Date visited: Thursday 12th September 2024
The Cactus Tea Rooms & Bistro are at the south end of Weymouth Esplanade, on the ground floor of an eighteenth century building that is Grade II listed by Historic England. This is a large tearoom with two rooms for those wishing to take tea. There are three tables in the smaller room as well as the counter with cake display, and about a dozen tables in the larger room. Outside, there are about twenty tables, some with parasols/umbrellas, but most without.
The menu runs to six pages – five for food and one for beverages. Breakfast is served until midday. Main meals are cafe-style, all served with chips. Jacket potatoes, toasties and sandwiches are also offered. Three cakes and three bakes were on display at the counter. Beverages included ‘tea’, herbal tea or fruit tea, as well as coffees, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages.
I chose Wiltshire ham, egg and chips, a slice of coffee and walnut cake, and a pot tea for one, which came in total to £19.45. A side salad would have added another £3.95 to the bill. The cake included the pleasant surprise of plenty of walnut pieces within the cream filling. The tea was served with a second pot of hot water, ensuring there was just enough tea to last the two courses.
On a showery mid-week lunchtime near the end of the summer season, the four waiting staff were being kept very busy, which wasn’t helped by electronic payments being out-of-order at about the busiest point. When I arrived most tables were occupied, both inside and out; by the time I left a heavy shower had helped to clear most of the outside tables. If choosing to eat outside, be aware that the local seagulls and crows aren’t shy about sharing your meal!
Unusually, The Cactus Tea Rooms has a dress code. This could be summarised as “put some more clothes on if you’ve just come from the beach” and reflects the main source of business, day-trippers and holidaymakers. As one might expect, The Cactus Tea Rooms & Bistro has seasonal opening hours. It is open daily from 9 am to 9 pm at the height of the season, but with much more limited opening out-of-season. Out of season the opening hours can be a bit unpredictable too – this was my third attempt at visiting The Cactus Tea Rooms, it having been closed at short notice on both previous visits.
