Mad Hatter — Restaurant in Derbyshire Dales

I was quite spontaneous this morning, deciding to take a lovely, scenic drive to Matlock. I had read some reviews about the Mad Hatter and wanted to try it for myself, before exploring a number of antique shops in the area. And so, I made the journey here and was able to park in the Derwent pay and display car-park, right by the train station (very reasonable prices, with £6.00 giving you parking all day!) I made my way across the bridge, took a left and there it was... The Mad Hatter! This place is really quirky and I LOVE the theme they have going on here, super funky and helps to give it real character and charm!

As soon as I walked through the door, one of the ladies up behind the bar greeted me with a hello and asked how I was. I wasn't sure if it was table service or if I had to order at the counter, but it is table service which was great! I sat by the window, which was great for people-watching! A bonus that it wasn't super busy either, when I arrived. I ordered myself an orange juice and the Mad Hatter Breakfast which consisted of two thick and seasoned sausages (very tasty!), two slices of bacon, a grilled tomato, mushrooms, hash browns, beans, black pudding and toast all for £14, which I feel was well worth the price. The black pudding was the best I've ever tasted, had a really unique and delicious flavour, as did the sausages too. Everything is fresh and made to order, so there may be a little bit of a wait, for the food to come out. But honestly? The wait was worth it! Besides, while I was waiting, I was able to admire the wall art and all things Mad Hatter related! There's a big selection of drinks to choose from, be they hot or cold, even alcoholic! And the food menu appears extensive as well, so there's something for everyone's tastes.

Although it may not seem like there's a lot of places to sit, as you walk through the door, there is more seating out the back in, I believe, what's known as the cabin area.

Cannot fault this place at all, loved the experience and the food was top notch! Not only that, but the staff were super friendly and courteous, from the lady whom I was first greeted by, to the young chap who brought me my food, to the lady who dealt with my payment at the very end. I would HIGHLY recommend the Mad Hatter, if you're in the Matlock area and looking for a bite to eat, or even just a little something to quench your thirst! I'm looking forward to returning here again...

This is the second time I've visited here with my partner and our dog, it's great that it's dog friendly and the quirky shakes are something a little different. On the first visit we just had shakes and had to wait over half an hour for them which seemed strange but thought they must have had an issue.

We visited again, not because the shakes are amazing, they're OK, and different, it's just we can get in with the dog. This time we arrived for our booked seats and seated no issues but then ten mins passed before waitress came to the table and wanted full order which we gave... food came out in a reasonable time which was decent enough, we then ordered shakes as she took our plates away and 45 minutes later after sitting there staring at them relentlessly they came back and asked us if we want anything, to which we said we'd ordered shakes, so she went into the back returning with one saying sorry the order messed up, then heading back into the back reappearing five minutes later with the other. Then had to wait 14 minutes for anyone to notice we wanted the bill. All we got was a sorry.. wow is all I cam say.. its a good job its a tourist spot and they have lots of new custom to fall back on.

I think instead of the cafe replying on quirky products to draw in new custom, it needs to bother with those that are there... teach basic customer service which anyone knows who's ever visited a cafe..

1..Seated... "here are your menus, do you know what you'd like to drink?" 2..drinks arrive "Do you know what you'd like to eat or would you like a little longer?" 3..order food and hopefully arrive in a timely manner, "would you like any sauces or anything else guys?" 4..5 mins later... is your food OK guys? 👍🏼 6.. clear plates and ask if you'd like a desert menu or anything else. 7.. pay attention to when people have finished and ask if they would like anything else... ie the bill..

This is the basics... some might even like to strike up a brief but pleasant conversation, who knows......

Gutted for the afternoon tea! Spending £40 for a very disappointing platter and little service. On entry to the bar we were unsure whether to seat ourselves or whether staff direct us. We awkwardly stood at the door while stared at by an employee, no welcome or signal so we guessed we safe ourself. Our table still has lots of sugar on but the rest of the tables didn’t look much better. Staff were hid behind the bar so I grabbed myself an extra menu. Aiming to have afternoon tea, the only information was a small chalk board simply with the information “special afternoon tea for 2”. After searching their website the night before I was sure I knew what to expect (very much wrong). The waitress approached with a ‘hi’. When asked for afternoon tea, she said it’s tea or coffee. My partner asked for a flat white which she said cost extra. I didn’t realise this was a thing or if other restaurants did that. We gave our order and we disclosed allergies. She responded “we should have that but we have ordinary if not. I can check”. This made me anxious as her option of ordinary if not does not support anaphylaxis. It came within 10/15. This was far from the photos. It was interesting but really not a great standard for £40. We had our sandwich which were fine, some with egg which was a disclosed allergy. 2 mini part pork eggs, 2 scotch egg (again a discloses allergy), handful of cheap crisps touching the iced cake, a scone each, a slice of cake between us which from their display I assumed was their speciality especially to go with afternoon tea and 2 cupcakes. All for £40, I couldn’t describe how gutted I was. Maybe I should have complained to get a discount or to get some of the food resorted but we really wanted this to be a positive experience. Though that didn’t help anyway. When paying we were not asked got the food was so there was less opportunity to say. The restaurant was pretty but it didn’t make up for...