Chapters - Lichfield

A busy and well patronised establishment close to Lichfield cathedral. Delicious cake with gluten free options available.

I used to live in Lichfield and used to love popping in here for lunch or a coffee. Surroundings, service and food was great. Hadn't been for a while and visited in October 2022 to find it completely different. It has gone downhill fast. It is now called Bistro 19 and I can only think it must be under new management. The decor is horrible dark green if I remember rightly), most of the staff look miserable, a very long wait over 20 mins) just for a hot drink and a cake although they brought the drinks out quickly but by the time the cakes arrived, our drinks had gone cold), expensive £12 just for a coffee, a tea and a scone and teacake), drinks served in cups that looked like builder's mugs with saucers and scone was dry and hard. I guess this place will always be busy simply because of it's location right by the cathedral and because the gardens are nice but if it was anywhere else it wouldn't last 5 minutes. It needs to make some vast improvements if it wants customers to return. This is not Chapters, it's called Bistro 19. People should check out their reviews to see I'm not the only one who feels this way.

This cafe has gone downhill fast over the last few years. The service was slow and very poor. It took over 15 minutes for a simple cup of coffee to arrive. No spoon was provided to stir it. The menu used to be good and varied with something for everyone. Now the menu is very sparse: breakfasts all day they say ; jacket potatoes sorry we 've run out ; pie with chips or mash sorry, there 's no mash ; and a few more things. A sign asks people to speak to staff about their allergies No. We don 't have anything gluten free. There was nothing I could eat, so I decided to go hungry. Others at my table ordered food it all came eventually, but all at different times and without cutlery. Two people had the pies which looked limp and uninteresting and the chips were feeble and not very hot apparently presumably frozen and heated up a bit . I was glad I had decided to go hungry. Best to avoid this place, unless you want nothing for lunch or are prepared to eat uninspiring, poor quality food and poor service.

First visit since lockdown. Was always excellent on our previous visits pre March 2020. A shadow of its former self. I can only assume now run by different people as the service and food were both appalling. When the breakfast eventually arrived item's were missing. The bacon and mushrooms over cooked and the beans cold. Much better alternatives available nearby at cheaper prices.

I used to frequent this restaurant before the pandemic and always enjoyed their breakfasts. Today, I returned after a couple of years and was disappointed. The "amazing" full English breakfast I ordered for £9.95 was far from it. The orange juice tasted off, the staff seemed disinterested and unfriendly, and the wait for our food was long. When the food finally arrived, it was a letdown. The mushrooms looked burnt, the bacon was shriveled, the sausages were overcooked, and the beans were cold. To top it off, they forgot to serve our eggs. After reminding them, the eggs were brought out five minutes later and were the only part of the meal that was hot. It seemed like they had prioritized other customers over us, resulting in our food being overcooked and cold. Overall, the experience was unappetizing and disappointing. I will not be returning and will look for other dining options in the future.