Pulteney Bridge Coffee Shop — Restaurant in Bath

Real mixed bag.

Pros: Beautiful views over the river and a wonderful convenient location The food and coffee (at the time) was lovely Cute and cozy, with pretty and understated decor The mugs and plates are simple but pleasant

Cons: Not much space; went upstairs to find more tables and instead found myself practically in the kitchen My coffee was a tad too strong for my tastes, my girlfriend’s was a tad too weak Asked for a glass of tap water and had to go and ask for it again to receive it (it was busy though) And the biggie… the food poisoning

The food poisoning: A bit after lunch, both my girlfriend and I came down feeling nauseous and queasy. We were at a fair at the time, so sat down (I, thinking it might be hunger, grabbed a bite to eat). When it didn’t subside, we compared symptoms and although I had it worse, we had much the same. The only food that we could’ve shared was the food at the cafe (either the ham we both had in our baguettes or the milk used in the coffees, they’re the shared items we both had). Was a fairly miserable journey home and did put a real downer on our plans for the evening. While I didn’t throw up, I was nauseous and worried that I might for the three hour journey home and have been laid low all evening.

In conclusion, at the time it was a lovely experience. I feel like I might just’ve got unlucky, but based on my experience given the suspected food poisoning, I personally can’t recommend it. As I feel like I might just’ve got unlucky, I’m willing to offer 2 stars as it was a pleasant experience...

First of all, my order was delivered to the wrong table. The tea came first and arrived even before I had sat down after paying at the till, but I thought it was waiting to be cleared as the milk jug was angled inside the tea cup and the food was not there. Then the food was delivered to the same, wrong table. This was soon sorted out but the place is small, how hard is it to match the order to the face? I then discovered that the teacup had lipstick on it. The guy serving took it away and probably just wiped it off rather than bring me a fresh, clean cup but I don't know. I see other reviewers have had the same experience so cleanliness is apparently not a priority in this cafe. The cup didn't sit properly in the saucer, either, not sure they belonged together. Not sure if the teapot was clean but the surface of it seemed old and worn; it might just be some 'retro' look I don't get. I had a cream tea. The scones were warm but seemed dry, the texture unpleasant and claggy in my mouth. The cream and jam were fine but the quantity was very mean. The tea itself was good. I have walked past this cafe many times but never gone in. The idea of sitting looking out over the river was too tempting on a hot day but the experience was disappointing. And £7.90 for an indifferent cream tea is too much, even if the crockery had been clean. I guess when you run a charmingly situated Bath cafe, you can rely on the pull of that charm and let other matters slide. I would not visit this cafe again but I daresay the many tourists that do will keep it...

If there was an option to give no stars, this coffee shop would get it. I have never experienced such unprofessional and rude behaviour in an ‘established’ business. Based on service alone I’d recommend you avoid here at all costs. We visited and were immediately told a seat was taken (by a woman with glasses and dark hair, mid twenties), fair enough, so we asked to sit on the next table along to which she responded ‘if it’s free’. We sat down and my partner had moved a chair not realising it was for the table next to us and he was so rudely told to put I back, therefore I quietly (as to not hurt the woman’s feelings) said to him ‘I’d like to leave she’s been very rude’. To this she clearly listened and responded with ‘it wasn’t rude’ and carried on however I quite frankly wasn’t listening after that comment. I told the boy with glasses making coffee he ought to speak to his management about the service she is providing to which she responded ‘I am the management’. As someone who has been working in pubs and cafes for years I have dealt with difficult customers and had tough days but I would never make a customer feel so unwelcome and uncomfortable the way she did. As I was leaving she shouted bye sarcastically to me as I was leaving. I’m truly disgusted by the way I was treated, there are much more welcoming cafes in bath that are much more deserving of the money you would spend here. I truly hope this member of staff reflects on their behaviour...