Worksop: Cafe is a real hidden gem

As is so often the case with things like this, it’s the ones on the path less well trodden that so often turn out to be the true gems.
Coffee 'N' Cake in WorksopCoffee 'N' Cake in Worksop
Coffee 'N' Cake in Worksop

And that is certainly the case for Coffee N Cake on Watson Road.

Modest and unassuming, as it sits in a small row of shops, it would be quite easy to pass on by without giving it more than cursory glance.

Certainly, it doesn’t shout and blare about itself like the bigger chain restaurants and pubs do in Worksop town centre.

And that is the beauty and charm of this place.

Not for this particular cafe the loud shouty music that often assaults rather than entices the ear and no garish decor that leaves you wondering if you’ve entered a pub or a time machine that has swiftly taken you back to the worst days of 70s bad taste.

Coffee N Cake has a small bright sign announcing that they are open for business, although the wide open door that says ‘come on in’ does that just as well.

The menu is posted on the window by the door so you can stop and have a browse over what they have before entering.

And entering is the definitely the right decision.

Inside the whole room is bright and homely, mixing the old-style wooden wall panels with the more modern look of the all-enclosed tables and chairs, together with three comfy recliner chairs around a glass coffee table.

I went one lunchtime with two female colleagues.

The menu is simple and not hugely extensive but then this is not meant to be a large restaurant catering for a wide clientele.

This is a small cafe where going for a snack and light bite is the norm.

The first thing you notice is what great value everything is.

Nothing on the menu seemed to be more than £4.25 and that was only a couple of things with anything between £2 and £3.50 being the usual price.

As well as the usual coffee and tea options, there is a range of cakes, including Victoria sponge, coffee cake, blueberry and scones.

There are also cold drinks available too.

Food-wise, the cafe offers sandwiches, paninis and jacket potatoes with various fillings, as well as the likes of ham and eggs, sausage and chips, and all-day breakfasts.

They also do breakfast cobs and there are children’s menu options too.

I opted for a jacket potato with cheese and baked beans, while my colleagues opted for the cheese and onion panini and a jacket potato with tune mayonnaise, cheese and coleslaw respectively.

All of us also went for soft drinks with our meals.

When they arrived, we had ti revise our opinion that it was just a snack as the portion sizes were fantastic.

Both the potatoes were large and well filled and both came with a side salad.

The paninis were also large and well filled and would have been a perfectly substantial meal on their own.

But the combination of cake and coffee reclining in the comfy chairs sounded a whole lot more tempting than heading back to the office any time soon.

So we ordered in tea and coffee and turned our attention to the cakes.

Two of us went for slices of Victoria sponge while the other opted for blueberry.

As with the main courses, there was no desire to scrimp on the size of the portions.

All in all, a trip to Coffee ‘n’ Cake was a very enjoyable way to spend a lunch hour.

And the whole meal cost less than £10 each – value for money in every sense.

John Smith

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