The Willows Tearoom & Cafe in East Lindsey

Popped in for something to eat on passing through Alford. Never been here before and it was lovely. A right hidden gem! It was very busy but all the young staff serving were spot on, the food was delicious and reasonably priced. Would definitely visit again!

My kind of tea room. Loved this little gem. The ambience was lovely and the food perfect. Give me places like this… sweet, cosy, friendly, beautiful and quintessentially British. Somewhere to bring the doggy too! We drove a couple of hours to get here, but we will be back ❤️

Freshly prepared food served by friendly waitress; really good value and generous servings. Quirky little cafe with quite a retro feel but would definitely return

Good food, clean and good friendly service. Reasonably priced. Very hospitable. We would recommend and return to if we visit Alford again. Family friendly.

Good hot food. Cracking cuppa - but not on the 'urry up! Cottage pie was great, lovely gravy and served on really hot plates. And not expensive. Much supported by locals - always a good sign. But service wasn't rapid and we were on the verge of leaving when lunch arrived - 28 minutes after order was placed.

Visited this lovely tearoom yesterday, had a pot of tea for two, ordered sandwiches with cake and a cherry scone, tea was served in a large teapot which meant plenty of refills, sandwiches cake and scone were homemade and delicious, staff very welcoming and nothing too much trouble will definitely go again

Der Ausblick ist atemberaubend und das Personal sehr freundlich die Qualität der Speisen war ok. Die Sandwiches waren sehr groß und die Auswahl eher gering.

Really lovely host. Service and food was excellent. Relaxing and peaceful atmosphere comfortable and spacious seating arrangements.Definitely recommend

We live going to The Willows. Always a lovely warm welcome from the ladies who work there. The coffee is the best we’ve ever had, and today we went for lunch. It was lovely. Hot, tasty and plenty of it

We were in Alford for the 40’s weekend and popped in to see if they could fit us in for Sunday Lunch. Had the most amazing Sunday dinner for years. The food was piping hot as was the plate ( one of my pet hates.. cold plates) loads of meat, vegetables and gravy. Cannot fault anything and the best value for money ever. We did send our thanks to the kitchen staff. Will defiantly be back. 😀

We've been to this eatery a few times and we find the staff odd,, I had the pork chop, veg and gravy option and I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a meal so much, it was perfect and despite the lack of interaction from the servers I would go again and again for the great food, NB... Staff...Just talk to your customers and make them feel good 😊

Visit to Alford for a funeral. With time to spare we went in for lunch. A friendly atmosphere and it appeared to be popular with local people, always a good sign. Four of us had a meal and it was served in short time . We all enjoyed it and we would recommend this place .

This cafe is a true little gem. it's quaint and friendly and the food is spot on. The only downside is it doesn't open weekends. My review is based on multiple visits by myself and my family, each time for breakfast.

We came here for breakfast ..reccomended by one of the shop owners in the village Delightful olde Wordle place … friendly staff…. Food was hot and delicious…the staff were very friendly and very chatty My gluten free sensitivities were catered for very well A great English breakfast

Just cannot fault this lovely place. Called for breakfast after being recommended by a friend. Welcomed and seated immediately, ordered and served within 10 minutes. Food was cooked perfectly and served hot. I had a full English breakfast. Proper Lincolnshire sausages, thick cut bacon, with all the usual accompaniments, complete with toast and marmalade and including tea or coffee. What a quality meal for under £6. Will definitely be returning.

We had food here today, excellent food and staff helpfulness. I am coeliac and were able to accommodate my dietary needs without altering before our visit. We would definately recommend.

We had lunch here yesterday and was very impressed. The lamb casserole I had was delicious as was the salmon my husband had. The food was well cooked and well presented. The staff were very friendly and we would highly recommend the restaurant.

Very nice tea room I had the gammon and chips, can’t fault the service or the food. Very well priced to well worth a visit.

As frequent visitors to The Willows we were delighted to win the generous raffle prize for High Tea for 2 people which they had donated to the local Primary School. As always the food was excellent - the lovely fresh sandwiches with side salad, the warm scones (2 each) with cream and jam and the huge slices of homemade cake and not forgetting the best milky coffee you will get anywhere locally. Thank you to Pauline, Linzi and Lucy for the wonderful friendly service, nothing is too much trouble for them. I would definitely recommend The Willows to any visitor to Alford - we've tried everything from the breakfasts, tea cake, lunchtime meals and now the High Tea and we've never been disappointed.

Willow tea room is a lovely place to call in for some real home cooked food. I chose steak and ale pie which was served with mash, roast pots, peas, carrots, cabbage, mashed swede and cauliflower, absolutely delicious. My boyfriend chose the lemon sole which he also said was delicious, followed by 'proper' oven cooked rice pudding. A real little gem in lovely Alford. Thank you.

Came with my mum we Had the best braised steak I have ever tasted here. The desserts were lovely. We will be coming back. Hospitality spot on. Lovely team. Would recommend in heartbeat. Thankyou

Second time I have visited this little cafe with family which caters for a very loyal local client base.The menu is limited but freshly cooked and generous in portion size.The staff are friendly and the prices very reasonable

Went too this quaint little tearoom with my friend. The atmosphere is like being back at grandma's and the staff are so friendly. Nothing too much trouble and the food is excellent! Plates and food were very warm and I can recommend the cheese and tomatoe omelette with chips or side salad😀 Also serve a wonderfull milky coffee done the old fashioned way. All in all a truly wonderful experience- will be sure to make a return visit soon!

Went here on the 30th of August around 1:15pm, the door was wide open and there was other customers in the tearoom that had been served. We walked in sat down and looked at the menu, 5 mins later the waitress came over abruptly told us that they were closed without offering a reason... Will never go back again and definitely will not recommend it to anyone...

El salón de té willows ofrecía una excelente relación calidad-precio, con su oferta de café y pastel. De hecho, sus precios eran muy razonables. El personal era amable y eficiente y la comida y la bebida eran muy rápidamente. El interior tiene un verdadero encanto del viejo mundo. Sin duda volveremos aquí.

Very abrupt waitress told us they were closed. Door wide open to the public though. Lunchtime on a weekday. How do they survive with opening hours like this?

Very impressed with the Willows tea room - our food and drinks arrived quickly. Really nice old world ambience. Staff are all very friendly and the price of the food is very reasonable. I really recommend the Willows whenever you're in Alford.

This is a lovely little tearoom doing a nice menu of home.cooked food. Olde Worlde charm attractive and friendly. Will return

Popped into the garden centre and the shops there and decided to have a cup of tea. Whilst there tried the scone with jam. And cream. Absolutely delicious and very reasonably priced. Lovely staff also

Fuimos a almorzar sándwich en Jueves. Estaba muy concurrido, pero dieron una mesa enseguida. Nuestros sándwiches llegó rápidamente y estaban bien llenos, y se sirve con una ensalada muy buena y variada en el lateral. Me di cuenta de cómo estaban organizadas, podía ver un chef busca en control en la cocina pero lleno. He comentado a mi marido lo limpio que era demasiado, que es lo que siempre espero! Me sorprenden los comentarios realizados por otros. Esto no es lo que nos encontramos. Donde nos sentamos muchas comidas nos pasó buscando tanto atractivo y delicioso y nos arrepentimos de no haber tiempo para almuerzo propiamente dicho. Volveremos y volveremos a reservar mesa con antelación ya que muchos de reservados. Con una taza de té para dos la factura era justo debajo de 10 libras. . Dinero bien gastado.

Tenía una mala comida la última vez, pero nos dijeron que había mejorado lo equivocados que estaban. El servicio era abrupto no limpiaban las mesas y la comida no estaba correctamente mucho mejor tampoco.

I was shown to table and when the waitress came to order I ordered a special and was abruptly told the kitchen was closed.This was exactly 13.00 on a weekday.

We had lunch at the Willows during our recent trip to Alford.We had the cottage and cheese, onion & roasted garlic pies. The portions were large, very tasty and reasonably priced.All-in-all we had an enjoyable lunch.

I was meant to have a meeting but there was a mix up with the times so with time to waste I wondered into this quaint little cafe. The sign advertised full english breakfast for a good price and i was hungry so i thought what the hell, why not?On walking in I found a table for myself and sat down, the waitress took my order not long after and was very polite whilst doing so, I looked at the room around me whilst waiting for my food, the patterned china surrounding was charming and the decoration of the room matched nicely.There were a few of the locals in the room who were all chatting quietly about random things which I didn't focus on for long because my tea had arrived.There was enough tea for me to fill my cup twice and there was a small glass of orange juice that was chilled and refreshing.The breakfast then arrived, the plate had beans, an egg, two sausages, two slices of bacon, mushrooms and a well seasoned cooked tomato. The breakfast also came with two slices of toast and some marmalade, thankfully this was in a small pot and not on the toast as i prefer mine without.The food and drinks were excellent and I consumed a rather large amount of it and must give extra praise about the bacon because it was perfect, not stringy and not over done.One of the most tasty and satisfying breakfast I've ever had.After eating all that food I then had my plate taken away whilst I had my second cup of tea.I left soon after and left a tip and thanked the waitress asking her to tell the chef it was delicious.I would definitely recommend here to others for the wonderful (and fair priced) breakfast.

Four of us called for breakfast. Arrived at about 9.30, no greeting on arrival, we proceeded to find our own table.Decor ok, somewhat dated, Willow pattern everywhere, which I though was quite nice. Unusual choice of background music....Peter, Paul and Mary - Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah' - just about as annoying as 'it's a small world afterall'.Our food order was taken; we odered four cooked breafasts, two teas, two coffees. The person servicing just about communicated enough to take our order, and no more, quite strange really.Our beverages arrived soon after, and then a further five minutes before our breakfasts arrived. To be fare, all the food was lovely, two slices of toast and marmalade, served on Willow pattern crockery throughout.The menu did state that blackpudding was included, this was missing from all our breakfasts. I did question this, the waitress uttered 'he doesn't do it anymore', then turned and went. For me, it would of been better to remove the item from the menu, but I'd lost the will to engage in further communication, no real issue in the grand scheme of things.So, no further interaction from our waitress to see if everything was ok (which it was), we paid our bill, thanked and said goodbye. No acknowledgement back whatsoever.So, recommendations? Actually no, ok the food was good, and the venue reasonably nice, but the staff attitude let it down.Will I return again? I'll have a good look around first for other cafes, if nothing else, then yes I would, and hopefully by then they'd have taken the opportunity to work on their basis social skills.Halleluuuuuuujah!

So I venture to Alford for a breakfast - walk in sat down and I'm met with various others in the restaurant sat down which I presume are locals. After 15 mins of waiting still nothing various locals being served before myself.A family of 5 walk in and get their order taken and food comes out before I've even had a drink order taken. Complete joke I think the out dated staff need a change because the service is shocking, I won't be coming back ever just rude

The staff and atmosphere were good food excellent Friendly and very clean.Time deemed to be a favourite of locals who were very friendly and chattey A very. Nice place

Just had our Christmas meal here. It was fantastic, proper cooked food all cooked beautiful and a choice of puddings I had the trifle it was lovely and we had tea or coffee with homemade mince pie. The service was great couldn't fault anyway at all. Well done to you all. Thoroughly enjoyed it as did everyone else in the party. And the price was a bonus will use again.

We had just spent a fascinating couple of hours at the Alford Museum and wanted a bite to eat for lunch. The first café to catch our eye was The Willows, as the lunchtime specials looked inviting.Inside we sat down at a large table and exchanged friendly greetings with the other customers who looked like regulars.We ordered two portions of mince pie and vegetables and one of roast chicken, accompanied by a refreshing pot of tea which was served to us immediately.The food was plentiful and very tasty and we had such ample platefuls that we did not have room for a sweet.The prices were reasonable and on paying the bill, I said that we would be back!

We often drop into the very popular Willows Tea room on our way to Louth for brunch, and have always found the service and staff excellent. This is not an high end eatery but what it offers is good food at reasonable prices and has a stream of regular customers. Let's put this into some of prospective a pot of tea with tea cake and a milky coffee with egg/sausage bap cost less than £5.50, in my book that's excellent value, OK so the decor is dated but is clean and welcoming, what more does anyone want and this cafe serves the local community very well.

Visited with the wife the other day and could not find one clean table to sit at. We sat at a dirty table and a waitress came over to take our order. We asked for a couple of minutes as we had only just sat down. You could clearly see the table was filthy but she never offered to clean it. She came back 5 minutes later again to take an order but we decided to leave as again she made no attempt to clean or clear the dirty table. Get the basics right, very poor customer service.

Party of 4 adults visited the tea rooms thusday lunchtime,the place was quite busy, There was a menu of sandwiches,jacket potatoes,main meals and a specials board. not badly priced. 5.95 for minced beef pie,peas and chips,portions were huge,gammon was served with 2 eggs and a wad of chips,6.50 again huge potions,no room for pud, amazing food,friendly service .i am very fussy ,i will definitely eat there again tea room closes afternoon on thursday

We regularly visit these premises whilst visiting the auctions on a Tuesday. Whilst there is a standard menu, there are also 'Specials' which DO change.Today, my husband and I both had the haddock fillet, chips & peas at £5.95. The haddock was freshly delivered in the morning, not resurrected from the deep freezer and we asked for a light coating of batter, which we got.There are many fish & chip shops in the area which would struggle to match the quality of what we have eaten today.

Alfords little gem ,quaint ,friendly , family run restaurant, all food homemade , fresh and hot . Love the mince beef pie , and beef in red wine . Ample potatoes and vegetables . And the home made puddings , that's if you have room . And try Pauline,s hot chocolate !! I advise booking as they are very busy and run out of the specials , and they do stop serving at .1-30 pm 2 courses and drinks for three people . Around £31.00 fantastic !!

A warm welcome awaits you at the Willow tea rooms. Home cooked good food, good choice, nice puddings.Pop in for a lovely morning coffee or tea.Always busy especially on market days.And the price is good to, reasonable local eatery.

poached eggs hot hard boiled eggs disapointng,last time here they were good,must be new cook.muffin burnt and poor quality beans

This little Tea Room serves some of the best food for miles around at a very reasonable price. We have been eating there regularly for a few years now and I can honestly say we have never had one bad meal. It does however sometimes pay to book a table in advance on the very busy market days ( Tuesday & Friday ) and on some weekends as it is a very popular eatery with the locals.Apparently, some people have had the audacity to leave very poor reviews for this business when they haven't even eaten there e.g. Revolver78 and KirstieT - truly outrageous behaviour. The service is always spot on with the staff being very friendly and always courteous. Overall, a super place to eat if you want a quality breakfast or lunch at an affordable price whilst bearing in mind that it is only open for limited daytime hours.

I would love to eat here but they are always closed when I'm not working, like weekends, week days and afternoons. It must be a gold mine to close so often .

It was all mediocre, service was okay but you got the impression they were only interested in making money, not worried about customer satisfaction

My husband and I are not yet of the 'silver set' but we do visit the Willows Tearoom & Cafe frequently. Just to redress the balance of the scathing attack by Revolver78 (which sounds very much like 'sour grapes'), we have NEVER had a bad meal here and the staff do a spectacular job, considering how busy these premises get - ALL YEAR ROUND.Just for the record, the Willows will probably be about to close at 1.25pm and often runs out of its 'specials' due to high demand. If you are patient enough, you will be seen to; it is often worth catching someone's attention in a POLITE manner - it pays dividends.Why doesn't Revolver78 tell us where his fantastic paragon of virtue restaurant is and we can then perform a critique on that?P.S. I sincerely hope his food is better than his grammar or his manners!!

We have visited three times in the last 6 months and have been more than satisfied on every occasion. They are not trying to win any Michelin stars with thier offering but what they do offer is excellent value for money, the last time we visited there were 4 of us, we all had a sandwich and a hot drink and paid less than £15 in total. The decor and furnishings are dated but that just adds to the charm.

We visit Alford for family reasons several times a year and had never been to Willow Tea Room until this week (Oct 2013). Had hot lunch. Very tasty and really excellent value. This is not "haute cuisine" but good honest English pub/tea room cooking well served. We had home made pies with vegetables, quality was as good as I've had anywhere else for this type of food. This is no "trendy eatery" but while we were there they were busy with what looked like loyal and satisfied loyal customers. We will eat there again.

Lets make one thing clear this is not a cafe where you take your girl friend or wife for a celebratory meal, it is however just the place to pop in for a refreshing coffee/tea and a bun. Light meals and lunches are available which are reasonably priced and I gather are good old plain cooking, When ever we are in Alford we pop in for a refreshment at prices unheard of in most places in the UK. The cafe itself with its many styles of dining furniture & decor is a little old fashion but is clean and tidy, it is supported by an army of regulars mainly the "silver Set" but I personally have never been disappointed at the service or welcome where a "Tea & Bun" @ £1.65 is great value in these austere times.

Decided to go Alford for the day with my family . It was a summers day as there was a market and some live music in the square. We didn't bring a packed lunch as I thought I would treat the family to lunch in one of the many tea rooms / cafe's in the town . We Looked through the window to see many people sat at tables eating there lunch so decided to go in , we walked in and stood there waiting to be seated , no welcome or anything . After being ignored for a few minutes we then decided to take one of the few empty tables that hadn't been cleaned . Suddenly a member of staff popped up and abruptly said "we're closed, that's why the signs turned round". so we left , never to return,feeling rather dismayed. Bearing in mind that this was at 1.25pm on a summers day and there was plenty of other people in there, I find this appalling , fair enough if it was quiet, they may shut up early, or if they had run out if food or gas or plates, but surely a polite explanation would be fine. I myself am in the restaurant business and I know in this climate you should never turn custom away unless you really have to, only then with a apology and polite explanation.In hindsight it probably saved us any more disappointment as some of the food coming out looked almost as fusty and dated as the decor .