The Lions Den Cafe — Restaurant in Waverley

We've eaten/had coffee here a couple of times previously, but this time was a let-down, unfortunately. We arrived on a Sunday at around 1pm, almost expecting not to get a table, as the place usually looks packed. However, it was mostly empty, and four members of staff standing chatting behind the counter. I stood at the counter for a minute, and the staff carried on chatting and didn't even notice me. I eventually asked quite loudly if we can sit anywhere, and it took a few seconds for the staff chatter to stop before someone eventually looked at me and answered. We said we were going to be eating, so we were given menus. We also ordered coffee at the same time. The waitress who brought my coffee over sloshed half of it into the saucer as she was trying to put it on the table, and then said "Sorry, I've made a bit of a mess" before walking back to the counter and chatting again, and that was the end of that. No offer of a clean saucer, or some napkins to mop up the coffee in the saucer.....

Anyway, an eternity passed with nobody coming to take our food order, and eventually my husband had to go and ask for someone to come to the table. The young man who came over started with "Oh, are we ready to eat now? No worries!". My husband ordered the Dirty Dog, and I had the vegan version, both of which seem to come in a wrap now, for reasons I cannot even begin to understand. The wrap was dry, leathery, and chewy, and there was far too much wrap for the amount of sausage/pickle filling. The texture combination of dry, chewy wrap and soft (tasty) sausage was revolting and didn't work at all. My husband and I ended up cutting most of the wrap away and leaving it on the plate.

We then sat for another eternity after eating, waiting for our plates to be cleared so that we could order more coffee. Cue lots of chatting behind the counter again, and complete oblivion. Again, my husband eventually called across to the counter, at which point one of the waitresses came to clear the plates. She must have noticed that half the wrap was still on the plates, but she didn't enquire about whether or not we'd enjoyed our meal.

When we went to pay, the young lady behind the counter asked if we'd enjoyed our food. I told her that the sausage/pickle was lovely, but that the idea of putting it in a wrap was not well thought out, and that the wrap was absolutely terrible and created a very unappetising combination of textures (i.e. it was constructive feedback rather than just moaning). "Oh, sorry..." was the only reply we got. No suggestion that she'd pass the feedback on to the chef or the manager. She clearly wasn't trained in dealing with negative feedback.

In summary, absolutely shocking service, and unenjoyable food -- which is such a shame, because the sausage and filling were delicious, so I'm not sure why you'd adulterate that by serving it in something as inedible and revolting as...

I have visited this place on five separate occasions for food, not counting my everyday visits for takeaway coffee. While the atmosphere is funky, the service is consistently disappointing. The baristas rarely acknowledge customers presence, and ordering feels impersonal or avoidant.

The food quality is a recurring issue. On one visit, I received a plain croissant that was completely burnt—blackened to the point of being inedible. On another occasion, the nuts on my avocado and egg toast were burnt to the same extreme. Even the bread served with a full English breakfast was blackened. Sausage bap had the same issue. Food is blackened to the point of being inedible for rather a high cost. This pattern suggests a lack of care.

Takeaway coffee, is frequently served far too hot, to the point of burning the tongue. Coffee should ideally be served at around 70°C to avoid such risks.

Burnt food can contain elevated levels of acrylamide, a substance linked to potential cancer risks. This is something that shouldn’t be overlooked.

A particularly unpleasant experience involved the staff moving my belongings and attempting to change my table while I was in the middle of the meal, in favor of other customers. This was unprofessional and left me feeling disrespected.

I hope these issues are addressed, as they significantly detract from what could otherwise be a great dining and...

I had a veggie sausage wrap which was delicious! My son had a junior hot dog. Unfortunately he is quite a fussy eater and we didn't realise the hot dog was a proper pork sausage, so he refused to eat it and only had the bread, which made it the most expensive roll I've ever brought!!! (£4.50) 😄 The cafe itself was very busy and there were no inside seats left. We got the second from last table outside so there wasn't much of an atmosphere, but the fresh air was nice and the seating was comfortable enough. As we were seating outside there was nothing for my 8 month old...eating my wrap whilst holding him on my lap was an interesting experience, but at least when he reached forward my coffee was spilt on the grass rather than the cafe floor. I hadn't realised how popular the Lions Den was on a Sunday morning and some people even reserve tables. Service was quick despite it being busy so clearly they were prepared for the Sunday...