Charlies Coffee Bar — Restaurant in Scotland

Our party of 6 parents and 6 children came here for food and drinks after a morning walking at a nearby hill. Google described this cafe as a great place to bring kids. Unfortunately, in all our collective experience, none of us can remember being made to feel quite so uneasy about bringing children to a cafe before. Even before ordering we were firmly told to make sure the children remained seated with us at all times. We found this bizarre and rather unwelcoming - where else were they going to sit? The cafe has little 'booths' under archways, one of which was perfect for the children to sit together under while we sat at an adjacent table. "Just keep your eye on them", we were told sternly. Had our children been behaving in an unruly fashion, we might have understood the reasoning behind the persistant cautioning. Worries were expressed that a waitresses might spill a hot drink over an unsupervised child. Fair enough. Another anecdote was offered whereby a child had recently climbed onto a table and jumped off, becoming injured in the process... Yes, well in reality, our children mostly sat quietly in the booth with their food and a few toys. After they'd eaten, 2 children sat on the floor and started playing with lego but we were immediately told they had to get back in their seats even though the booth they were in was far away from the thoroughfare used by the waitresses. The cafe wasn't even busy. This zero-tolerance attitude of the staff made for a very unrelaxed visit and instead of the adults in our group having the chance to unwind and chat about the day over a coffee, we spent most of the time trying to make sure our kids did not incur the wrath of the staff. It's unlikely I'll come here with children again, which is a shame as the food, coffee and cakes we ordered...

I used to really love this place. Sadly on my latest visit I was told that I could not take my six year old to the toilets because they were now designated "Staff Only". As a customer I find this totally unacceptable, especially as there were two coach loads of Primary School children who lined up to use the toilets. This spoils a great day out in the park. Shame on you Charlie's (Chunky Monkey) this is no way to treat...

This is undoubtedly one of the best coffee shops we've ever visited. Exceptional staff, friendly, helpful and attentive. Good food, good environment and one of the greatest coffee's of all places that I've tried. As a family, it was a place we all felt welcome in and their prices were reasonable, very reasonable in comparison to some places we've visited. This is a must visit coffee shop...and we...