Quay Ingredient — Restaurant in Newcastle upon Tyne

We were looking for gluten free choices for breakfast for my wife and followed the Google reviews for this cafe being good for GF choices, sadly, it was NOT easy to get gluten free food here, despite previous reviews.

To be fair it is a tiny cafe, and was packed when we arrived. I suspect this led to the difficulty we had trying to get a straight answer to the queries about the food as all the staff seemed under pressure from the lady shouting at everyone from the kitchen area.

Given the UK Governments directives on food safety, the lack of a GF version of a menu is very poor and frankly dangerous for celiacs if the staff have limited understanding of what is in the food.

The lady who took our order was very obstructive about what could be ordered - to summarise, they would let you swap items with gluten out but you had to pay full price for the dish with these items removed and then pay extra to add other items back in – just be clear, we’re not about getting free or cheap food, we earn good money, but that felt quite unfair, especially for people who are eating on a budget.

We had to move tables for a larger party, were aware that we were being watched and as soon as we had put our cutlery down, the plates were whipped away and then as we tried to finish our coffee had the bill presented without asking and finally had the card machine presented before we were ready to leave.

It really does seem like a popular spot and to be fair, I have no food allergies and my full English was faultless, but the rushed service and complete disregard for customer service has probably ensured that we won’t waste time coming back.

We really try to support small local businesses like this, but when the service is worse than a chain food outlet and it’s far more expensive, it makes us wonder about...

Atmosphere; stressful. Unfortunately, it was very apparent to customers that the staff were stressed, unhappy and there was no system in place. The individual who appeared to be in charge appeared so harassed that they spoke rudely to the staff, leading to waitress’ rolling their eyes and presenting unhappy. You could tell some of the waitress’ were trying their best however, the atmosphere was strained.

Service; chaotic. The staff did not appear to know who was doing what and there was a long wait for everything; whether that be for an apple juice or a coffee. Drinks appeared at all different times, some at least 10 minutes before others meaning some of our group had almost finished before others even got theirs. This was the same with the food. There was no explanation before ordering that food would arrive when it was ready, instead of all together. Food was ok however, one of the plates arrived with the food presented upside down. Throughout our visit, we continuously heard other people having to chase their drinks orders as their food had arrived and drinks, such as an orange juice, hadn’t.

You have to go up to the service station to pay; this does not work. You end up standing over the drinks and food waiting to be served. The individual who appeared to be in charge is then dealing with customers, dealing with money, dealing with drink orders, speaking to staff about service and it is all chaotic.

This could be a lovely little cafe however, unfortunately at our visit, the lack of structure and system in the team made it a poor experience and we would...

Absolutely TERRIBLE! if you’re traveling and want to check a local spot do NOT waste your time!! Ordered the brioche French toast (fixings such as syrup on side) and it literally was so soggy/mushy that I had to spit out the first bite. Although I was so hungry I literally couldn’t try to stomach the disgusting mushy texture, I quietly (away from patrons) mentioned it to the staff and they proceeded to remark on my comment in the open kitchen (I could hear every word, which was not really in great decorum). I am in the service industry so I never make scenes and try not to complain heck I was just going to pay and leave in silence but then my bfs eggs Benedict which apparently they are known for was so sweet it apparently tasted like the mergers were sugar sticks so not wanting to cause a scene he grabbed a box politely put it in and then when we left he threw it out, I ordered their London Fog (favorite drink in the world) and took two sips and left it since it was sooo sweet. Honestly worst dining experience so far on this four country tour, would NOOOOOOOT recommend trying this out and if you’re traveling and want to see a local spot this is not it! I decided to leave a review Because it was the earlier reviews that brought me here and I’m sooo...