Address: Red Rd, Alton, Stoke-on-Trent ST10 4BU, United Kingdom
Phone: +441538702730
Rating: 4.7
based on 220 reviews.
Atmosphere & Setting
Pros:
"Absolutely stunning setting."
"Lovely location at the bottom of Dimmingsdale with a nice out door seating area to enable you to enjoy the wonderful wooded Churnet Valley."
"The garden area is really lovely to sit in, even with a bit of a chill in the air (and there are blankets provided for if there is)."
"An oasis of taste and beauty in the middle of a forest."
"The gardens and pots are stunning and attract a number of garden birds including the friendly Robin."
"Delightfully set in the Churnet Valley, very close to Alton Towers."
"Beautiful place to drop in after a relaxing walk through the woods."
Cons:
"Access via car is a little tricky as the roads leading to it are overgrown single lanes with unsighted corners."
"Car parking was never adequate."
"The car parks get full quite quickly."
"It is quite hard to find, and about a mile or two along Red Road, which is single track with passing places, so be careful."
"The walk and pub are good, however it’s a nightmare to get to! And if you arrive later than 10am on a nice day you will have no chance of parking the car."
Food & Drink
Pros:
"A family run business, the food is lovely, the gardens beautiful and always a friendly atmosphere."
"The food can be expensive but the portion sizes make it good value for money."
"Lovely quirky place, lovely food and drinks."
"A wide selection on the menu at staggeringly competitive prices."
"Beautiful home cooked food so tasty and with ample portions the most dog friendly place I've ever been."
"One of the best cream teas we can remember."
"Cakes, especially the lemon meringue pie are to die for."
Cons:
"Cakes, a tad over sweet for my taste."
"Very disappointing service... had to wait 90 minutes for food, including 40 minutes queueing."
"Our food, which only consisted of sandwiches and soup, took 1 hour to come out."
"But the food wasn't very good. Burger was very plain and the chips we're very dry."
"The food was ok but expensive."
"The soup that was classed as a ‘main’ was tiny and cold."
"Sandwiches were a bit basic, nothing to get excited about."
Service & Staff
Pros:
"Very clean and tables cleared promptly."
"The staff were super helpful. They got me some ice for his head and even brought him an ice cream over to cheer him up."
"The lady who served me still apologised for my wait. She was very friendly and bubbly."
"Friendly staff, cosy little cafe."
"The employees are lovely and you can tell how special the business is to them."
"Super lovely staff, Helen the owner & Tracey who served us are so warm & friendly."
"The staff were very friendly, and lovely with the children too."
Cons:
"We were seated, menus practically thrown on the table in front of us and then left for over 20 minutes."
"There was no offer of drinks while we waited, no offer of a refund."
"Queue at serving hatch was slow unfortunately."
"Ended up waiting 45mins to be served from a small hatch."
"It's Not peaceful anymore. People are waiting for ages in line to be served. Ridiculous."
"We were then told that the kitchen was shut and the coffee machine was off!"
"I was ignored at the serving hatch."
Value & Pricing
Pros:
"Good food at fair prices."
"Great value, you will not be disappointed!"
"Prices were extremely reasonable."
"The hot chocolates were better than Costa and Starbucks!"
"Great value."
"Food is superb especially the cakes."
"£7.20 for a mug of coffee and a piece of cake which I ordered from an outside serving window and sat outside to eat and drink."
Cons:
"The prices on display seem to be what you would expect from a tourist attraction, expensive."
"However I was advised that dogs are NOT welcome inside, and we would need to sit in the garden for lunch. It's 2 degrees today and snowing! Dog walkers beware."
"Prices for food and drink are on the high side, however the surroundings make it worth the money."
"Still nice location but thought the retreat was too expensive."