"Caffe Macchiato - Probably the best cafe in Aldershot"
*holds sides laughing*
They are probably not wrong with this statement, but unfortunately this says more about Aldershot than it does about the cafe itself. What a depressing town, I felt like the life was being sucked out of me while I walked around it.
We came for the football and were looking to eat before the game. We explored the town centre looking for a restaurant or pub that was serving food - nothing. Yes, there was McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut...not really what we were after. Do the people of Aldershot really not go out for dinner - obviously not! I had previously done a Yelp search for restaurants in Aldershot, and with the exception of one curry house, nothing came up - this should have given me a clue of what to expect!!
Anyway, enough about Aldershot, we finally stumbled upon Caffe Macchiato and it looked like the best of a bad bunch. The cafe itself is quite spacious and well decorated and has art for sale on the walls. It was more or less empty when we arrived at about 17.30 and the waitress looked surprised when I asked for a table for three. The place closes at 19.00 every night, 17.00 on a Sunday. This is surprising seeing as they have a full menu. Some nights they have live music events on.
There is also supposed to be free WiFi which I picked up but it didn't work properly.
I decided to play it safe an opt for a pizza on the Italian themed menu. The Rucola sounded good - mozzarella, tomato, parma ham and rocket - four of my favourite ingredients. Unfortunately, when the dish arrived it looked like a bought-in cheese and tomato with the ham and rocket shoved on top before serving. The base was thick and stogy and not at all pleasant.
In fairness, the others had a beef dish and a pasta dish and said they were OK. However, the side salad was smothered in salad cream! I find it hard to believe that this cafe is actually owned by bona fide Italians as I'm sure they wouldn't send out food like this.
Oh, and the beer was warm, which the waitress knew in advance but didn't think to tell us before serving.
If you are in Aldershot, this probably is your best option, but the sensible choice is to avoid Aldershot altogether!! read more