We were in Blackburn town centre for a street festival of food. We had an enjoyable bit of lunch,…read morethen spotted flags outside of a shop declaring it was Mad Hatters Cupcakes and Tea Room, which had me floating over like a moth to a flame for a little dessert! It has a nice big window allowing the tearoom to be well lit, and seen clearly from the outside, making it all the more inviting. The first thing you see as you walk in is the fantastic blackboard wall full of hand drawn chalk images of quirky scenes from Alice in Wonderland, and various picture frames containing images of cupcakes, signs saying "eat me" and the such. A really nice touch. It's nice that despite being Mad Hatter/Alice in Wonderland themed, they haven't gone absolutely crazy with colour and made it gaudy and horrid, but have gone for some vintage touches, and soft varying pastel colours and bunting, to take the Mad Hatter and soften him a little into a vintage English tearoom. As expected, the space is light, bright and relaxed as various mirrors bounce light around the room. Large and impressive cakes sit on cake stands and bell jars dotted around the space, and on the counter sits a display stand of delicious cupcake varieties. Staff are friendly and welcoming, and happy to reel off the various tea flavours when I asked what was available. The menu has both hot and cold drinks, and offers breakfasts, salads, sandwiches and light lunches, as well as a full afternoon tea. In this instance, we can't stop looking at a large salted caramel cake which seems to be giving us the eye from a stand on one side of the room, and decide to have a slice each, and share a pot of tea. The cake was delicious, and we were offered cream with them too should we want it. It was marvellously sweet and tasty without veering off into "sickly" territory, and naturally it went perfectly with a big pot of tea, which was served with traditional vintage china. Staff were friendly and social, and informed us that they have only been open for around 5 weeks, so everything was still settling, but from what I can see, they're doing very well, and should hopefully continue to do so! Although this was only a fleeting and unplanned visit, we enjoyed it, and agreed that we will definitely pop back in whenever we are next in Blackburn, especially as I had my eye on a strawberries and cream cake that was flirting with me from a cake stand on the opposite side of the room, in all its lovely pink splendidness... I shall be trying that one next time! Well done, Mad Hatters! I wish you luck in your new business! :)

Excellent little coffee shop beautifully decorated in Alice in Wonderland. The staff are very…read morecourteous and welcoming. Food delish and plentiful has a Ploughman's salad which very filling indeed. Well be calling back soon

We have been coming here for several years the best coffee…read morein Blackburn and the best breakfast special we have ever eaten. lunch is also excellent. Fabulous staff with a great understanding of speciality teas and coffees. Never been in a better cafe anywhere in the country.

Visited today off peak time around 3pm and as usual quick service and had something from the…read morespecials board i didn't know they had. You get lots of soup and a decent portion of sandwiches for a good price. So many staff at this place for a small traditional coffee shop but you will see why at busy times. No fuss from the staff and are polite, friendly and helpful. Old world charm, been going for years and this place hasn't change as much as i haven't. Wood clad Victorian looking rooms but usually go upstairs to the cosy bit. My only critic would be an update of the menus to introduce more vegetarian dishes and seasonal treats. Oh and softer newer chair cushions upstairs.

Need an all in 1 shop try the transit lounge internet cafe on the Railway Station in Blackburn,…read moreoffers printing, internet access and much more, tea, coffee, offlicense and newsagent, love it

Rhode Island is a small chain of coffee shops based in the Greater Manchester / Lancashire region…read more Rhode Island have 8 stores now and this is the third I have visited as I recall, and is definitely up there alongside Oldham as one of my favorite branches alongside my local branch in Oldham. This branch is pretty much a typical Rhode Island Coffee, despite being only a small independent chain, it is quite nice in a good central location in Blackburn, opposite Mcdonald's. This branch has a decent selection of food and drink, I decided to order a Gluten Free Ham and Cheese Toastie however I was sadly told they had run out of bread, but the member of staff kindly offered to go out and buy some new bread, which they managed to do quite quickly. I also got chatting to the staff behind the "bar", they seemed quite friendly, we talked about my local branch of Oldham and my hometown of Middleton, and how he used to work here. My coffee was okay, it was a little overpriced for an independent but around the same place as Starbucks for a slightly lower quality. The cream tasted poor quality and not as sweet which was a shame, perhaps a Gingerbread cream to go with it would have been much better, but apart from that the coffee was quite good quality in general. My friend also ordered a Hot Chocolate with Caramel, they complained it was too sweet but this was mainly down to them ordering the drink and not getting what they expected, when I tasted it, it tasted fine and the caramel went nice with it. It was a shame to have to pay an extra 45p for syrup and then for cream, especially as this is normally free for Gold level members like myself at Starbucks. Overall, this is a nice coffee shop and one of the best options in Blackburn centre with no branches of Starbucks here or many alternatives, but due to some minor flaws due to the food and drink being nothing more than okay, I feel it just deserves a solid three stars, most things remain around the average mark, and the service above average.

This really is a hidden gem - stuck away in Wheelton near Chorley…read more It has a lovely design and a proper homely feel to the place. Great sitting area and they also have free wifi if you ask for the code! Fresh cakes are made each day and there's a good selection of coffees so you can choose the blend for you! Definitely worth the drive to switch off for an hour or two!

April 1st - Certainly not an April Fool!…read more For our wedding anniversary we attended The Village Tearoom's first evening opening as a bistro. The first of three I believe, as test evening events. Well if the Tapas Takeover event was a taste of things to come then we can't wait for the next ! Congrats to local chefs Mark Long & Matthew Agass for the tremendous food, Liz Singleton for the amazing entertainment set, the hard work of the staff during the evening , not to mention the hosts Jackie & Martyn for their warm welcome and letting it all happen. All in all a great evening, good luck for the future and hope it takes off for you all!

This branch of Starbucks is a very nice branch, it has become the newest addition to my list of…read moreplaces that deserve four stars mainly due to the the level of the service and the quality of the finished beverage. This is quite a large Starbucks store, the only store mainly serving Blackburn, around a mile and half from the city centre, it is located in a small BP Garage complex complex, where there is also a Spar and a Greggs Bakers, it does have its only limited parking here as well as some from the rest of the Beehive Business Park, which is good. The store is a 24 hour store, it is quite good that it is open 24 hours a day and does also have a drive-thru. I also like the fact that this store is really big, it just adds a nice feel to this store, albeit due to the size the space around the till would be much better to be extended to make it less cramped. The service in all did seem quite friendly, a member of staff offered to bring my drinks to my table despite it being one of the furthest tables from the counter, it was quite nice with views out of a window and a Christmas tree, cleverly decorated with Starbucks coffee, cards and trditional decorations. The barista also approved me eating my gluten free blueberry muffin in store, which I had bought from elsewhere, Muffin Break while in Blackburn. For my drink, I ordered a Grande Gingerbread Latte, this came to £4 which is more than the normal selling price in other stores of £3.55 by £0.45, mainly down to it being a franchise store owned by Eurogarages however I was happier to pay this compared to my local franchise run Starbucks store by EuroGarages in Rochdale, which charges considerably more and often £0.50 more than a price of a drink for a lowered quality. My drink in general was quite nice, the cream was made very well to complement my drink, which was made really well. My friend's also enjoyed their tea, albeit one complained it was too cold, mainly down to the other person putting too much milk in, Starbucks still kindly offered to replace it as well, which was good! Overall, this is a really nice branch of Starbucks, despite flaws such as the parking situation, not being able to order in advance and the slightly higher price, this is a really nice Starbucks store and it does set the tone, not just for franchise stores but for Starbucks stores in all too and has done enough to earn four stars. UPDATE: Due to a very bad experience at a recent visit, where I had issues with service and one barista in particular I feel the need to downgrade this branch to a generous three stars. I ordered a Burnt Caramel Latte Iced, and the barista seemed to be very unfriendly and he made my drink wrong, only to send it back and have the same issue. Eventually, another member of staff who seemed friendly, got up and made it herself and the drink was then up to the required standard, to how it should have been originally. With my drink costing over £4, I expect it to be served quickly and in a polite manner with the drink being good quality, and it shouldn't take 3 different drinks and 2 baristas to get that.

A pleasant branch of the green mermaid bearing in mind this is a franchise. A good amount of…read morecomfortable seating is available. What on the surface seems like an odd location for a Starbucks, does very well due to it's proximity to both the M65 motorway and the Royal Blackburn Hospital. All the usual Starbucks food and drink options are available and as they are much of a muchness no matter which branch you visit, what makes a difference is the ambience and the service. Both seem to be on point here, things certainly seem to have improved since Shaun P's visit in 2014. I'd definitely drop in again if I happened to be passing through the area.

Muffin Break in Blackburn is one of the newer stores in the Muffin Break franchise, I came in here…read morewhile in Blackburn as this is my joint-local store alongside the Wigan branch, meanwhile the nearest branch after that is 66 miles away so it does show that there is a slightly uneven spread of their 60 stores or so around the country. I have visited various branches of Muffin Break now in areas such as Wigan, Birmingham and Leeds so I'm not a newbie to this chain, and I mainly called in today to pick up a gluten free muffin. They were reasonably priced for £1.95 but however for the quality it simply wasn't as good. they just tasted really, thick and filling and even with the blueberry they just tasted dry, luckily I took a muffin home with me and I enjoyed it slightly more with some Gingerbread Cream from my Gingerbread latte at Starbucks, but really the muffin its-self provided was just dry and not very nice. My friend's who were with me also complained about the same matter, they stated it was very filling but certainly far from excellent and it was pretty expensive too as it worked out £7 - £8 just for 3 measly cakes / muffins. Service was pretty slow and confusing with two staff members working in a tight gap, and with only one gluten free muffin of the one flavor, it was worrying someone would take it and then I would have ended up queuing for nothing, but honestly I wish they would have done now, as it was just wasting my money on poor quality. Inside, it is okay and nothing more than that and it certainly isn't the best place for coffee in Blackburn with Rhode Island and Starbucks much better, meaning sadly I can only award this branch a single one star.

Great service every time I've been The remember customers…read more They've nearly remembered my fav drink And they make it soooo well o

BB's Coffee & muffins is located in the Mall off the Ainsworth St entrance next to escalators…read more It sells as the name suggests coffee and muffins also tea, cold drinks other cakes and pastrys and sandwhiches. It isn't exactly cheap but they do do an offer of when you buy your 5th coffee you get your 6th free in the form of what looks like a savings card which they give you a sticker for. There is toilets which aren't very pleasent.

I like the coffee here it is really good and they also make some good muffins here as well.read more

Now just called The Tea House (I guess after all these years here, they're no longer a mystery?…read more:)). Cozy spot with an extensive tea menu! I was impressed to see Chinese teas I don't typically find in tea houses (outside of China). Food menu is also impressive as well. I went with a group of five and we couldn't have ordered more different items. Seemed like everyone enjoyed their meal. They have both a cafe menu (salads, sandwiches, etc). They also have a traditional polish menu. I tried the golabki (stuffed cabbage with rice and pork in a tomato sauce) which came with a choice of potato (I chose dumplings) and salads/slaws. Very nice! Huge portion and could easily feed 2. Tasty hot stuffed cabbage paired nicely with the bright crunchy herbaceous slaws.

Really can't say enough good things about this place. I sorely miss it since moving away from…read morePreston. The range of teas is astounding and the quality (of the many I tried on my many visits) is amazing. Each tea is served in it's proper manner in beautiful teapots and cups. If you're not into weird and wonderful teas, they also have coffee and 'regular' tea on the menu aswell as juices, smoothies and other soft drinks. There is no need for you to be afraid of a new tea drinking experience though, as the staff are extremely knowledgeable (seriously, they know EVERYTHING about tea!) pleasant and very accomodating. They agreed to host my vegan society meetings and even made an effort to make the menu a little more vegan. I only tried one of the food items on the menu, this was tomato stew/soup with vegetables. I forget the name but recall it was Hungarian. Either way, it was delicious, just as I hear that all their food is from my friends. This ranges from toasties and sandwiches to more substantial dishes hailing from the owner's native Poland and other places around Europe. Other than the great drinks, food and service the place is nicely decorated and makes you feel a million miles away from the Preston high street. There is always some background music on but you would only really notice it if you listened out for it. All in all it makes for a very relaxing atmosphere, especially if you get some Yerba maté! If you're local to Preston and haven't sampled the delights of the Mystery Tea House then you ought to, right now. You'll soon be a regular. If you're just in Preston for a short time, you need to check it out before you leave.