The Dolphin Café is a cheery place in the midst of Towcester, Northamptonshire.
I spent a couple of days calling the town “Tow-ses-ter”. It took a while to click that this is the one and only “Toaster”, like Worcester and Bicester (but usually not Cirencester). It’s a little confusing, but yes I am an idiot.
Coffees are top of the drinks menu at Dolphin, but perhaps a little less of a feature than the food. Still, there are lots of coffee options and this is a spacious, comortable place for a good strong brew (I had a cappuccino).
Inside is a hotchpotch of rustic chairs and farmhouse tables, a bit of bunting, a Christmassy colour scheme, and one very comfy sofa. Outside is a small patch of garden with a few chairs and tables for sunny days.
All in all, full of charm and character, and a really good spot for sitting with a nice mug of coffee.
175 Watling St West,
Towcester,
NN12 6BX
Read a little more here: http://www.thebestof.co.uk/towcester/43369/1/1/the_best_of.aspx
The coffee here is great, but if there was an alternative in Towcester my colleagues and I wouldn’t patronise the Dolphin Cafe, for the simple reason that the staff are so incredibly rude.
The sulky teenagers that serve you can barely bring themselves to acknowledge your presence, despite the fact that my colleagues and I go there several times a week there is no glimmer of friendlyness, or even recognition.
In summary doesn’t deserve to be in business, and wouldn’t be if they didn’t have a captive market.
Perhaps what the other poster found was a reflection of their own attitude.
I regularly go into the Dolphin and find the young staff have just the right balance of service and friendliness.
The coffee is good and so is the food. It’s really great to have such a high quality independent coffee shop in Northamptonshire.
I had a coffee at Dolphin for the first time today. What a treat! It has a great welcoming ambience. I found it clean, elegant and warm. It’s beautifully furnished and has been stylishly redecorated. The menu offers a wide choice and at a reasonable cost these days. It’s spacious but intimate and ideal for meeting with and catching up with friends. There’s even a smart shelf with a good selection of books. The staff were all very efficient, attentive and polite not in the least intrusive or distracted. Perfect! I’ll most certainly be going back.
I can’t recognise the Dolphin Cafe of my experience in Disgruntled’s comments. I have always found it a warm and welcoming place with friendly, charming staff and great Illy coffee as well as truly delicious home-made food. Music, books, magazines and newspapers, and regular art exhibitions all add to the ambience.
Despite what Disgruntled says, there is an alternative, it’s just not as good. Regular customers such as me choose the Dolphin for all the reasons I’ve mentioned above. Long may it last!
I discovered this place 6 months ago, when a neighbour of mine took me there, I now go at least once a week with friends to natter.
Fantastic coffee, the cakes are great. So good my waistline expanded and is now under the non-cake diet.
Service, never had a problem, smiley happy people. Though as a smiley happy person it helps people to respond. Young and friendly with everything brought to your table. Totally Fab.
Always good to see a good little local business thrive.
I had lunch at the cafe the other day for the first time. Although the coffee and food was fantastic, the staff was not friendly at all. They didn’t even acknowledge our existence until we asked for service. I agree with the poster. Great environment, poor attitude from the teen who were supposed to be serving. What a shame.
I just wanted to say thay I go to the cafe regularly and have never had a problem with the service. A great atmosphere – a lovely place to meet people or take my children.
Coffees, hot chocolate and tea are all nice. Cakes are fantastic – either the carrot or lemon drizzle is a must. Unless you go for the bacon ciabatta roll or scrabbled eggs ….
I have lived in Towcester for over 10 years and have been going to the Dolphin Cafe for several years. The cafe does excellent homemade food, specials, and has a great selection of homemade cakes. If you want a friendly place, good atmosphere, this popular cafe is the one for you! I always recommend it to my friends and colleagues at work. There are other cafes’ in town but this is definetly my favourite and worth the visit.