Small Talk Tearooms

25 Springfield Road, CM2 6JE, Chelmsford, United Kingdom

🛍 Coffee, British, European, Vegetarian

4 💬 4208 Reviews
Small Talk Tearooms

Phone: +441245690809

Address: 25 Springfield Road, CM2 6JE, Chelmsford, United Kingdom

City: Chelmsford

Dishes: 6

Reviews: 4208

Website: http://www.smalltalktearooms.co.uk

"Back in 2018/19 my friend and I were on maternity leave with our eldest children, and would often meet in these tea rooms and enjoy lunch, probably once a month or so, and loved it here. We are on maternity leave again and thought it would be nice to return with our second babies. I can only say there must have been a change in management since we used to go, as we were made to feel unwelcome almost instantly. I arrived first, with my 10 month old in a pram. I was greeted by a woman who asked how many people I needed a table for. I told her it would be me, but daughter, and my friend and her baby coming. The woman asked me if that meant there would be another pram, I said yes, to which she sighed straight away and made it clear she was not happy. Soon after this my friend turned up and we both suggested we could leave the prams somewhere out of the way, we were both told there was nowhere out of the way to put them… I saw plenty of places, and even where we were sat had plenty of room once the surplus chairs were removed. We were not offered high chairs for our little ones, we had to ask. Whilst we were eating I admit the babies did make a bit of a mess on the floor, as they dropped a bit of their food…but this is what babies do. The food was around their high chairs, it hadn’t been thrown across the room, or in the path of anybody else, it was just around the bottom of their high chairs. We of course had every intention of cleaning this up ourselves, we were just planning on waiting until we had finished eating to do so…however the same woman made remarks about the mess on the floor so unfortunately my friend and I felt obligated to interrupt our lunch and constantly clean up…. Don’t get me wrong if it seemed as if we were intending to leave without clearing the mess I would absolutely expect the staff to say something, I just feel that they could have let us enjoy our lunch before making comments to make us feel uncomfortable. In hindsight alarm bells should have rung when it was clear arriving with prams was a problem, I wish we had chosen another place to go that was a bit more baby friendly. We won’t be making that mistake again. A shame really as the food was lovely, and the tea rooms are a beautiful, quaint setting to have lunch, but the service did let it down I’m afraid."

Menu - 6 options

All prices are estimates.

Kimberly Kimberly

excellent breakfast and gluten-free options available. really friendly staff and nothing too much annoying. Not sure whether dogs are allowed inside, but we sat outside and our dog got tasty and fresh water. will surely return!

Address

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Reviews

Justine
Justine

The girls at the Chelmsford restaurant are first class at being obliging and attentive to our party's needs. The food is of good quality and I'm pleased to say, has good size portions. I'd recommend without reservation. Michael.


AmyMcLaren
AmyMcLaren

5/5 Lovely service and food as always, before my nan passed this was her favourite place to have lunch. We will continue to come her not just for her memory but because we always enjoy our visit. Zoe and her team are always friendly and happy to help


Simeuna
Simeuna

I'm glad we came in. beautifully decorated, friendly staff, delicious food, clean and spacious too. we had a very pleasant lunch, our first visit. just drove from london. prices also so reasonable, with good quality eating. huge teepot. beautiful oldie woldie experience. would definitely recommend.


Helen
Helen

The restaurant is charming, with tasteful furnishings and decor. The food appeared appetizing, and the staff, although very busy, were polite. We opted to enjoy a drink outside on a pleasant day, but after this positive experience, we plan to return for a meal. The cafe and restrooms were impeccably clean.


Colin
Colin

I discovered Small Talk while visiting last year and was happy to see it was still there. The restaurant can get quite crowded and is on the smaller side, so you may have to wait for a table. The atmosphere is pleasant and quaint, with a variety of snacks and meals to choose from. The service is friendly and quick, and the food is delicious with generous portions.


Emma
Emma

The lady who runs this place is incredibly rude and unwelcoming. My friend and I were immediately made to feel uncomfortable when we arrived. Lots of sighing and eyerolling as if we were an inconvenience. The food was pretty average too. The coffee wasn't great and the cake was really dry. Sadly I don't think we will be returning which is a real shame as I used to love it here.


MarianneRibes
MarianneRibes

I was planning on taking my two grandchildren, daughter and myself for afternoon tea at Small Talk Tea house. First in Romford, no toilet facilities and the nearest ones are a good 8 minutes walk away and not that nice being public loos. So decided to try Chelmsford, phoned to make a booking for tea for four people, informed they needed a deposit, not a problem I thought and said let me get my card. The young lady on the telephone stated they only take deposits in cash. I explained that I lived in Romford and if they had facilities for customers I would not be booking Chelmsford. Pointed out that I was not going to go from Romford to Chelmsford to make a deposit. As I said, what is the diffe...


Patrick
Patrick

I visited the restaurant for lunch around 1pm. Every table was occupied, but there was no queue. We noticed a couple getting ready to pay at a table by the window, so we decided to wait. A staff member approached us and assured us a table would be available soon. Meanwhile, the same staff member went outside to serve someone sitting at a table there. I saw a lady at an outdoor table point to the window and say something to the waitress. I assumed she wanted to move inside since a table was becoming free. The waitress then told us a table was opening up outside. I politely declined and pointed to the now available table inside where we wanted to sit. The waitress insisted that another custome...


Sabrina
Sabrina

Back in 2018/19 my friend and I were on maternity leave with our eldest children, and would often meet in these tea rooms and enjoy lunch, probably once a month or so, and loved it here. We are on maternity leave again and thought it would be nice to return with our second babies. I can only say there must have been a change in management since we used to go, as we were made to feel unwelcome almost instantly. I arrived first, with my 10 month old in a pram. I was greeted by a woman who asked how many people I needed a table for. I told her it would be me, but daughter, and my friend and her baby coming. The woman asked me if that meant there would be another pram, I said yes, to which she s...

Categories

  • Coffee Indulge in our rich and aromatic coffee selection, expertly brewed to awaken your senses. From classic espresso to creamy lattes, discover the perfect blend to start your day on a flavorful note.
  • British Traditional and hearty, the British menu offers comfort classics like fish and chips, succulent roasts, and savory pies. Rediscover familiar favorites, lovingly crafted with timeless recipes and fresh, local ingredients.
  • European Delight in a culinary journey across Europe with our exquisitely crafted menu, featuring authentic dishes from France, Italy, Spain, and beyond, using the freshest ingredients to bring traditional flavors to life.
  • Vegetarian Delight in our vibrant collection of vegetarian dishes, crafted with the freshest greens, rich flavors, and savory spices. Enjoy a wholesome, delectable plate that celebrates nature's finest ingredients.

Amenities

  • Cafe
  • Seating
  • Wine And Beer
  • Serves Alcohol

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"I was appalled at the quality of service from the moment I arrived to the moment I left, which was about When I arrived I was not asked if I would like a drink, and I wasn't asked throughout the whole meal. The waitress should have seen on the table that we only had tap water, and asked whether we'd like another drink. Then, we ordered our first round of hot food. I pressed the help button and after waiting for a good minutes for the waitress finally arrived. I felt it was too long. At this point in the evening there were three full tables in the whole restaurant so I thought the amount of time we had to wait was poor. Then the food started coming over, but the food didn't come altogether. A couple of dishes came and then a few more and a few more after that. This meant we didn't all eat together, we ate all at different times. I had ordered two dishes to eat at the same time and they didn't arrive at the same time. Very disappointing. The third order of hot food was beyond a joke. It was clear that one of the two waitress wasn't feeling very well (I overheard one of the chef's telling her to go home). She was our waitress. So, we ordered the third round of hot food. minutes later we still didn't have our food. In this time the chef was talking to the ill waitress. I then pressed the help button and I explained that we'd ordered some food and had been waiting a rather long time. I then look round at the waitress and chef and it was absolutely clear that the order didn't go through so it was only then that the food was starting to be cooked. The waitress who took the order explained that there's been lots of issues and she was sorry. As a customer paying for a meal, I don't care about the issues, I still expected good service and my food to turn up. Overall I thought the service was absolutely terrible. I will not be visiting this restaurant again and I will not be recommending the restaurant to anyone."