Strand Cafe And Ice Cream Parlour

I didn't have high expectations, as I was only looking for something quick and easy, but I was pleasantly surprised. I ordered a simple ham sandwich, and it was made perfectly with high-quality ingredients. This experience taught me that you should never judge a restaurant by its exterior.

We have been visiting Dunster Castle and Minehead annually for many years, always stopping at this café for lunch. While not a fancy restaurant, it was always a convenient spot for a quick meal, with reliable fish and chips. However, our recent visit in September was disappointing. The café appeared run-down, with sections roped off and a hand-written menu, which seemed outdated given the current circumstances. Unfortunately, they no longer served fish and chips, so my wife settled for ham, egg, and chips, while I had the breakfast. The cutlery was old and the glass I was given for my cola was tiny and scratched. The breakfast was unsatisfying, with low-quality ingredients and a small, unimpressive egg. My wife's ham was also disappointing, leading her to leave most of her chips untouched. It's clear that the café has gone downhill, and we will not be returning. It seemed that we were not the only ones dissatisfied, as few customers were present during our visit at 1 pm.

I would not want to be in the restaurant business during the slow post-Covid lockdown recovery. This was our first visit to the establishment. We decided to each order a Knickerbocker Glory. There was a short wait at the ice cream counter and we were served a fairly standard ice cream. The menu said the Knickerbocker should have kiwi and strawberry fruit, but we did not find any in our dessert. The cream on top seemed to be from an aerosol can rather than fresh as indicated on the menu. The server mentioned they were not sure how to make a Knickerbocker, so another staff member ended up preparing them for us. There were no napkins at our table and it was unclear if any were available at the counter. The restaurant is quite large with some sections closed off, and it was mostly empty on a special day during the September Minehead Bay Festival. While the place looks a bit dated, it is functional. The restaurant has a fantastic seaside location, but unfortunately, the large front windows do not open. I suggest they install an open front to take advantage of the beautiful location. Hopefully, the Minehead Council will assist them in making upgrades to attract more tourists.

Just went in for a ice cream each. The 'scoops ' of ice cream were the stingiest I have ever known! They used a small scooper then scraped it off flat so no nice rounded ball! Absolute rip off!

As always ice cream and selection of flavours was spot on! We also ordered a cream tea, the tea was half gone and scone still hadn't turned up, I had to go and ask for it. Then I had to ask for a knife to spread the jam. So it was slightly disapointing.