Breakfast List #1, Breakfast #7, CJ's Café on Dalry Road

  Breakfast #7 on the list

CJ's Café on Dalry Road

Originally reviewed on April 19th, 2015 

His score: 5.2/6
My score: very nice food and would recommend for cooked breakfasts

He ate: full cooked breakfast for (£5) and this comes with tea or coffee included in the price, and then an additional cup of tea for £1.20
I ate: the exact same
Total cost: £12.40

Our pros: nice atmosphere; tastiest cooked breakfast I've had at a café; relaxed environment with approachable staff; toast came with the meal; decent portions, and it was the cheapest breakfast so far yet, so excellent value for money. 
Our Cons: no tea in pots, just mugs; very limited menu choices for breakfast; you seat yourself and go up to order though they do then bring the food to your table; a little strange in terms of the décor as they had a lot of Broons memorabilia in glass cabinets which seemed a little random, and during our visit they had a DVD player looping a Disney menu (with music) over and over again for the majority of our stay which was a little annoying though it did get sorted towards the end of our visit when one of the employees put a different DVD in.

Our experience: Honestly, Gary and I agreed that from the outside and from the minute we sat ourselves down in the café, we were judging it. 
It felt like your typical greasy spoon and I felt boxed in when we first sat down and I could barely move to get to the bathroom because there was someone sat directly behind me. 
The place also looked a little scruffy from the outside and tacky inside however, the longer we stayed the more we enjoyed it and the more homely it began to feel.
The café seems to be run by a couple (maybe that's me being presumptuous but it seemed like a husband and wife working together possibly) and they were both friendly and approachable from the minute we stepped inside. 

We got really warm service and felt very welcome in the café. 
The café had a very homely feel and even the food felt like a breakfast you might get at home. 
It was hot when it was handed over, unlike every other café we've been too so far where the food was already getting cold by the time it got popped on our table and it was actually really nice being brought a mug of tea pre-made (i.e. brewed with added milk) to our table so all we had to do was add our own sugar - of which they had a shaker AND sachets of on the table, we were VERY spoiled this week! They also had sauce on the table which was good! 
I was a little disappointed getting mugs of tea, purely because I just like the experience of getting a big pot of tea but at least the tea here was very cheap and we got big mugs. It made us feel like we were round at a friend's parents' house getting given breakfast in the morning - just warm, welcoming and we felt looked after.

However, the menu choices for breakfast were quite limited as 
there were only cooked breakfasts or variations of cooked breakfasts on rolls or with chips, or you could maybe get a panini if you wanted. But, the food was good and very cheap so I would say if you were in the area and really wanting a cooked breakfast then you would not be disappointed with this place. 

Halfway through our stay an old woman poked her head in the front door and told the (male) employee stood at the DVD player (he finally turned off the looping Disney menu after 20 minutes!) that he had "lost a customer" because she'd been told off for using the toilet the previous week without buying anything. 
The employee just said "Ok, see you later then. Have a nice weekend!" and the woman said goodbye and left. The guy then called to the woman who worked there "oh, we've lost a customer!" and she called back "oh no(!)". 
Gary and I were in hysterics at the nearby table as we'd listened to the entire exchange. The employee then explained to us that this woman had dashed in the previous week to use the toilet without asking and then run out again after and I remarked saying "how can she say you've lost a customer when she never bought anything from here?!". 
It was nice seeing how he dealt with the old women who was clearly in the wrong as he was calm and polite about it and then bid her a good day. It just seemed like the couple running the place were very laid back and down to earth people so weirdly it actually added to the experience witnessing this 'customer' come in to complain. 

The café seemed the be stocked full of Oor Wullie and Broons memorabelia for sale and decoration and also appeared to sell DVDs which was an interesting but bizarre feature. 
It did honestly feel more like being round at a mate's mum's house for breakfast more than going to a café but I mean that in a nice way - it felt personal, warm and friendly and the food was prepared well and not in a slapdash, mass-produced way like some cafés do it trying to get as much food to customers as quick as possible. 

If I was really in the mood for a cooked breakfast then I would definitely go back here and the prices were a lot fairer than every other café we've been to so far. It also seemed relaxed enough to sit there for quite a while after food and just chat for a bit. Not the best café we've been to so far but the food was good, the service was warm and friendly and we were happy with our breakfasts. 

What’s next: Roseleaf on Sandport Place.