The Top Cafe in Eden

Popped in for a coffee and a cake while exploring Alston and we must say that the cakes were absolutely amazing. My partner is coeliac and he said the GF brownie was the most moist cake he has had. Great service, top quality food at a great price.

The very best homemade Cheese & Onion Pie and Coleslaw, ever! Very friendly, fast service and a good cup of tea too. Oh, and an absolute bargain! Visit Alston just to try this place. Shared a large table with other lovely diners for a very sociable lunch.

It's worth a trip to Alston just to sample the delicious homemade pies in this lovely little cafe. Great selection and some fine looking cakes too - we will definitely be back !!

First experience at this cafe. I absolutely loved the Xmas veggie pie. It was delicious and did not require any accompaniments. It was full of so many flavours.

Hmm, this cafe is somewhat of a disappoinment. On the face of it it should be excellent, home cooked food, clean and on the market place in Alston. They do vegetarian pies which the wife enjoyed. Literally that is what you get, the pie, no garnish, no little dollop of coleslaw, a pie on a plate. I had the Cumberland sausage and egg pie which i have to say was bland, also i really don't like how all the produce is in the window, some uncovered with people peering over it.

A quaint little tea room - we enjoyed a delicious sausage, leek and cheese pasty and a piece of carrot cake - the food was obviously home made as it was rustic and delicious -

Friendly helpful cafe with cracking pies and pasties. Angela provided great food for a dozen hungry cyclists in June and the Bombay Bad Boy was terrific.

Excellent chicken ham and leek pie! The pastry was very good, the filling was tasty and moist. I would recommend this cafe.

My partner and I decided to visit last week on our way to The Lakes as our usual cafe in the town had closed down. We were disappointed with the service as we had to wait 35 minutes for a sausage muffin and pancakes. Although apologies were given it was a long wait as the place is quite small. The toilets are outside and the door to the gents had to be forced open. A disappointing visit. They need to improve.

A pleasant, airy cafe with outdoor seating. First class, hearty-sized omelettes with salad at £5-25 were excellent value and very tasty indeed. Outside toilets.

Cost 5.50 for lettuce+chicken. When it was supposed to be be Caesar salad. Tried to agrue with me and had Dumped the veg I asked for it on the table.

called in here whilst visiting the area.The young lass that served us was very freindly and efficient ,good strong brew just how i like it and a cracking full english breki.The wife was over the moon with her New york breakfast.Will be visiting again soon.

Called yesterday first trip out since lock down really fancied a coffee we were not disappointed it was lovely, the take away Sunday lunches looked lovely shame we live about 10 miles away

A lovely cafe set in one of the coldest towns in England yet I received a lovely warm welcome! The coffee and full English breakfast I had was lovely.

We stopped off here after a walk and had a lovely lunch. Great choice of food and everyone really enjoyed it. So much, we stayed on for some scones and jam too. Very friendly staff - and its dog friendly too. Definitely worth a visit.

Called in here whilst travelling back from Scotland. Served snacks. Our group of 3 had the Cumberland sausage sandwich with Alston's mustard and the cheese and tuna with sweetcorn pannini. Lovely fresh coffee and a pot of tea. Friendly and welcoming staff. Dog friendly place.

The sticky ginger stem cake is the best I've ever tasted - all cakes are homemade. Coffee also excellent. This is such a cosy friendly café, and the owners are very knowledgeable about the area.

Lovely cafe for a stop off en route to the Lakes. We just called in for a coffee (which was excellent Pumphreys roast) but were drawn into cheese scones and ginger cake! When we saw the specials menu alone, we wished we hadn't had breakfast. Exceptional and pleasant service and we will be back when we pass again

Too friendly, total rip off. £4.40 for a sausage bun, with a spoonful of mustard, won’t get my custom again!!

Great little cafe in Alston. Parked in the free car park just away from the main shops and this was the first place came to. Lovely and clean and plenty of choice on the menu. The young waiter was lovely and brought over an additional menu and took our order at the table. Lentil and chickpea soup with chilli was piping hot and very tasty. Cumberland sausage bun came with local mustard and was also good. Would have been nice to have salt and pepper pots on the table as opposed to tiny sachets. Great service from everyone we dealt with and definitely a place we would call back to.

Our small group of motorcyclists stopped here and enjoyed scones and tea and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Friendly efficient service and good food so What more could you ask for!

This cafe was a bit of a godsend for my friends and I as we cycled the C2C. We were cold and wet but these guys offered us a safe place to leave our bikes and wet gear. Very welcoming, helpful and importantly refuelled us : ) Lovely homemade soup, paninis, teas, coffees (just to mention a few). We’ll be back one day for sure. Would 100% recommend, perfect cafe

Really great coffee, good tea too ! Welcoming casual cafe with dogs allowed. Lovely fresh breakfasts and home made soups and cakes.

Stopped off on our way up north and what a little gem of a place to find. Firstly our very large dog was welcomed which was really appreciated, we’d driven a long way and it was pouring with rain. The homemade soup was absolutely delicious, super local bread served with it and a great cup of coffee. Large pot of tea for two, a panini and a bacon butty. All were wonderful, service was superb and really friendly. Can’t recommend this place enough and we’ll definitely pop back next time we’re passing.

Walking through Alston after 5pm, in need of a takeaway coffee, we found most of the cafes closed, but I was delighted to find the Top Cafe still open. The proprietor went to a lot of trouble to ensure my double espresso was absolutely perfect, and although it took a little longer than your average high street chain, it was infinitely better and well worth waiting for. I'd wholeheartedly recommend this place to anyone who appreciates a really good cup of coffee, as well as to those who just want excellent service with a genuine smile. (Next time I'll try the food as well!)

Visited with a few members of the family; including two young children - first time every plate was scrapped clean. Waffles and the homemade scones particularly went down well! Quick service, really friendly staff, amazing food, we will definitely be visiting again when back in the area! Thanks for a lovely meal

The building was nothing to write home about but I got a great mug of tea and a good scone with Jam and clotted cream. We were visiting on holiday and I have to say a member of staff gave us 10 minutes of her time to tell us all the places we should visit. My kind of place

Just had a wonderful coffee and afternoon scone in The Top cafe. The coffee wont disappoint its amazing. Just pop in and see for yourself

Pleasant, efficient service My bacon stottie was delicious Loads of choices on the menu. I’ll be back

We had a break for lunch in Alston whilst cycling the Coast2Coast route and were made very welcome here. There is a safe place to park your bikes in the courtyard at the back through a passage door. We had a good choice of food and drink (eg paninis, stotties, waffles, soup, cakes). The lovely lady with the curly hair was completely unfazed by our complicated order for 9 people and the coffee was top notch. So keep on pedalling up the hill and bypass the other stops, come here!

Called into the top cafe on route from Edinburgh to Worcestershire. Had needed a break and had trip checked a place to stop for excellent food and drinks.

popped in on our first day in Alston for some lunch, i had the red lentil,chickpea and chilli soup and it was to die for, so tasty and full of flavour (but not heat) i wish i had the recipe so i could try making it. the cafe is amazing with great friendly staff who great you like old friends. the best Cafe in Alston in my opinion.

Forget Starbucks, forget Costa The Top Cafe's coffee beat them all ! Staff always very knowledgeable about what's going on in town and can give you advice and insight if you have any questions.

First visit today having walked past a few times when visiting. Really impressed by the drinks, food & staff. Extremely friendly with a good range of delicious food and drinks. Highly recommend the freshly baked scones, hot chocolate and coffee.

I've visited this café several times at varying times of the day and always received a warm welcome and witnessed the same welcome to every other customer. Gina and Rhys have got the "front of house" spot on and that quality is matched by what they serve - a winning combination that deserves continued success.

Stopped after 30 miles of our 50 mile bike ride. Sat in the sunshine in the back garden for a delicious bowl of soup followed by a very nice cup of coffee and an excellent piece of cake. All at a very reasonable price!

Great coffee and cake stop on a day out in Alston! Perfect location on the front to watch the world go by, interesting decor with local pictures/information on the walls and also delicious paninis! Staff are friendly and had water available for our dog and nothing was too much trouble. Will definitely be coming back :) thanks!

Wandered through Alston on a Saturday morning. Happened on this well named cafe right at the top of the main street. The huge pottery teapot sign is rather splendid and only bettered by the quality of the cheese scones and coffee (by Pumphrey of Blaydon). Lovely staff and the outside loos were spotless and reached via a pleasant outdoor seating area. Look out for the 1970s murals inside the cafe. Lovely!

Stopped off on a bike trip to Scotland. Really lovely staff. Excellent coffee and a right nice price of cake. Staff chatted away to us. Top place!

On a coach tour of the Dales and had a limited time stop in Alston. Saw this cafe and decide to use it. We only had time for drinks but the service was very good, the drinks were hot and tasty and the prices were very reasonable. The staff were also very friendly and helpful. Recommend a visit if in the area.

Really enjoyable lunchtime 'pit stop' as part of a few days touring in Northumberland and Cumbria.

We called at this cafe after we had walked to High Force Waterfall and were driving round the area this was a lovely find friendly staff tasty local coffee and a sticky ginger cake with lemon frosting all credit to who baked the cake. We'll recommended.

A real gem of a place. Stopped here at the end of a walk while waiting for the bus to Hexham. Very pleasant staff in nice sourroundings. Made to feel very welcome here.

Good tea and range of coffees with a wide range of meals and great home made cakes all set in a beatifully refurbished tea room under the Alston Herritage project

Everything in this cafe is great -- the food, the menu, the folks who run it and serve you, the locally baked bread and cakes. I had a really good broccoli soup with lots of warm bread/butter. Then I had a banana milkshake. Gina and Elaine can answer just about any question about where to go and what to do. I recommend that you drive a mile out of town to see the remains of a Roman fort called Epiacum. I see that Gina does bed and breakfast -- for my next visit.

Passing through Alston and found this cafe. We weren't disappointed, yummy soup with locally baked bread. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Unlike some establishments in Alston the cafe does accept debit cards & of course cash!... loved the trip to the loo, great views.

lovely little tea shop/cafe..dog friendly,great coffee,great cake,great service!..really liked it here...nice vibe..

This cafe was an Alston institution for years, sadly it closed and the town lost a real asset, happily though it has reopened with new owners and a fresh outlook.

Stopped off on our detoured way home from the Lakes, found this cafe as we looked around for somewhere dog-friendly- lovely staff both serving and cooking, Asked for something slightly off-menu (toasted cheese scone) which was served up perfectly done, and really yummy.