Overview

This is a lovely little cafe that is almost fully accessible. The entrance is accessible, they have a good wheelchair accessible toilet and the staff are all friendly. It can get cramped though and their standard tables mean they're not the easiest to get under. Some staff are happy to deliver your drinks to your table, where as others call your order out as standard for you to pick up. It's a bit cramped to get to the counter, and if it's busy, other customers can block the way to the toilet just by sitting and enjoying their own meal. The food is very good, though a bit limited, and are happy to answer questions about allergens and listen to concerns.

Transport & Parking

N/A to parking, but it has excellent public transport links. It's just next door to The Strand shopping centre and in the middle of the bus stops outside North Park and The Strand itself. With slow walkers, it can take a 15 minute walk, with fast walkers, less than 10 minutes. It is also not too far from the train station, and you have the option of coming down the road between the train station and the bus depot and turning, or cutting through the strand. The bus routes include but are not limited to the 55 and the 53.

Access

Automatic doors, low counter, standard wheelchair accessible toilet. The board listings on the wall for the food and drinks have very big writing on them, and the menus have a clear font. No obvious braille or large print alternative, though. The seating at the tables are hard wood with high backs, there is also lounge seating that are low chairs by coffee tables.

Toilets

Very good for a standard accessible toilet, just hard to get to with other customers sitting in the only path to the toilet. It had grab rails and a good sink, and was very clean.

Staff

The staff were very friendly and very polite. The first member of staff delivered both the drinks and the food to the table, saving either me or my friend having to struggle to and from the counter between the tables. Unfortunately the standard is you pick up your drinks themselves so on second order of drinks, my friend who has trouble walking had to do it that time. But I'm sure if we'd have asked on order, they would have brought it over for us. I've never been here and not had helpful, friendly service.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

I think the layout could be a bit different just to make it easier to make an order at the counter, grab a menu and condiments, and to get to the toilet area, and maybe a couple of wheelchair accessible tables so we're not awkwardly a foot away from the table when trying to eat and drink. I can't remember where the hand dryer is in the toilet, but just as a standard, it's helpful for it to be close to the sink so people using mobility aids and driving wheelchairs don't have to manouvre with them with wet hands, to get to the dryer in order to dry them. Other than that, this is a really nice cafe that is run by young people, and it's connected to the organisation YKids and it definitely deserves a visit.