Rafikis — Restaurant in Teignbridge

Heard good things about this place so decided to take my partner for a birthday evening meal. Rang ahead to book but was told they don't take bookings. Fair enough. Drove half an hour to get there from home. However upon arrival the only seating offered to us was a perch on the end of a very long table with a large group of people. We were told the people sat there probably wouldn't mind but we didnt feel comfortable with that. We waited for 20 minutes and eventually got sat on a sofa in the corner with a small drinks table that wasnt big enough to fit our meal. Its ashame they don't have more smaller tables for couples or smaller groups of people.

Positives-Lovely atmosphere, very friendly staff and a feel good vibe and loved the rustic decor.

Negatives-. Food was very expensive even for organic. Very small portions compared to other similar style places we have eaten at. We were told to take a photo of the menu on the wall for ordering. No physical menus to take to the table. There were only 6 tapas style options available to eat (excluding pudding). Spent £60 (including 1 drink each because they were so expensive) and had to eat when we got home because we were so hungry still. There was no dairy free ice cream available with the pudding either which I thought was strange for a vegan friendly place. There is only 1 unisex toilet for the entire place (that i could find)which for a place of this size is unusual and meant there were large queues. The tap handles to the sink were loose and fell off in my hand.

I think in hindsight we should have gone for breakfast or lunch but not for an evening meal. I do appreciate it is classed as a cafe. I'd love to go back and give it another go but unfortunately my partner has refused after our experience and I can't say I blame her. Not sure what I was expecting but a bit gutted, more so for my partner on her birthday. I will reiterate how friendly the staff were! I can see why people like this place but unfortunately our first experience here wasn't great. I hope the owner doesn't get upset with my review but I would want to know how i could improve if it was...

Looking for a place with an eclectic menu? Where one of you may tuck into fluffy Canadian pancakes with a delicious freshly made compote while the other revisits their gap year abroad with street food from Vietnam (except this time you can rest assured that there will be no gastric price to pay!).

If you have little ones, what a delight to find a restaurant that does not think a cheap children’s option needs to be deep fried cardboard with a side of week old oil soaked fries with peas that have long lost any nutrition, taste and most of their colour! No! At Rafiki’s for a mere £2.50, you can feed your kids something they love, pasta and sauce. Yet the genius in the kitchen has hidden your 5 a day of veg in the sauce and because she knows we all think our kids are worthy of only the finest, it is all organic.

Looking for place where you can just grab a decent coffee? Forget decent, their cup of black was the best coffee I’ve had in recent memory, and I remember these things... because without coffee, life would be nice, but not really.

So thank goodness.

Rafiki’s has arrived...

I have walked past here many times on my way to shops or another cafe and always meant to stop in, so today I did. I was clear at the start that I was on a lunch break from work so I didn’t have long, and the waiting staff were attentive and took my order quickly, but 35 minutes later I’d finished my drink but no food had arrived. I told the waiting staff that I had to go in a few minutes, she checked with the kitchen and said it was being made then, but 5 minutes later it still hadn’t come out and I was already going to be late back to work. I had to request a refund (which was promptly dealt with) and head home via the co-op instead, and spend more time making my own lunch at home. If there is going to be a 40 minute wait I would expect to be told before ordering. The tables were pretty full but in that time I didn’t see much food coming out, did the kitchen staff take a break? The food may be amazing, but I never got to taste it. Additionally the prices seem quite high, I know prices are going up everywhere but a 300ml bottle of Diet Coke (smaller than a can)...