The Place to Meet Lingfield - Review

Despite being a relatively small village on the Surrey-Kent-Sussex border Lingfield has quite a lot going on. The racecourse just outside the village brings horse racing fans from across the South East to the relatively quiet village. This means however that the village has a lot of hungry betters to cater for, with three Indian restaurants, a Thai restaurant, a chip shop, Chinese takeaway and three cafes, there’s almost too much to choose from! Considering that the high street is not particularly long that’s quite a feat! 

The Place to Meet from the other side of the road

Located at the end of the high street which leads to the racecourse, The Place to Meet advertises itself as a family friendly place to catch up with friends over a cup of coffee. It has a section of the cafe dedicated to children’s play things and the decor is bright and airy. I’ve visited this cafe a few times since it opened a few years ago and I’ve enjoyed every visit, from popping in for coffee to meeting friends for lunch. 

The staff are friendly, taking the time to chat to regulars, and the atmosphere is relaxed. Despite the fact it caters for parents with small children it is popular with all ages, as girls in our early 20s my friend and I were joined by an array of ages from retired couples to young families, all in perfect harmony!

They serve the usual food you would expect in a cafe, sandwiches, baguettes, wraps and warm soups. You can choose the type of bread you want in your sandwich and they even do gluten free bread for an extra charge. Yet this cafe isn’t the type of place to slap a sandwich on your plate and shove it on your table! Care is taken to make your meal interesting, cutting sandwiches into small triangles and serving them with a handful of tortilla chips and a salad. I had a chicken Caesar salad wrap, which was the special of the day, it was great, the chicken and the sauce were really tasty. 

My chicken Caesar salad wrap

 

The attention to detail is what really makes it stand out from other coffee shops, this is particularly evident in the drinks. On top of the usual coffees and teas they also do milkshakes and smoothies, my friend ordered a smoothie which she said was really tasty but it came with a cute bendy straw which made it all the more interesting! The latte I ordered also came with a caramelised biscuit, something that most coffee shops now neglect to do, but its these touches that make the customer feel special, so it was great!

 

Every time I’ve been here I’ve had a really good experience, it’s just what Lingfield needs, somewhere that welcomes everyone with food for a reasonable price. I’m always suggesting to meet my friends here and it’s great to be able to find somewhere nearby that does a good coffee! 

Vicki xx