We have assessed numerous cafes, restaurants, and eateries across County Durham for various publications, yet unfortunately, Curlew Cafe must be categorized as one of the least satisfactory establishments we've encountered.
While the pricing is reasonable, the overall experience is marred by exceedingly poor service. Patrons endure lengthy waits for their orders, with food sometimes taking up to an hour to arrive. Additionally, many customers at neighboring tables expressed dissatisfaction with undelivered drinks and incomplete food orders, which often took an extra 20 minutes to rectify. The staff appear reluctant to engage with customers, hastily departing after delivering orders and offering minimal assistance at best. Although the food quality is acceptable, it fails to stand out, overshadowed by an atmosphere of frustration, disorganization, and frequent customer complaints.
Regarding external amenities, although Curlew advertises animals on-site for children's enjoyment, none were visible during our visit. The small play area, whilst welcome, may disappoint parents with its very limited offerings.
In summary, we cannot endorse Curlew Cafe and strongly recommend avoiding it. For a more fulfilling experience, we suggest making the slightly longer journey to Middleton-in-Teesdale, where a selection of charming cafes and...
Ā Ā Ā Read moreCan't make a decent cup of coffee consistently. First cappuccino hot and ok second round cold. Complained and was told they were temperature checked. Came to replace them, I stuck my finger right in and said that's how cold they are. Replaced them and it was hot but mine was so sweet like it had sweetener in. Couldn't drink it. Ordered sausage bun. I said to friend will they want sauce, which one. She went to ask, came back. I said oh it's tomato to the girl. I noticed the price went up and didn't know why. It came with sliced fresh tomato on!!!! Only wanted sauce and that I discovered was free. Gluten-free options for cake on the blackboard but not available, oh board hasn't been updated. We went out of our way to visit but we won't...
Ā Ā Ā Read moreAmazing little gem we discovered camping last year. Food and staff are wonderful and can't do enough to make you feel welcome. The playground is brilliant for the kids to play while you sit back and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The animals are an added bonus to the visit and it was lovely to see the new additions since our last visit. Areas are all clean and they all love to be fed! This lovely family run business is somewhere we love to return too and will continue to do so, especially for the delicious ice creams š Thank you for creating a lovely place for us to visit. We certainly appreciate your hard work, time and effort you all put in to make this a pleasant day out...
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