The Handlebar Cafe in Winchester

Have not been here since pre Covid. Other reviews were not so good, but we had no complaints. We were early on a Sunday morning so although quite a few people the service was not slow. The coffee was excellent, and the carrot cake jolly tasty. The toilets were very clean. For me I trod carefully on the terrace which did look a bit slippery.

Food expensive but ok. It had been raining and they had 2 wet floor signs out. 4 people slipped over in the 30 minutes I was there. I went to tell them that it was too slippery especially the side part. The server said he knew but nothing could be done about it. I stated that it was algae and it could be cleaned or the area worst affected closed off. Nothing was done. Another lady slipped and hurt her knee badly. I reported again and was told there was a sign stating slippery when wet. This sign was 2 Inches x 1.5 inches big on the side of the Cafe in total size. Health and safety are obviously a low priority over profits and no concern was shown to customers even when told.

The coffee tasted great, but the service was very slow indeed - approx. 15 mins waiting at the counter for a regular Americano. It wasn't overly busy at the time either.

First they need to update this location to The Cadence. Appears to be under new management and possibly new ownership. It seems expensive until you eat it - it was worth every penny and minute of waiting. No fancy side salads, good quality, honest food. You have to order Inside and wait for your beverages - they’ve a buzz system for the food. All works really well. The staff appear engaged, competent and conscious of the need to focus on the important bits. Quality, hygiene, efficiency. We had fabulous coffee - hot ‘til the last sip and really tasty toasties & cake £25 Will be returning having largely avoided the Handlbar after the downturn in quality staff, service & products. Definitely recommend to everyone.

We stopped here after our dog walk and had coffee and sausage bap, coffee was lovely but the sausages where very bland with no taste at all

We ordered coffee and teas which came fairly quickly and were very good. But the we ordered lunch (only toasties available) and they took 30 mins to arrive - that's far too long! Yet there were 4 staff behind the counter. Polite, yes, but very slow service. And toilets not very clean. Poor show. Must do better.

My sister, her partner and myself ordered 2 teas and a coffee to drink in. We were given a number to put on our table for the order. We had sat at one end of the cafe which I would not describe as large. Some considerable time had passed when we realised that people who came in after us had their orders. On asking what had happened to our drinks we had a mixed response of they had forgotten it and/or they could not find us. I guess it did not occur to the staff to call out for order No. 2. One girl even went past our table and read out the number while looking for another order. We were also told that the lack of drinks was not our fault! We ended up having our drinks to takeaway as we had to be somewhere else & time was running out. I was not offered a refund for the difference as I assume it is cheaper if you are taking away.

I've visited the Handlebar cafe a few times, the drinks are too expensive and the food is abysmal. Dry tasteless toasted sandwiches at £7.50 each, we won't be coming back This is such a shame, this is a fantastic location. Consider hiring someone who can actually cook.

Yesterday afternoon at 4.45pm on the 4th May whilst walking with friends, we called in to the Handlebar café. We were looking for refreshments and a loo break. I did see a sign stating they were serving takeaway from the hatch at the front. I needed to use the toilet whilst we ordered. I opened door and we walked in, no where was there a closed sign. We were greeted with “Sorry we’re closed “. I asked politely if I may quickly use the toilet. I was told “No sorry it’s been sanitised”. I said I was desperate and the young man refused to let me use it. I said “If you’re closed then you ought to lock this door. Imagine how you would feel if someone denied you use of a loo when you were desperate.” Too which I got no response and no acknowledgement. They ignored me and looked away. “Where would you suggest I go?” I asked. A young woman with dark curly hair replied “There is one at the park and ride”, so I asked where that was to which she replied “I don’t know I’ve never been”. I walked away and said “I hope one day someone refuses to let you go to the toilet and see how you’d feel.” We left but I didn’t want to order anything by this point as I desperate to go the toilet. I was appalled at being treated in such a way by teenagers with no customer skills or empathy. We continued to walk into the city centre (a good 15-20minutes) whilst I was in a great deal of pain and discomfort. I always ask politely and treat people as I would like to be treated but I have never been treated so badly and made to feel so unwelcome anywhere in my life. The service sucked and the staff on duty yesterday seemed completely unbothered. Treating anyone this way is disgusting. Honestly I don’t ever want to go to the Handlebar Café again and would recommend against going to anyone who asked for recommendations. I suffer with IBS but imagine treating someone with an even worse condition in such a way. Not to mention if the café is closed then the door ought to be locked or clearly indicating CLOSED. The treatment I received by the staff in your café was disgusting. Considering an absence of other facilities in the surrounding area it shows a total lack of empathy, compassion or awareness not to mention terrible customer service skills. I hope that this is addressed and that training in customer service skills is provided for the people currently employed there. Martin Fajardo-Brown Sent from my iPhone

The menu is small, and there are no options for children. Had the vegan breakfast chiabata which was underwhelming, with anaemic hash browns, husband had the meat version. Neither of us could eat them. Coffee was not great either. Can of 7up was £2.20. Used to love this spot. Don’t bother. Walk 1/4 mile to the garden cafe instead where there’s lots of suitable seating for cyclists and families alike and a better menu.

Nice spot,BUT,the coffee and cake is too expensive,must be the hike up from the car park adding to the cost? Good base for walking so maybe factor in the car park and it’s not so bad

Staff are lovely, very accommodating. Prices are far too high, £9.00 for coffee and cake. Restrictions on characters in review is weird

Absolutely disgusted at the prices we went on a walk and stopped for a drink and cake. Service took ages £4.70 for 1 slice of cake £3 for a child's apple juice. £19 for 2 slices of cake and 3 drinks as a stop off on a walk sat on wet outdoor furniture and extremely slow Service Won't be visiting again

The paninis were fine, but the choice was very limited. Still the coffee and tea was good - and it was nice to shelter from the rain.

Love this place. We go regularly after walking St. Catherine's Hill. The staff are always friendly and sometimes we have a good giggle with them! The coffee is good and the size generous. My husband loves the cakes!

This is the worst cafe I've ever been to. I ordered a vegetarian breakfast for £9 and I was served up with something that is difficult to describe. It wasn't a breakfast as I understand it, there was no sign of any vegetables and all I was given was some dry bread with some sticky stuff and what I can only assume were veggie sausages. They stank and as a, vegetarian i don't want imitation sausages. I took the offensive plate to the staff and even they seemed hoorified by what had been served up. Thankfully I was refunded but my advice is to keep away from this cafe.

This is an amazing cafe in a fantastic location. The walk from Winchester city is about 15 mins and it is beautiful. You can also sit outside with a great view. Dogs are welcome. The food is good- cakes and sandwiches in particular. The service was friendly.

The staff were super friendly with my dog. It’s a Perfect place to pop into to have a coffee on the go while I walk him. Fast and efficient.

We recently visited the Handlebar cafe on a chilly autumn morning, and were welcomed by the friendly staff. We enjoyed a nice cup of coffee, and a good selection of cakes.

Great cafe, delicious food and friendly service in a beautiful location. Perfect spot to stop on a walk along the Itchen.

Save your money absolutely crap quality, looks nice from outside and inside, but not worth 10p for what we had

What a good use of a disused railway siding. Great to walk from town (20 mins) for a cuppa and a piece of cake.

I'm not sure if they are cutting costs by employing such an inexperienced team or if they simply don't care about customer service. My husband and I have been regular customers since they opened four years ago. Unfortunately, we've been extremely disappointed with the service in the past few visits. The staff are all over the place not knowing what they are doing, the toilets are extremely dirty and the food quality is extremely poor for the price charged. I hope they do something urgently or, they will be losing all the regular customers. We definitely are not coming back.

We’d been happy customers at the Handlebar for at least 4-years some periods daily but always weekly. But oh my what a difference a couple of months make. Under new management but who’s? Previous charming manager moved on, and the solid team of supervisors have followed! Did they jump or where they pushed? What’s left is a seemingly inexperienced, disorganised, team. September saw an inability to deliver hot Coffee. Unable to clear tables, unable to ensure environment is clean, toilet a mess. Worryingly at this visit there were few customers but at least 6 staff! Poor lambs felt they were short staffed! Sunday 1 October - 3pm Not many customers on arrival. Toilet condensation and rivulets running down wall, really humid. Glasses and empty loo rolls balanced on the sanitary bin (why do customers think this is ok?) toilet - ceramic filthy days of dust and hair, the disabled assistance pad similarly filthy. Older member of staff abrupt and unapologetic. 1/4 hour wait for fruit tea & smoothie. Tea arrived in a visibly and physically dirty teapot. Chocolate? Who knows? At least the cup was clean! Not inclined to mention the dirty tea pot after the abrupt manner from the older staff member earlier! The young team seem to be working this week, calmly and efficiently. A pleasant change. Tuesday 2 October -4pm Looking for a coffee to go… sadly they’re just closing up new opening times - must recheck their website/facebook page. Sunday 8th October 12:30pm Oh dear. We will not be returning unless there is a huge clean up and clear up. Just hoping that the previous couple of visits were an aberration. £30 later - a couple of coffees (just about hot provided you drank them immediately), a cheese and ham toasty - definitely not toasty - cold in the middle, the pizza’s also cold & slightly chewy due to be undercooked and the soup - ½ a small bowl, inedible and apparently toasted ciabatta which resembled baguette slices stale but the aded piquant of being slightly toasted. So disappointing as the Handlebar had previously been really great.

We dropped in for a coffee and bacon roll after a walk along the river. I walked into the cafe, not realising that service is from the hatch on the corner. I was totally ignored by the staff until I stopped one of them to enquire how I could order. It wasn’t particularly busy but service was chaotic. Our coffees arrived quickly but we then waited half an hour for a bacon roll, having asked twice when we might expect it. By then we had finished the coffees but basically nobody cared. The serving staff wandered around with food trying to establish who had ordered what, while the food and drinks got cold.

Stopped for a snack for the kids after a walk up St Catherine's Hill. One had an ice cream - can't remember the price because whatever it cost was dwarfed by the price of a very modest sized piece of rocky road at something like £4.70. An absolute disgrace to be making that sort of markup on cake. We will never return nor recommend.

Unfriendly. Signage says 5:30 however when we arrived at 4:20 only take away tea was available. Other customers were being asked to leave as well.

Sought shelter and a warm drink as we’d been soaked from the rain. We stood in the middle of the counter waiting to be served, but we were ignored. Several staff members pushed past us to do whatever it was they were doing. There were...

Good location nr river/Winchester Hill. Seating inside/out - with views. Quick/friendly service. Great selection of food/drink. Coffee a bit strong for us, but good taste, - with Plant milks available. Yummy cakes. Selection of 'light' bites, including Vegan options. Dog friendly. But, only one toilet...

Great little spot for a coffee! Very friendly staff, the young lady who made our coffees was very nice

Looking to keep the kids occupied? Somewhere for an international meet up? A quiet coffee to recover after hiking up the river and over the hill? The Handlebar Cafe - with links to the repair shop in Winchester City Centre and on the national cycle...

Our first visit to the Handlebar yesterday. We’d hoped for a classic Full English but that wasn’t on offer so we went for their ‘Breakfast Bap’. It was excellent! Local sausages, bacon and tomato all in a toasted ciabatta bap. Tea and coffee served in...

Not a good quality toasted ham and cheese sandwich, ham was wafer thin, cheese had no flavour probably mild cheddar, my partner had a tuna jacket potato with cheese, tuna came in a very small pot, not on top of the jacket like you'd expect,...

Called in at the end of a long walk and really enjoyed our coffee and tuna and cheese panini. Excellent service from the very friendly staff and plenty of room for our rather large dog as well!

I like this cafe. It's a nice place to be and has reasonable coffee and cake. It's a bit expensive but I would have given it a solid three stars. However, their punitive 50p charge for oat milk is worthy of nothing but scorn. It...

Great service and wonderful hot chocolate perfect at the end of a walk on a cold day. Kind enough to let us use the toilet even though they'd closed them for cleaning

Not overly impressed with this place. Great location. But, ordered a bacon, brie and cranberry toastie, asked for it to come without cranberry. Bizarre. Why can't it just be made without a certain filling?? Also, very pricey for what you get. Lastly, the staff don't...

Fantastic stop on our cycle from New Alresford to Salisbury. Delicious smoothies and coffee with a delightful view from a vantage point of the river. Plenty of bike racks to store your bikes and a bike tool station to use free of charge. Will definitely...

Not had a walk in this area for a couple of years. Disappointed that the path directly along the Riverside is closed but the cafe was a welcome find. Heard it before I saw it and not immediately obvious how to access. Very warm welcome...

Really disappointed with the service went to have porridge and bacon rolls from the brunch menu only to be told not available after 11:30 even though not a stated on the menu. Limited choice of overpriced food available. Wouldn’t split a milkshake into 2 for...

I visit here weekly and the coffee, food and service is always impeccable! An absolute gem in a lovely location! Well done to all the team and keep up the great work!

Exhorbitant prices for small lemon drizzle cake wrapped in paper and mediocre coffee. Cake was more expensive than advertised on board outside. When queried met with a surly shrug and "must be old sign".

Basically £15 for 2 sloppy tea cakes wrapped in paper that were heated in microwave and 2 small coffees in disposable cups. Poor service. Won’t be returning.

We've visited here a couple of times recently as we have been walking in the area. The cafe is conveniently located for walkers around the St Catherine's Hill area, and you can easily walk along the riverbank into Winchester from here. There is a (small)...

We often call in at the cafe whilst walking and have always had a good experience. However there is now a rule that if you want to sit outside, you can only have a takeaway. So, no cup and saucer but a cardboard cup unless...

Wonderful location and great coffee. Excellent service especially for my elderly parents. Thank you Donna

The coffee is good but their processes just aren't efficient. If you are in the queue with 3 people in front of you, expect to wait 10-15 minutes to be served. I don't understand why its so much slower than other coffee establishments.

Very slow despite being the only customers, very average coffee served with attitude. I will not be returning. Also, the most expensive coffee I think I have ever paid for - £9 for 2 lattes?! I’d get it if it was amazing but it’s not.

I took my son for a drink and bought myself some soup for lunch. After waiting a crazy amount of time to get to the front of the very short queue (about 25 mins with one family in front!), we finally got our food and...

Stumbled upon this after a cracking walk. What a find. Friendly staff and an excellent selection of snacks were available. Had the bacon and brie toasted sandwich. Was yummy Cannot recommend it highly enough

Once again I stopped off for a coffee after a dog walk by the river. Coffee and cake excellent amd staff friendly and efficient.

Food and drinks were great but service was dreadful. Ordered food got told no soup available so ordered two toasties and lattes. One toaster arrived then the drinks and get told the other toastie is not available and choose another one. Then waiting for food...

The handlebar is in a great location if your walking from winchester towards Twyford its perfectly placed for a stop, they have a good selection of soft drinks, coffee and ice creams, if you sit outside you are level with the middle branches of the...

After a quick walk up St Catherine’s Hill we decided to treat ourselves to an early lunch. We had a massive pot of tea for two and my husband chose the breakfast roll which was enormous and fantastic value for money. I had the croque...

We called in at both ends of our walk along the river. We had the biggest pot of tea I’ve ever seen on our first stop . The staff were very friendly and welcoming. When we returned at the end of our walk, the cafe...

We went up St Catherine’s Hill for a nice walk with our dogs. We stopped on the cafe on our way back to the car park. The staff were super, friendly and gave the dogs a biscuit! It was COVID safe with the option to...

Have been stopping off here whilst out walking for nearly a year now. Fab selection of drinks. Lovely friendly staff. Thanks for staying open for take away during the lockdowns.

We ordered 3 cakes this morning. My wife had the Victoria sponge, which she had last time..and said it was dry. I had the lemon drizzle cake which was delicious We also ordered the orange and chocolate cake and thought it was a small piece.....

Visited previously only a few weeks ago and had such a lovely experience, staff so friendly and my mum and I even got a free cupcake as they were celebrating one year. But today staff weren’t so happy, not bubbly and slightly dismissive and coffee...

A very good range of teas and coffees available. Lunch was either a warm pie or panninis, both were good value and tasted great. Staff especially helpful with great Covid protection.

Saw this whilst out walking so thought I give it a go. Unfortunately a tiny place so social distancing impossible, tea served in cups not china cups so tasted awful and toilets closed. Then attacked by 3 dogs where customers neglected them, why allow dogs...

Nice location nice coffee and sandwiches all reasonably priced. Free carpark and nice walks all around up the big hill at the back with great views and walks by the river. Shame the staff weren't more friendly. Had our sandwiches dumped on the table no...

Popped in today for a bite to eat , ordered bacon sandwich, chocolate orange cake and pan au chocolate tea and coffee.The bacon sandwich was very disappointing pre cooked Luke warm bacon on white bread.Everything else was okay and the staff are friendly .

Found this cafe by accident while following the Viaduct walk. Staff are doing a great job of adhering to social distancing. Nice selection of sweet and savoury food and lovely coffee. We had the corner table outside and it was great to sit in the...

Great place to stop on a walk out of Winchester on the viaduct way. Cakes and coffee or light meals. Open all year unlike St Cross so worth of knowing for a winter walk.

Lovely, fairly new cafe on the river walk near St Catherine’s Hill, Winchester. Good food at affordable prices. Great area for walking and dogs allowed inside cafe which is a real bonus, especially at this time of year. Definitely worth a visit. We’ve been a...

Wow what a surprise seeing a new tea room on our walk into Winchester, fantastic place with young enthusiastic staff. Nice and busy with a lovely buzz and atmosphere. We'll definitely go back.

This is a cafe resembling a railway carriage about 15mins walk from the cathedral. It is a lovely setting with great views over the water meadows. The coffee is good and cakes fantastic! We also had a toasted sandwich which was lovely. Prices good for...

Had a fairly negative experience the first time I visited here. I will put this down to teething troubles. Revisited very recently to receive a warm and friendly welcome from staff and good coffee. It's such a great location and I imagine will be very...

This marvelous cafe built to resemble two railway carriages on the old line between Didcot to Southampton is situated on a leisure route-Cycle route 23- just over a mile from Winchester overlooking the Garnier car park..The cafe built around 2 years ago as a result...

Nice little cafe that blends well into the environment. Doesn't look out place. Had a couple of bacon rolls and tea and coffee. Next time will just have the tea and ask for another cup which would make it under £10 for 2 rolls and...

Nice little cafe that blends well into the environment. Doesn't look out place. Had a couple of bacon rolls and tea and coffee. Next time will just have the tea and ask for another cup which would make it under £10 for 2 rolls and...

We took our dog and child for a quick walk at St Catherine's Hill - especially - to give the cafe a quick test run. But as we approached the entrance 20 minutes before closing, someone came out and said "we are closing, coffees are...

We took our dog and child for a quick walk at St Catherine's Hill - especially - to give the cafe a quick test run. But as we approached the entrance 20 minutes before closing, someone came out and said "we are closing, coffees are...

Bustling little cycling cafe, even in mid January. Lovely staff, fantastic carrot cake, and good views across Winchester.

Great location next to Garnier Road car park and enjoying lovely views over the Itchen Navigation. This is a nice place to enjoy a coffee and cake when walking or cycling alongside the Itchen Navigation or exploring St Catherine’s Hill. It’s dog friendly as well!...

So so glad there is finally a cafe and place to rest in this beautiful location. They have really thought about the design of this place and keeping people connected to nature. Got more potential and good service to come hopefully as they are brand...

This is a perfect spot for tea and cake, or lunch. The food was delicious, but the service was warm, efficient, friendly and spot on. Visiting today lifted my spirits. The GM carrot cake was lovely, not too heavy. It is lovely to be in...

After ready the previous reviews I was a bit unsure of coming but thought I'd give it a try on my walk from shawford to Winchester. Lovely latte in a clean cup. Friendly staff through a bit of a wait at the till but coffee...

Service extremely slow. Given half of someone else's order as it had our number on. Dirty cups and spoons given to us, asked for clean stuff, didnt look any better, tea drinkers were disappointed and did not finish their tea, as they said it didnt...

Visited on a rare sunny day in October. It was such a shame, the service was shockingly slow and staffing wise chaotic. It was very busy, but firstly there ‘appeared’ to be two/three pay points - there are not - a different pay point also...

Our family stopped for lunch at this smart new cafe walkers, cyclists or other visitors. The situation is wonderful at the top of Garnier Road. The foot and cycle path skirts St Catherine’s Hill on one side and has the Itchen Navigation on the other....

We decided to include this recently opened cafe in a Sunday afternoon walk itinerary. Looking at the website, it's advertised as open from 8:30 to 5:30, 7 days a week. So we arrived on Sunday at 4.35pm only to be told that the place was...