Jan's Cafe & Takeaway - A Tasteem Review
Jan’s Café & Takeaway is one of those independent small café’s situated on the A19 south between Middlesbrough and Leeds.
I have driven past it countless times as I used to work in this part of the country but until now have never graced its doors.
We needed a bio-break and so stopped and entered this services café.
Fortunately, we were going to buy something or we would have lost a whole 20p to relieve ourselves.
Is that 20p each or per party?
From our first steps inside Jan’s Café & Takeaway we knew we were in truckers territory. I mean non-truckers are allowed but other than us it was strictly ‘them’.
Maybe it was the time of day but Jan’s was not so busy that day.
The menu looked like it had been subjected to a hard life, and yielded lots of breakfast food typical of northern England. Sausage, Egg and Chips anyone?
We were here for the coffee but that special coffee menu was not fooling us into believing this was a specialist gourmet coffee place.
The price said otherwise and at £2.95 each were given a couple of plain Lattes and a pair of those ubiquitous Lotus Bicoff’s.
I was patiently waiting for a snap of the counter area but that big trucker dude kept staring over at us. I felt he may come over and knock my block off if he caught me taking his picture.
The counter staff were not particularly friendly either, @bingbabe noticing this more than myself.
Was this a blokes cafe only?
Peering out of the window I could see nothing but huge trucks. Most of the drivers take a snooze in their cabs to alleviate the long-distance journeys.
So on to the coffee? Rijo42 coffee is not on my list of great coffee’s, their website here indicates they are a maker of coffee machines.
You need to remember most of these coffee outlets now rely on machines.
Think Starbucks and Costa, its all machine, there are no handmade ones unless you’re in the middle of nowhere.
It was drinkable and passable at best. I would have preferred something from Starbucks given the opportunity.
I would give Jan's Café & Takeaway a miss. I prefer to give the small independent cafes a go as they are gradually being muscled out by the chains.
This one isn't on my list of ones to revisit.
Restaurant Information
Jan’s Café & Takeaway
Crathorne, Yarm TS15, UK
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My kinda place,nothing pretentious, just good honest food.
Basic stuff, the grease is all included!
Well I thought with a sign being so prudish about the restrooms, it wouldnt be one of my faves.
Hehe, they are used to truckers coming in, taking a piss and then leaving as they have their flasks of coffee in the cabs. There's a garage right next to it, they probably have free toilets.
i only went there once in the 8 years I drove past it on a weekly basis, .. I had a coffee and some kind of muffin, .. the fact I went there once in 8 years says a lot, but I can't comment on anything else like food or service ... other than I used to see your car parked up there regularly as it was your regular spot for a snooze on the way back on Thursdays...
I parked in the same place as all those other times, we are a predictable bunch.
Friendliness can make or break a place amiright? Pity that it wasn't good because from the stuff I've seen you take a look at, this place had some of the best prices I've seen.
The cafe and setting were OK, but I can't speak for the food. It looked like the usual greasy breakfast stuff we get here. Services are usually high-priced, especially gas prices.
It's too bad. It actually looked like a clean and nifty space.
Truckers only I feel. There are few indie places left on the services so I give them a try when I can.
Sometimes these roadside places have the best food. It is too bad that wasn't the case in this instance . It is also really easy for places like this to just have mediocre food. There isn't a ton of competition so they don't have any reason to up their game.
The food looked like greasy bacon etc.., OK if you are really hungry. We didn't try any.
Used to be a Little Chef. Spent many nights in the back of my van in that car park :-)
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Should I ask, doing what?
I was a courier, I lived on the road but that place was a meeting point for many of us indies at night. I met a guy from Aberdeen there twice a week about 3am. He took a package of mine up to Edinburgh for 9am and I took his 8am drop in Leeds back. If there were other drivers out on the road, we'd all do swapsies for the routes Aberdeen and London! It was a great life!
You wouldn't believe what goes on in the wee small hours in the logistics business ;-)
Looks rubbish and I hate surly staff. Although I do like a biscoff!!
Not the best place, it was that or the machine crap from the gas garage. When you need a coffee, anything will do at times!
Well at least you know now. But many times those little cafes turn out to be gems. Sorry this was not
Services cafes are rarely good, we just needed coffee! They are good in the US though, or so my memory tells me.
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