Castle Tea Rooms — Restaurant in England

My boyfriend and I visited Castle Tea Rooms 14th Feb around 11am.

We were given a warm welcome by the 2 ladies working there and it seemed really nice at first. We ordered a sandwich to share, a scone each, a pot of tea and a hot chocolate. All of these things were really nice, however the 2 ladies working at the time completely ruined our experience there.. and judging by the looks from the other couple also in there at the time, their experience was ruined also.

A few minutes after we sat down, one member of staff was loudly complaining about her colleague (will use initials only) 'A' to who we assumed was another colleague 'J' - talking at length about "Why would she still want to work here when it's clear she's not liked". I admit, we found it funny at first, but this conversation went on for the entire 45 minutes we were there!!! The ladies then phoned 'K' and actually put her on loud speaker so we heard her side to the story as well! They were openly talking about "disciplinary" matters and even were talking about "diarrhoea" that another colleague's daughter had, while we were eating!

I haven't written a TripAdvisor review for many years, but we were so appalled by the (lack of) customer service that I felt compelled to, as I feel the manager of this establishment (assuming it wasn't either of the ladies present) needs to be aware, and have some serious discussions with their staff.

When we were asked at the end if everything was ok, we felt so awkward that we just said yes and hurried out, but I wish I'd asked for a refund because it did actually put a bit of a dampener on our morning.

Nice food - shame about the...

Coleslaw confusion. Popped in here on a busy Saturday, it was nice to find a quiet haven from the busy streets and shops. Very reasonably priced and good sized portions. Having read the menu cover to cover I was aware that you can add coleslaw and crisps for an extra 75p. When I ordered my toastie I was asked 'would I like coleslaw' so I said yes. Fully expecting the additional charge. The ladies dining nearby did not. One had ordered a salad and was very surprised that she was charged extra for coleslaw. The lady in charge explained that as lots of people don't eat coleslaw she had decided to charge for it separately. She apologised for the confusion and removed the charge from the ladies bill. My toastie arrived with my additional option of coleslaw and crisps. Only there were no crisps and the coleslaw portion was a let down. It was what I would describe as a heaped teaspoon or a level dessert spoon. I would perhaps have understood if it was home made but it wasn't. It did taste nice, but for the size with the lack of crisps not worth the 75p. I did watch with some amusement as many other people agreed to have coleslaw, which also arrived without crisps. I wondered how many of them had read the entire menu like I had. I would go back, our toasties were delicious. I just would not pay the cost of...

Wondering round York on a shopping visit (Sat 6 April 2024) ,I came across the Castle Tea Roms which is located on a side street ,it looked busy during the morning when i past by which is a good sign so I decided to return later on for some lunch & hopefully find a vacant table for 2 ..Access is by a few steps & inside is relatively small with only 9 tables available,all on the one level. Table service is provided by the staff on duty who I found to be very pleasant indeed .There's a good variety on the menu which includes breakfast items which are served all day, Lite bites ,Cream tea Special, Sandwiches, Toasties & Paninis with various fillings,,Jacket potatoes have an array of filling combinations aswel ,Salads,Cakes & tray bakes along with hot & cold drinks etc .Really surprisingly spoilt for choice to say its a small establishment & very reasonably priced .The service was good & my order of Tuna & cheese toastie ,Cinnamon Toast along with pot of tea for one & cappuccino coffee was very enjoyable. There's separate male / female toilets for customers and payments can be made by cash or card .After my 1st time experience during this vist ,I would return back again in the future & obviously recommend these...