Hatton Locks Cafe — Restaurant in Warwick

Such a crying shame! Used to be such a great place to stop off - So for an extra birthday treat, we thought we'd have a cream tea there as before it was a memorable and positive experience.

Scones were in the oven for twenty minutes and off the menu, so we were told to choose something else. We opted for toasties and sent on our way to choose a table and wait. They don't do tea pots or cups anymore - they are now served in the single use plastic disposable cups and made for you. I don't understand the logic in this as it is an environmental backwards step in todays' market from what they were doing, but I guess it saves washing up. Who knows.

The drinks weren't palatable at all - mine was just hot milky mess, even though my wife asked to have only a tiniest drop of milk - a 'builders tea' This obviously wasn't understood - or they didn't care. I was forced to purchase a replacement soft drink - as making hot drinks wasn't something they were doing well! At least with pots, the customer could choose strength and taste - leave the bag in for longer if it is a cheap tea. There is no longer choice - it's 50% milk whatever your preference.

My wife only had a few sips of her Earl Grey as she said it tasted of the packaging, I tried a little and she was right! Plasticky chemical taste to it. Not nice! She didn't say anything as she didn't want to ruin the day further - I would have happily bought another drink that she could have enjoyed as I had my own.

After an hour, the sandwiches turned up - and I take it the staff were tired and fed up by lunchtime as the plates were tossed on the table with a scowl, and muttering something about the distance she had to walk. They aren't as good as they used to be, and looked as inviting as the staff, but they were edible at least.

Such a shame that such a special place has gone south in the manner that it has. Was such a great place to stop. Don't know if it is new owners, or if the old ones are just sick of people and need to get out of the business. Service is poor, attitude is poor - let's just hope it was a bad day. It is sad that it has gone this way - I doubt if I will be returning, especially when there is a pub opposite that do...

Would be 4 if not for one staff member)

This was my second visit to Hatton Locks Café during a Leamington Spa to Hatton hike, and once again the service overall was impeccable. We stopped for coffee and cakes, which were lovely as before.

Unfortunately, our experience was let down by one very rude waitress, Evie. She first bellowed at us when we were queuing in her path, then rather abruptly corrected the owner when he gave an incorrect price for a product, and finally, when we asked if we could sit inside due to being surrounded by wasps (a real concern for me as I have a wasp allergy), she refused quite bluntly, saying she was tidying up. This was around 3.10 pm, despite hot drinks being served until 4 pm.

Thankfully, another member of staff kindly allowed us to sit inside without hesitation after we explained the situation, and the owner himself even came to serve us at the table. This showed that the problem lay solely with Evie, who then displayed her displeasure when she noticed us sitting inside.

That said, I would definitely return, as the food, atmosphere, and the majority of the team are excellent and welcoming. Perhaps some additional customer service training for Evie would ensure all visitors enjoy the same great experience the café is...

I'm sorry for the one star, this is a lovely little cafe, with a good selection on the menu, lots of little gifts and bit n bobs, however the service is diabolical, 6 people queueing out the door, potential customers walking away and a 22 minute wait to pay for 2 bottles of drink. There was 4 maybe 5 members of staff working but only 1 person serving on the till, taking orders, making them and then taking payment. Even the supplier who called on the phone got priority by a member of staff who could've been helping to serve. A very disappointing and...