Whittakers in Brentwood

Very disappointing, it was chaotic, slow and when the food eventually arrived it was not hot! It took over an hour from sitting down to the food arriving, however, Deliveroo drivers were in and out like yo-yo’s evidently taking the kitchen’s time and priority over the customers on site. The shepherds pie was pitiful, hardly any meat, and lukewarm and served with a side of cubed potatoes when the pie was mainly mash. The kids fish fingers were over cooked, dry and hard. Needless to say we won’t be returning and I doubt that several table around us will either as everyone was frustrated by the extended wait but all witnessing the endless stream of motorbike delivery guys walking in and out!

over priced and not good enough at all! Egg was crunchy on the bottom and over cooked. Not sure what the deep fried over cooked veggie sausage was all about?! I gave hash brown to my friend as I don't like them. I did ask to swap for another potato product but was told it would be over a pound extra. Won't be returning.

Good menu for breakfasts. Lovely service. Plenty of tables. Clean. Good food. Quick. Convenient. Very friendly. Wound happily come back again and again. Cheers

Decent breakfast. Been here twice for Breakfast on a Saturday and never been let down. Service is good as well as the price.

This is a busy cafe which always bodes well for me. The staff are friendly and the food very nice and it will not break the bank either. It also has a nice friendly atmosphere. Definitely going back.

Clean with nice food and staff. We were seated quickly, clean tables and table serve. We were advised that food would take around, 30 mins, which it did. But, having been many times in the past we knew we would be getting nice food. Vast menu. A lovely Big breakfast and a cheese melt. With tea and coffee. Cute tea cups.

We went too whittakers today for lunch we were told from the beginning there would be a 15min wait for food we ended up waiting 40mins and what came up was very poor quality I had scampi and chips well the scampi either they don't change the oil or they left them in there too long the same with the chips my partner had jacket potato well I reckon if j had thrown it I could have taken out the windows very under cooked the salad was poor lettuce with a slice of tomato and 1 slice of cucumber

Friendly and polite stuff! The food is OK, you pay for what you got! I will return soon for my English breakfast

Had 10 min wait for a coffee still sitting waiting for salad I ordered for about 25/30 minutes, waitress asked if I wanted the bill and I hadn't even eaten yet! Her excuse was it's busy everyone came in at once? Hello don't you prepare for that? Food mediocre when I got it wont be returning

Had brunch eggs royal and cooked breakfast food excellent enjoyed very much service friendly price good value for money

Lovely little Gem of a place. Enjoyed a delicious breakfast, they even accommodated my craving for fried bread (they swapped my toast for it) Great service and bubbly staff, whose banter brought a smile to my face. Would highly recommend. Will definitely be back for seconds next time I am in the area.

Traditional breakfast and muffins were superb. Good choice of menu for breakfast or lunch and competitive prices. Ambience and service was excellent in convenient location in the High Street. All food freshly cooked to order. Would thoroughly recommend.

Very clean and good service. Good variety of food and very nice. Would recommend to friends and family

I sometimes come here for a late breakfast and always receive excellent service and great food. Staff are always very friendly. Highly recommended.

The pictures of there food could not be further from the reality of the rubbish they serve up.my eggs were both dry and burnt on the bottom,they are not as seen in the pictures on there site.chips were frozen oven chips undercooked,soggy and disgusting.I had ham that had a glaze on it,this was obviously on the turn.have been there many times over the years I have lived in Brentwood " BUT NEVER AGAIN" total rip off.will advise friends family and anybody not to waist your money in this place.plenty of other eateries around the high street that would provide far better quality of food.

We used to go to Whittaker's every weekend when visiting Brentwood,and used to recommend it ,it was always expensive,but it was good food and good service,but for the last few months it is going down hill fast! As soon as you go in now ,and eventually noticed,we are told it will be 20 ,30 ,or 40 minutes wait for food,at this point many customers leave. This has happened every time we visit,so we ordered coffee,when we would have ordered food for four people,well we waited,and waited, for a coffee ,after twenty minutes I went up to the kitchen,and was told it's coming,where from Brazil!!!!!! And then nothing! Caught a waitresses eye and asked again,then we got it,and then told if we were not eating could we be quicker as there were people waiting!!!!! Anyone sitting down was told it was a long wait,so most left! That's money walking out the door! And they didn't seem to care! We discovered the reason for this terrible service,a buy came in with a massive deliveroo bag and left after ten minutes with a massive bag of food, they are now doing delivery and making the deliveroo a priority !!!!! They might think they are making a good living out of this,but the people actually there are money too! And paying extra for the privelidge of eating in. It cost more to eat i than take out! And the last time we were there,they lost our custom,so that was four,we saw another three leave,a other group of four,a couple,and that's 13 customers ,and the as thing was no one from Whittaker's asked the people why they were going,or attempt to sort the problem out. We were sitting by the door and as it opened other customers were calling out "don't bother" again no staff were Interested. This cafe is packed in , more and more tables,with no room to get up or down from your table without backing Into other people,and nearly sitting on their laps. Not going back ,now they are doing deliveroo, actual customers who want to eat,are getting a very poor service. They have lost our custom for good,

I have visited several times and found that while the quality of the food is good the level of service is lacking. On a last visit I gave up waiting for somebody to take my order and I left; the restaurant wasn't particularly busy at the time.

Just what the doctor ordered!! Great Food Greater coffee. Beautifully appointed Clean & Friendly cheerful staff. What more needs to be said.

Went shopping in Brentwood and we nipped in for a cuppa. Ended up having a full English Breakfast. The staff were friendly , the food was delicious and hot. It’s a sweet cafe . That does lots of good English grub

Back in my favourite upmarket cafe again today in Brentwood high street . From the owner to his kitchen chefs and front of house staff/waitresses it is really excellent there .Always a smile on their faces like it’s a pleasure to serve and wait on you .The food is excellent and the Restaurant is spotless . Prices are reasonable and nothing is too much trouble for the staff there just to name a couple Denise and Jah they all bend over backwards attention to detail . Mario the Owner who I’ve kniwn for 17 years going in there with my son can’t do enough for you . He’s very friendly and looks after all his customers on a one to one basis lovely warm man The minute you sit down front of house staff/waitresses are there to see what you want to drink and if you want something to eat . Again thank you Whittakers for another pleasant time at your eatery .

Very rarely do I visit Brentwood high street on a Saturday without calling in here for a sandwich and a few coffees for breakfast.The place was redecorated earlier in the year and anyone who’s not been here for a while will surely notice it. The unpainted plaster walls and a light coffee colour wood panelling makes it really look nice. Even though the high street has seen a few competitors open doors during the past year or so, this place is still very popular and is usually full by eleven, whereas the other cafés don’t ever appear to be the same. There is no doubt this place has a lot of regular customers as we often see the same people during our visits. This kind of loyalty is undoubtedly down to the friendly and efficient service you get here. Food is always well cooked and great value for money.

Well I visit my auntie we always go to Whittakers. Its her and her sisters favourite place. When we go the staff are always so friendly and it is obvious that they have lots of regulars who they always warmly welcome and treat them like they are special. The food and service is absolutly excellent, great portions, freshly cooked at a good price. Just love coming every time I visit.

We waited 40 minutes for food and what should have been a flat omelette was in many pieces like it was a jigsaw and it was missing the cheese . My daughter ordered a folded omelette and it was half the size of mine on a kids plate ( she’s 13) for the same price . I did tell the waiting staff that I was not happy and their response was that the kitchen was busy . We won’t go back .

I found the food tasty but average but then again I was paying average prices.

Could not recommend more for a nice lunch time bite to eat. The food is always brought out within a decent waiting time and presented well. The waitresses and in particular the owner are always friendly and welcoming, you feel truly valued as a customer unlike a lot of restaurants. The service is fantastic and it is clear to see why it is such a popular place for people to visit when the prices are so reasonable. Have personally never struggled for a table but the lunch time rush appears to be handled very professionally. Will continue to frequent this lovely place.

Sat down. Waitress was busy chatting with somebody she obviously knew and after 10 minutes of being ignored walked out.

Been to this cafe a couple of times, and both times cafe was empty. Waitresses seemed so bored that kept cleaning the same tables over and over again which made me laugh... Food was not great.

A good selection of tasty food with very good service...nice lunch. Always seems very busy and very popular

My friend is visiting from Cardiff, Wales & I wanted to show him my hometown of Brentwood so I took him to Whittakers for lunch, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Came here with a friend for a midweek late lunch. The café is clean and the service is friendly. There were only a couple of other diners but it was quite tight with tables. My friend had a bacon panini which she said was very nice. I had the egg royale on bagel. It was nice but the poached eggs were unfortunately overcooked and hard. The food is a little expensive too but all in all it was very nice.

We ordered three full English Breakfasts and they were good. Atmosphere is simple but fine. Staff was very kind,

Food great, price great, but too many tables now. Such a shame as all in all a very good all round meal.

This is one of our local cafes that we use ocassionally. Makes a nice change to the bigger 'chain' coffee shops. Food and service is always good. Gets busy at lunchtimes, but i guess that is a good sign!

Fuimos a tomar un par de bocadillos para comer, para decir que estaba perplejo por el precio es insuficiente.

Had a lovely breakfast and good tea nice and clean service very nice place for a quick snack on the main high st

Conocí a mi primo aquí un atrapar comida y Whittakers siempre es un núcleo de actividad aquí un sábado.

Buen lugar para comer a un precio razonable, con una gran variedad en el menú. Mis amigos y yo a menudo ir a almorzar. Siempre hay un gran número de jubilados aquí, así que sabes que debe de ser bueno ya que son clientes habituales. En general el personal era bastante rápido, ya que tienen un grupo mixto, algunos en otros lugares no es así. rush

2 of us popped in for lunch today. Nice layout and clean. Good choice and food ok but took about 15 mins for order to be taken and another 25 mins for food - half our order came then table next door were served before the other one of us. Not sure we would bother going back.

My husband and I often pop into whittakers for coffee or a light lunch while out shopping. we always find the staff cheerful and friendly and the food is tasty, and good.

I love this place. The food is great both eat in and take out .. just eaten a takeout chicken and bacon salad... delicious ... and yesterday had fish and chips which I ate in..food was hot and very tasty ... staff friendly and service very good

My partner and I had popped into Brentwood on the way home from collecting something and were really looking for somewhere to eat. This place looked busy so we thought it must be good. We found a table quite easily but it was crowded by the time we left. We ordered our breakfasts and drinks. These were brought out wrong but was soon rectified. The breakfasts seemed to be very 'greasy spoon' but the cafe itself felt a bit more classier than that. It was nice and hot though. It was a bit of a squash to pay as the counter is at the back between tables. I wouldn't not go back but I wouldn't rush.

A visit to Brentwood for me never happens without calling in to this little place. I keep returning here year after year because the cleanliness and the attentiveness of the staff, together with the quality of the food is always of high quality. The staff here always seem happy and eager to help and this clearly shows in the quality of service they are wanting to provide. As such I always leave a tip.

Excellent breakfast here last week with friends, staff very friendly and helpful.. Can recommend the jacket pots, baguettes all fresh loved it there

Presentation is very nice...Service was patchy, it really seemed to be dependant on who was serving. It was quite obvious that some of the staff were better than others.Menu choices are good. The food that came out I liked.The amount of space is a bit of an issue. People keep moving the tables and chairs and it causes access issues.Overall I liked my visit. They could get a 4 if they could resolve the service and access issues.Liked there food, so I don't want this to end on a negative.I would visit again.

Food is well cooked and seems fresh enough. Eaten there very often and never had a reason to complain about the quality. It's fair enough that if you visit when they're rushed off their feet then you're not going to get the attention you would at other times, this is obvious. For lunch, various specials which seem to change every week or two. For a basic full English breakfast with tea/coffee and toast for under a fiva, prices are very reasonable - if you want the Ritz, go to the Ritz.

Whittakers looked inviting from the ouside. Staff were welcoming and no delay being served. It was a very cold day and I ordered soup, the choice was Tomato, Mushroom or Chicken, I said I would have chicken as long as it was not cream of chicken, the waitress (who was not english) seemed confused and said soup was very nice. We did not have to wait long and when our lunch was served it was of course, cream of chicken, I tried to explain I do not eat dairy, but she just looked blank. As I do not like to make a fuss, I just ate a little of it. We would go back but I would not risk the soup again. The waitress was very nice and polite, but it was a pity she did not understand english.

I used to live in Brentwood 3 years ago and popped into Whittakers regularly for lunch and enjoyed it. However I happened to be in Brentwood this morning on business so thought I'd have breakfast here. I ordered the 'No 1 Breakfast' with black pudding and a black coffee. Well the coffee came up first, looked as weak as it tasted. The breakfast came up a while later, not bad but the black pudding was foul. One slice (80p) cut as thin as an After Eight mint and I've never tasted black pudding like it. Grim. Dunno if this cafe has changed hands or what but I wouldn't recommend the breakfast.

I visited Brentwood today and decided to try Whitaker's for a light lunch. After waiting 15 minutes until a member of staff came over to me, I ordered a mushroom and tomato melt and a cold drink. The drink came up almost immediately - just a can, so easily served quickly - but I called one of the staff over to ask why two tables of people who had arrived after me had been served first. I was informed that a mushroom and tomato melt took longer to cook than a mushroom omelette and mushrooms on toast, but of course, a mushroom and tomato melt on a slice of bread IS in fact mushrooms on toast with the addition of tomatoes and cheese. When I pointed this out to the waitress, her response was "I don't know - I'm not a chef". I didn't think one had to be a chef to know how long it takes to cook such a simple dish, or indeed how to cook it in the first place, but then I'm not a chef either. I finally received my lunch after a further 20-minute wait. It was barely warm, but I decided that I had complained enough, so I said nothing, although I expected better for £4.99 for one slice of toast covered with mushrooms, a slice of tomato and a layer of cheese with a salad garnish. It would also be a good idea if whoever is responsible for printing the menus had it pointed out to them that Paninis is not spelt "Paninies" (In fact, both are incorrect, as Panini is plural and panino is singular) and that what one eats after a main course is a dessert, not a desert, the latter referring to the Sahara and other deserts.All in all, not the best place I've eaten in, but by no means the worst either.

A great café. Good variety of dishes well presented . A good place for breakfast or lunch in an informal environment.

Visited for tea/coffee and toasted tea cake. Good prompt service and reasonable prices. Overall a good experience and well worth a visit.

Pardon? The staff here are lovely as is the food. Give this a try, you won't be disappointed. Breakfasts, lunch, cakes, all very good.

Came in the other day with friends food wasn't too bad but the staff I found were incredibly rude, can't be compared to no more than a greasy spoon as that's all it is, better places in Brentwood to visit

The best tea shop in Brentwood - lovely lovely polite staff scrumptIous cake., sarnies and other delicious grub - takeaway available Please visit and support this fabulous local business Varied menu and Yummy afternoon Teas available £25 - very good value

We go twice a week to this lovely welcoming café. The staff are fantastic. Food all cooked fresh. Very varied menu. You can have a proper lunch or there is a huge variety of sandwiches, toasties, peninis, jacket potatoes. Their omelettes are very special - delicious. Do try! Waitress service.

We went for lunch, panine, ploughmans and scampi & chips.The service was slow as they were busy, although the drinks were brought to us quickly after ordering, but to get their attention and waiting for the food was long.Food was good quality, although the scampi and chips was not special.The milk shakes were good and the pot of tea was nice.As all the tables were taken it was also a little noisey!

Fabulous cafe in centre of Brentwood great value.wide ranging menu and friendly service.Gets busy over lunchtime and on Saturday mornings but worth waiting. Go on treat yourself you will not regret it.

I normally go in early saturday mornings for my American breakfast-bacon,scrambled egg and pancakes in maple syrup...YUM!!!!.The staff are always very friendly and give everyone a warm welcome...something sadly missing from a lot of cafes nowadays.I wanted to get a sandwich today but I left it a bit late (1130) and the cafe was extremely busy-always a good sign but I had to rush off so no sandwich!!.The place is always very clean and prices are reasonable...and I have NEVER had a sub-standard meal there!.In short...an excellent place to stop for a good meal,a snack or even just a coffee-why do people still use mcdonalds when there are places like this available??!!!.

Love this little Cafe! Can always count on it for good home quality food that fils you up. The Waitresses are very kind and helpful and the food is always brought out in record time with the staff accommodating to all needs. The price is reasonable as well for what you get and there is always a good atmosphere.

I've been visiting Whittaker's in the High Street regularly with my family for the past four years and have never had a bad experience. There's often a queue for a table at busy lunch times and I can understand why. For a small restaurant (my children affectionately refer to it as 'The Tea Shop') it has an extensive menu, nothing too fancy but always delicious and great value. Judging by the clientele it appeals to all ages, and the service is excellent. The staff are friendly and polite, and nothing is too much trouble for them. Those with a hearty appetite should try one of the extensive 'All Day Breakfasts' - you won't be disappointed. If you've got room there's a good selection of puddings too, and it's also very popular for take-away sandwiches etc.