Checks & Greys — Restaurant in England

Unfortunately, we arrived on a rather cold and miserable Sunday morning to have breakfast. It would have been lovely to sit outside and watch life go by in this lovely little enclave but unfortunately the persistent rain and wind put paid to that idea!

The welcome we received was in stark contrast to the rather bleak weather outside, it was warm and friendly and welcoming. A bright airy café with nicely spaced out tables.

The breakfast menu was a nice surprise, not the cheapest, but considering the surroundings of the cathedral, not too expensive either.

The service at the counter was quick and efficient and we didn’t have to wait too long for our order.

I chose a full “Lancashire” breakfast with poached eggs. It was absolutely lovely – the ingredients were first rate and very tasty (especially the sausage). Partner had a small Lancashire breakfast with scrambled eggs which I was reliably informed were lovely. My only small criticism was that my poached eggs were just on the wrong side of being cooked - They were still soft but not runny as I like them. But I suppose it is down to individual preference.

I would definitely visit again and maybe try the lunch menu as the specials on the board looked...

Went for late Sunday lunch with my wife as we love Northcote and thought we'd give this a try after shopping. Staff were friendly and the food we ordered was lovely. However, ordered dessert and I had the sticky toffee pudding. Unfortunately it took a while to be served but it looked good when put in front of me. However, the pudding itself was frozen solid. Basically I had hot toffee sauce over a frozen piece of cake. The waitress did apologise and went to get me another one. She came back a few minutes later apologising again saying they didn't have any and offered an alternative. Unfortunately I heard her speaking to the kitchen as we were sat near the counter and the conversation went along the lines of there isn't enough time now as its nearly 4pm so offer the customer a brownie and ice cream. This ruined an otherwise nice meal. I understand it was close to closing time but instead of all the messing about I would have preferred honesty and offered an alternative at the outset. Because of the way it was dealt with I opted for a...

Food was excellent. The reason for the 2 star is down to rude members of staff! Friends & family visited totalling 9, made to wait without being approached for a few minutes even though the place was half full. Walking towards the table waitress approchaed asking for number of people & after reply this many pointing to the party of 9 she kept asking ‘how many?’ Could have easily done a head count herself..

Toddlers were running around being kids but we were approached in a very rude manner telling us the kids shouldn’t be running around, which is fine & understandable however, there is a way of telling people in such an environment. Also a toy left on the floor by one of the toddlers was pointed out & told in exact words “that should not be there” again understandable but very abrupt & rude in their approach. Such a shame how basic customer service, lack of basic people skills & understanding can spoil such...