Riverside Cafe — Restaurant in South Hams

After a lovely walk round Totnes I decided to stop here for a drink and a bite to eat with my 9 year old nephew. Having looked at the menu we both decided to have a can of coke and a plate of chips each. The chips are priced at £2.50. My 9 year old nephew asked if he could have cheesy chips and as there was a lot of cheese in various other dishes on the menu I assured him that I was sure this would not be a problem and that we would both have that. As I had 3 dogs with me I asked my nephew if he would go in and order and I gave him £10. I assumed that adding cheese to the chips would slightly increase the price of the chips. After going in he returned to me to say that he didn't have enough money; I was confused by this as I thought there is no way it could be more than £10 but as I could not go in I gave him more money and decided I would speak to the waitress when she came out. I initially thought that maybe my nephew had got confused or had ordered something extra to go with his chips. I was so sure that it must be a mistake that I assured myself that I would be able to sort it out and get some money back once I could speak to a member of staff.

The waitress came out with our cheesy chips and I questioned the waitress as to why 2 plates of cheesy chips and 2 cans of coke had come to £13.10. She herself expressed surprise and said that she thought that was "expensive" and would go in and check for me. She came back out rather nervously and explained that although a plate of chips is £2.50 adding cheese to them made it into "a meal" and that meant that each plate was £4.95!!! I told her that I felt this was absolutely ridiculous however I acknowledged it was not her fault and she said she would ask the manager to come out and speak to me.

The manager then came out and repeated that adding cheese to the chips made it into a meal. I asked her how she could possibly justify almost doubling the price of a plate of chips by adding a small handful of grated cheese. She said that it would be silly to have to individually price items on a plate?! She also stated that chips are really an extra to go with other things on the menu. I pointed out that on the menu, chips are clearly listed as an individual item that you can order and no where on the menu does it say "really chips are an extra to go with other things on the menu". She then said that I should have cancelled the order if I wasn't happy; she is absolutely right however as previously stated I honestly thought that there had been a mistake and that it could easily be resolved. I told her that I thought it was absolutely outrageous to charge that much for a plate of chips and throwing a handful of grated cheese on something does not make it "a meal". She said that perhaps they should stop doing things that are not on the menu if it causes problems; maybe they should but that really is something she needs to discuss with her boss rather than me. She then said that she had worked at the cafe for 16 years and never had a complaint before. Then to add insult to injury she said she was going to go back in because my "chips would get cold"!

It is beyond my comprehension as to why common sense could not be exercised in this situation. To me adding grated cheese to chips is not the same as adding a sausage roll or pie to my chips however they clearly have a button on their till which is either chips or meal, there is no in between and no room to show any discretion.

The view at this cafe is lovely however I can confirm that there are a plethora of benches along the river so I would advise you to buy a sandwich or pasty from a shop in town and sit on a bench and admire the view for a fraction of the price. There are also numerous cafes in town that are probably a lot more deserving of your money...

Nice location next to the river as the name suggests. Quick transaction at the till and polite helpful staff. Ice cream sundae was completely melted by the time it was served so essentially a milkshake with brownies in it. Would I eat or drink here again is just a matter of can I be bothered, I’ve only visited this cafe once so they might been having an off day in the kitchen who knows as I’ve only got this first impression to go on. On the plus side for parents of small children there’s a play frame in the shape of a ship which will keep them occupied while you have a rest. Stop and try them out would be my recommendation although I have marked them down for my visit it’s a nice location with plenty of tables and lovely on a sunny day. There is also plenty of space inside on a day when...

This place is absolutely horrendous. They actually serve a pasty with chips and beans—who even eats that combination? To top it off, they proudly serve Heinz tomato soup! Most places try to hide the fact that their soup comes from a tin, but not here, and they charge £6 for it! Despite my better judgment, I decided to order the bacon, thinking it would be a safe choice. I was wrong. The bacon was warm but looked and tasted raw—it was absolutely disgusting. While it might be passable for those without taste buds, for me, it’s one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had. The only redeeming factor was the coffee, which was...