The Running Fox - Alnwick

Peter D.

We were out visiting Alnwick and whilst shopping we asked a young girl serving is there was a good place to get lunch, which she recommended this place.

On arrival we were luckily to get a table as this place gets quite busy and we were recommended to book if we were returning. We could see quite a few tables with reserved on them and some parties of people arriving whilst we were there.

Our drinks order was taken whilst we perused the menu and we observed some food coming out which looked most impressive.

We ordered two sandwiches one being a ham salad with cheese with chutney and a sausage cheese and chutney. Both came with a side order of crisps and were absolutely delicious however we were glad we ordered the small sandwich as we were stuffed after that but we did see some of the large sandwiches coming out. The sandwiches are made from freshly baked bread on the premises and the large sandwiches were cut doorstep style “huge”.

Whilst observing we saw a huge dessert come out and discovered it was a banoffee pie which looked very tasty.

This venue has also some gifts items for sale and we noticed they sold some Northumberland Tartan items which I have a nice collection at home. There is also a takeaway bakery section which my wife bought some of the banoffee pie to take home and she said it was absolutely delicious when she finished it later that evening.

Great little find and will definitely will be returning.

Julie W.

Love all branches of The Running Fox.
We visited the Longhoughton one for a birthday lunch and everything was lovely as usual.
Lovely food, great service and a nice setting.
We also got some takeaway foods for at home.

Matt A.

It was a lovely breakfast. I had the Eggy Breakfast in Bread, which had bacon, sausage, fried egg, tomato and mushroom in an eggy bread sandwich. My wife had the Eggs Benedict, with grilled ham and a beautiful hollandaise. She had a decaf latte and me a cafetiere, with fruit juice. All reasonably priced and well cooked.

caroline S.

We booked here for afternoon tea, having been to one of the other locations and enjoyed it.
Our experience was top notch from start to finish.
We were early arriving for our booking and the lady who welcomed us sorted a table straight away which was perfectly located to give us space for the dog to come in with us.
We decided on our afternoon tea options and shortly after, an incredible array of goodies was delivered.
From the sausage roll to the feta tart, cheese scone to salmon sandwich and Victoria sponge to the Bakewell tart, everything was delicious. Heated to perfection, beautiful and all fresh. It was an absolute delight.
We then had an issue (our fault) with a voucher we had and the staff member helping us could not have been more helpful, going above and beyond to get it sorted.
Thank you for a lovely afternoon.

Sean E.

This is a lovely spot just outside the centre of Alnwick. Really great food options for Gluten Free and vegetarian as well as all the staples with some flair and a twist.
I was really impressed by the quality and service. You have to drive to it but parking options are really limited during busy periods.
Coffee has good flavour with dairy free alternative milk options. Highly recommend.

Liz H.

Weird one , this one! It should be outstanding but......it wasn't!

Parking is definitely an issue! The poor people that live next to it!! There is some parking found the back which was full even though there didn't seem to be that many customers in. And there is some disabled parking at the side - which was also full!
It's a funny building - looks like an old community centre that's been done up. The outside is a bit messy, paint work needs cleaning and there's a whole wildlife garden growing in the gutters!! There is out door seating in the form of wooden benches, under trees, on the main road.
Once inside it is done out beautifully! Quite quirky but very nice.
It looked quite busy although there were empty tables but we decided to get takeaway coffee and cakes as we were on a tight schedule. So we waited at the counter to get served.....and waited ......and waited.....and waited!! Quite a crowd behind us now as a very harassed, older server shouted her way through us to get to a little side room with food. The food looked lovely - the lady looked/sounded very grumpy!
Eventually we were served by a young girl in glasses who was very pleasant but rushed off her feet ( as another two giggled together in the background ). She served us our cakes, ordered the drinks and said they'd be with us shortly. So we waited....and waited.....and waited! Eventually it was brought through to us without so much as an apology or a thank you! Rude!

And so to the food itself! The orange and white chocolate cheesecake was delicious!! I would certainly recommend it as was the sticky toffee/apple flapjack (?). Both were good healthy portions!!! No complaints there! The flat white was good BUT unfortunately, on my husband taking his first mouthful, he found it was so hot it actually left a blister on his tongue! Which is still painful this morning. The latte was disappointing even after leaving it to cool. Thin and not much taste.

Two coffees, two large slices of delicious cake to take out came to just over £14. I can live with that. I did read on one review where gratuities are added when paying by card so that's one to look out for. I'm happy to tip but only if I think it's deserving and I like to chose how much I give and not be told!

The interior is beautiful and there are little gifts that can be bought. Good quality take away accessories ( thick serviettes, bamboo knives, forks, spoons and sturdy cardboard boxes). Bonus points for that! Excellent choice of cake but would I go back Maybe I would definitely try one of their other local cafes when next in the area though. I think that this is one that, on the right day, it could be fabulous. Just not today.👍🏻

Hannah J.

Decided to come here while staying nearby in Howick. We came for lunch on one day and loved it so much that we came for breakfast towards the end of our holiday! Such a fantastic cafe, all the staff were lovely and were running the place brilliantly. I loved going up to the cake counter on our way out to choose some things and Ohmygod everything was amazing! I’m sure we will be back to Northumberland at some point and I will ensure we’re close to a running fox cafe!

Charlotte L.

Super cute little dog friendly cafe! Perfect for breakfast when camping at Coast & Castles! Delicious food, super friendly staff, lovely little deli & shop too!