With no frontage you could be forgiven for not knowing the Guildhall coffee shop is there. Yet when I paid it visit for lunch this week it was bustling.
Most of the tables were full, showing it is clearly a popular place to eat out. And I’m not surprised, given that the seating area is open yet cosy.
The fact that the cafe forms part of Grantham’s Guildhall is advantageous, better than it being a little cafe tucked away.
Had I had time, I would have had a look at the brochures advertising what is coming up at the Guildhall and also browsed the artwork on show in the Newton Room. It is these services all tied together in the Guildhall that give the coffee shop a little something extra, and special.
I sat at a little table with my paper and browsed the menu. It is largely made up of sandwiches, baguettes and salads, but diners can also choose jacket potatoes, soups and lasagne.
I decided on a farmhouse cheddar and tomato chutney baguette, which came with a side salad and crisps. When it arrived I instantly thought that the presentation was great, not just thrown on the plate.
And the baguette was lovely. The chutney was delicious, sweet and really tasty. It complimented the cheddar well. Although the salad might have benefited from a dressing, it was fresh and the leaves crispy.
The service was fine, not overly friendly, but fine. My food was delivered very quickly but it would have been good to have been offered sauces as many eateries do.
The usual selection of hot and cold drinks are available, and I went for a hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows, and it was the nicest hot choc I’ve had.
It was a great alternative to a dessert, which was good as the choice was small. There were chocolate chip muffins and a single slice of carrot cake by the till, plus a selection of chocolate bars and the like. It would have been great to see a larger selection of cakes.
All in all I enjoyed my lunch at the Guildhall coffee shop and would recommend it. And at just £4.25 for my meal, without the hot choc, it was very reasonable.
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