The Winding House Tea Rooms in Shropshire

Inside it looks like an old-fashioned Tea Room. No-one else was in, so we got a lovely table by the corner Windows looking out over the Trams. The steps are steep going down but it's lovely when downstairs (there is seating on the main level but this wasn't open, presumably when main summer. Cakes were delicious & lots of various teas (although Husband just had a 'normal' tea in a pot). The outside area is currently closed as a wall is being repaired but this would be a great spot once re-opened.

Lovely Tea room at the top of the Cliff Railway,situated in what is referred to as the winding room. Great views over the Railway and beyond. Nice tea and coffee, also serving nice food

A very atmospheric place. Tiny rooms but not cramped, nice view, customers with pets welcome.

The cream tea is a scam! £6 for, to be fair, good tea; but the jam and cream serving is just not enough for the price. The cream was one tiny jar and the jam was one tiny sachet you'd expect at a Travelodge. Very disappointing

Great visit to these tea rooms, some items weren't available on the menu, mostly bottled water and other drinks

Wanted to try somewhere different for our regular lunch out our first time trying here... loverly place good service but the food was awful for the price jacket potato with tuna was so tiny very dry no butter offered ..and the BLT was awful two pieces of very small bacon with a bit of lettuce and 2 slices of tomato on untoasted bread ..wouldn't recommend this place far better places to eat in bridgnorth.

Great atmosphere. Friendly staff and a fantastic afternoon tea. All homemade. Definitely going again. Horrible rainy day but still great views over the valley. Looked after staff couldn't do enough !

Love to pop in to the tea room for coffee and cake always lovely and friendly

Edited June 29, 2023 (after response from owner): Thank you for responding to our recent review. The comments I now make and those already posted are motivated by a desire to help you improve your business. As you can see from my first review, we were very impressed with your service at that time. Unfortunately, this time, not so much. We did NOT receive an email response from you when we filled in the online form. We checked our junk email folder repeatedly. Also if, as you have stated, you have had to reduce your opening times, this should be reflected on your website and in your premises window. Since you have not done this and we had no other information to go on, we turned up on a Tuesday, a day you should have been open according to the website, to a closed tearoom and we had to post the review we did. We are not locals and knew nothing of the situation with the railway. We still don't. It wasn't on our list of things to do. We can't be expected to know about everything going on affecting your business. With better website information, we wouldn't have had to write the review we did. We sincerely hope our comments will be taken on-board so that we can visit another time and experience the good service we once enjoyed. Edited June 20, 2023 So disappointed! According to the website, it's still open, so we filled out the online form for an afternoon tea. No reply received. Phoned and left a message. No reply. Arrived, and it's closed! Very poor customer service. From an earlier review: Cannot recommend this tearoom enough! We had an afternoon tea for two. Two choices of sandwich fillings, two cakes, two scones with butter, clotted cream and jam, and two drinks. Portions are very generous. We couldn't eat anything more after all that! Service was excellent. Can't wait to go again. And the views from the tearoom are great.

Best Tea in Bridgnorth, lovely cakes too and an amazing view. More people should support this cafe given the temporary closure of the Cliff Railway

Lovely views while having a gorgeous lunch. Very quiet, due to the railway being closed but it is normally busy.

Afternoon tea for two, sandwiches, scones and cake, as a birthday treat. Fabulous food, lovely staff, definitely going again.

A very welcoming atmosphere. Friendly staff, salads are fan.

Friendly staff, lovely view. Only had toastie and coffee , but nicely presented.

Lovely tearoom. Very friendly service. Excellent choice of teas and the cakes are delicious.

If you like tea, different teas then this may be for you but the coffee was not good and the cake and pastries were not great. Our grandson loved watching the vernacular railway.

Great location and views, service basic, afternoon tea overpriced.

Came for lunch on 1/10/22 (my birthday) with my husband. Been many times before & it's been lovely couldn't fault anything. So was eager to return. We ordered the tuna mayo with cucumber & prawn with Marie rose sauce. Sandwiches had no butter & no cucumber.so I complained, mine was replaced still no cucumber. We were charged full price so I complained again & was given a reduction. I appreciate its a busy time, I work in a kitchen myself so I know what it's like. I felt worried if they overlooked something as simple as that what else is been overlooked, oh & my teacup was stained. Very disappointing.

Lovely staff, great location. Only had a scone & coffee but we're lovely...

My wife and myself visited 03/09/22. We were escorted to a table for two and were advised someone would be over to take our order, NO BODY CAME TO US WITHIN 20 MINUTES SO WE LEFT. We go to Bridgnorth very often and would recommend instead Violets Tea Room and Castle Tea Rooms. WE WILL NEVER VISIT THIS PLACE AGAIN.

Friendly greeting and quick seating. Very nice food. Didn't catch her name but young lady in the crop top was very helpful despite my first time in tea room.

Glorious afternoon tea for my wife’s 60th Birthday sat out in the sunshine lovely friendly staff Thankyou

This place is a real gem. As it was a hot day, we decided to take lunch out on the terrace. Lovely views of Bridgnorth and the food was excellent. We were paid a visit by Vic, the semi resident cat (named after the Victoria Sponge !) , but because of the warm weather, he was too soporific to ask for a nibble ! The staff are hard working and very welcoming, and we always return to what we believe to be the best tea room in town !

Nice selection of teas but Cappuccino was awful.

Oh dear, if you need an example of a cafe relying on their location for footfall then this is it. The quirky little venue starts with a winding staircase to what looks like a lovely tea room. Then if you go further down you can sit on a patio area beside Bridgnorth's famous cliff railway and watch the world go by.... well the train at least you can't admire the view as the wall's too high. 🤨 All that would be ok if it weren't for the extremely poor cappuccino we had, it was tasteless and very small. The patio was shabby and there's very few places outside in the shade. Not impressed at all with this place and it's a shame because it could be great. In fairness we didn't sample the cakes or food so maybe they redeem themselves on that score. But come on, a decent coffee, is that asking too much? 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻

Well worth the visit ha I upset my wife by saying I think I've just eaten the best scones with my cream tea ever . They do a large selection of teas ,personally they do a house tea to deal with the hard water of bridgenorth and wow it works we have the same problem so bought a bag . Don't be put of by the entrance spiral stairs . Enjoy

Lovely place to go. It is next to the cliff railway and there are quite a few steps to get down to the cafe.

Lovely hot chocolate ! Quirky tea rooms , great staff , no good if you can't do steps ! Great view of the winding gear of funicular railway .. Sunny terrace at the back . Well worth a visit . We had an orphaned duckling there on the day of our visit ! RSPB notified and duckling being taken to Much Wenlock to be reunited with his brothers and sisters who had all been found in and around the railway !

This is such a cosy unique tea room. We visited on a very busy Saturday, and we could see that the girls on duty were really stretched. However, we were made to feel very welcome & opted for a nice table next to the old fireplace. The food was delicious & we only had to wait 10 minutes or so. A truly lovely experience.

Lovely lovely place,fresh food..real shame though about the( PORTION CONTROL)!! going on... Can't understand why..? because of that,sadly wouldn't want to return..

Lovely place on a sunny day in march ,cream teas all round , delightful XX

Lovely pit stop for coffee & tea cake

Lovely place grt views over lowtown ,food really good would recommend. Well worth a visit.

My husband and I visited on a grey damp Saturday morning finding a warm welcome. The service was excellent, our waitress was friendly, helpful and efficient. Coffee was nicely hot and cake (although only a small selection) was very nice.

Loved it. A real gem. The festive scones were to die for. People with mobility issues may find the steep stairs a challenge. Lovely staff. Definitely return in the New Year with the MIL. xx

Excellent service from friendly staff. A superb traditional afternoon tea

Came here for afternoon tea with my parents yesterday. What a lovely place to relax and enjoy each other’s company! The afternoon tea was £15 per person, and needed to be pre-booked in advance (which was very straightforward on the website/email). The tea room was lovely and warm on a cold day outside! The only thing I would caution around is that the stairs to get to the tea room are an old spiral staircase - most the easiest if you have mobility issues. However, there’s not much the tea room can do about this as the building is old and part of the railway next door. The staff were exceptional. Kind, attentive (but not overly so), and very happy to take care of us. The tea itself was wonderful and very good value for money. There was so much provided we had to take the chocolate cake home! All the sandwiches were well made, and the scones were homemade and very tasty. We were asked if we had any allergies (which is always good to see!) and we’re presented with a substantial list of tea options. There was absolutely no rush for us to leave, and the atmosphere was very relaxed. We will definitely be back - thank you for a wonderful time!

Excellent. Lovely home made scone for cream tea and a proper cup of tea. Nice view from the tearoom. Highly recommended.

We've visited the tea rooms on several occasions and have found it to be a welcoming, reasonably priced and quirky place to enjoy refreshments as part of a day out in Bridgnorth. The variety of teas on offer is outstanding. All are served loose leaf, which makes for a finer cup of tea than you would expect to get in lesser establishments. The food provided is very good. We particularly enjoyed the cream teas. The scones were delicious! The quality of food we saw being served to other patrons looked to be of a high standard. Everything was prepared to order. The staff were warm and friendly and happy to chat while getting with their work. The location under the Cliff Railway, adjacent to the machine room, is incredibly unique and it's fascinating to watch the railway in action above and around the tea room. Overall, we'd recommend a visit if you're in Bridgnorth, if you're lucky enough to get a table! Please note, that accessibility is limited to able bodied persons due to the winding staircase which is the only access.

We popped in for coffee and cake today. The staff were great and very chatty. The cakes were fabulous. We enjoyed choosing from the large selection of teaz on offer. Well worth a visit.

Very clean table,wiped down on entry ...great selection of teas,only paid a quick visit but will be back no doubt for food.This weekend hopefully.

Interesting, friendly, reasonable value. Home made items. Very many steep stairs to access tables and service/ordering point.

Very good.staff nice would go again.

Lovely cream tea with a choice of good sized scones and teas. Excellent value in interesting surroundings with polite staff what more could you ask.

I found this tea on places to eat in Bridgnorth and the fact it was next to the winding house appealed even more I book afternoon tea as we were getting off the 12.10 seven valley railway we got stuck in traffic and missed the train so I rang forward to explain only to be informed they were full and couldn't accommodate us with afternoon tea and a table . Anycase we arrived and thought why not we would try the place was empty inside and only a few tables were being used on the veranda so we sat down order taken I order tuna only to be presented with coronation chicke my partner went to the toilet not paper and was asked if she had just come from the street the portion of cake ordered was cut in half so I'm am disappointed I am sorry don't usually complain but need to write review I order a

Doing a quick tour of Bridgnorth after the SVR Flyer we came across this delightful, but small place. It seems to be popular which is a good sign :-) The lunchtime toasted sandwiches and tea selections were brill. Just what we needed. Great service as we were outside Don't miss it (just SE of the castle next to the high to low funicular railway)

Superb location and views. Wide variety of speciality teas, coffees and cakes. Friendly service.

Lovely home made scones. Sandwiches a rip off.

Very enjoyable lunch with mom. Simply perfect earl grey tea loose leaf, toasted bacon and brie and tuna melt sandwiches. The side salad was a delight, beautifully presented. Sat outside on terrace. Altogether a treat. Well done.

Beautiful quaint tea room. You can take the little tram from the bottom and the tea room is next to the exit at the top. I had the afternoon tea which was nice and you could have a choice of tea which was lovely (they have loads to choose from). Overall a lovely little space

Lovely little tea house Perfect for a brief sto and catch up.

Popped in as passing by, only dog friendly if you sat outside, which we did, in a downpour! Wrong scones served, no jam and lukewarm drinks, no staff around to speak to. EDIT: In response to your reply, NO Staff around to speak to!!!!!! This was on my original review and we are all entitled to an oponion.

My husband and I had received several recommendations for The Winding House afternoon tea and decided to call in. Upon arrival we didn’t realise we had to book afternoon tea and were about to leave when staff called us back and said they were happy to serve us. The staff could not do enough for us, they were polite, friendly and attentive. Afternoon tea was superbly fresh with an abundance of sandwiches on the softest of breads. We were given the choice of plain, fruit or cherry scones which is a rarity . The two large slices of Victoria sponge and chocolate cake had us beaten and we took them home for supper. We were given the choice of several teas but chose good old English breakfast tea which came loose leaved in the tea pot. Crisps and fresh strawberries accompanied the feast, and with views over the river and of the cliff railway it was a superb afternoon.

Nice and relaxing outside with lovely weather, cosy indoors has well and lovely friendly staff, second time I've visited definitely well go again.

Had a lovely afternoon tea today, was a lot of food and cake and was very tasty! Will be back again, thankyou

Love this tea house. Great views across Low Town via the terrace.

Never fails to impress.. My third visit and still lovely.

We loved our prolonged lunchtime stopover in this tea room with a view situated adjacent to the oldest and steepest funicular railway in the country. We got a lovely corner table, perfect with parasol to keep us cool on a gorgeously warm sunny day. Our order was taken quickly, and we enjoyed chatting to the waitress who was great. We made the most of the fabulous array of teas, as well as lovely sandwiches, and finished off, some time later, with scones. What more could one ask for? Well ... as it happens, as outdoorsy-types and nature lovers, we were additionally delighted to host a rather scruffy blackbird who came down looking for crumbs. We could've stayed and read our books and talked mumbo-jumbo all afternoon, but sadly had to move on. Thank you!

Lovely little tea room. In a beautiful setting.

I was attracted by a nice terrace which was not full on a Sunday afternoon. I ordered a toasted sandwich with some salad and a coffee. First it took more than 10 minutes for the waitress to take my order, then it took 20 minutes for my order to arrive. The toasted sandwich was not toasted enough, there was no dressing on the salad, no sugar for the coffee and no salt or pepper was provided. Disappointing.

Fantastic, friendly staff. Dog friendly, water and treats provided for our dog. Very good food. All round excellent experience, thank you

Great location and friendly staff but if you are a coffee lover it is disappointing. The coffee was weak and lukewarm. The selection of cakes is also poor. In all it is not living up to it’s potential and the competition from other local providers.

We needed a coffee in Bridgnorth and as we stepped out at the top of the funicular railway we spotted this place. What a little gem!Proper coffee, served with extra hot water and a jug of hot milk. Followed by toasted teacakes with 2 pats of butter. Beautiful terrace overlooking the valley, the railway carriage drifting past silently from time to time. Excellent, friendly service. Perfect.

What a gem. Great food and service. The best egg sandwich I have had for a very long time. Right next to the funicular with lovely views

Great view of river,staff extremely friendly,if you want to try different tea the menu is perfect for you

Went there for afternoon tea for my mother’s birthday. It was such a last min plan and raining as well but this place, it made the view so great. I loved it. I highly recommend! The staff was friendly!! Would love to come back someday!

Visiting from London and wanted somewhere cosy to have a sit down and something yummy to eat so had a google and came across this tearoom and after reading some of the other reviews I had to try this place for myself and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest, the cake was amazing, so delicious with a lovely cup of tea. The staff were so friendly and welcoming. I cant understand what some other reviewers are complaining about. I advise anyone to give this place a try, its worth it.

Excellent selection of drinks and specialty teas.Variety of homemade cakes, we had cherry scones with jam & cream, which were to die for!!!Really need to go back to sample an afternoon tea, as they look amazing.They also have a pretty garden terrace with views over lower town & the vernacular railway, perfect for a sunny day.

One of my favourite places to visit for a cup of tea and a cake - always a great selection, lovely atmosphere! Terrace is beautiful with great views. 10/10 would recommend

I took a friend for afternoon tea for her birthday and we both had a wonderful time. We couldn’t even eat all the cake. The scones are freshly baked in store along with their cakes. I don’t usually enjoy a cream tea unless I’m in Devon. But this is like a little a slice of holiday right on your doorstep. Would highly recommend to a friend. All the staff were polite and friendly. Couldn’t complain about anything as everything was top notch.

My family & I popped to this tea room while out having a wonder around Bridgnorth. We had a selection of light bites & cakes which everyone enjoyed & the staff were very friendly & attentive. Lovely views from the outside terrace. We will be back.

Booked an afternoon tea for 3 people at a total cost of £45. Food for 3 people was on one small cake stand and that included 1 layer that was jam and clotted cream so 1 layer of sandwiches and 1 layer of cakes, well I say cakes. There was 1 slice of cake each and 1 scone and not even freshly baked. The sandwich fillings were also very cheap. I have never felt so ripped off in all my life!!

One of the best afternoon teas I’ve had a great selection of Sandwiches and cakes. Love the homemade scones they are beautiful. Definitely be going in the future.

Booked an afternoon tea for 3 people at a total cost of £45. Food for 3 people was on one small cake stand and that included 1 layer that was jam and clotted cream so 1 layer of sandwiches and 1 layer of cakes, well I say cakes. There was 1 slice of cake each and 1 scone and not even freshly baked. The sandwich fillings were also very cheap. I have never felt so ripped off in all my life!!

Having visited the tea room on a previous visit to Bridgnorth we headed there for refreshments this time. We appreciate the difficulty with the building but the stairs pose a problem with social distancing etc. We were told that the waitress would take our order at the table but as we waited and waited other people came down the stairs, placed their order so there appears to be two systems in place. Eventually a gentleman who had been waiting in the queue came over with a pad and took our order (strange). There were no screens at the counter and at one point a customer was standing in the kitchen entrance apparently talking to someone whilst the waitresses couldn’t get by so service was delayed even longer. We were really unhappy with the whole experience both with the apparent lack of Covid awareness and the lack of staff training ( back to basics tea shouldn’t be served in coffee cups).

So disorganized. Slow service. Not covid friendly. Waitress needed to tie her hair up instead of swishing it all over the counter. Staff appeared to have had no training. Would never go back.

Absolutely great afternoon tea and staff

Don't get all these positive reviews! May have visited on a bad day! Afternoon tea for £15.00: 1 scone, 1 tiny slice of (horribly cheap..Kipling?) cake, 5 figer sandwiches (no choice offered) and a teapot that doesn't get a refill. Cost for your business about £2.00 - complete ripoff tourist trap. I tried to raise it with manager who said oh well when I used to put more on it people wouldn't always eat it all and it would go to waste. Hm. Maybe don't charge £15.00 for it then? Also if a customer complains...learn to at least apologise never mind trying to fix it! To all prospective customers...there are lots of other lovely places in Bridgnorth that will appreciate and want your business

The afternoon tea is hugely underwhelming. For £15 you get 5/6 finger sandwiches, a scone and a small slice of cake. We weren’t given a plate either. When we left polite feedback there was no kind of apology, or acknowledgement that our experience was disappointing.I also had a toasted sandwich which was okay, but that’s it. What I do at home with my George Forman grill is better!An underwhelming and disappointing experience for £50 for 4 people.It’s a nice location though right next to the cliff top railway.

Loved this place. Stopped in for lunch. Really great atmosphere, staff were really friendly. Food was fantastic. Can sit and watch the cliff railway go up and down. Would highly recommend.

Lovely little cafe in a great spot.

My wife and I visited for the first time on the 3rd of August. We both had a cream tea. It was very, very good indeed. Great setting, great scones and very good service. Then, at the end of our visit we got 50% off without expecting it! Wow! First time we have been out since lockdown, thank you........

Super little place lovely food and good social distancing.

found this tearoom to be the most pleasant place to sit and have a lovely lunch.My husband loves his tea and the selection of teas did not make for a quick decision. The tea came with a lovely teapot and sieve so you could pour it out once it reached your desired strength. we had bacon and brie toasted sandwich this came with a side salad. and for a sweet treat opted for the home made scones ,these were delish . If you like a lovely quiet ,well run tea room then this is the place for you . It's well worth the wait if its a busy day and I would have no problem waiting 5 minutes for a menu when I could sit and watch the railway go up and down the hill . Lovely staff made this a enjoyable visit . We will be back soon .

Beautiful cream tea. Great location with a nice view. Will definitely return

Very hidden little place with great views looking over downtown of Bridgenorth while the Cliff Railway operates past the outdoor seating area, if you're looking for a Tea Room in Bridgnorth area please visit here you won't regret.

Lovely little tea room next to the cliff railway, good selection of light snacks and teas

Lovely cosy place, good service and lovely views!

After waiting over five minutes we had to ask for a menu (hint: we're hungry) which duly arrived but after waiting for a further ten minutes (we were at one of just three occupied tables) still nobody came to take an order so we upped and left.Twenty quid's worth of business they won't be getting and I won't be returning any time soon either. The USP of this place is the proximity to the funicular railway but they have to massively up their game on the service; which was beyond dismal.Oh and if steep winding stairs aren't your thing, you might want to look elsewhere.

Lovely hidden gem, had cream teas, scones were to die for, service and staff we're so unbelievable polite and friendly, definitely go back again, veiws were lovely too 😁

Visit this tearoom on most visits to Bridgnorth but were sadly a little underwhelmed this time. The beans on toast came with butter on the side, so having to scrape off beans to butter the toast seemed odd. The meal was served on a side plate so it didn't fit and the beans were lukewarm.

Okay afternoon tea experience, seemed abit pricey for what it was. Got a table with a beautiful view though!

This place is brilliant, although I only associate it with winter. Always welcoming, pleasant staff and reasonably priced. Great coffee and teacakes.

Nice tea and scones with jam and cream

Excellent service, food and drink. Hidden away at top of Cliff Railway but well worth the search. Great selection of food (scones, cakes, cold sandwiches, toasted sandwiches, salads), teas & coffee.

Been in this tea room a few times and found it very good value but on a recent visit we found the standard had slipped i.e. Slow service, chipped tea cups, cold coffee, needless to say we will not be visiting again...

I stumbled across this little tea rooms when I got back up from my trip on the Cliff Railway.It is a delightful place with superb views & a 'ringside' view of the funicular railway as it came up & down. You could see the internal winding mechanism which was fascinating.Access was via some very steep steps so it won't work for anyone with mobility problems.Happy to recommend.

Stopped here for a cup of tea after departing steam train. Plenty of different teas to choose from and the variety of cakes was lovely I had the clotted cream scone which I must say was scrumptious very light. Weren’t too impressed with the layout we were sat in the garden as there were a few of us and no room inside but the toilets are right at the top of the cafe and the stairs into the garden are very windy.Staff were very friendly and helpful though

Very nice setting very pleasant staff efficient and polite. Cream tea freshly made complemented by relaxing a place we will visit again.

A truly great English afternoon tea experience