closed sign in the window.

The building is lovely and interesting however that wasn't enough to satisfy , extremely uncomfortable experience. Once our drinks ( latte and tea) was delivered to our table which were absolutely fine then it all turned a bit sour ... Not sure what was going on with the management but we heard the management belittling and getting cross with some staff members, we didn't appreciate or wanted this atmosphere so decided to have our hot beverage and leave ..although our intention was to eat there,so cannot rate the food .

Wow! What a find. We had an unexpected day out to Newark on Trent. We were wandering around the lovely town and stumbled upon this great find. Fabulous surroundings and its beverages and food were 1st class. All fresh ingredients. Friendly staff and a lovely owner The cakes were something else/all looked amazing. Definitely recommend a visit to all.

Came to the old bakery tea room with my daughter who has been wanting to go for a long time,she is 10! She heard it was haunted from someone and needed to go in haha! It was a beautiful building,can't believe I've lived in newark all my life and never been in! We sat upstairs and was served by 2 lovely lady's! Both polite and friendly.The food was so yummy,next time we will deffinitly try a cake because they looked super good! Will be returning.Thankyou so much.

We had hoped for so much, but were bitterly dissapointed. We visited the tea room recently. We haven't been here before, usually visiting the Green Olive a short walk away. However, we had morning coffee at the tea room and having looked through the menu, decided to return later for lunch. We were looking forward to enjoying a nice lunch based on the options on the menu. We returned and ordered lunch. When it came, it was so dissapointing. The ploughman's lunch consisted of four slices of a small apple, six walnuts, two small slices of pork pie, five slices of celery, a tiny sliver of stilton, a very small wedge of brie and a small slice of cheddar. Two slices of toasted bread and a small portion of chutney, for nearly £9.00! I wish I had my phone to take a photograph. If you were a farmer spening the day ploughing, you would not last the afternoon having eaten such a tiny offering. When my wife raised it (plus the pot of tea knocked over her when her lunch was being served) the gentleman who was perhaps the owner? was quite dismisive and unfriendly. She was very reluctantly given 10% off the bill for the tea spilling incident. What we had hoped it to be a new find, but just reinforced that the Green Olive will remain our regular lunch spot.

We called in on thr off chance for lunch, this looked a nice place from the outside. Walked in and asked for a table for 4 to be greeted by all I can say is Basil Fawtlty, he was having a polite go at 2 older men who were looking at the cakes, and told them to go out side and it was table service, to which they responded the lady told us to come in and see what cakes were on offer. A lovely waitress took our order, and all I can say from then on this hot headed Italian owner was on one, I don't know if this is their way of processing orders, but the way he speaks to his staff is not acceptable. Personally I would have thrown my apron down and walked out if someone spoke to me like that. He may be the owner, but he needs to let the staff do some work and not feel the need to do it all himself and not interfere, I felt a pity for the staff working there,but the way they were looks like it's a daily occurance. The owner was then back and for to thr kitchen, he broke a saucer/plate on the floor and all you could hear was him muttering italian under his breath. One of the staff made an error with the specials he was like whose fault is this in the kitchen where everyone could hear him, it's simple whose fault were not in school here. By this time we were all done and time to leave. Paid by card, but I don't think he likes this method as he gets charged and virtually demanded the person in front to pay by cash. If he is like this when it's not busy,go's help.staff and customers when the summer holidays start and they get really busy.

Took my pregnant daughter here with family and friends for a baby shower afternoon tea. I phoned the tea room first thing to say one of our group had fallen ill and wouldn't be able to come so there would be one less person. The owner swiftly said well we've catered for that person so you will still have to pay for 7 afternoon tea's instead of 6. When our food arrived there certainly wasn't enough for 6 let alone 7. The food was mediocre at best, pretty tasteless and we were rushed by the owner all the way through. My daughter is vegetarian yet salmon was on her platter, he just said take it off then. We asked if we could have a couple of egg finger sandwiches for her and he went on to say that we had enough on ours for her to have which was a joke, he was very shirty about this. I said can we have an egg sandwich for her and that we had already asked for this. He was heard saying to a waitress....make sure you add that to their bill ! There wasn't even an offer to top up our tea at any point. His attitude towards us was terrible and we were made to feel very uncomfortable. The scones on the platters were fruit but my daughter said could she have a cheese one instead please which was added as an extra to our bill ! The total for afternoon tea came to £143 for 6 with extra's that shouldn't have been extra ! An absolute rip off. Had it not been for the occasion and not to upset my daughter I didn't get into an argument over this. Such a shame, the place itself is lovely but that's as far as it goes and the owner is outright rude. My recommendation, don't go here.

Really disappointing family afternoon tea. Male owner unfriendly and not at all welcoming. One member of the party was ill on the day so didn’t come, but we were still charged despite the tea allegedly being made fresh on the day. He argued they’d bought and made stuff in advance. The tea included: One dry fruit scone each. Whipped cream not clotted cream (how can you call it a cream tea without clotted cream?😩). quarter of a pork pie each. 3 rectangle sandwiches each. Cube shaped sickly Bakewell cake each 2 Slithers of chocolate tart for 3 of us Pot of tea shared. £18:95 each Vegetarian order came with smoked salmon sandwich, we queried it were told to swap the meat sandwiches with each other. Asked for salmon to be replaced with egg sandwiches and he charged an extra £7:95 The person who didn’t come but was charged for didn’t have their portion given either. He said it was provided so if that was the case then it was 2 rectangle sandwiches each for that couple! When the bill was queried the owner was very rude. We felt so unwelcome and they kept asking if we’d finished with plates and we felt rushed to leave. No one offered refills of tea or asked if things were ok. Would never return.

We visited her for afternoon tea to celebrate our friend having a baby. The cost of afternoon tea was £18.95 per person. On arrival one of the guests couldn’t make it yet they still charged us for this. The afternoon tea looked nice but there wasn’t much of a variety. We had 3 finger sandwhiches each, a piece of cake each and a small scone. When my friend asked for a vegetation afternoon tea the man brought out smoked salmon and when we asked for more egg sandwhich we then got charged for the sandwhiches because “there are plenty of sandwhiches on the afternoon tea”. We were asked quite a few times if things wanted clearing away off our table and felt like we were being rushed out even though my friend is heavily pregnant. My friend at the end of the meal said she didn’t want to argue because the man in there was rude and didn’t feel welcome in this place. I’m really disappointed in this because afternoon tea is meant to be a nice treat. I will not be recommending people to visit here and the party I came with will not be returning here.

Our first visit to The Old Bakery tea rooms - definitely will return. The staff were very friendly and the food absolutely superb. Well done!

Friendly staff, excellent service, I had the bakery frittata very nice and tasty, would highly recommend

Lovely lunch at The Old Bakery. Top class food and service. Highly recommended. I had the ploughman’s lunch and it was very nice.

I had booked Afternoon tea for 2 for myself and my step mum, who was unfortunately unable to attend due to illness with my partner stepping in. We each had 3 large finger sandwiches with fillings of salmon and cream cheese, egg and cheese and...

The food was delicious and the staff were lovely. Shame the manager ruined it, he was constantly shouting and swearing at his younger staff and we felt very uncomfortable listening to it. The staff looked very stressed and upset and it was just hard to...

On a lovely sunny Wednesday we stopped for a scone and soft drink. It was sunny and warm and we sat outside. We were quickly greated by the staff who were very friendly and personable. The scones were extremely tasty and tasted as good as...

We found this place by accident a few weeks ago on our way from Birmingham to Lincoln and this was our second visit. We called for breakfast - I had the frittata and Himself had the full breakfast. I had the frittata last time and...

This is a must if visiting Newark. Very friendly service and I can honestly say it was the best pot of tea I have had in a long time. The home made salad that accompanied our meal tasted divine. The actual building is so pretty...

What a fantastic little find this place is. The food is superb and so are the staff! Best bacon sandwich I've had for a long time, whilst my wife had a meditarean omelette that was cooked to perfection. I'm not sure why others are mentioning...

Lovely place, nicest panini we’ve ever had and amazing carrot and orange cake. Service was also fantastic. Would highly recommend 👏🏻👍🏻

Went today had ham egg and chips and the potato salad The waitress was extremely chatty and had good banter.she’s a real credit to the place The gentleman owner was a little blunt but polite Food tasty thank you 😀

A lovely small family celebration lunch held here with prompt service at our "table with a view" upstairs. Pots of tea, soft drink and wine with lunch (for the non drivers) were all excellent and the salads, panini, bowl of double cooked chips and oh,...

We had a lovely pot of tea, very welcome in the freezing weather. We had a bruschetta and panini, both were tasty and served with a salad.

Rang tea rooms prior to my visit to reserve a table Twenty mins he told me I said that was fine. I had a slow walk round there I went in as was cold to just wait inside out of the way as was a...

Lovely little Tea Room. Excellent food and the service was brilliant, did everything they could to ensure our children enjoyed themselves. Will definitely be back

Down the street from St Mary Magdalene. We had a Lemon & Berry loaf and a Scone, while sitting outside. Very good. They also serve a high tea.

We visited the old bakery while in Newark for the day. We always love to visit the old bakery as the service and food are always fantastic. We ordered pumpkin soup, children’s sandwiches, frittata and mushrooms on toast. All the food was deliciously fresh and...

We found this quaintest looking tea room ever!! An amazing building that looks so inviting. So we went in and had lunch! The menu was ideal for what we wanted and although we had to wait a little for our food (2 staff members had...

Very quaint old tea room, friendly attentive staff. We had panini’s bruschetta and sandwiches all of which was very fresh and deliciously tasty. Sadly this was just a fleeting visit and we didn’t have time for cake or scones - we will just have to...

Popped in here for a late lunch after a gin next door in wethers! Myself and mum had ham, egg and chips and dad had a ploughman’s of which all were delightful. Friendly staff, lovely surroundings and very well presented food. A very good array...

I would just like to say that we had a lovely lunch at the old bakery tea rooms today 11/08/2021 served by a lovely polite waitress named Gracie, she was so helpful & chatty, we will definitely be coming back for another brilliant lunch/coffee.. Regards,...

Went to The Old Bakery twice during our week in Newark, great service and great food in a lovely, historical setting, would definitely visit again.

Delicious selection of traditional treats. Served on a PLATE not a silly wooden board. Peaceful indoor and outdoor seating right in the centre of town but just off the busy market Square. The side salad served with the jacket potato gave the impression that somebody...

Friendly but disorganised service. Miserable owner. No masks worn and smallest piece of cake I have ever seen at £4.25 Go somewhere else

Wow what a gem. Fab staff really looked after us. Lovely pot of tea real china tea cups. Smoked salmon and cream cheese with beigel with the most amazing garnish of cherry tomatoes. Such a fab taste. Hubby had the ploughman’s and rated it highly....

This has to be the best dessert we have ever had! The soup was delicious and the Greek salad was a generous portion and so tasty.This place is a must! The owner is so friendly too.

Out for the afternoon in Newark. This place stood out, really old and quirky! Well organised and very clean. Good menu, breakfast served all day. I had a Mediterranean platter. Very tasty. Cater for gluten free too and the bread was delicious. Reasonably priced.

I came here on my own and enjoyed their smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich along with ginger beer. Very peaceful and calming place. Well recommended.

Best chips in England! The rest of the food is great too. Friendly service, and lovely setting. Well worth a visit

Love this place. Really quaint old fashioned tea house. Really friendly and lovely food. Great for brunch and lunch

Went for coffee so good went back for lunch after a walk around Newark Lovely cooked to order Frittata with side dressed salad and peppers - very tasty A little Italian flair in evidence - they have their own mix of tea very well balanced...

Set in a very old timber built building this cosy cafe serves very good good, especially cakes. Staff are very pleasant.

visited this lunch time good variety to choose, homemade food at reasonable prices. Staff were caring and efficient. Lovely old building, but unsuitable for very disabled as upstairs seating could be a problem, though staff very helpful!

Really good food in very quaint surroundings. Attentive service and good value for money. Would recommend.

We stumbled on this beautiful tea room whilst visiting Newark during an overnight stay. It’s a typically quaint building something you would see in a period drama on TV. The service was excellent, with a comprehensive menu available.

We came to Newark today and fancied a bit of lunch. Ignored the Weatherspoons and the pub and ended up in this place.A really nice chap read us the specials today and took the drinks order while we decided. Hubby ordered the grill brunch which was an all day breakfast and I took the special ‘gnocchi with tomato sauce Lincolnshire sausage and garlic bread’.Both meals were excellent, with drinks about 20quid. Not expensive at all, really tasty meals and definitely earmarked for a second visit the next time we are in Newark. Thank you

Lovely food. Friendly , cheerful staff. Prompt service. Not expensive. Clean and well looked after seating areas. The Greek salad was very nice.

We were in Newark looking for somewhere for lunch and found this very quaint eatery which more than did the trick. I had an all day breakfast and my veggie husband had the mediterranean platter - both were excellent quality and value for money.Service was with a smile and it was just what we needed!

Attracted by the exterior beauty of the building sat there for lunch on a Sunday . We sat upstairs and since we were the only customers at the time( afterwards another couple showed up ) had a table by the window -a rather big one , I must admit . Although we made it clear we were there for lunch and not tea /coffee ,the waitress was reluctant to remove teapots, mugs , saucers etc already set on the table . She wanted us just to put them aside and only when we insisted she took them away - not everything , though !! The food had a nasty taste -in fact it was inedible.I don't know if it was for the ingredients or what. (We both ordered the dishes of the day , a quiche for me and chicken for my husband. )Final remark, they do not accept credit cards -cash only!Wouldn't recommend it . Just take a photo of the outside and you'll be ok.

Lovely tea rooms, off the market square. Nice, friendly, attentive staff. Stopped here for coffee and scones, then returned for lunch. Would recommend.

We are so pleased we discovered this lovely tearoom whilst visiting Newark for the day,we enjoyed our panini and bruschetta with pots of tea for lunch, China teacups. Great menu with daily specials boards, food freshly cooked to order, lovely owner and staff

This is a little diamond of a coffee shop. The staff are very friendly and very accommodating. The atmosphere was very charming with lots of chine and flowers. We had lunch and the food was really lovely and yummy. It was all good size portions.

Nice seating area outside in a pedestrian passageway. Coffee was good, maybe a bit pricy at £2.70 Americans, £3 Latte.

A bit off the beaten track so easy to miss but a great place for a drink and a cake, or as we did a drink and a toasted teacake. The scones are a good size and look very nice. This is an independent bakery / tea room and well worth a visit. Much better than the chains.

Lovely tea room Tables look lovely if a little bit close together Food ( brunch breakfast) was piping hot followed by some very nice and moist coffee cake Waitresses very pleasant and chef looked very professional

Fancied summat for tea, I was caught out by time, have noticed this place before so thought would give it a try and an A board outside had an offer on for tea and a scone. Ordered a Panini, which at 6.95 I thought was wasn't cheap but did come with salad fair enough - and crisps which I personally find a bit odd, maybe an attempt to look better value.

We've recently moved to Newark and are enjoying discovering new places. While chain cafes are present, one of Newark's charms is the many independent shops and cafes.

My mum and Stepdad have been raving about the Old Bakery for years and always visit when they go to Newark. Today they took me and I must say the manager and staff were very welcoming and friendly. I had a scone with jam and cream and it was the best scone I have tasted. My Stepdad had a chees scone and his exact words were ' it is better than I remember' as it has been a while since they have been to Newark. The Old Bakery is definitely worth a visit.

Beautiful decor. Olde world. Lovely meals and cakes. Friendly staff. Reasonably priced Definitely worth a visit.

I came to this cafe last week for a family lunch to celebrate some good news but we were unable to enjoy this due to the awful atmosphere created by the manager. We (and the rest of the cafe) heard him shouting and swearing at his young staff and slamming things about like a child. I can see that this is normal having seen other reviews. We will never return and hope his staff leave and go somewhere where they are treated better. If this is how he acts in front of customers with no shame at all then I wonder what he is like when there are none present.

I have been to this cafe in two occasions. The first occasion was mediocre at best. Scones were nice but cold and a little pretentious. The second visit I observed a young couple be seated and then ignored for 15mins, when they got up to leave the manager shouted a torrent of abuse at them “go on get out” because they’d dared to mention the reason they were leaving. Never again will I visit this over priced cafe for fear of getting the brunt end of this nutters wrath and I see from previous reviews I’m not the only one!

The very old building is lovely and so is the food. I had a really nice cheese scone and coffee. Staff are friendly and efficient. Would frequent often if I lived nearby.

We visited today and after being herded upstairs, we were then told that they only accepted cash! All having credit/debit cards only (it’s 2019 for crying out loud!) we promptly made our way back downstairs, fending off strange stares from onlookers. It was rather uncomfortable. It’s no wonder that the likes of Starbucks are driving out these independent places. I would not recommend.

Irritating staff who harangue you for your drinks order before the menu has been glanced at and verbally presented in a moronic condescending tone, stale bread toasted to hide its past the sell by date( ploughman’s lunch normally doesn’t have the bread toasted but despite asking for it not to be toasted.... yes, I got toast), over priced rubbish masked by quaint heritage and decorative china crockery to fool you into thinking its quintessentially English. Oh yes, don’t sit where you feel most comfortable as the 12 year old waitress gets annoyed...apparently there is a rush for chairs!!

We visited The Old Bakery Tea Rooms on my birthday while shopping in Newark. The exterior was gorgeous and so unexpected. It reminded me of the buildings in York.

We dined here for the first time and found it to be a very interesting building with pleasant staff and a nice selection of food. The waiter/waitresses were very attentive and gave excellent service. It was quite busy and as diners left more came in to fill their places proving just how popular this small restaurant is.

Really enjoyed our lunch there today. Great setting, good food, attentive staff, reasonable prices. We'l be back...

A little cafe in a nice old building. Ordered Bruschetta, which remember is generally regarded as a starter & is basically a little cheese & tomatoes on toast. My friends ordered Quiche & salad. We had a pot of tea. It was perfectly edible I suppose, but £31.? I don't think so.

The interior has a wonderful historic character, with half-timber construction, low beams, etc. It's a wonderful atmosphere. It is also a bit cramped, but it's well worth a visit for morning coffee, lunch or afternoon snacks.

Took my family there last month on Saturday afternoon. Food was very nice, building had a wonderful charm, staff were really nice. I just couldn’t believe my ears though, the manager continually shouted at the staff which ruined the entire atmosphere. He was an absolute disgrace, I wouldn’t treat my dog that way!

The manager of this place is absolutely awful. He is rude, disrespectful and extremely unprofessional. He made me and my sister who were visiting feel so uncomfortable and awkward. He was shouting at his staff in front of customers and slamming items down behind the till counter. It’s a shame as the building is lovely, the staff are welcoming and attentive and the food is tasty. However, I will never be returning, there are plenty of other coffee shops in Newark who I would go to. I would not want to put my money in the managers pocket ever again.

Been to this tea room a few times but will have to think again before I go again. The food looked lovely and the staff were rushed off their feet. The reason for the poor review was the way the manager spoke to the lovely waiting staff made us feel so uncomfortable. He was loud rude to his staff most young girls and spoke to the kitchen staff like they were slaves. Shocking even my father commented which this is most unlike him.

I was with my daughter and my two year old grandson, ordered the afternoon tea and asked for a separate little plate for my grandson. I have had afternoon tea on many occasions and this one was the worst one I've had, we had half a stale scone each which had the jam and cream already on (prefer separate pot of jam and cream) the cream also left an aftertaste. for the price would have expected a whole fresh scone each.

A great place for a coffee and really fresh food in lovely historical surroundings, A step back in time with great service to match and refreshing to find somewhere A little out of the ordinary.

I went for my first visit mid morning on a weekday and really enjoyed the food and atmosphere. The service was good - very friendly staff. The food and coffee were good quality - the toasted teacake was one of the best, and I've tried many! I also bought some locally made lemon curd. I imagine it might get busy at peak times and though I didn't go upstairs the layout might be a little tight in places. Will definitely return again.

Stopped here for lunch and the food was absolutely delicious. We sat upstairs in a lovely oak beamed room with traditional tea shop China adding to the atmosphere.

Myself and a friend went there yesterday, the atmosphere was very welcoming , very polite staff and friendly x the food was fantastic.such a relaxing place.

The place is nice very old fashioned.

I have an interest in visiting old tea rooms like this and I absolutely loved it, as did my partner. We are definitely hoping to visit again soon.

A few weeks ago I popped in for a light lunch; my high expectations crumbled like the crumbly crap on my plate. The manager was rude. He was cold, colder than the food. The way he treated his staff was appalling and I felt uncomfortable in his presence. What a shame that such a lovely building is now under his management. The coffee was too bitter and I found a hair in the cup, I suspected it may have been a dog hair (as he allowed dogs to sit in the cafe) but by this point I'd already given up and was ready to leave. Little did I know I'd be leaving with an empty pocket....

Just off the market square down the side of Wetherspoons this is a hidden gem. The old timber frame building restored in 1961 is the setting for a number of cosy tables and provides drinks and meals that you would just not find in surrounding cafes.

Stunning building, amazing cakes, friendly staff. Wow! We saw a photo of the Old Bakery tearooms a few months ago and the building looked so beautiful we had to visit. The cakes were as gorgeous as the building. Lovely selection and baked to perfection. One of our party said the bakewell tart was the best they'd ever had! My cherry scone was certainly delicious. Highly recommended!

Called in for lunch - very welcoming staff. Beautiful china cups & saucers and tablecloths on all tables. Plenty of room as the restaurant is both downstairs and upstairs. Well worth a visit.

Called in for tea and cheesecake (and a cheese scone) with my mum. Was very quiet as only 11:15 am.very old historic building offering drinks , snacks , cakes and lunches . Up and downstairs choices for seating. Also tables outside. We choose upstairs as...

have only had tea,coffee,cakes scones,all have been very nice,staff polite.toilet clean.will go again soon.nice for afternoon tea.

Called in for lunch, very quaint tea shop, traditional tea cups and saucers. We had panini’s and drinks. All very nice, but we had to wait 45 minutes for our food! Not somewhere to go if you are in a hurry!!

Good experience, nice food, recommend the cakes, proper tea, nice and cozy upstairs too with nice toilets and very good service. On the radar to go back

What a lovely quaint find whilst walking along the streets of Newark. Never had scones which were served warm with double cream, which throughly enjoyed. I also had a cappuccino, and my husband had the pot of tea. Delightful place sat upstairs which had beautiful...

We stopped here today for lunch but could only bring ourselves to have a coffee. The food looked lovely and the staff were rushed off their feet. The reason for the poor review was the way the manager spoke to the lovely waiting staff made...

We noticed this cafe on a recent visit to Newark and were attracted by the delightful building. We just had drinks and pannini which was very nice. The service was very friendly and efficient. We somehow managed to resist the temptation of the lovely selection of cakes but shall certainly not resist the temptation when we visit again!

This is set in an old building plenty of charm and character

My friend and I popped in for coffee and cake and it was really lovely.

My partner and I visited the Tearooms just before Christmas to 'redeem' a birthday gift voucher. Old world surroundings and excellent service. The Afternoon Tea was sumptuous and so good. We could not eat it all and had to ask for a 'doggy bag' This was done without hesitation.

visited here whilst shopping in newark.excellent tea room. wonderful food and efficient friendly service

Very nice tea room. It is a very nice and old fashion tea room , extremely authentic place. I strongly recommend it .

Had lunch here yesterday and both agreed it was a great choice. Excellent food in lovely surroundings. Would recommend.