The Steamhouse — Restaurant in Warwick

VISITED: Sunday, mid-morning, dining in for breakfast.

A small eating area with three tables and a window bar - protentially seating 9 or so inside, as well as tables and chairs outside for half-a-dozen more. Customer space split 50-50 with an area for queueing and then waiting on orders. Uber Eats appearred more than once to grab takeaway orders.

FOOD/SERVICE: We both ordered The Workman breakfast bagel with coffees. A delicious soft bagel (of your choice) oozing with sauce (of your choice), bacon, sausage and egg. I had an Everything bagel and brown sauce. And tater tots. A great start to the day.

Staff were reasonably attentive and when we had a slight spill with the coffees someone came over and helped clean up, insisting that they would do it (despite an offer that we could just take the cloth and handle it ourselves).

On the other hand, a request for an Americano to go took an age to provide because a large party arrived and the priority appeared to be just the order the request came in --- which slowed our departure. I'm certain the party could have waited! Also, there were five staff (including the one on washing), so I'm uncertain why the coffees bottlenecked things so easily.

Also, a request about decaf beans led to a positive that they had some to sell, but then sufficient conclusion that it appeared they actually didn't... which was a shame. The caffinated coffee was good.

ATMOSPHERE: OK. The store is small, so there are few tables. An open door and a queue behind me meant I wasn't really relaxed.

I would recommend --- a worthy 4-star --- but there's some kinks in the whole situation that could definitely be improved. I might try the bigger Steamhouse in Leamington Spa next time to see if the space makes a difference. Definitely...

I found a hair in my bagel on my last visit. This isn’t the first time it has happened, I called them after the first time and they offered to change it but I had already returned to work so couldn’t come back out. I didn’t go for a long time after this happened however this happening again has completely put me off ever going again. Even when I tried to remove the hair it was embedded into the bread of the bagel and I had to dig into it to even be able to pull it out. I absolutely could not continue eating this afterwards.

I have noticed the staff do not wear hair nets which really shocks me when it comes to serving food. I know it is not a legal requirement but this has happened to me twice now so it is an issue which should be addressed with their staff. The first time I explained what happened it would’ve been good to see if they had made changes with their staff regarding hair and hair nets etc but the fact that nothing was done and it happened again shows me they do not really care about this.

A lot of things I can put aside and not complain about but correct sanitation when it comes to food is essential. I am really shocked they do not take this...

We absolutely love the bagels here. They are always fresh, delicious, and feel like a real treat. Unfortunately, the customer service does not match the quality of the food.

We visited on a bank holiday Monday morning, and the shop was empty when we arrived. I greeted the group of five girls behind the counter with a friendly hello but was met with silence. They seemed more focused on complaining about having to work the bank holiday than acknowledging a customer. After waiting a minute or two, someone finally came to the till and took our order, but her manner was curt and unwelcoming. When I handed over my loyalty card, I received an eye roll and a sigh, which felt unnecessarily rude.

To be fair, the bagels arrived quickly and were, as always, excellent. It is just a shame that the overall experience is let down by the attitude of the staff. In contrast, the team at the Steamhouse Depot around the corner are always friendly and helpful, making for a much more...