Vitalé Café Bar — Restaurant in Longbridge Deverill

After noting my name and seating preference, the waitress left me standing without leading me to my table. They also did not bring over the menu so I had to get up to ask for it. I ordered light - some focaccia and fire-roasted tomatoes. Instead of a dipping plate, they brought out a ramekin filled to the brim with olive oil with a thin layer of balsamic at the bottom. Trying to grab even a smidge of balsamic was like trying to fish for buried treasure. I had to drain 90% of the contents before I could get a reasonable volume of oil that wouldn't leave my bread oversaturated. But in the end, it wouldn't have mattered since the bread was growing stale. The fire-roasted tomatoes were also not impressive as they tasted like they just came out of a jar preserved in oil. Normally I wouldn't make such a fuss over this, but this was a restaurant within a spa, where I was fully expecting to treat myself to an escape.

On that note, the waitress informed me at the end of my meal that I had to pay before I entered the spa. At this point, I was all suited up in my spa robes so you could imagine my annoyance as I had to make the trip back to the changing room to fetch my wallet, go back to the restaurant to pay, and head back to the changing room to store my wallet before having to walk past the restaurant once more to enter the spa. This should have been made far smoother by deferring all payments to the end of the...

Dreadful service and poor food. It’s such a shame as the spa is really lovely.

I ordered a mixed salad but it must have been sat in the dressing as the cucumber and pepper were soggy. I ordered a side of new potatoes and again, they must have been prepared hours ago and reheated. They tasted horrible.

As for service, it seemed to take forever for someone to notice I was there. Staff didn’t even ask how the food was. I decided it wasn’t worth a mention as I was there to relax, but it did spoil my experience. The cafe wasn’t even busy.

Would not recommend and there is no alternative - a...

Perfectly located just outside of the main spa area, the café bar offered a tasty Panini lunch with a good selection of healthy soft drinks available to choose from. There was prosecco and champagne available for those celebrating a special occasion or who just wanted to add a bit of glam to their trip. The staff were friendly and ready to help. We ordered our dishes / drinks at the counter and then the staff bring it over when ready. A good experience that commented...