Update 10.03.2018 – Cafécino’s has sadly closed. Sorry to see them go, they did fantastic sandwiches.

If you’re looking for lunch in the centre of Barnstaple, try Cafécino’s for a sensational sandwich.

Why it’s on my list

When you think of lunch, one of the first things that springs to mind will likely be the humble sandwich. Now I’m not a huge sandwich person, and in my lunchbox I avoid it in favour of crackers and cheese, but I’ve heard talk of an excellent establishment that offers super sandwiches in the centre of Barnstaple – Cafécino’s by the Pannier Market. I thought to myself, ‘let’s see if they can make me change my mind’…

Restaurant Information

Website: http://cafecino.co.uk/

Location: Guildhall Arches, High Street, Barnstaple

Opening times: Open Monday to Saturday 8.30am-5pm (food served until 4pm), closed on Sunday

Anything else?: As well as being able to eat in, they offer a takeaway service and can do a buffet if you need to feed a crowd

Overall verdict

Well…turns out I quite like sandwiches, at least when it’s a good one! And Cafécino’s certainly provided – bravo.

What I had

As I’ve heard good things about their sandwiches, I had to go for one of these – the tricky part was choosing the filling. I was tempted by hoisin duck (!) and the sweet chilli chicken, but I was in the mood for mayo so I went for chicken and bacon with mayo. White or granary? Granary please, and super thick slices they were!

Perhaps I should have put a bottle cap or something in the photo. The filling looks small in the picture than it actually wascbecause of the sheer size of the slices of bread, but I can promise you that there was plenty of delicious filling, and a good amount to balance those thick slices of bread.

The sweet treats in the chilled cabinet were too tempting to pass up, so I decided to share a slice of something with my husband. He let me choose (naturally ;)) so I picked a rather yummy looking Malteser slice. It was white chocolate on top of a biscuity base (probably Maltesers), with Maltesers dotted all over it.

We were also extremely tempted by the caramel shortbread, rocky road (both white and milk chocolate versions available) and the brownies, particularly the creme egg version.

The best

I couldn’t possibly say whether the sandwich or Malteser slice was better, so I’m not going to. Both were really tasty – the sandwich filling was generous, with plenty of mayo, and the quality of the bread was excellent.

The Malteser slice was so delicious that it resulted in sounds like ‘mmm’ and ‘ooh’ involuntarily escaping from my lips, but I am glad I shared it with my husband as it was quite sweet. Sweet enough for two people, for sure.

Not the best

A napkin was provided with the sandwich, but not with the Malteser slice. Due to the warm sunshine and frequent passing of the slice from hand to hand, I think we could have done with a few napkins for the slice too. Will remember to pick up a few next time.

The venue

We decided to take our sandwiches away and eat them sitting on Castle Green, which is a lovely expanse of green grass by the library. It was a sunny day, so takeaway was the perfect option for us.

For those who would want to eat in, it is quite small, but it’s not cramped. It looked comfortable enough and if you sit near the window there is plenty of opportunity for people watching, and as it is right by the High Street it is quite a good location for it.

Plus, I do love a humourous chalk board!

Top tip

Don’t pass up the opportunity to have a sweet treat from the cabinet – go on! You don’t have to eat it all in one go!