Harriets Cafe Tearooms — Restaurant in West Suffolk

I've not been here for about a year. The last time I came it was with friends from work for my 40th birthday lunch.

This is definitely a 'treat' destination, mostly due to the prices.

Today I've ordered the cheese scones, a pot of tea (yes, I don't always drink coffee!) and a huge slice of lemon cake. This has come to £10.20!

You get what you pay for though, and, like I said, this is a treat day!

This is a "classic" tea room experience. The servers wear traditional dress and greet you with a politeness you rarely find these days.

There are the usual luxuries, comfy seating and well designed menus. One of the downsides is that it gets very noisy in here, very quickly. It's not even 10am and there is lots of "bussle" around me despite me pitching up in the corner of the room.

Where I am is great for people watching overlooking the now vacant Coppola House that burnt down a couple of years ago but was lovingly restored to its former glory.

If you like finishing touches then you'll love the fresh flower on each table. Clearly the details are important here and everything is spotlessly clean too.

There's a delay on the cheese scones today, which is odd because I'm sure I can see them on the counter.. maybe they're just the fruit and plain ones?

I don't mind waiting though. It's nice sitting here and it gives me the chance to write this and eat my slice of lemon cake (which was delicious by the way!)

Worryingly though, I'm already on my second cup of tea (there's just enough for a third cup still in the teapot), any longer and... [Interrupted by cheese scones being brought to the table] ...I'll have to order another pot. Time to tuck in!

Wow, these have to rank highly in the cheese scone taste test! They're just the right size, if it were a single scone, it wouldn't work but two are the right size. Ok so I dread to think of the calories but it's a nice day so I'll go the long way home!

Good Points Excellent service Great for people watching Great food and drink Comforting, classic experience

Bad Points Expensive Noisy and very busy...

Had a dreadful experience at this tearooms today Sunday.

As a disabled person who uses a walker when out and about and whilst in the company of my elderly mother we were in Bury doing some shopping and visiting the Farmers Market. It was a loverly sunny day so we decided to stop at one of the many empty tables at this tea rooms. Despite all but two of the approximately dozen tables set up outside being empty, all but one had dirty cups and plates uncleared from the tables.

We sat at the only cleared table and i parked my walker out of the way by the table so that it would not be in anyone's way including the staff. I am alway concisous that I should not cause an obstruction. My elderly mother went across to a member of staff just inside the tearoom to say we had taken a table and returned.

We were just looking at the menu when the same member of staff approached our table and advised the table we had sat at was reserved. At which point I apologised as I had not noticed the sign.

My expectation was that she would then offer to clear the dirty crockery from one of the many empty tables so we could move. But this was not the case, she actually asked us to walk around the building to what she said was the front door where we could ask to be seated.

This would have required me to take my walker around multiple buildings to the other entrance, through a doorway, all the way through the inside of the tea room, avoiding any tables, chairs, staff and other customers to come back out to where we were already standing to be sat at a table which was currently no more than a couple of feet away from us.

I truly believe this business should look at it's interaction with disabled customers and not endeavour to make access more difficult for all concerned. Plus the staff we came into contact with today could do with some improved training.

We decided to leave the establishment.

We took our customer to another cafe were the staff could not the been more friendly and helpful, Harriet's could learn a lot from it's...

The Bury St Edmunds branch of Harriets is currently behind scaffolding so keep your eyes peeled if it's your first time looking for it. Lovely service and certainly the number one afternoon tea venue in BSE.

Although the place is usually spotless, on this occasion a cheesy biscuit was spotted on the floor at the table next to us. We were too horrified to draw it to the attention of staff. Our condition is currently stable and we are recovering at home.

Edit 21/08/18: we visited today (Tuesday midday) and the tearoom was understaffed. Tables remained uncleared, several customers (including us) sent food back - even after significant delays (on the rationale that our items 'had not met quality standards, so were sent back to the kitchen'). We sent our delayed food back as it was cold. Another couple sent their soup back for the same reason. Our bill was not brought to the table as it usually is and it took an eternity for our change to be brought back having paid on receipt of the bill. However, our food was replaced with a slightly warmer yet still unsatisfactory version and the item deducted from the bill.

It's not the first time a considerable delay in service has been blamed on 'quality control' issues. If this really is the case then for goodness sake sort the kitchen out. I'd love Harriets to remain a quality product in Bury as there's not enough about so I hope someone with some sway addresses the issues which are...