The Mariner Cafe Bistro

We noticed signs for the Mariner restaurant while we were around the Stratford upon Avon boat area, but thought it was a little out of the way, however it turned out we had a boat tour booked right next to it so decided to check it out. It’s honestly just a 5 minute walk from the main boat area and most definitely worth it!
The inside seating area was modern and cosy, they had the candles on the table sitting in a glass container of salt and pepper which I thought was quite original and quirky, they also have an outdoor seating area which overlooks the river Avon and it is really lovely.
The staff were very friendly and helpful, particularly with the veggie options. They had a good range of ‘specials’ and were very happy to substitute meat for vegetarian options.
I ordered the veggie meatball and pasta option, while my friend ordered a rack of ribs with chips. The portion sizes were huge! We were both thinking we should’ve skipped cake and coffee at tea time lol. Everything was well seasoned and very tasty, my friend got a finger dip bowl with the ribs and a bone plate which I thought was really great customer service. Our drinks were topped up very quickly when asked. The owner is a lovely gentleman he is really involved with each customer. He was serving the food, but also kept going round to check all the customers were ok and if they needed anything. He even counted our drinks out to us in Punjabi when we first got there which was really sweet and unexpected.
After our meal we sat outside to finish off our drinks, and they have a fleecy blanket basket! That was such a lovely touch as it had gone quite chilly by the evening, so it was so nice so get all cosy in your blanket while you finished your drink and watched the sun go down over the river Avon… also some of the blankets were bright pink, extra bonus!
The bathrooms were super clean! And I mean spotless… so very impressed!
Overall a wonderful place to have lunch or dinner or even coffee, and I will most definitely visit again next time I visit Stratford upon Avon.