A Gem of a Breakfast Spot in Bakewell - River & Roast Cafe

Thursday 13 Nov 2025 by Sticky Beak
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It’s always lovely to be invited out for breakfast (well, any time of day, actually) but even more so when you’ve literally just come back from holiday! Numan - owner of River and Roast in Bakewell – had extended the invitation before we’d gone on our jollies, but it had been too close to our departure for us to fit in a visit. However, the day had arrived for our visit, and the sun was trying to shine in Bakewell. We got the jalopy nicely parked up, and strolled back across the bridge over the river towards River and Roasts’ location, and were looking forward to sampling a delicious breakfast.

Before we could do that, though, we had to find the venue! Located in the building opposite the Co-Op (the one that has a colonnaded front, so not easy to miss), you’d think River and Roast would be easy to find, no? No; or at least no, if you’re us! There are signs out on the pavement, and then, when we got there, all we could see was ‘Flossies’. Don’t be total divvies like us; turn your heads 90degrees to the right, and River and Roast is right there, complete with ‘River and Roast’ sign and door – who knew! LOL

There are some stars to navigate which, when you reach the top, reveal a beautifully spacious, open-plan café, like some sort of culinary oasis in the town centre. Decorated in shades of Caramel, Mocha and rich Mahogany, the lighting is provided by recessed spheres centrally, and modern, clean wall lights. Lots of faux foliage adds a pop of colour to this vibrant, popular venue. Each table has plenty of space between it and its neighbour, and the layout means that the team can quickly accommodate larger groups. We witnessed a group of eight walk in and be seated within a minute just with the pushing together of two tables; this might seem a small thing, but in a busy tourist town, this is a big deal and one that often seems to pose a problem for venues.

River and Roast is a café where table service is offered, and it wasn’t long before a lovely lady came over to take our drinks orders: that’ll be a pair of Hot Chocolates, please, with no Cream or Marshmallows (£3.80 each). Both The Man and I said how rich and silky this Hot Choc was, and there was none of that ‘bitty’ residue left in the bottom of the glass either. Although we were there to have breakfast, the lunch and light-bites sounded blooming tasty, too: there are crowd-pleasers such as Omelettes, Paninis, Toasties and Jacket Spuds, as well as homemade delights like Moussaka, Lasagne, Shepherd’s Pie and Sausage-N-Mash.

His Nibs chose the English Breakfast (available all day, £10.40) and I fancied the River&Roast Eggs Benedict (£8.90) with a portion of Mushrooms on the side (£1.50). Numan is also the Chef and makes food fresh-to-order, so be prepared to wait a small time at peak and/or busy times. We weren’t waiting particularly long as it happened, but if we had’ve been waiting: it’s the weekend, no need for rushing! One of the team brought out our cutlery and napkins before our food was served, and sauces are in individual sachets in a bowl: salt and pepper pots are on the table.

You certainly can’t accuse Numan of serving lukewarm food – the clouds of steam puthered from His Nibs’ plate, and there was a puff of it when I cut into my perfectly poached eggs. My Eggs Benny are described as coming with a free Side Salad, Dressing, and Hollandaise, and let’s just say that Numan is an ambassador for the 5-a-day campaign – the salad was massive!! I was certainly eating a rainbow, too: chopped Iceberg Lettuce, juicy Sliced Tomatoes, Cucumber, Red Onion, Shredded Red Cabbage, and Coleslaw bound in the subtlest Mustard Mayo. The salad itself was filling, but I still had the smashed Avo-topped toasted Muffin, thick slices of Bacon AND the creamy-yolked Poached Eggs to savour. And, by golly, they were more than worth savouring.

If you like to get ‘bang for your buck’, you’ll certainly be happy at River and Roast; to describe Numan as a ‘feeder’ really doesn’t even come close to the mark! I had a huge pile of fried Mushrooms to contend with, and then there was The Man Birds’ portion of them to have as well. Good job I really do love ‘shrooms!

Across the table, The Man was chowing happily away on his sizeable Full English morsel. The Bacon and Sausage were both good quality; I had a piece of Sausage and it didn’t have that dreaded ‘repeat factor’ to it, despite being well seasoned. You can’t beat proper farmhouse rashers and the flavour of these particular ones was excellent: deep and meaty. Numan griddle fries his Eggs, producing a perfect circle that is bursting with taste from the runny yolk, and the Hash Browns were golden, crispy perfection on the outside and fluffy and soft inside. Being true to his classy self, His Nibs scooped up the sunny yolk with the Hash Brown, grinning happily as he did so.

Thick slices of toast come as part of the Full English, and these got scoffed in their intended form and as part of a second ‘brekkie within a brekkie’ in the guise of Beans on Toast. We had second drinks: another Hot Choc for me, a Black Coffee (£3) for The Man; the coffees are a good size, too: the sort that you’d expect from a café in days gone by. Us Brits need a hefty dose of caffeine to crack on in the morning!

With our tummies full and hydrated up-to-the-nines, we were soon making our ways to either end of the venue to our respective ‘facilities’. I have to say that I haven’t encountered many other Lavatories with as much appeal as these: the tiles resembled Japanese Kintsugi, the pale marble effect being punctuated by random lines of gold. The fittings were sleek and modern, and I loved the free-standing wash basin and its matte-gold monotap. Like the café, the lavs were spotlessly clean: 10/10 from us both.

River and Roast is dog-friendly and child friendly, just in case you were wondering. There really was nothing not to like here, so I’m more than happy to give Numan and his team Hot Wings. To book a table call 07593 799673 or email riverandroast-bakewell@outlook.com. River and Roast is open 7 days a week from 9am-3pm.