ALLINGTON CAFE — Restaurant in England

I am local so have visited this place a fair few times over the years but have (stupidly) never thought to leave a review.

You can tell by the fact that its tough to get a table how popular the place is. A few reservations are taken for lunch - but reality is get in by 11:45 or you can wait or squeeze onto a 2 person small table.

The crowd can be couples, family, business and friends. It really is diverse. There aren't any power points for long meetings. And I like that this is done on purpose. There is no rush in your stay - but they dont want yuppies sat there taking up tables for meetings for 3 hours at a time!

The place is comfortable. Plenty of parking. Adjoined by a locally sourced farm shop. The restaurant is spacious and has a toilet. Also an outside area to enjoy in the summer.

You go up and order, which can be annoying to some people. But you can also put a tab on with no problem if the stay is a little longer and you want to take your time.

The food, and variety, is epic. All freshly cooked to order and I have never had a complaint. The service is friendly - all females pretty much varying in age. All willing to help out and all serving with a smile. Even when they are rushed off their feet they never look stressed and will always help out/accommodate.

The breakfast menu is superb and you cannot go wrong. It caters for all needs. The lunch menu is epic (in particular the Chicken Salad is to die for). There are specials boards that change daily and again locally sourced foods and very cool items.

Whether you are local or just stopping by you will be hard pushed to find anywhere better to eat in...

Coffee was decent. It was not immediately clear, nor were we told, that we needed to order at the counter but food and drinks came quickly once we had ordered.

The vegetarian hash was barely edible and not nice unfortunately. The spinach and kale were chewy and not cooked. This dish should be renamed vegetarian breakfast salad.

Staff not wearing masks and leaning over the table very closely when speaking. Maybe COVID hasn't reached the provences yet.

Edit: While I appreciate the owner taking the time to respond, I have to push back on your claim of following government guidance. Here is the guidance in place since July:

"We expect and recommend that members of the public continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed spaces where you come into contact with people you don’t normally meet. For example, on public transport."

Your cafe meets all three criteria there. It's a shirking of responsibility and public safety to say "our staff are not going to wear masks because the government isn't mandating it." And we all know by now that vaccinated individuals can still pass on COVID. Many other hospitality venues in the area are still requiring their staff wear masks,...

Firstly the staff are excellent!! Friendly and helpful... Have eaten here several times over the past couple of years and noticed the price has increased with the farmyard breakfast now £17, but the size of the breakfast has become smaller. On one occasion my breakfast had one mushroom cut into three slices, surely for £17 you'd expect more than one mushroom. I'd also advise going early, when they open, I went at 11am one morning and the breakfast was very disappointing, the food had become over cooked, believe it was all cooked off and sat under heat lamps apart from the eggs... For the quantity and quality, I don't believe its worth the money, so probably wouldn't return nor recommend.. Avonfield in Trowbridge has become the far better choice, with cheaper pricing, cooked to order and quantity to reflect...