Café 21, Fenwick in Newcastle upon Tyne

Pre covid this was a great place to eat but on a recent visit it most certainly was not. The coffee and water were good, location and seating good but the simple sandwiches would not have been put on the shelf at Pret! I then looked critically at the other food on offer and moved on.

Always superb service and the finest ingredients used. A great place for a delicious brunch or lunch.

The food and service were superb but the noise from the kitchen spoilt it for me. Terrible noise of crashing cutlery, never heard anything like it.

Afternoon tea a little disappointing, tiny sandwiches a little dry and rest of the cakes etc were super sweet. Couldnt fault the service but overpriced and really not worth the money. A better ratio of sweet and savoury needed. Sadly wont be back.

Very disappointing ordered ceasar salad lettuce was brown bacon was in edible no one came to ask if food was OK until they came to take the plates away. I told the lady why I hadnt eaten it and I was offered a free coffee next time which after paying £17 for salad I think was a bit of an insult sorry I dont think I will be back on the plus side that glass of melbec was lovely lol

Outstanding as always, great service amazing choice of drinks and food. Menu is next level. Cant wait to return.

I can conveniently say this is one of the fantastic Cafés where you may have your breakfast in Newcastle.Notes:1. a super delicious ‘Eggs Benedict’ is served here2. it is in the first floor.

Outstanding menu and delicious brunch. Service excellent, great value and professional friendly service. Benchmark for other daytime hospitality.

Superb food, ingredients and front of house staff.

The Best Basque cheese cake in Newcastle, the top 1 sweets that I can’t give up even I am dieting. The staff are very lovely and kind, even though the price is a little high, but they definitely deserve it.

Had afternoon tea. Was extremely disappointed. Sandwiches were OK though nothing special. Scones were awful. Tasteless and dry. Cakes were mainly unpleasant. Not good quality and certainly not worth £40. We had unlimited hot drinks which was good. Was unhappy that our less than attentive waitress shouted across the restaurant as we were leaving "are you wanting to pay" - this after I had failed spectacularly to attract her attention for 10 minutes and managed to give payment to a different lady. Expected much more from Fenwicks.

Quality food and drinks inside Fenwicks

A beautiful lunch with my Father after lockdown. The whole shop, as well as this café, was spotlessly clean and all the staff were very careful, constantly cleaning their areas.The waiting staff were very efficient and the kitchen staff supported them very well.It was just what we wanted and nothing we didn’t.Even after so long closed and the struggles endured by all, standards are being maintained which is a credit to all personnel involved.

Love this cafe,but on Monday I went and my mouth is still all cut from the sour dough bread that came with the soup please consider offering a option on bread my daughter is 26 me 50 and my mam 75 and not one of us could enjoy this bread disappointed

Great toilets next door to it. These toilets seem to serve the whole building and the cleaning staff deserve triple wages for keeping the place so clean.

Afternoon tea was a bit disappointing the sandwiches were a little dry and not very inspiring, scones were OK and cake selection was OK.

Food was delicious and service attentive not annoyingly so. Was rather more expensive than I was expecting I guess we shouldve known better it being in Fenwicks but almost £4 for a very small americano was disappointing. Still, the food made up for it and Id have given 4 stars if it hadnt been so crushed! Tables crammed in so anyone seated at the table next to you is uncomfortably close with handbags on top of each other if seated along the back wall. Could hear every word of their conversation and they were unable to get in and out without sweeping all the condiments off our table. Not very relaxing.

Had a quiche, it was a tiny slice, came with small salad and sautéed potatoes on the side, which wasnt described on the menu. I was really looking forward to a Quiche, not all the potatoes. Our mimosas were 10pounds a glass. This place is inside the Fenwick mall, not really worth the trouble. Loads of places for brunch around the area.

Service and staff excellent. Food delicious Cod perfectly cooked set menu good value

I have a nut allergy so am careful when ordering, they couldnt have been more helpful. They substituted items out for me and kept me informed of any changes to the menu they had made. Would really recommend, helpful staff and took lots of care e.g. bread from market without detailed ingredients so they used different bread for me-1 for time to serve, but were apologetic of the wait time and gave a complementary glass of prosecco for the wait

Love the food and atmosphere, just wish the prices were a little cheaper.

Great afternoon tea, vegetarian and gluten free options were no problem and really tasty. Staff seemed a bit over worked or not enough of them and getting their attention was challenging throughout our couple of hours there. However they were friendly, just busy!

I enjoy the atmosphere here and I feel comfortable whilst eating alone. Staff are very likeable and competent at the same time. I enjoy their choice of food whether breakfast, lunch or tea. Would thoroughly recommend to anyone wanting special attention. Check it out.

Not the best with undercooked cauliflower cheese not once but twice we wont be going back.The staff were lovely and very attentive but the chefs should get it right first time at these prices then to fail again ☹

As always, a great choice of drinks, sandwiches and sweet treats. Choices available for children too. Staff are always lovely and super helpful.

So, Cafe 21 isn’t all about the food. What I really admire is the staff. There are mainly older clientele here and the staff are simply amazing with them. They listen and show true interest into their customers lives. It’s really inspiring, to add to this they seem to be silver service trained and overall the food is good. Made for a nice visit back to the uk.

Cafe 21 fired an employee because she complained about a member of staff, John, touching her without her consent. Needless to say, the place has a really bad vibe.

The waiters in uniforms and the fact it is located in Fenwicks department store gives you the illusion you are in an upmarket place. For £5, I ordered a sad smoothie in a glass thats half full, no effort was made in its presentation, I paid less for better. The Sachertorte cake was small, thin, sweaty and came with very little whipped cream. It is offensive to pay exorbitant prices for mediocre dessert. I dont mind paying a lot, what I do mind is being taken for a joke.

Originally, I gave Café 21 an absolute scathing review but I must admit that they have really improved in service and hospitality, something that I had initially rated quite severely.I have been back enough times to know that this place is now better than it was, and where Café 21 may have fallen short for me in the past it now exceeds my expectations on quality in all areas.Certainly deserving of 5 Stars

It’s a nice ‘upmarket’ atmosphere - but quite squashed and noisy on a Saturday afternoon!I thoroughly enjoyed my ‘superfood’ and fruit salads.Hubbie had two sausages with sauce and a small bottle of Peroni and I had a bottle sparkling water for £41...Waitresses smart, but unprofessional - reaching across - I was taught to walk around...!

I usually love it here but felt extremely disappointed with the menu. Not a great choice of dishes for vegetarians.

Yummy Sunday lunch

We ate here for a Birthday Brunch treat, nice layout, good service and the freshly cooked food such as the eggs benidict was perfectly cooked however my fried bacon and eggs had to be sent back as rubber eggs and dried bacon was unacceptable and really should not have beef Sent out from the kitchen, credit to the staff as they approached me to ascertain my issue and resolved with a fresh order. Shame that happened but hopefully a lesson in quality control there. Would I return personally no, good presentation but £74.00 for 5 breakfasts with juices a bit steep .

Set within the Fenwicks department store, this stylish restaurant oozes class due to having smartly uniformed staff and being well laid out, the welcome was warm despite most clientele including us feeling underdressed.As a venue it would not suffer for having a dress code (despite the 28C heat in the street when we went!).Dad had his usual coffee and the Sachertorte, his silence as he ate was a sure sign that he thoroughly enjoyed it, I had the pot of breakfast tea which had a lovely aroma and the taste was perfect for a summers day, my Gateau Esterházy was so delicious that I forgot to take a photo before I made it halfway through, served with nicely chilled chantilly cream this hazelnut gateau hit the spot well, the ultra rich nature of it more than made up for what at first appeared to be a diminutive slice.If youre shopping in Newcastle and fancy a real treat to eat, Café 21 is the place to go!

Booked ahead and filled in a contact form on arrival - could have used the app though. Really quite busy although fewer tables than before I think. Food ,as usual ,very good and very pleasent staff.

Beautiful lunch today at Cafe 21great menu and service

Possibly the best afternoon tea I have ever had ever! When I say they do the best scones and cafe lattes. I honestly kid you not! I have tried nearly every single place that does Afternoon tea and Cafe 21 has to be the BEST by far. It may not be a boujie scenic view lounge or anything like that but the atmosphere and Afternoon tea is enough for you to say wow.The management and staff are also just so so nice, so very helpful and always ready to be at your service.10/10 every time

Lovely afternoon tea! Endless hot drinks and great selection of sandwiches plus quiche, scones and cakes. Can thoroughly recommend!

The food is good and the coffee is ok. They had peach Melba, which was great since I hadnt been able to get one at the Whitley Bay Rendezvous cafe, still closed due to Covid-19. The cafe is spacious and airy, and appeared to be well-cared for in terms of hygiene.

A fantastic experience with super safety measures in place. It was so good to be able to take the mask off once sitting at the table and drinking out of a china cup. Extensive breakfast and lunch menu. Aside from one elderly couple who determined they could take their mask off when paying at the till because they ‘were safe’, everybody was following protocol and the place was meticulously clean. One way in and then a different exit. Great fresh food and staff were super helpful and it was obviously being redecorated which looked fresh.

First visit to cafe 21 was pleasantly surprised.Service excellent - Maria very well informed about celiac menu for myselfMy Wife had turkey and trimmings and I had baked cod and lentils. Plates red hot (just how I like themfood also hot as well as tasty.All staff very pleasant and attentive.Will be visiting again soon

Good food however sometimes very busy and hard to find a seat. The menu is the same everyday so if you are a regular visitor for lunch, its a bit boring.Overall a good place.

Nice place to visit . It is located inside Fenwick store, so a little bit tricky to find it.When enter Fenwick from Eldon intu entrance you will find it in your left after fee meters.The atmosphere in the morning is very quite and nice.

Really helpful staff, tasty and homely food and the coffee is tasty and strong. I love coming here with my mum and daughter. Its plain and simple, its exactly what youd expect and the cakes are delicious. A lovely place to break up a shopping trip.

I am here rather a lot and, I must say, it really is a special place. I know cafés within department stores arent usually much to write home about, but Café 21 is in another class. The staff are so friendly and attentive - I always feel welcome no matter what. I particularly recommend getting in early enough to try the breakfast menu as it is extensive and good value for what it is.

I rang here to request to make a reservation for afternoon tea for myself and a friend. A gentleman answered the phone and responded by saying that it was during service and they were too busy to take the booking now so I should need to call them back later. The response was rude and in poor tone. I have worked in hospitality as a front of house team member for five years and immediately thought about how my managers would react if I had that attitude towards a customer at work. I would have been more than happy to leave my contact details and for the phone call to be returned but I decided against spending a special occasion at a venue where the staff were not prioritising the customer experience.

Excellent food and great service. There was a mistake with our order and they rectified it quickly and without fuss. The food was delicious. We have been here a number of times now and never been disappointed. Will definitely return.

As a family we have visited for many years. We still have young children and have always felt comfortable and welcomed for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. Unfortunately last week when my daughter visited Café 21 with her friends and their young children things changed. She was totally embarrassed by the behaviour of a senior member of your team.The children were colouring in and yes they had made a bit of a mess, however this would have been cleared up before they left. We are assuming that the member of staff was senior because she was not in uniform. She came across to the table and said Enough is enough - you need to get this mess cleared up. People around my daughters table were aware of what had been said. If the individual had a problem there was a much better way of getting her message across. She was extremely aggressive both in tone and her body language.We have always considered Café 21 to be a family friendly place and always our first choice when shopping in Newcastle. This behaviour has now got us thinking can we ever feel comfortable in your environment again?

I decided to treat my mum to an afternoon tea here. It was £22 for two and was quite delicious. The coffee was refilled several times and was quite delicious. The savoury and sweet treats were all scrumptious and quite filling. I also purchased a glass of prosecco for myself and that was the only let down. It wasnt as chilled as I would normally like and left a bitter after taste. Despite this everything else including the service was wonderful.

Staff very pleasant and accommodating.Good service and clean.Superb,amazing food and low price!We will back again.Good work guys.Excellent!!!