I ate at the little-known Home Bargains Café — an ‘immense’ 99p treat blew me away
There’s a beeping sound that keeps going off, the kind of noise you’d expect to hear on a hospital ward.
But the incessant sound isn’t coming from a heart rate monitor – it’s an oven, signalling that a cheese toastie is ready to be served.
I’m sitting in a Home Bargains Café in West Drayton at 1pm on a Monday, and that beeping hasn’t let up for half an hour, thanks to the constant stream of customers ordering hot food.
There are 16 tables in the place, and right now, 11 of them are occupied, with a queue of people still waiting to order.
Before this week, I wasn’t even aware that discount retailer Home Bargains had cafés, and for good reason – they’ve only existed for a few months, and there are only a handful of them dotted around the UK.
There might be more than 600 Home Bargains stores nationwide, but only 34 of these have a café: 27 in England, three in Scotland, two in Wales and two in Northern Ireland.
Online, the cafés have received rave reviews, with fans hailing them ‘amazing’ and ‘a lovely place’.
On Facebook, Sam Stratford praised them as a ‘good option for a cheap meal’, adding that he thought the scones were ‘immense’. Others claimed they were ‘obsessed’ with the cheese toasties, while reviewer Grumpy Northern Foodie rated his breakfast a ‘10/10’.
Laura Melissa was also impressed, sharing that the cheese toasties taste ‘really similar to M&S ones’.
After comments like these, I knew I needed to head down to give one a try, and see if the little-known cafés actually live up to the hype – and spoiler alert: it was pretty decent.
Sure, it’s noisy, but according to the café team leader, Cristian Troanca, that’s just because I visited at one of the busiest periods of the day. Lunch times and weekends are peak times, he tells me, and there’s often a bit of a rush in the morning too, as people pop in for breakfast.
What’s on the menu at a Home Bargains Café?
I’m immediately surprised by the wide selection, from crumpets with Nutella or jam, to pepperoni pizza paninis and hot dogs. However, not all Home Bargains café menus are made equally.
‘What’s on the menu varies depending on the area you’re in. Outside of London, the menus are different,’ Cristian shares. ‘You can get things like beans on toast, cheese on toast and soup outside of London.’
The most popular items on the menu in West Drayton at the moment are the £1.99 milkshakes and smoothies, as well as the new southern fried chicken wrap (£2.75) – but sadly I didn’t get a chance to try any of these as they were out of stock, proof perhaps of just how popular these cafés are among those in the know.
But Cristian adds that all the cafés have been experiencing stock issues, which he’s hopeful will soon be resolved.
I asked him what else is commonly ordered and he pointed me towards the breakfast rolls (bacon or sausage, £1.99) the toasties and the selection of sweet treats. Customers apparently love the cakes and usually there are four different ones to choose from, but today only two are available – cherry and almond (79p a slice) and lemon drizzle cake (£1.49 a slice).
There’s a selection of pastries which Cristian says get cooked the night before. This includes chocolate twists, cinnamon whirls, doughnuts, cookies and croissants, most of which cost 89p.
I opted for the four cheese toastie (£2.75) and one of the fruit scones (99p). I paired this with a pot of tea and my total came to £4.75 – a number I double checked twice on the receipt.
Less than £5 for lunch in London???! Unbelievable.
How does the food really taste?
I’ll admit, I didn’t have high hopes when I saw the toastie came from a packet, but the sandwich that was plopped on my plate looked more appetising than ones I’ve had from the likes of Costa or Starbucks, where you’d be paying more than double the price.
The top boasted a beautifully golden layer of molten cheese that made my mouth water, but sadly the bottom of the toastie was a little soggy, presumably from where it had been defrosted and reheated. (Cristian explained everything that is kept in the fridges is frozen and defrosted the night before.)
In terms of the taste, this is touted as the ‘ultimate’ cheese toastie, but I’d say that’s a bit of a stretch. It is a solid cheese toastie though! There’s no impressive cheese pull, but it definitely hits the spot and overall I was pretty happy with it for the price.
As for the scone, it appeared a little hard and dry, but surprisingly the texture was perfect. Nice and soft on the inside, with a slight crisp on the outside where it had been heated up. It’s a little on the small side, but for 99p, I wasn’t too bothered.
I do have to warn scone purists though – they’re served here with cream and jam, but there’s no clotted cream in sight. Instead, they come with *shudders* squirty cream. I was prepared for it, as I’d seen a picture online, but I’m sure this will really trigger some people.
It’s not traditional, but it’s tasty all the same. Honestly, I was blown away by how much I enjoyed it.
When’s the best time to visit a Home Bargains Café?
You can get food at the café any time of the day during the store’s opening hours.
We’ve already heard that the mornings and early afternoon are busiest, with the products being restocked after the lunch rush at about 1:30pm – so if you’re worried about them running out of your favourite snack, this could be the time to visit.
Those that want to enjoy a cup of tea and slice of cake in a calmer atmosphere might be better off waiting until the last 60 minutes of the day though as ‘it’s very quiet between 4pm and 5pm,’ Cristian says.
There’s also another big perk to visiting at this time, because at 3:30pm each afternoon the team slash the price of everything in the pastry counter by 50% – so you’ll be able to nab yourself a treat for less than 50p.
As the baked goods only have a shelf life of 24 hours and are cooked the night before, the staff reduce it by half price (or more depending on how much is left) to avoid food waste.
‘Some people come in everyday at the same time to take advantage of the bargains,’ Cristian reveals.
What’s the vibe?
At midday on a Monday, the place is packed with elderly couples drinking coffee and tucking into bacon rolls. There are also mums with young children drinking Fruit Shoots, and friends meeting up for a cup of tea and a good natter after doing their weekly shop.
In one corner seat, a woman is having a nap, tucked up under her fluffy coat like a blanket, an empty plate on the table in front of her. She’s clearly killing time as she waits for her phone to charge.
Businessmen in suits make an appearance while I’m there, but they don’t stay long – grabbing a drink and toastie to take away with them.
In a few hours, the café will be filled with kids and students, according to Cristian, who says youngsters love to drop by after school for one of the milkshakes.
‘We also have our regulars,’ he says. ‘Some people come in everyday just to visit the café and they order the same thing every day too.’
And what is it these people are coming back time and time again for? The breakfast sandwiches.
Final verdict
People weren’t wrong when they said the Home Bargains Cafés were good value – you could feed an entire family of four for a little more £10, which is practically unheard of these days.
Yes, it’s all rather basic stuff, but the taste is actually pretty decent considering the cost.
It’s not going to be my go-to lunch spot, but if I was hungry and in the area, I’d definitely eat there again.
When budgets are getting ever tighter, it’s great to have options like this where people can eat out without breaking the bank and leave with their bellies satisfactorily full.
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