The Place to Eat John Lewis in Cheshire East

Why do the management not listen to all the criticism? Do they, like many managers, refuse to believe they can get things wrong? After a stack of critics saying they should cover the food at the entrance, croissants and scones are still left uncovered. Soup and coffee were tepid, queues were long at too many different meal stations with too few staff, a rather expensive piece of coffee and walnut cake had walnut pieces scattered over a buttercream top but not a trace of coffee anywhere. And if you tried to get a coffee at one of the machines, two didn't work (the screen said they needed cleaning/emptying) and two others had no mugs but suddenly, with no buttons being pressed, dispensed what looked like grey water as I stood in front of them. Staff were helpful but one woman at a till suddenly walked away leaving a huge queue at the one remaining till.

There was certainly no smile with the service. I ordered tomato and cheese croissant - server indicated it did not exist but I could have cheese and tomato / my error… it was offered hot - part was cold part luke warm - cheese not melted. Ditto for husband’s ciabatta. Coffee good - that’s what the one star is for. Bearing in mind their target demographic this was exceptionally poor - but John Lewis prices - avoid!

2 cokes a cheese sandwich and beef stew 27 pound what a joke I could of got 4 mc. Donald's for that and I'm on a pension you should be ashamed of this John Lewis I will of course tell family and friends so they don't go there

Once again not a good experience. Staff at the entrance holding back a queue of customers and not because there weren't enough tables available but purely because of the queues at the till. Never enough staff, always the same. And at the busiest time of day. 2 staff serving when there's 4 tills available. Food has improved slightly but vastly over priced for content. Too much salad and not enough main. Nobody wants 25 pieces of cucumber and 10 slices of tomato. Excessive. And also as has happened to me several times before cutlery not filled up on both islands and had to wait. Not sure I'll be bothering again. Service is not reflected in the price.

Apart from being completely uninspiring the cafe had more food unavailable than available. Only 2 cold sandwich options available and 2 of the 3 salads unavailable. There was battered fish but no chips! If you’re a veggie forget it! Oh, there was one gluten free sandwich available. The staff are unhelpful and transactional. It’s not cheap - there are better options.

We arrived at 9.10 expecting one of your excellent scones - they were nowhere to be seen. Opted for a bacon sandwich which was so slow in the preparation it was cold when we came to eat it. The cappuccino coffees were barely tepid and there was no apology when we asked for a hotter coffee, and the replacement was barely any warmer. Surely it should not be possible to drink a freshly made coffee in one gulp. A bitterly disappointing experience and one which I will never repeat.

Had good service from all the staff on duty Thurs 11th July 2024 mid afternoon but one member of staff was exceptional. His name was Archie. He went out of his way to make and bring drinks to our table and came back to ask if he could get us anything else. He was friendly and polite - a credit to your store.

I'm a long standing, and up until today, very satisfied customer from date of opening of John Lewis, Cheadle. Today I went for a bit of browsing the lady's cloths section, the sports trainers section and I wanted to buy some Hotel Chocolate chocolate. While...

Service very poor, slow, coffee machine not working, queues and little food on offer, we did order cheese toastie in the end which were good but took a long time to come, scone good

I have been complaining directly to John Lewis ever since they changed their cafe to the self service style and nothing ever changes, the amount of food open to contamination is sickening. We used to Look forward to lunches in their store but it just...

Completely agree with all the poor reviews. I’d give it zero stars if I could. No-one seems to know where to queue, food is atrocious and it’s a complete shambles. You see people looking lost, holding onto trays and wondering where to go with them....

No gluten free cakes or pastries. Nothing to cater for coeliacs. Long queues and poor customer service. The staff seem to not want to be there. A shame.

This is not the place to eat. Only one option of cake to choose from if you want it covered. The raspberry cake was tasteless. Tasted as if it had been frozen. I haven’t had a meal here for a long time as the quality...

Second time me we’ve been here and it’s been a shambles , surely John Lewis can’t be that bad twice over ??? We were over charged by £5 , silly queues full of frustrated customers. They really couldn’t organise a p!!s up in a brewery....

I appreciate all the comments about cakes at this Place to Eat…they are right. But for those reviewers who believe it’s only the cakes that are a problem..you are sorely missing the point. I have huge loyalty to JLP and feel bad for saying this...

Lovely clean and pleasant environment. Staff were really nice and service was quick and efficient. No problems paying at the till. We didn’t use the self service machines but chose to have a barista coffee instead. We had toast and coconut, lime and passion fruit...

Shocking service!! Coffees were cold! The self service had no cups! Food selection Is terrible & the scones are extremely dry!! This cafe use to be really good! Won’t be going again!

Usually go for a coffee and cake before doing my shopping in store. The choice of cakes is minimal. What has happened to the delicious cakes they used to have and the lovely toasted teacakes. They have a selection of 3 different cakes, none of...

Felt obliged to come on and write a review after reading the hammering this place got in the MEN. If you are looking for a sanitised cake wrapped in plastic then maybe you should nip next door and get a pack of Mr Kipplings. This...

If you like super dry cakes (as the edges of the cakes are on display) then this is the place for you. Even using the free vouchers on the loyalty card I felt a bit let down. Not the level of quality you'd expect from...

A table of UNCOVERED cakes, pastries and scones is the first thing to greet diners. Absolutely beggars belief. I saw a toddler with her nose a couple of inches away from one cake. I can’t believe this meets food hygiene standards, but it was just...

We both chose the venison stew with accompanying vegetables. I literally was served three small chunks of venison swimming in sauce, the whole dish was lukewarm and extremely disappointing. Wouldn’t recommend as it’s never been up to scratch since they “updated” the restaurant.

If you don’t mind choosing cakes, scones or biscuits left uncovered on a display which customers can cough on, sneeze on and even dangle their sleeves on then this is the Place to Eat. Not for me…Yuk!

OMG it was pre COVID since my last visit to John Lewis Cheadle. Kind wish I hadn't bothered going this time. The cafe, say cafe in loosest term. The sandwich was awful, dry bread. Could have got a better sandwich from the supermarket. The hot...

Visited on Saturday 11/02/23. A very poor selection of sandwiches . A stone cold smoked salmon bagel with only the very strong taste and smell of the red onions coming through. Very weak and lukewarm americano coffees. Two coffee dispensing machines out of order Charged...

Come on John Lewis, wake up to the terrible comments this place is receiving and do something about it. The low ratings are in sharp contrast to your reputation as a great retailer. Visited on Sunday …….. coffee from the machine was weak and lukewarm,...

Just visited cafe for a quick coffee usually a bit of a slow service but today two gentleman one in till one doing the drinks. Their symptoms was working really well lovely customer service from both especially guy doing the drinks I think one of...

Absolute disgrace to be charging people for cold tea. If they can’t get that right no wonder the John Lewis name is going down the pan.

The breakfast menu is uninspiring, fried food mainly. We decided on cake which was ok and tea. Only one drinks machine working, the water is not boiling when it comes from the machine so does not brew the tea properly. Consequently, the tea is tasteless...

JL store is local so I've visited The Place to Eat regularly but I've seen their standards decline rapidly. The self service in general is chaotic with people everywhere, one queue for cake, a queue for hot food, a queue for cold food, and all...

Very disappointed. The cafe is set out well, looks good but the staff were unhelpful and slow. I have been here before and experienced exactly the same problem which I didn't review last time. There's a swap over from breakfast food to lunch food but...

Coffee is just out of a machine and not good. They can't make a proper flat white. Maybe we have been spoilt by Bendigo's downstairs which is far better

The coffee is weak and warm the scones and cake are hard and processed. The staff are uninterested and it could look a lot cleaner. Very poor . Up your game !!!!

Long wait for hot drinks, unhelpful and uninterested staff, very week coffee. Just not what I expected from John Lewis!

The selection process for cakes is disorganised and right at the entrance which confuses people and makes for a bit of a free for all. Only a few of the cakes are covered by a dome and most are left open to the elements. We...

A poor lunch experience yesterday. I met a friend at 12 for lunch. The only hot lunch that was gluten free was soup. My friend is gf I am not. Great - we ordered 2 soups. The young man on the soup looked as if...

Their is no system in the John Lewis food area, it’s chaos. Staff unhelpful and not enough choice, I almost dropped two water bottles off my tray and then couldn’t open them, ask a young member of staff if they could help. Waste of time...

Chaotic. Poor staff looked bewildered. Short of crockery, cutlery, milk etc. Queues to pay so everything cold. Don’t understand what has gone wrong with the place.

We usually look forward to or visit to John Lewis and their cafe during shopping. So we visited the refurbished cafe with my aunt and uncle for a bite to eat and couldn't wait to leave. In summary. Completely chaotic self service area with absent...

Got food poisoning today from the John Lewis Cheadle a place to eat having their Chicken Caesar Salad. Not impressed.

Some reviewers need to get a grip. This place is clean, well laid out and the service and food excellent. Our toasties were full of content, and hot. Not many cafes provide that. Very busy which was a good sign and we will return

Visited to buy furniture and thought we would have lunch first. Cold food, Cold coffee and poor service. The area is tired and the market Square theme as you enter requires updating. The dress standards of the staff in all areas of the store is...

We popped in here around 12.45 yesterday looking for a light snack. Not a great deal of sandwich choice available at the counter so opted for a cheese toastie and a cheese and ham toastie with two flat whites. The toasties were very greasy and...

I visited The Place to Eat today. I follow a vegan diet so was a little disappointed when reading the menus at the door to see that the only vegan choice was a meat fee sausage sandwich. When I got to the counter to order...

Very disappointed that there was no vegan option that we could see, in The Place to Eat, at Cheadle. I asked if there were Vegan options for sandwiches - No. We asked if the vegetable soup (I think it was broccoli, pea and pesto) was...

We visited the Cheadle store restaurant today at 3.30pm after buying a new TV. I have decided to write this review after reading the other reviews, most of which rated most aspects of the restaurant as terrible. All the staff were welcoming, friendly and helpful....

I used to come here with my children over the years and they lived it and so did I. I really haven't been for at least a year. My daughter is only 15 years old and she noticed the standards of the food had dropped....

This used to be a reasonable place to eat. Now the serving staff operate the tills as well as the coffee machines. The inevitable delays are unacceptable, needless to say I won't visit again. There used to be a very good restaurant just off the...

Visited early December at lunchtime and the place looked like a bombsite. Tables littered with dirty dishes and not enough staff around to clear them. Nipping back for a cup of tea mid-afternoon, not much had changed. Visited late morning today. The place was very...

Ordered some pastries for myself and daughter. My daughter had a croissant and I had a Chelsea bun. I wanted a hot drink but there was only one person serving hot drinks and even though there were only two couples in front of me it...

Well now, what’s happened to the John Lewis cafe, food, service ? Not sure how this market place style / idea came about but the new style place to eat is not good. Was looking forward to a post shop lunch. The counter service was...

We walked in expecting a nice calm atmosphere and appetising food. We got neither. We don't mind paying alot if the service is good and food was nice. Can only compare it to a poor school canteen run by people who were not friendly and...

Not been for a while but felt like I was eating in a high school cafe the decor really doesn’t feel like John Lewis at all. Cafe staff just doing their jobs but could smile a bit more. The two young lads probably agency who...

Terrible vegi breakfast worst vegetarian sausage I've ever had, and quite expensive fir what it was... self service coffee absolutely abysmal, watery tepid and tastless. I've had a few bad and frankly expensive mistakes in the cafe here.never again.

Hardly any choice for vegans. 2 soups and neither was a vegan option. Only one wrap vegan and on salad which wasn't even ready yet at 11.45am. Don't bother.

I was very surprised to read so many negative reviews as I had been to John Lewis eateries before, although not this one and also not for some time. I did notice from these reviews that a number had been around or after 2.00pm, this...

Met a friend for a drink this afternoon at 2 p.m. We got the drinks and went to find a table, 80% of the tables were full of dirty crockery, what a dump,but we managed to find one that wasn’t. There was a young lady...

Travelled down from Scotland to visit family. JL used to be a part of this treat. When I arrived at the Place to Eat there was very little to eat at 3pm. I’m vegetarian. Toasties finished. One fish sandwich, 3 or 4 scones. Damaged cakes....

Thumbs up to john lewis for their very forward thinking in allowing well behaved dogs in the store . On a rainy Sunday I had the pleasure of taking my well behaved toilet trained non aggressive ten month spaniel puppy to the store and came...

We have visited the restaurant twice in the past 8 days and both times we arrived before 1400 hours. Each time there was just a couple of pre-packed sandwiches on offer and no hot food. On each visit when I asked for a cheese sandwich...

We have visited the restaurant twice in the past 8 days and both times we arrived before 1400 hours. Each time there was just a couple of pre-packed sandwiches on offer and no hot food. On each visit when I asked for a cheese sandwich...

Very limited choice, virtually nothing on offer, one voice of wrap, only tuna sandwich and limited hot food, ended up settling for coffee only.

In JLs restaurant and very disappointed. Service very slow as one person seems to be doing all service areas (limited to sandwiches, soup and Cakes.) . We arrived at 1.05pm and they had only one portion of cream of cauliflower soup, a tomato soup that...

We called in on Friday about 4.30 for a quick Coffee as we were out to do some shopping. They take your contact info and everything is safely laid out as you would expect. However, when we got to the area where they make the...

The Place to Eatis still closed although website intimated they were opening in stages. Let's be honest, reading the reviews on here, it's not been missed. Plenty of tables outside the Benugo, all the way to the Sainsbury entrance that's now blocked off. Friendly staff,...

I visit John Lewis with the family on a regular basis, we often go into the restaurant especially when you received the voucher for a free cake and tea, lets be truthful i still cannot get my head around paying £18 for three slices of...

Used to love all the eateries at JL Cheadle but over the last few years they have completely changed them for the worse. Poor service, poor value, poor quality. what happened to the original menu and variety. Given how busy it used to be if...

Very disappointed !!,sandwiches were on a side plate & so were the cakes & scone all that in One side plate,none off them well presented !!,sandwiches were Jst cut in 4 square pieces,crust left ,bread was a bit dried😫they didn’t bring any butter I had...

Still no improvements in this cafe, you have to queue for coffee out of a machine , over priced cakes, queue at till, by the time you get to a table your coffee and food are cold. Not a relaxing experience at all. We went...

Always looked forward to having a lovely cake with my coffee but the cakes now are absolutely diabolical. Gone are the lovely fruit tarts, the delicious cream sponges, the wonderful cheese cake slices. Sometimes all that is to be had are the plain scones and...

Perfectly happy with my visit today. Damson, I think it was Damson, tart and a latte. A clean table and tables being thoroughly wiped regularly close by. Tart was tasty. I was using a voucher and have to admit that at almost £7 I'd be...

Soup ok Good? Mind you for 5.50 Should have been better. Coffee tasted like chemicals. Cheap and nasty . The worst coffee i have ever tasted. Sat near the window with view to carpark. False ceiling below very dirty. As was above the revolving doors....

Visited this restaurant during a shopping trip to John Lewis. Plenty of choice on the menu and good quality food. Recommended.

Visited for coffees twice on 10 January, first time at 17.15 and again at 6pm. Had difficulty finding a clean table amongst the many empty tables and often food strewn on the floor waiting to be cleared. Eirther ned more staff or poor supervision of...

It was quiet when we arrived, but there was a long wait for a hot breakfast where I had to ask for the rest of it to be added ( as per advertised) and then return it as the poached egg was solid rubber. I...

Poor quality food ... limited choice and grumpy severs. Hugely overpriced children’s food. Forget it and go to m&s

So much improved. Had an amazing Falafel, Hummus salad. So fresh and tasted so lovely. Glad John Lewis have listened to their customers and gone back to what they do best.

Had fish and chips, very tasty with the minted peas but was lukewarm and not piping hot. Service was sub standard with checkout lady being rude and looking like she didn’t want to be there. Sitting area quite clean compared to some reviews on here

All the food we ordered was very well cooked and tasty. Hot food was hot, sandwiches nice and fresh. Very enjoyable time out.

I feel I'm bucking the trend with an average review, this café is now rated 2 circles on TA and I've no idea why the numerous issues raised aren't being addressed. I like John Lewis and someone should be looking at social media reviews, responding and sorting the problems out. Compare this to Arighi where the management are hands on, respond to reviews, nothing gets past them and customers are attracted into the store due to the cafés excellent quality and service.

Arrived on Sunday as restaurant opened. Already a queue for breakfast which wasn’t moving. Staff running around like headless chickens. Manager giving instructions but didn’t make a difference. Food already prepared but no toast which held up serving. My breakfast was stone cold overcooked virtually inedible at a cost of £20 with two coffees. Definitely dreadful value for money. McDonald’s breakfast muffin is miles better. Won’t be coming again.

10 minute wait for chips so had roast chicken which was cold and vastly overpriced - go to Sainsbury’s or Benugo instead.

We had a cooked breakfast at 9.30 (only half an hour after the store opened). The sausage and bacon were tasty but the baked beans were dried up, and tomatoes and potatoes were cold. Come on John Lewis, you can do better than this - or at least your Liverpool store can. Find out how they keep food hot and appetising.

This place is shockingly slow at lunchtime when you would expect they would gear up for a busy time. You queue for your main meal and you are lucky if they have it (long queues!). Then you join a long queue for your drink and the are short staffed,you then join another queue to pay and if you can find somewhere to eat you will find that your meal has gone cold. Many people gave up and grabbed a sandwich.

Late lunch with limited sandwich choice(3 types) despite long list "available" - none left. Soup an option - not enought left there either. Even the scones and cakes were low. No soya milk, queues for coffee machines and long queues for single till open, so drinks cool by the time we were seated.

Upstairs Very noisy and they do NOT offer Toasted Teacakes When asked "why not?" The reply was "according to the Management, it is a 'southern thing' " The tables get cleared and wiped but, there is often food on the floor!

Met some friends for coffee and cake, the coffee was expensive, a latte was £2.70 and the cakes were priced at 3.75 for a small slice of cake, I chose the cheapest which was a dried looking scone at 2.50. The staff were nice enough and only work there, but the prices are a rip off, if the slices of cake were large and you could share a cake, the price could be justified. I certainly won’t be going again.

Just popped in for breakfast. Despite the eye watering prices I decided to opt for avocado on sour dough with egg and feta. Not really fancying feta I asked to swap for another egg. Reasonable? No - feta can be omitted but there's an additional charge for an egg! Rip off.

Not been for a while but always look forward to a brew and a natter at John Lewis. What a difference and what a shame!

Late morning and very busy, despite the reviews.

We pop in here for a cake and drink from time to time when visiting relatives. It’s always been poor but this time was the worst hence me being motivated to finally post a review. I wouldn’t ordinarily bother for a department store cafe!

who is in control of the cafe? its not what it used to be by any means. i went with a friend for lunch, hardly any choice, coffee only warm, some cakes left uncovered{not all}. wont go again. however took some advice went to sainsburys cafe last week and while it looks like a local caff.. the food was lovely.. Very reasonable,, and there were quite a few john lewis staff having drinks there. hmmn says it all really. come on john lewis wake up.

Had the Thai vegetable curry - the food was cold and the portion size tiny Won’t be going here again

We chose a sandwich and a cheese scone with coffees. Was allowed to have the sandwich heated but this was refused for the cheese scone.! Why one and not the other? Doesn't make sense.

This place has really gone down hill. We visited at around 3pm so it wasnt busy. Tables remained uncleared the whole time we were there , only 5 tables ( From those that weren't cordoned off) were free of debris. My piece of cake was totally stale and inedible, very, very dry. My sister took it back and it was replaced with a different type, which was ok, but nothing special . Their only comment was, ' Well nobody else has complained.' We all had different beverages which you have to get from the machine, these all seemed to taste the same , even though we'd selected different. The only saving grace was my brother in laws cheesecake was 'quite nice'.

The decaffeinated coffee was literally undrinkable, Never again. Scones too big and dry. There has been no improvement in the last three years. Totally unimaginative and lacklustre. The answer is simple get the owner of Benugo to take over, they do some of the best coffee in Manchester, excellent cakes and vivacious sparkling staff. Chuck your useless coffee machines in a skip and get a decent cook that does homemade food.

Quite simply, moderate quality, but WAY overpriced. Nip next door for a snack or sandwich at Sainsbury's.

Always enjoy the coffee and cake voucher and going to place to eat. Good choice of cakes. Coffee machine doesn’t always work that well and the decor could do with a refresh but the prices are reasonable.

I used to look forward to the coffee and cake vouchers. Now I ignore them and go to Sainsburys where the coffee is hot and reasonably priced. John Lewis the place to eat is so poor that the drinks are Luke warm and the cakes dry and unappealing. The food should be fast food if the service wasn’t sooo slow.

Clean, spacious, airy, good ambience.