The Bluebird Cafe — Restaurant in England

The day was the best weather of the week and so people were out and about. Consequently the cafe was full with no spare tables inside or as we found, outside. There was sitting room on a nearby wall! Three of my group of five wanted tea, and in a cafe of this type that means tea pots, milk jugs, cups & saucers etc, which creates an awful lot of uneccesary clutter. This clutter is not an option if perched on top of a wall or for standing room only. The lady serving wanted to know our table number, which I informed her we could not find, but still wanted a cuppa. She wasn't keen on just handing over drinks without us first being seated, so off her own back scampered all around the inside and outside areas to find us seating, but in vein. I made an executive decision to just have cups of tea i.e. teabag in cup, add hot water. To my surprise she was happy to do this, without the "it's not company policy to do that sir" nonsense so often found these days. I have no idea if the price was reduced or not for this simplified order, but I was happy with their flexibility to adapt to the conditions. They need to get some proper mugs, as not all customers want the full afternoon tea ritual of a café, but want a simple cuppa from a cafe. Please LIKE if you found this review...

I would've given 4 stars if it wasn't for the exceptional service provided by Livi. (thank you Livi, we appreciate good people like you) The cafe was packed when we went there, understandably as this is the only cafe in that area. The food wait time was 40-45 mins, in this situation it is easy to come under pressure but not livi. She was amazing, she went the extra mile to help us. there was a big group of us and the other staff helped us out too. unfortunately I don't know their names as only Livi was dealing with me and my brother's order. the rest were helping my friends. I would like to thank the rest of the staff at the bluebird cafe, because their service was great on an incredibly busy day (day after the coronation), no one was getting stressed instead they dealt with the customers promptly. Gave us refunds without any fuss for the food that was taking too long as we had boat rides booked for soon after.

about the food, we only managed to get:

milkshakes - really good cakes - tasted great fish butty - I never have any faith in seafood at cafes but this...

The Bluebird Café is in a great location on the edge of Coniston Water, overlooking the National Trust steam yacht gondola jetty and the Coniston Launch pier. It's a great place to stop after a day's walking, or on your journey into, or away from the Lake District.

The café is separated from the water by a shallow beach, which s usually full of swans and ducks (and children throwing them corn), but in flood conditions the water laps at the foot of the café, which is an experience in itself.

There is indoor seating and an outdoor, undercover area which allows you to still be "in the elements" but sheltered from wind and rain. There are also picnic-style tables and an ice-cream parlour. The café can get a little busy when the weather is favourable, but one can usually get seated after a short while and the service is speedy.

The menu selection is good and they're happy to cater for people with special diets - a member of staff will always talk the chef if there are any doubts, so don't be afraid to...