Cafe La Strada — Restaurant in England

La Strada is our favourite place to have brunch in Frome. We are very lucky to have such a great selection here, but this just tops it for us. The staff are very friendly and helpful, and are engaging when you ask for a recommendation. The place is always busy, which is a sign of its popularity. There is seating over two floors, so you have plenty of choice.

The food is consistently excellent. Our go-to choices are the English breakfast and the club sandwich. The English breakfast is made with high-quality local ingredients and this shows in the taste. It isn't greasy, which is a relief, as so many cooked breakfasts can be. Toast is extra, but there's already plenty on the plate. The club sandwich is unbelievably moreish. I always try to have something else when we visit, to broaden my horizons, but I see it on the menu and I order it because it is so comforting to eat. It's also the perfect amount, with the four quarters of sandwich and a sensible portion of crispy fries in the middle. Ask for some garlic mayo with them for top-level tastiness!

The coffee is Illy brand, which is great quality and reliably tasty. They have an array of other hot and cold drinks available, if coffee isn't to your liking.

The cakes are also excellent quality and extremely tasty. My partner is a great fan of the humble flapjack; it is his automatic sweet choice when out having a coffee. The flapjack at La Strada is highly rated by him. I can personally recommend the Pastel de Almendras and also the yoghurt-coated slice.

The prices are reasonable (in my opinion), with two meals and two coffees coming to around £16-17 per person.

So, if you're visiting Frome and wondering where to have a great bite to eat, this...

This is our first choice of cafe in Frome. Italian style, great coffee, ciabattas, breakfasts (favourite: sausage sandwich) and lunches (favourites: local ham, egg and chips; club sandwich) — high quality ingredients and friendly and well trained service. Sit outside and watch the world go by or find a perch indoors. Good for a quick espresso con panna, a Spanish almond cake and a read of the local paper on your own, or with Nonna, wife and the kids on a family Saturday in town. Larger tables upstairs, ideal for families. Also the best Italian style ice cream in the Southwest. Set in a medieval building on on a traffic free lane, with a stream running up the middle. Particularly good for coeliacs — they take it really seriously and anything on the menu can be made properly gluten free (if it isn’t already — the sausage sandwiches for example. I prefer the high gluten version, but their gluten free version...

I'm a long term regular at La Strada, and spend a shameful proportion of my wages on their toasted ciabatta and fantastic coffee and cakes. But I've not often had time to sit down and enjoy a meal there until this week, when the sticky Moroccan lamb on the menu caught my eye. It is, without doubt, one of the best things I've ever eaten! So delicious and with such brilliantly balanced flavours. Total perfection. Looks like my wages are just a little less safe than they were already! Well done team for keeping standards so very high in the face of the huge challenges and pressures hospitality is up against right now. Frome's lucky...