The Place to Eat, John Lewis Cardiff in Cardiff

We had breakfast at the John Lewis Cardiff café on 12th August, and unfortunately, it was the worst breakfast experience we’ve ever had at a John Lewis store. The bacon was rock hard, and both the hash brown and sausage tasted as though they had been reheated rather than freshly cooked. The only fresh items were the egg and the bread. What was particularly disappointing was that we ended up going to another restaurant afterward to get another breakfast, as the quality here was simply not up to the standard I expected from John Lewis. I would not recommend having breakfast here, and we certainly won’t be returning. I expected a lot better.

It was concerning to observe a fly on the sandwich display. I brought this to the attention of the staff, but they disregarded my report and continued to serve the sandwiches.

Poorly staffed, food of low quality and very sparse choice. Many flies in the restaurant - not a good sign. Has never really recovered since Covid. Needs closing and refurbing with a new concept launched, perhaps a bistro, or street market food (eg a Waitrose High Street) option. The space is great but it’s let down by poor food, dated concept lack of choice and lacklustre staff…

Very nice staff, helpful and very good food

Ideal place to relax whilst shopping.

Enjoyed the Hot Chocolate Drink in John Lewis Cafe here in John Lewis Cardiff

Always bad services ,bad management , staff not trained enough to serve , no manager there to arrange services , food not quite good. Not nice atmosphere, no music , that is all indicate very bad management , and no hope to be good one day , as they don’t take reviews seriously , shame

Came here as I was in the area. Did know hat to expect as I have never been in this cafe before. So decided to have a confetti cake which was full of flavour. The staff who served me was really nice and helpful and even said thank you on the way putting a smile on my face.

Went here on Tuesday 7. May 2024, went here to have food, wanted a nice sandwich there were on 3 and all the same a baguette ham with cheese which I don’t like , I ask the assistant is there more sandwiches she said all we have is there, this was at 12.25 dinner time.So i went to have a look at the hot food ,what very poor selection, I end up with a cheese toasty and a pot of chips plus drink, , when the cheese toasty came it was very thick bread and it was very well done edges was burnt I had to cut the burnt edges away, chips didn’t arrive the assistant had to go and get them, when they arrived they were barely warm, so all I all I was very disappointed in the food,Not very happy with John Lewis restaurant.

John Lewis Cardiff 3th floor coffee shop. I was there in Cardiff few weeks ago. I went to the John Lewis 3th floor coffee shop 2 times. One day I had breakfast , another day I had lunch. The service was slowly, my latte was terrible. It's looks like they have staff , who never done before coffee . The staff are just hanging around there laughing. Tables were dirty. Looks like out of control there. I used to work in the catering business before! They provided really poor service! I am not going there anymore! I didn't expected form John Lewis!

Amazing coffee lots of seating. Great and accessible throughout for wheelchair Comfortable seating low level lighting felt very relaxed. Only criticism is hard to reach areas not clean some sofas and chairs ripped,with damp celling tiles and window leaks unfortunately. Scored three due to it starting to feel a bit tired looking.

Nice coffee, actual cafe a bit dated

A pleasant place to enjoy a restful light meal or just a coffee. The people are very friendly, helpful and professional. Recommended.

Called in for a Coffee and had a Toasted Bacon sandwich. Very enjoyable and the Bacon sandwich was very Good value for money.

Very slow run out of breakfast still waiting 30 min for sausage sandwich and egg on toast

Poor service and management. Came here with high expectations for John Lewis’ s quality, ended up with great disappointment for its service and food. Food is pricey and meal deal quality. Totally ruined my day. Won’t recommend better go to Wetherspoon.

It’s December and John Lewis is unusually busy with customers. Even the cafe has a large amount of people , fantastic given that the restaurant normally has the ambiance of Cocoon The Sequel, with a gaggle of pensioners eating scones. The high footfall on this day represented a marvellous opportunity to entice returning customers with culinary delights. Instead you have the usual signs of an establishment which has given up trying. “Are you closing down?” asked one customer, pointing to the unused central aisle. “It’s been closed since covid” was the response. The counter was pretty much empty, a bit of soup, a sandwich and “some fish at the back if you don’t mind waiting”. This is not the way to attract returning customers. It wasn’t a case of simply having sold out. It was 12.30 and there was nothing on offer. New management required.

Very very slow service. Nowhere near enough staff. The person who was making hot drinks was also taking the money so we queued a long time with our hot food cooling down. Definitely won’t be returning

This cafe / restaurant is on the top floor of John Lewis in Cardiff. The views are fabulous and the clientele tend to be older (think Cocoon, the sequel) unless it’s half term when it becomes crèche like. The staff are extremely well trained - so polite and helpful, they go above and beyond. The food - what little there is available is often very good. The cakes can be fantastic, the coffee excellent. But therein lies the problem. In an attempt to avoid wastage (I assume) the choice of food available is often pitiful. What little there is looks great but this will become a self fulfilling prophecy of decline if they can’t present a few choices, regardless of wastage. Today the only vegetarian option was a slice of quiche accompanied by a pitiful looking dry salad (straight from a supermarket pack). At £8.95 this did not represent value. A shame, this restaurant could be wonderful but it’s stuck in a catch 22 situation at the moment and screams abandon ship.

No real instruction of how to order or where to pay. Staff uninterested and the breakfast was appalling. Bacon had been hanging around so long it was like jerky, rostis, beans and mushroom were passable but the fried egg was swimming in oil. Setting was the only redeeming factor and it was quiet but after the breakfast it was easy to see why. Far better places in Cardiff.

Absolutely appalled that this establishment doesn't take cash. I understand that they are not run by John Lewis, but as a large company Jonh Lewis should make a point of having cafe's that are more inclusive. They have a large age span with they're customers and some older people don't like using cards. I for one will be boycotting this cafe from now on. If they don't take cash they won't get my business.

2 drinks and 2 cakes free using the John Lewis loyalty app

I called in mid afternoon for a pot of tea. There were 3 members of staff hanging around the drinks/till area. When I arrived there was a male customer complaining about having been given a tea pot with an old tea bag string in the spout!! When asked I asked for a tea and stood back to wait. There was a lot of chatting but I assumed my tea was being made. Another lady came along in front of me and ordered a tea and was served immediately!! I was then asked again what I wanted and I just said that I had previously ordered tea and had been waiting but as they obviously didn't want to serve me I was leaving. I will never ever go there again.

Will not be going back! 1st of all it came to the table with no salmon on then the poached egg?? Hard boiled is what came. All very bland. Extremely disappointed! Nicest thing was the English breakfast tea.

Absolutely chaotic and there were no more than 8 people hoping to be served. The ladies themselves were charming and the food and coffee once it arrived Was very good, but the lack of staff and disorganisation was extremely irritating.

What has happened to this cafe? Used to be soo good. Nowadays there are not enough staff, most things on the menu aren’t available and the vegan options (for my wife) are back in the dark ages. We asked what the soup of the day was and at 1.30pm no one knew lol! We often say, okay we’ll give it one more chance but it repeated fails to deliver. If you just go for a cake and coffee it’s probs a joy. Nothing against the staff who try their best but needs a big shake up. As I say, used to be brilliant.

The atmosphere is so nice here. They make delicious coffee and the desserts are nice. Had chicken Ceaser salad and the taste was amazing! 👏🏻 It's definitely will by my main cafe in Cardiff we're I can go to read in peace 😌

Handy to have lunch while shopping

We have visited a couple of times as it is convenient with a baby (nearby changing facilities and wide open seating area) however on both occasions service and facilities have been awful! There is no logic to the queue (invariably v long) as people all wait in the same area regardless of whether they want drinks, cake, sandwiches or hot food and the hot food selection is v unclear (a few covered dishes and bowls) also unclear about sides eg had to ask for mash and peas alongside the pie (although included in the price) Staff are lovely but very slow, each time have had to ask for bottle tops to be removed, clean glasses, forks and knives, extra trays and to pay!! On one occasion we were told the cutlery was in the dishwasher and stood waiting with our hot meals for 10 mins at the counter for them to be provided... It could be great quality food in a clean pleasant environment and a useful pitstop for shoppers and especially families, but it is hard work to just get to your table with food, drinks and cutlery successfully!

The. Coffee did not taste the same as last time. We shall not be coming again. Will try Costa in future.

Enjoyed a lovely lunch with friends quality food and cooked well. Lauren was extremely helpful and excellent customer service.

Terrible service! 19 uncleared tables last week and this week ( my last visit to this cafe) there were 25 uncleared tables! Surely a company like John Lewis should do way better than this! What is so disappointing is that they have not replied to any of the comments on this site.

came here early hours at 10, there was no food left, one mushroom, two tomatoes, no sausages, no tea cakes. the coffee was cold!!!!!! would not recommend coming here if you are in a rush as they took around 15 minutes to take our order. lots of staff but none seem to know what they’re doing - all of them just stood around staring at customers looking like they have no clue what to do! awful restaurant would not recommend - if i could give 0 stars i would.

Disappointed , as place big and nice but staff very slow , and not many to serve , not many choices jut few simple things , bad management , very long wait even one customer , half an hour at least , I don’t like it, bab management also we went other day no napkins to use

I visited here on a Sunday morning with my mother and my son just wanted something quick before we went shopping, the service was awful their was 4 stood behind the counter honestly more go in a bottle of pop no organisation at all very slow like they all just rolled out of bed, I literally only ordered some toast and sausages for myself and a toastie for my son this took over 25 minutes! My toast was white! So disappointed will not return

This used to be a busy lunchtime destination with homemade cakes, freshly cooked food. Now it has sad frozen cakes, over baked scones and hardly any choice, I went there at 12.30 and there were more staff than cakes,empty,closed counters, looked like closing time! I was shocked, I haven’t been here for a long time, it’s completely changed, couldn’t have been more than 10 people seated!

Went in around 2 o'clock, the staff were really helpful in helping us to choose from a limited menu suggesting items they could make for us like toasties. The food on the counter looked a bit old and sad, so we opted to have the toasties. They took a bit of a wait to come out, but were made fresh so was understandable. We were allowed to sit down while they made it which was a nice touch, and the person serving us was really chatty and friendly while making our drinks and when bringing them over. We had the Tuna Melt and the Ham and Cheese toastie, both of which were tasty if unspecial. However, both were on the pricier side with our total bill of two toasties (no sides) and two drinks costing around £15. Is very good if you need a bite to eat while in John Lewis but probably cheaper options in Cardiff otherwise. The staff are a credit to the business though.

What a shambles , had to wait 30 minutes to be served despite plenty of staff . Cafe was quiet . Every single table was cluttered with dirty dishes Coffee was bitter . Very very disappointing

Terrible service here today. Staff are totally out of their depth and just don't know what they are doing. I ordered a bacon brioche roll at the food counter and having ordered and paid for one, I was told 10 mins later that they had ran out of Bacon!! There was plenty on offer when I ordered it and was never informed that they would run out!!. I was given an alternative but I'm totally disappointed with this poor level of customer service at 'The Place to Eat'.

-Decent -Several vegan options for breakfast,lunch and sweets / desserts -Clean and tidy -Service could be quicker though, plenty of staff but only one person on tills today, even though they had two tills, maybe one wasn't working

Dull lighting . Asked for a saucer for my coffee. Not possible, as they are in the wash! Rubbish

My wife and I recently received an email from John Lewis saying they were "exited" to let me know that our reward of one free regular hot drink and a cake was waiting in my on line account. My wife and I, pensioners with some health issues, can only manage the journey from Swansea to Cardiff occasionally, but when we do we always head for the 'place to eat' then continue with shopping at the store. Due to Covid and bad weather we have once again been unable to redeem our offer within the 24 day expiry limit.(Why oh why is a time limit necessary on a damned coffee and cake!!?) I wrote to Customer Service asking if the voucher could be renewed/replaced. I soon received " not the reply I wanted to receive" that a re-issue could not be considered so I asked for the contact details of a Manager. Surprise, surprise! A similarly worded stock reply of a refusal to reward a 'valued' customer with a paltry coffee and bun. Sad to say we will in future head for the internet and shop elsewhere.

Normally quiet with a good choice of food most times. Service isn’t the quickest but they are friendly. Plenty of places to sit. If you need the Lifts to the top floor these can take a while as they service 5 other floors.

Absolutely shocking, really slow service. Waited 15mins in queue. Ordered quiche salad. There were 2 pieces of quiche there. I paid. Sat down and waited 30mins only to be told there was no quiche left!! I've never posted a review anywhere before but this is the last time I will visit The Place To Eat at John Lewis, Cardiff. Ever.

Too crowded and a couldn't care less attitudes

Went to recharge with some coffee at around 2 pm after some shopping. Was still very busy with lunch service but the queue had been segregated from those ordering hot food and those just getting coffee and cake, which sped things up. Very friendly service...

We spent almost 40 pounds on two meals, desserts and drinks. I had Pie and Chips, it was warm, tasteless and dry. My partner had Fish and Chips. Again, dry and just warm. Will never eat there again. For that price, we could have chosen...

Great service from the cashier who have done the coffee. But the chief has a bit of attitude and his presentation of the food was very poor.

Obviously pared dowm due to Covid.We had 2 beef ciabatta,with beetroot,rocket etc. Absolutely delicous. Lovely tasting coffee. Brilliant,friendly staff. Not cheap,but well worth the money.

Food is good and staff are friendly, but the service is very slow

My daughter and myself visited John Lewis restaurant on Friday 9th waited for five minutes to be called , three people looked at us and walked passed. We left , not what you expected,won’t bother again

Conveniently located, spotless, excellent food and drinks, love the scones and a variety of cakes, lovely views, relaxing environment, a bit expensive, wide choice in the morning, could be a bit disappointed in the afternoon, Shame... close due to covid situation.🙄👀

Comfortable seats which are always a plus to enjoy a coffee.

I have no problem with reduced hours, early closing time or limited menus. We were the only couple in the restaurant on a warm afternoon. The air conditioning was switched off in the main restaurant area. As a result, we had to leave after 15...

Great staff safest place we have eaten in since lock down. Spotless great food can't recommend highly enough

Great cafe to rest your feet after a hard days shopping

Lovely place to come and relax.

Clean&tidy. Open most days until 8pm.

Great free coffee and cake using voucher. Choice for all food requirements. Very satisfied

Decent cafe with all of the usual drinks and snacks. Quiet, with a number of two and four seated tables. Hard and soft seating

I used to like coming here but the staff have become so miserable, it's not a nice experience anymore. Added to that, the sandwiches are so overpriced and made with cheap ingredients.

A bit of a disappointment. The cafe at this John Lewis is outsourced to a private company and it shows that the usual John Lewis high standards are just not there. The range of food is limited. It is basically a few choices of soup and several filling choices in each of baguettes, rolls or wraps, plus a few choices of cake. The scones were popular - they're large and looked reasonable. The food itself is adequate, no more. The breads are a cut above the basic but certainly not high end and the fillings are sufficient but, again, nothing above that. It is a shame, because the cafe at John Lewis used to be better quality and there was certainly a better set of choices. My biggest issue with the cafe is the pricing, they are pitched at the high end and the quality just isn't up to that - it is only average and no more. £5.45 for a filled baguette with no other garnish is more than the quality of the item deserved. Some crisps and a little salad on the side would have made the price more acceptable, in my opinion. All in all, a bit of a disappointment and not somewhere I would rush back to eat.

Although the selection available is a lot less than it used be. The service I received on this occasion was outstanding. I had a suitcase with me, it had been raining and all I wanted was a coffee and cosy chair. John Lewis Partner named...

Lovely café on the top floor of John Lewis store in Cardiff. Reasonably priced selection. Great place to come and have coffee and cake if you're just looking for a little break from shopping. I would suggest downloading the John Lewis app and becoming a member which is free to sign up - they offer free hot drink and cake of choice every couple months to all its members. Even more reason to go there when out and about in Cardiff!

Poor quality, expected much more from them!!! Very, very small selection of meals, cheap ingredients, ....it's a shame because it's a great spot and seems very clean.

Second time been there to have breakfast and still no one behind the breakfast counter wearing gloves, man taking toast out of toaster with his hands and another lady squatting the bread down on a bacon sandwich.. food safety officers need to go in and watch.. won't eat there even McDonalds and Subway all wear gloves.. this is food that people are playing with and then they expect you to eat it.

Always lovely in john lewis cafe. Great service.

Generally good. Cakes are either great or poor. Quite expensive.

Always a good cream tea after a hard mornings shopping

Friendly staff. Clean cafe ( and toilets) Good selection of cakes.

Nice coffee, not a large selection on offer, very comfortable, staff could be a little more helpful.

The coffee was luke warm and the cake wasn't very fresh and I had to clear the table before I sat down

Luke warm coffee ..cake not fresh food expensive. Had to wait at the till ... had to clear the table before sat down ..

As always tranquil oasis in the centre of Cardiff

Find the cafe lovely to just sit, relax and chat over a coffee or tea.

Always good service. Comfortable and good atmosphere.

Really disappointed. Lack of staff serving drinks. Very little choice of cakes available at 2pm

As a vegetarian this was a shambles. They served the chips with the meat utensils and chips fallen onto the chicken were put back I to the serving dish. Attitude of staff serving was well below standard.

Lovely coffee but I find the food is a little expensive....

Nice food and drink but a bit expensive

very clean pleasant staff good food

Great view, lovely coffee and a chance to regroup as you brace yourself for the obligatory trip to the furniture floor with your other half

Delicious cream scones. Fab coffee light and airy really yummy.

Only had a coffe, no food. Good coffee.

JL Cardiff is lovely lovely shop got a few bargains.

Disappointing selection of meals. Expensive and not terribly appealing. Great selection of cakes, but again very expensive. Not the same since the crêpe counter closed

Spotlessly clean, great selection of fresh and well prepared food. Very warm welcome from a great team of staff. Well done JL Cardiff, you should be proud of the quality and level of service at The Place to Eat. Thank you.

Looking at the queue one might be forgiven for thinking John Lewis Cafe attracts customers at the older age range. This assumption would be false however and it is important to realise that many customers in the queue have been there since the store opened in 1998. I lacked this level of patience though and left before I could get served.

Lovely Cafe in John Lewis, what more can i say highly recommended whilst out shopping in Cardiff.

Love john Lewis cafe a real Treat 🌞

Lovely and creamy hot chocolate...queue was long but quick

Nice area to sit and have a think what more you need to buy.

I managed to get the large seats by the window which means that you can watch the world go by

Lovely retreat after long shopping, lovely food and coffee. The staff very pleasant. Love the place and amazing view

Lovely food.wide choice.fast friendly service. Comfortable seating.always eat here when in cardiff

Like the coffee at John Lewis and the space is good for families with young children But tables are always cluttered with dirty dishes Staff when bringing food to table always walk past the cluttered tables Disorganised badly managed restaurant

Went here for a coffee and cake. Produce was ok but the service was just awful. I really like John Lewis as a store and feel the cafe there could do so much better. They were not short staffed today but nearly fifty percent of...

Popped in for coffee and cheese scones on a rainy afternoon , scones were delicious ! Will return when next in Cardiff.

Friendly staff, clean place very quite and good to relax with a nice window view. Food was good but a little over priced . Will be back again.

What has happened at John Lewis. I ordered fish and chips and was told I would have to wait half an hour! When it arrived the chips were cold and the fish was a disgrace - over cooked and unpalatable. The “partner” in charge kept...