Review: Sitting in a Longton lounge with a toastie

Longton’s ‘The Lounge’ is a Coffee House and Bar which opened in July of last year. From what I could tell, it seemed to only have a small food offering with the bar only opening later on Fridays and Saturdays and having driven past numerous times when visiting the in-laws I’d become intrigued to see what it was all about.

As I walked in with my husband, Simon, we were informed we could sit anywhere so after snapping a pic of the cake counter, we took our seats in the second of The Lounge’s two rooms. The café looked great with an art deco style decor, original features, fancy lighting, and a choice of comfy sofas in the window or table seating. There were a couple of other tables taken but being quite a large cafe, it wasn’t busy.

As I had suspected, the food offering wasn’t great, probably the smallest menu I’ve ever seen. After looking on social media I had hoped I’d missed a more varied menu or something, but this wasn’t the case.

I went for a Ham and Cheddar Cheese Toastie (£5.95) with a side of Skinny Fries (£3.50) and Simon chose the Tuna Melt Toastie (£5.95) and added the advertised soup of the day – Cauliflower (£3.50). Whilst eating I realised I hadn’t been asked what bread I’d like for my toastie, but I did notice gluten free bread was available on the menu. My eyes lit up at the speciality drinks menu and I ordered a Biscoff Iced Latte (£5.35) whilst Simon had an Americano (£2.85) with milk (30p).

Review: Lunch and playtime at this very family friendly South Ribble cafe

Simon’s mum had visited the cafe for drinks before and recommended it, so coffee snob Simon’s expectations were high and thankfully were met as Simon stated his coffee was excellent. I’d have expected my iced latte to arrive in a fancy glass but oddly, it came in a plastic takeaway cup. However, it was a deeeelight.

Unfortunately, the food was pretty average. The toasties were made with what seemed to be thinly sliced supermarket bread and looked like one I’d make at home whilst in a rush with no time to make something decent for tea. The fries were nice and although Simon thought his soup was alright, I tried it and thought it was rather bland. There was nothing special about our lunch and it made me wonder what this place was trying to be. I realise it’s a Coffee House and Bar, and they don’t really shout about lunch, but it’s a large and lovely looking cafe and I do think the food offering could be so much more. Pizza is served at the weekend via The Lounge’s neighbour Papa’s Pizzeria.

Right… it was time for cake. I always get to pick both desserts when I’m with Simon (lucky me), so I chose a Lemon and Poppyseed Cake (£3.25) and a Bakewell Slice (£3.25). The Lemon and Poppyseed was my favourite of the two – sweet, delicious, and creamy, but the Bakewell Slice was also a jammy almondy slice of yumness. Cake saves the day, story of my life.

At £32.95, we thought it was expensive for the quality of the lunch. The service was perfectly fine and the cakes and coffees were lovely so I’d visit again for the sweet treats but won’t be back for savoury food any time soon.

The Lounge serve milkshakes and ice cream so I can see it being popular for sweet treats in the summer with outdoor seating available. On the bar side, bottles of San Miguel and wine are available with one draught option of Birra Moretti whilst I spotted a very decent selection of gin. The Lounge have entertainment at the weekend and are planning daytime workshop type events. I’m still a little confused about what The Lounge is but there is definitely potential to attract a wider customer base in what is such a fantastic space with a better food offering.

Been to The Lounge? Let me know what you thought.

Read more: All of Louise’s reviews

Subscribe: Keep in touch directly with the latest headlines from Blog Preston, join our WhatsApp channel and subscribe for our twice-a-week email newsletter. Both free and direct to your phone and inbox.