Archers Rest

My son and my three grandchildren decided to treat me to a surprise Lunch at Archers Rest Cafe for my 74th birthday. We had done the same in 2024 and it was a great success. My son pre booked a table and brought a Colin Caterpillar birthday cake, which was a cake of long standing memories and amusement between us. When he was placing our five lunch and five drinks order, he approached the staff and said it was my birthday and this was a special cake. He was told categorically that no food was allowed to be brought in and the cake was not allowed to be served to me. He was surprised and taken aback and knew the children would be disappointed, but rather than cause a scene, accepted and bought your plain muffins as a substitute cake. (He apologised to me as he knew they weren’t my thing.) Personally, I have NEVER had any issues in bringing a birthday cake to any kind of eaterie. In fact the staff love it and with gusto, bring out my offerings complete with a rendition of the Happy Birthday song. I have regarded Archers Rest as always being great tasty food with a family friendly atmosphere. My whole experience has now, sadly, been tarnished. I messaged Archers with my disappointment and they replied that “they do not allow any food to be brought in and it had always been the same” (despite me showing them my 2024 photo confirming that last year they DID allow my special birthday cake to be brought in) So if you are planning a celebration then maybe Archers might not be the place to be, especially if you want the traditional cutting and sharing of happiness and good fortune with a special cake.

Having been for lunch a number of times and loved it, we tried the tapas night. Food was amazing as always, great price as well considering the number of dishes and drinks we had. Staff were friendly and warm. Well worth a trip for tapas or lunch!

Really nice cafe, prices are amazing, the service and food are also really good ^^

We visit this park regularly as a family and usually have a great time — it’s a lovely and fun place for children. However, we had a disappointing experience during our most recent visit. The park had just closed (only about five minutes before), and there were still staff members inside. My child needed to use the toilet urgently, and we politely asked if it could be opened just for a moment. Unfortunately, the staff simply said no. We understand rules are rules, but we felt this response was very unkind and lacking in basic compassion, especially towards young children. It didn’t feel family-friendly or child-considerate at all. A bit of flexibility and understanding would have made a big difference.

Tapa’s night 💃 Incredible food at a really reasonable price (in comparison to other tapa’s in Bedford) Please try the potatas’ Bravas’ 😍

They make pizza on site. Bit costly, but very nice. Would have been easier if they had cut the pizza. Some tables are quite close, but we had a nice table near open doors. Made it nice on a hot day.

Food and drinks tend to be overpriced for a cafe. I guess they have a captive market.

First ever friday evening tapas night at Archers with a group of friends. The tapas and homemade pizza could not have been more delicious. The service and welcome at the venue was excellent. It was perfect for a fairly peaceful friday or saturday summer evening meal.