This light and pleasant café is sparsely populated as we arrive for a spot of lunch, but it still feels very cosy and comfortable.
The menu has everything from all-day breakfasts to pastas and grilled meats, but we’re actually craving nothing more than a good-old-fashioned cheese burger.
So we settle on the signature Courtyard Burger (which comes with turkey bacon, pickles, cheese, onions and tomatoes), and in an attempt to feel a bit less guilty, a quinoa and halloumi salad.
In the short wait before the food arrives we browse the second-hand books in the sharing library, and drool over the freshly made cakes on the counter. But when we see the burger arrive we rush back to our seats in excitement.
It’s a whopper, and the kind you need to cut into four pieces just to make it manageable. The meat is high quality and not at all fatty, and there’s just the right amount of sauce and toppings. It also comes with fries, and although there’s nothing really different or creative about it, it delivers everything we were hoping for and more.
Meanwhile, the salad is a more pretty looking dish, but we find the mix of radishes, tomatoes, cucumber and other veggies quite bland, and there’s no real sign of the lemon vinagarette promised on the menu. But it’s mostly saved by the tasty grilled halloumi, and all the vegetables are fresh.
Serving satisfying lunches in a nice setting, this café ticks almost all the boxes.
WHAT IS IT…
A café with cakes, sandwiches, burgers, salads and even a book-swap station
WHY GO…
To treat yourself to the Courtyard Burger next time you’re feeling like a cheat day