Stokes High Bridge Café — Restaurant in Lincoln

I used to use this cafe alot however not anymore. I went today with my 15 month old daughter for some brunch ☺ i sat down and to be fair the waitress did bring a high chair for me when i asked. Ok so i ordered a caramel latte and a apple juice along with a lightly toasted tea cake for my daughter, i then asked for a sausage sandwich. She said she will check with the kitchen. She did come bacl and say they will do a sausage sandwich and she doesnt no why its not on the menu. Anyway waited around 10 mins for our drinks. My late was in a what looked like a water glass so small! Couldnt really taste the caramel. Then my daughters tea cake came.... Wasnt lightly toasted but she did manage it.... Just. Then...... My "sausage sandwich came..... It was what seamed like half a sausage with grated cheese what tasted like pickle with sultanas in!! Now i am from Lincoln and i know a sausage sandwich is definitely not this. It was also toasted! I never mentioned a toastie? I am unable to eat cheese and i dont like sultanas so i had to scrape most of it off which left me with half a sausage and some toast! I had finished and my daughter was just finishing off her teacake and the waitress came over and said can i get you anything else, i felt very rushed and like she wanted me to leave but my baby was still eating. I said no thank you i am just waiting for the little one to finish. At this the waitress huffed and walked off. Babies take a little longer to eat. At this i wrapped the rest of her teacake and left, i felt she didnt want me there any longer. I went to pay and explained about the "sausage sandwich" and i got oh sorry about that dont know why its not on the menu. I said no it wasnt what i asked for i explained what i couldnt eat. She still charged me in full even though i couldnt eat most of it and it wasnt what i asked for. Nearly £14 and i couldnt eat most of mine anf my daughter didnt have time to finish hers so had to take it with us. Not happy with this visit and i wont be visiting again. Sorry you are normally...

So disappointed to have to drop a star in my review but my favourite tea shop has gone down a little in the last year for the first time I can ever remember, and I've been a loyal customer over 30 years!

It's fine for the average customer who usually drinks at high street chains, but I think the appeal of Stokes is as a traditional tea and coffee shop in look and feel.

I visited a week ago and was told by one member of staff that loose leaf tea is still available but only upon specific request. I requested this the next day only to be told by someone else they were unaware of this and only serve tea bags now! The reason given was that the loose leaf has to be done downstairs and it requires extra pots (tea and water pots plus strainer and dish). Stock some loose leaf upstairs please, I would happily pay a little more for this service.

The uniform has been modernised and I miss seeing the crisp black with white apron and also Adam who couldn't do enough for his customers! Service is still friendly but a little rushed. I also notice it is not as busy as it used to be, especially between 10.30 - 2.

The breakfast is not as good value since there is only one standard size as opposed to a smaller serving option and the bacon was not crispy enough. Either reduce the price a little or improve the quality. The saving grace still is Lincolnshire sausages - there is no better sausage around.

I do hope you listen to your long standing customers, as I notice a few have made similar comments. I now live 40m away but look forward to Stokes and all of the appeal of a historic cathedral city. I will be less inclined to visit now. The Stokes building deserves to remain quaint and historic inside and out - you owe it to Lincoln itself to keep up this historic...

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Date: 5 May 2025 Arrival Time: Around 10:50 AM

Subjective Comments: The food was average—not something I would consider tasty. I had the Full English Breakfast and Eggs Benedict and latte Personally, I’d rate them 5/10. The total bill was £27.40.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was excellent. I was very satisfied with the environment and interior decor. The view outside the window was also beautiful.

Objective Observations: The spoon that came with the latte still had old coffee stains on it.

As tourists, after finishing our meal and settling the bill, we wanted to go upstairs to take a few photos of the restaurant’s interior. When we went upstairs, the female manager who had taken our order asked us, “Is there anything I can help you with?” We explained that we just wanted to take a few photos of the decor and space. She didn’t respond, but let out a loud sigh and walked away.

then we asked a waitress if it was okay to take some photos. She responded by asking, “Why do you want to take photos?” We told her we were tourists and just wanted to keep some memories.

She said, “I don’t think you should be taking photos of other guests.” At that point, we decided to leave.

I understand that some restaurants have a no-photo policy. However, I don’t believe that was the case here, as there are many photos of this place on Google. If that is indeed the policy, I wouldn’t mind being told politely. However, the way the manager handled the situation made me feel uncomfortable, and I don’t understand why I was treated that way.

We are Asian tourists, and I can’t help but wonder—was that part of the reason? If not, then why weren’t we allowed to...