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dagnabbit!
how do these people get away with charging what they do for the god awful food that they seem to serve?
i feel strapped to a barrel sometimes being force fed their rubbish while a maniacal business owner whips me with a sock full of the fat profits that they have made from over charging and under serving the gullible sheep we seem to have become when it comes to consuming.
baskets!
i give you and example:
the national herb centre-warmington.
£6 for a pannini i.e posh toastie.
This was served up to my surprise as an extremely thin what i can only describe as 'bread cigarillo'! 1 tomato sliced like the garlic slicing scene in Goodfellas, half a teaspoon of darkly dubious pesto with 1 pathetically roasted pepper peeked half drowned outside of my arse of a sandwich.
have you ever experienced a truly awful cafe? i bet you have....
the national herb centre
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Dishwater coffee from a popular scottish trail centre controversial cafe
No price could justify the stuff :/
Local Cafe Nero.
Crap food, Miserable service, overpriced. I wanted to get out of there asap!
Hateful place.
Dare I say the woodbine, the cake is a rip off!
The most miserable staff I've ever come across is those at the Halfpenny Green vineyard cafe/restaurant. Service is pretty cack too.
Woodbine cafe here too, very miserable woman in charge and it's not that good.
The women at sherwood pines cafe, don't mind paying a bit more for the convenience but when I give my £tenner to a woman who looks like she's been licking piss of a nettle. So miserable
Bit controversial, but Pete's Eats:
Sometimes good, mostly awful, depending on which 6th former is manning the George Foreman.
Last time it was chips like a corpse's fingers, cold beans, sausages that a starving dog would have curled it's lip at, swimming in grease and served with burnt toast.
And no caff, anywhere should serve that horrible, synthetic cheese substitute nonsense.
Go five minutes up the road and try Y Caban at Brynrefail - superb.
Poooh the one on the road from kirroughtree. To dunfries by the sea. Like a wooden shed
Wouldnt have eaten a scabby horse that day after 10@ kirro but i couldnt eat that pish
Pete's eats is a bit like some sort of youth project. My last visit featured decent beans on toast with the worst cup of tea I will ever have in my life.
Double post aka an IPad post. Soz
Green Welly in Tyndrum is a big disappointment, especially compared to the Real Food Cafe.
Conway Falls Cafe Nr Penmachno > Bacon sarnies served on tissue paper thin bread.
On a plus note, I love the cafe @ The Roman Lakes in Marple.
Pete's eats is a victim of it's own success. Used to be great when hardly anyone went there, probably still is on a wet Tuesday in November. Go any weekend between April and September though and it's far too busy to operate at anything like a decent standard.
little chef, huge bills, making pancakes from a cream coloured mix deposited from a gallon container,
pancakes cooked on the same hotplate as fried food,
almost everything in the microwave,
dirty uniforms,
grotty carpets,
Urban Kitchen, Reigate. Slice of cake almost £3.
The cafe at the Wyre forest, two hot chocs, 1small flapjack, 2 bags of crisps. Not much change out of £10
Woodbine.
Overpriced food and pig-ignorant female owner.
An experience at the Cwmcarn cafe made me laugh a few years ago. A mate ordered 'burger and chips' for something like £3.50. Sounded like a bargain until the matronly waitress delivered a handful of chips and a burger (yes, just a burger - no bap or anything else) the size of a small cookie. Oh, how we chuckled. Always best playing safe with a jacket potato in those sorts of place.
Mud Dock Cafe, Bristol. £4.25 for a bottle of Gem.
Well now that the Conwy Falls cafe has been mentioned I think I can say that they appear on this list of a few North Wales venues to avoid, including One Planet at Llandegla too:
Now that was just a snap shot of the situation when the man from the council visited so any of these may have sorted their venue out by now.
It does show that you can ride on a good bacon sarnie review for too long though!
Trail centre cafe @ Whinlatter is top notch, good food fair price and served by delightfull young ladies!
However Grizedale would be one to miss portions of cake are so thin and the supervisor is a battle axe after I complained!
For those thinking of hopping on a ferry to go MTBing...
DFDS Seaways cafeteria: £14.99 for fish+chips
I think I'll take a packed lunch for dinner tyvm 😉
I went to the Conway falls and the food was very good when I went, however the toilets were in need of re-construction!
Anyone considered the possibility of NOT buying from places too expensive. I mean I assume you can ask the price up front then choose not to pay?
However Grizedale would be one to miss portions of cake are so thin and the supervisor is a battle axe after I complained!
I've always found the new place at Grizedale to be very good. Long queues sometimes though.
Laggan cafe for me was the worst one of the trail centre cafes that I can remember. The food was actually pretty decent once the woman could be bothered stopping her conversation to come and serve me.
She was having a rant to some bloke in there (FC maybe?) about how things there were dire and how she was struggling by, I was thinking "well come and serve me, I'm standing here trying to give you money" Even when she was serving me she carried on her rant to him. So rude.
peaslake stores!
brew is ok but there sandwiches are TONK as is the famous cheese sticks!
It does show that you can ride on a good bacon sarnie review for too long though!
6 years is'nt too long is it? 😆
Is Grindleford Cafe in the Peak still going? Always pre and post cragging bacon sarne and pint mug of tea. Not been for 10 years or more.
£6 for a pannini i.e posh toastie.
reminds me of my mate at work, weeg as you like, hilarious guy. Goes into sandwich shop in toffy nosed area of Edinburgh, asks for a cheese and ham pannini, the wife behind the counter remarks in a condescending tone "we don't sell cheese and ham, we can do brie and parma ham" - to which he replies "right then, i'll have a Brie Cheese and Parma Ham Pannini......and it better be **** ing toastie" (he was ejected)
peaslake stores!brew is ok but there sandwiches are TONK as is the famous cheese sticks!
I call bullshit on that. You can eat and drink like a king for a fiver and it's mostly made on the premises. If you want cheaper you need to go a long way.
peaslake stores!brew is ok but there sandwiches are TONK as is the famous cheese sticks!
I always get the samosas, they're pretty good.
Some places mentioned here I've thought about visiting but will just keep on driving next time.
Cwmcarn cafe and Afan cafe, the food doesn't cost a lot but the 1980's school canteen food should be 1980's school prices. Stupid when the Glyncorrwg cafe (both the old and new owners) show how good these places can me.
cafe at Saddlescombe Farm on the south downs way. Cake and cookies are barely edible and extremely expensive (£2.50 for a cookie last summer) with slop for the coffee and tea. Avoid at all costs
Nipper99 - MemberIs Grindleford Cafe in the Peak still going? Always pre and post cragging bacon sarne and pint mug of tea. Not been for 10 years or more.
Yep but the miserable old git who ran it and stuck all the warning notices has pegged, he was the best entertainment in the area. Cafe still there and still open -run by a nice bunch and food/cost ok.
The 'Conwy Falls cafe' has changed hands and was really quite good when we visited last year, however I don't know if that report was made out before or after we ate there.
Agree about the 'Woodbine' in Hope. Over priced and that awful women who runs it needs to go on a customer care course.
Agree with Carlos - the new cafe at the 'Roman Lakes' is lovely, although the service is often a little slow at certain times.
Ooops -double post!
you could always refuse to pay for it if you thought it was that bad.
Pete's Eats, best for stale cake and stewed tea.
Any motoray services, sorry bit off topic but you said name an shame.
Coffeee shops, £3 for a coffeee **** me, but I am over a barrel.
Star****s has started making your coffee stronger! How? Easy by putting ****ing coffee in it! ****ers.
I buy it but I spend upto 10 hours a day on motorways. An its like 50p extra for a services brew than a highstreet brew.
They even ask your name now, WTF is that about, I just give some shit name like Balthazaar, Tracy, Agricola.
If some caff gave me some limp shit bacon butty I would definitely complain. Christ how hard is it to make a bacon butty.
Delamere vistor centre is very very good food though, not sure of prices but busy as heck in the summer.
Woodbine, most grumpy cafe owner I've possibly ever met. The one just round the corner on the road up to the Roman Road was good and reasonably priced, would recommend. Roman Lakes cafe is brill, their bacon sarnies when it's freezing cold and chucking it down are possibly the best thing on earth.
Just followed the link on previous page re Welsh eateries. Holy cow batman! As far as I can see, if you're visiting Wales and intending to ingest anything whilst there, take your own sandwiches or pay the consequences. That said, FWIW the cafe at Coed-y-Brenin was excellent last time I was there. Great burger (if a tad pricey, but a local cow helped in the making of it so that's nice) and when I asked for a large tea the matronly (but nice matronly, like the nice, saucy fat blonde one in the Carry Ons, not the uptight brunette with the equally advantageous rack) woman behind the counter put two teabags in! Haven't checked if said cafe was on aforementioned Welsh eateries whack list, and don't think I will either...
The cafe ( will not use the term restaurant) half way up the hill in Ednburgh Zoo is shockingly poor. And Deep Sea World at North Queensferry is overpriced and tasteless too.
But if your doing the Three Ferries on the road bike, make sure to go to the Ettrick Bay Cafe on the isle of Bute. Apart from the superb view of Arran, they do huge portions of tasty food at very resonable prices.
Actually, the portions could be described as too big when your about to get back on the bike.The curly fries alone would feed two.
A couple of years ago the woodbine cafe served me a toasty of misery with a side of rotting salad, my complaints were met with disinterest, so I've not been back since. Outside cafe's in hathersage and grindleford ftw!
The cafe at Swinley Forest is a complete rip-off. Nothing wrong with the actual food, the prices are shocking especially after the coffee cups shrunk and price increased.
Actually I avoid buying food when out riding - my home-made egg and cress sandwiches take some beating. 🙂
When I moved up to my current location I went into a local cafe. Asked for an egg and bacon sandwich.
Pre cooked bacon went in the microwave. This was bad enough but then a precooked fried egg went in the microwave.
I am scarred for life.
Come to my cafe in Cholsey! (just off the ridgeway!) (the four teas cafe)
Sausages and bacon from the butcher next door and cakes from a lady in the village and good Kenyan coffee.
Cheap too 🙂
Our website is a bit cack but we had a mystery shopper in the other day from 'tea talk' magazine which is a national magazine for finding out good tea shops!
And we have bike mags in the shop. 🙂
Advert over 😉
Zippykona
At thT point id say no forget it - they would get the hint if the great unwashed just complained a bit ! Bouncy egg - no thanks
The cafe ( will not use the term restaurant) half way up the hill in Ednburgh Zoo is shockingly poor. And Deep Sea World at North Queensferry is overpriced and tasteless too.
This is very true!
Janettas in St Andrews is nice though
I thought it was just me who didn't rate the Woodbine.
A few years back I overheard a MXer getting a telling off for eating a Mars bar in there that he hadn't bought there. This was after him and 3 mates had bought and ate full english breakfasts all round!!
🙂
peaslake stores!brew is ok but there sandwiches are TONK as is the famous cheese sticks!
You're having a laugh, right?
Proper tasty bang tidy food at northern prices. Their cheese straws, sausage and leek bake, quiches and various cakes (to name but a few) are epic. End of.
Lots of people flaming Pete's Eats. I really like them. But then I do live very close so only tend to go in the evenings during the week when there is no one else there. Never had a problem.
Just need to make sure you ask if you can do your own milk in your cuppa.
The bad
Pete's eats
The council one at afan (few years back)
CYB (new one)- you actually though I ordered Prawn Mayo Jacket potato with cheese? For that money I expected steak
Grindleford - overpriced greasy slop with crap attitude (truckers cafe in the wrong spot)
The Over Priced
Whinaltter - might be due to the fact we always had tea and cake at home 2 mins away
Anywhere in Tasmania
Apple Pie place in Ambleside
For balance
The Good (there may be a theme with some of these)
Old Skyline
Old CYB
Hub
Stoney Middleton for about 1 year mid 2000's
A Cafe in swansea about 11 years ago after a stag do where the mega breakfast was awesome and would feed half of africa
Never had a problem at Pete's Eats, and I'm now keen to give the Cafe in Bryn yr Efail a go too.
lots of negative reports regarding the Woodbine! oh dear.
On a positive note we have a great little diner in Long Itchington called the 'Long itch diner' and on weekends its packed to the gunnel's with all types-muddy riders, roadies, bikers, car enthusiasts. its the culinary equivalent of Haight Ashbury.
I cannot condone the negative remarks surrounding Peaslake stores as they seem to manage not only a friendly service but one where the food has flavour as well.
Peaslake Stores are good, although spoiled by the morons standing blocking the roads outside. It's mostly funded by the locals to keep a shop open in the village.
Seal tea rooms has great cake.
Box Hill caf is hugely overpriced, has appalling service - in 17 years of going there (not at the moment seeing as Cycling Weekly have made it the best tea spot in the south east) they've never worked out how to quickly and efficiently serve lots of people.
The Lucky Duck in Shere has awfully slow service and is outrageously expensive. On a club run 3 people didn't have enough money to pay their tab - which was tedious having to bail them out without ever getting the money back.
+gazillion on the Woodbine cafe in Hope. Worst cake ever.
On the other hand the place next to 18 Bikes (Courtyard Cafe?) is really very good, the homemade treacle slice is mega!
The cheese sticks are gopping. (might just be me)
Also I think £2.75 for a egg mayo sandwich is ok IF the filling is up to scratch but when 90% is mayo that's not good.
Not had a lattice thing yet. Maybe next time.
I've been in the woodbine a few times for flapjack etc. I like it, never had any problems.
I didn't like purple mountain at dalby. The staff where nice in the cafe but it was overpriced in my eyes so I ended up going to the visitors centre.
I suppose PM didn't get away with it. VIVA LA REVOLUTION!!
monsall head and monyash.
nice spots. too much dollar.
Laggan, poor service, poor food.
LITTLE CHEF we always called LITTLE THIEF.
part of trust house forte group now ,totally overpriced rip off for the masses.
A good local pub is always a better bet i find.
Urban Kitchen, Reigate. Slice of cake almost £3
It's the awful tea that bugs me not much else. It's SE prices. However if I was going round the M25 then stopping off at J8 and popping into the Urban cafe for a coffee and cake in a car park with a great view would be a far better (and quicker) option than the hideous clacket lane. BTW service stations like Clacket lane that make you walk in a huge circle inside the building to get to the loos (usually when you really need to go) so that you might buy something you don't need, really bug me.
Not a bike cafe, but the kiosk café at Kedleston Hall is the only place I've ever sent back food - ordered a 'cream tea' and it turned out that what they meant was half a tiny scone, which had obviously had a blob of clotted cream and a strawberry put on it at 9 in the morning and had then been left out on the plate in the sun till the afternoon. And only serving half a scone, and the tiniest scone I've ever seen, what a load of rubbish. The lady serving it seemed pretty embarrassed too - she'd obviously had a few of them returned, and just said "that's how we've been told to serve them" when I questioned where the other half of the scone was.
On a positive note, the lovely and ludicrously cheap Tor Cafe in Cromford is a good stop on a ride. Not much over 2 quid for a double egg cob and a big mug of tea. And service so quick that I'd only just got sat down and comfortable when it turned up.
Been to Conwy Falls cafe a couple of times and it's always been good food. Similar with Woodbine - the apple pie is great, as is the fire in the winter, but yes the lady who runs it seems thoroughly miserable most of the time. Whinlatter cafe is great!
Pete's Eats - disappointed to be honest. Dirty tables and even grubbier looking staff. Possible the weakest, milkiest cup of tea ever and the food looks more like overcooked school dinners. Even the breakfast was rancid, cheap gristly sausages and fatty, limp bacon. I mean how hard can it be to get that right? Shame really - if they upped the care and attention to detail with the food then it could be the be one of the best cafes going. Maybe they should stop trying to cook every meal option under the sun and reduce the menu by two thirds - and then cook the remaining third properly with quality local produce?
God I sound like Gordon Ramsey on Kitchen Nightmares!
Not had a bad eat on the cafe at Cwmcarn, and certainly better priced than many others. The plates of food at Skyline cafe are good. No longer rate the munch at the Llandegla cafe, costly, smaller portions and not very tasty. Shame as they used to be good.
I'm saddened by what's happened to Pete's. Used to be part of the North Wales pilgrimage on climbing trips. Then they made it bigger and the whole thing fell to pieces. Is there anywhere in 'beris that does the job now?
Yorks Dales MTB Centre does lovely cake and the prices are reasonable.
There's been a couple of -ves for the Grizedale cafe. Personally I like it - had a massive slice of cake there last year. It was a meal in itself. Over Easter had one of their Brie and Bacon toasties and again it was great - 2 halves of toasted Ciabatta with mountains of crispy bacon and brie on. It's making me feel hungry just remembering it.
Forgot to mention that Cafe Caban y Pair just up the road from the bridge in Betws y Coed seems very nice. We ate there in the evening and the pizza was lovely! No license but there's a small Spar down the road for a BYO beer or wine.
Vaughns Cafe near the car Park @ Tocholes Woods Blackburn / Darwen
Over Priced & Complete Shite 🙁 Miniscule portions and miserable staff (on a good note though there is a pub approx 100mtrs away so on nice days a pint is better than a coffee 😀 )
I did stop at a good Cafe yesterday whilst out on my road bike @ heptonstall near hebdon bridge, super sized portions of very good food and coffee top ups when you want @ the right prices 😀
Our website is a bit cack but we had a mystery shopper in the other day from 'tea talk' magazine which is a national magazine for finding out good tea shops!
That's my wife's birthday present sorted then, if they do subscriptions.
The bad reports for Conwy Falls suprised me.
I had a breakfast there about 2 months ago and it was excellent, did the same again the next day. It wasn't cheap but it was delicious and it didn't include the usual "sawdust and fat" sausage.
For what it's worth, my mate is a veggie and he wouldn't stop raving about their vegetarian breakfast.
Elsdon, Northumberland. famous cyclists cafe, which is basically someone's house. Mate asked for Beans on toast, with a fried egg. got charged 7 quid for beans on toast (3.50) and egg on toast (3.50).
another friend drank a whole cup of 'coffee' before he realised he'd drank his mates tea.
Mate asked for Beans on toast, with a fried egg
that's ended my debate on what to have for lunch. maybe add a bit of tabasco and sorted!! 😆
not very biking related, but my current local favourite cafe is the Curious Cafe in cheltenham (bath road).
Epic sized fryups for not too much dosh, top quality food too; but get there early or you won't get in!
mmm blacksmith's breakfast 🙂
Dave
Conwy Falls cafe was amazing two weeks ago, had breakfast and lunch in there on different occasions and although a little expensive was excellent and good friendly service. Toilets arent all that but who really cares?
Llandegla was ok, average coffee, average cake but decent size slices. Captive audience will always command a higher price but it didnt seem outrageously expensive.
Afan I always go self catering...
I had the misfortune of being at the Woodbine yesterday. I didn't realise it was going to be a misfortune.
I only wanted a coffee so I could sit in the sun and admire my new road bike for a bit.
I made the mistake of only buying a (crap) coffee (with only one of those teeny cartons of milk allowed) and not food as well it would seem.
I'm giving the place a miss from now on.
I had the misfortune of being at the Woodbine yesterday. I didn't realise it was going to be a misfortune.
I only wanted a coffee so I could sit in the sun and admire my new road bike for a bit.
Head up the road a bit and go to The Penny Pot Cafe at Edale (right next to the station). Used to be a real greasy spoon and was staffed by the most miserable woman you've ever met. A few years ago it was taken over by the National Trust and it's now a really nice walkers/cyclists cafe. Good food, locally sourced, decent prices.
Service can be a bit slow when it's busy but that's the same with most places making food to order. I much prefer The Penny Pot to the Woodbine.
Head up the road a bit and go to The Penny Pot Cafe at Edale (right next to the station). Used to be a real greasy spoon and was staffed by the most miserable woman you've ever met. A few years ago it was taken over by the National Trust and it's now a really nice walkers/cyclists cafe. Good food, locally sourced, decent prices.
Is that the old cabin thing that they used to look at you funny for coming in asking for food and drinks!