BEAR Uttoxeter — Restaurant in East Staffordshire

A second check out because it is a key Uttoxeter meeting cafe and needs support plus constructive comments to help it grow. 2 years since I last reviewed and post Covid it was interesting, In fact, illuminating. They have reorganized the layout . It's better. Much!

They have raised the bar with a wider range of creative, interesting meals and snacks. Well thought out -well done. It works well. The Bear has raised its game to the challenges. It's now a creative and thoughtful kitchen. Professional planning. But what used to be the best coffee now had bitter Cappuccino first revisit. . I've heard that also recently and went to test and confirmed it. But to be fair I went again this week to give it a second chance and now its fine, the coffee is good. Possibly an old batch last week. This week I had 2. Both good.

Last time I commented it needed better meals .It now has. Good to see. Well done. It fills a real town need and does it well. Thank God that way Way OTT Covid BS entrance station has gone .It was horrible! Austere. Line up, I passed. No way. A solid client base seems to be there. Regulars. The kids drinks are good. With ever more cafes opening up the Bear is now holding its own. Good staff, good service. Accolades earned as due.

I said before it It would build with Summer, outside tables. It now offers a real lunch potential. As with Paris or Zurich, outside cafes. The new, improved Bear is good to go. Go! It's buzzing again. Good coffee. Good meals. But please note, that tips machine near the entrance needs its few quid. It's been tough for staff with Covid way , way , way OTT BS! Get REAL and cough up 3 quid. They are on their feet all day and deserve it. Put back! Help...

Hmm... I suppose you could say the Bear is the epitome of the ‘Instagram’ cafe/bistro. Beautifully designed interior, charming staff, latte art galore and a menu so ‘artiste’ you’d think you were sat on the Champs-Élysées - albeit served by a confused Mexican chef.

I love eating out and above all I love breakfast. Sadly I cannot extend this passion to the Bear. So what has got my knickers in a twist. Well firstly, the price £34 for the two of us got 2 coffees, 1 tea a breakfast (We’re stretching the use of that term), bubble And squeak with chorizo (singular) and a glass of freshly squeezed (ie carton poured) orange juice. 🙄.

My breakfast consisted of 3 pale cold tiny sausages, a cold whole tomato, a tiny Luminescence poached egg, half a deep fried mushroom and some cold-break-ya-teeth sourdough and a dollop of spicy Mexican bean veggie chilli concoction. The whole affair was like a prized Chihuahua entering the bulldog catergory at Cruffts. The cost of this culinary delight £10.70 which I worked out at £2 per mouthful.

She had the bubble which was equally lacklustre but at least she managed half of it, though this is quite possibly due to it being even smaller than mine.

So in conclusion, if you’d like a place to boost your Instagram street cred The bear is for you, if you want to eat go to greggs.... which is exactly what we did afterwards. I can see the ambition to compete with the likes of the lounge group but there’s a long way to go and it starts with basics. Even weatherspoons...

Disappointingly, after maintaining a 5 star BEAR review for 7 years, I've dropped mine down to 2 stars - because unfortunately, that's the fairest score I can honesty give it now. After being somewhat skeptical over the "freshness" of the pancakes we were served up on our most recent visit - we were left somewhat deflated shortly afterwards, when presented with a full view of a chef through the open kitchen door dispensing premade pancakes out of a packet. I don't have any problem in itself with serving premade pancakes as long as people understand what they're getting - but setting a £14.90 price point for them (Chicken and Bacon Pancakes breakfast) on a menu which literally states "All of our dishes are freshly made in-house" is at best deceptive. Also, having recently gotten into it, I was happy to learn (after explicitly asking the barista if it was available) that cold brew was served. It was quite a busy morning, so I thought it was just a case of mistakingly bringing me someone else's order when an americano arrived (i.e., an espresso-based hot drink). What happened next, after explaining that I'd actually ordered a cold brew, was that the server took it away, poured it into a shaker and added ice to it - then poured it back in the cup and served it back to me. What is all that about? A "speciality" coffee shop that doesn't know what cold brew is, or a hope that the customer won't notice when the "forgetting to add ice afterwards" bit doesn't happen when trying to disguise an espresso...