Supermarket Café Rankings

The adventures of Frances & Sharon to every supermarket via local bus

[supermarketcaferankings]

Tesco Café, Walkden, UK

We decided to start 2025 the way we meant to continue: with adventure, intrigue, and a dedication to try only the best. That's right, ladies, gentlemen and everyone in between. We went to the biggest Big Tesco in the country, Tesco Extra in Walkden.

What Frances had: Crispy chicken burger (£7.50)

What Sharon had: Crispy chicken burger (£7.50) and a Coke Zero (£2.05)

Vibes: 1/5 ⭐

The café sits on a mezzanine above the rest of the supermarket. We assume the designer's intention was that you could look over the rest of the shop and people watch, as the fencing at the edge of the mezzanine is glass, however at this particular Tesco, large advertisement banners have been tied to this which means that we didn't have a view of much other than the ceiling. On top of this, the noise of the shop carries up to the café which made for a lot of background noise. The furniture was utilitarian, but comfortable enough. No wall art that we could see which was also a disappointment.

Service: 4/5 ⭐

Service was quick and polite, and we have no complaints other than not being given an option of sauce when our food was delivered. The food was brought to us hot and freshly made, and we noted that tables were being cleared quickly after other customers left, so that the area was always clean and tidy.

Quality: 5/5 ⭐

The Biggest Tesco really delivered with the food! The fries were perfectly hot, and seasoned with paprika, salt and pepper which we were both thrilled about. The coleslaw was tasty, and the star of the show, the chicken burger, was excellent. The brioche bun was soft, the chicken was hot and crispy, the lettuce was crunchy and clearly freshly cut, and there was a perfect amount of BBQ sauce and mayo, each on a different side of the burger. We don't give out this 5 star rating lightly, and think this is probably the best quality food you could get in a supermarket café. No complaints whatsoever.

Price: 3/5 ⭐

While we do not feel ripped off paying £7.50 for such top food quality, it is also not able to be considered a bargain. We do feel that £2.05 for a can of Coke Zero was far too much, however, with Frances making the comment that we probably could have found a multipack of 6 on the shop floor for not much more.

And of course, we would be remiss if we forgot our final criteria: would we propose to the love of our life in this café?.

This was a nice lunch, but even with the draw of being at the biggest Big Tesco in the country for an extra special touch, the atmosphere was simply not romantic enough for a proposal. Perhaps for a celebration lunch afterwards, but not the main event. Our search for the perfect location continues.

Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Average rating for Tesco cafés: ⭐⭐⭐

[supermarketcaferankings]

Morrison's Café, Morley, UK

Let us introduce ourselves. We are Frances and Sharon, two friends with one burning question: why are there so many reviews of fancy, expensive restaurants and nothing for the supermarket café, adored by, and accessible to, the common man? We have made it our mission in life to visit as many supermarket cafés as the bus services will allow, because what is more important than being the change you wish to see in the world?

Today we have come to the Morrison's café in Morley, with our friend, [REDACTED].

What Frances had: Hot chocolate and biscoff cheesecake (£4)

What Sharon had: Pot of tea and Victoria sponge cake (£4)

What [REDACTED] had: Oasis (£2) and sausage, egg, chips and beans (£6.50)

Vibes: 4/5 ⭐

The café is hidden away from the rest of the supermarket which leaves an atmosphere distinctly different from that of most supermarket cafés. We sat in a comfortable booth. It was lively yet pleasant, with a wide range of ages visiting today (very family friendly). The wall decor had a pleasant variety of ambiguous text, but sadly no photos of food, and very nice lighting fixtures. There was also poor phone signal, for which a star is lost. The booth did have the store manager's email address asking for feedback which was unique but not unwelcome.

Service: 2/5 ⭐

It's hard to give a ranking for service at a café which is mostly self service, although there is hot food brought to your table if you order it. Ordering is done via a self service machine, and cold food, snacks and drinks can then be taken from a counter. Frances and I did wonder if this system is open to abuse, but perhaps Morley is above such things. There are two self service hot drinks machines, one of which was out of hot chocolate. The hot food took around 20 minutes to arrive, but staff were friendly, and generous with ketchup sachets. The café gains extra points because when we asked to confirm if we could just take what we'd ordered from the counter, we were happily informed that drinks had free refills. A cheap day out!

Quality: 3/5 ⭐

The cakes were nice, although we suspect not made on site. Sharon would have preferred an option for real sugar as well as just sweeteners, and the tea was Tetley's and not the far superior Yorkshire Tea. Frances agreed that the hot chocolate was fine. For the hot food, the eggs, chips and beans were decent, but the sausages were the highlight, with [REDACTED] commenting that they reminded him of his childhood.

Price: 3/5 ⭐

[REDACTED] believes that £2 for an Oasis was "egregious", however unlimited hot drinks and a cake for £4 is very reasonable indeed. Perhaps [REDACTED] should have got a hot drink too.

Finally, we come to our last, yet most important, criteria: would we propose to the love of our life in this café?

We think no. As a busier café, your words of tender love may get lost in the background hum. Also, we suspect that if you proposed in this particular supermarket café, the locals would just stare, and that's just not the reaction you want to start the rest of your life with.

Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Average rating for Morrison's cafés: ⭐⭐⭐