Overview

We had a tasty lunch in this cafe/restaurant which serves a variety of food from coffees and snacks to full meals.

Transport & Parking

The venue does not have its own car park, being in the centre of the village so the three stars are in no way a reflection of the The Village Rest. In fact it has a lowered kerb outside the entrance, which the village itself needs far more of. Parking in the village is restricted to residents with permits. In future I think I would try to drop off my relative outside the cafe and drive on to the car park. As it was, we parked in the North car park where disabled parking is free but the signage is so faded it is practically invisible and there is no cross hatching. There seem to have been plans for years to improve this. I wheeled the chair along the pavement on the main road but it was bumpy and so narrow at one point I had to go on to the road. The newer South car park is large and probably has bays but driving past I couldn't see a safe way to get the wheelchair to the village. Again the pavement is narrow and uneven and there is not a lowered kerb.

Access

The entrance and the restaurant are all on the level and it has a hard floor which is easy to wheel on. It does get busy but there is still room to manoeuvre a chair. There is some outside seating which is also accessible.

Toilets

There is plenty of room for a wheelchair user and assistant. It has grab rails on both sides, though the wall mounted one is diagonal as opposed to parallel to the floor which makes it a bit awkward to lever yourself up. There is no red cord though the toilet is close enough to the others to shout for help. The door stays open by itself - always much easier if you are pushing a chair.

Staff

They cafe was very busy but they were very welcoming, cheerful and efficient. Everyone seemed to be getting their meals promptly.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

The cafe is dog friendly inside and out. It is a short walk/wheel to the pier and waterfront, although the village is sadly lacking in seats for such a tourist hotspot. Any benches were occupied as soon as they were vacated. There is an accessible toilet in the North car park. It has grips on both sides and a red cord. It says it is 50p entry but was open. The standard toilets are also 50p paid by cash or contactless. I didn't see a contactless point on the accessible toilet, so maybe it is kept unlocked. In spite of my qualms about parking, pavements and seats, The Village Rest is well worth a visit.

Photos