the solitary review

Bridge Cafe

Regent Arcade, Cheltenham

The Bridge Cafe is on precisely that: a section of the Regent Arcade that joins it to Cavendish House across Regent Street with its theatre and its cafes and pubs. Right in the centre of town, this is; I don’t know what the official Centre of Town is (top of the Promenade perhaps?) but it can’t be far from here.

The Bridge Cafe is accessed via the department store in Cavendish House or via the Arcade. I recall that many years ago I was sent to sell cupcakes on a bridge in the Bullring in Birmingham – among the stranger jobs I’ve had (although it was part of my work as a Housing Admin).

The Cafe has a cheerful aspect – there is nothing forbidding about this place, it is down-to-earth to a fault and the fault is that you might expect it to be not all that good. However it is quite adequate with a possible exception we shall come to later. The menu shows breakfasts and brunches and sandwiches and cakes and lunches. I go for a bacon and egg bap and why not, and a coffee. It arrives quickly – service is cheerful, polite and efficient.

Bap is good. Decided to eat with a knife and fork – has the advent of smartphones meant less hand-eating of sticky foodstuffs? It may have – which was advisable as the bacon needed to be cut or it would all come out in one go. On the other hand some places stuff their cheese sandwiches full of grated cheese, but not here, I expect.

The caveat was the coffee. Really quite watery was my Americano and I looked out of the window longingly at a cafe I could see in the street below, thought, shall I go in there afterwards, but I didn’t.

Decor is fine, seats comfortable, some artwork on the walls that may have been for sale, I didn’t check though I went through into the Regent Arcade afterwards.

Bridge Cafe Regent Arcade Cheltenham GL50 1JZ

bridgecafecheltenham.co.uk

I had:

Bacon and Egg bap £5.80

Americano £2.60

Would I return? Yes, though as I say the coffee needs to be improved.