Food and drink that we’ve tried and tested, restaurants, pubs, take aways and other places that serve food
What a gem. Lagoa Cafe is a family-run cafe that sells a great selection of Portuguese cakes, coffee and snacks.
Stroll there on a sunny (and not so sunny) day and you’ll be able to sit outside on the square opposite.
The owners Bruna and Luciano are super friendly and really engaged in community stuff.
Lagoa is the Portuguese word for ‘Lagoon’ – a stretch of water separated by sandbanks or coral reefs.
Now, here’s some news. A deli. What do I say, not just ‘a’ deli, but Luton’s first (as far as I’m aware). And it comes with all the bells and whistles that you’d expect from a fresh, trendy, dare I say ‘Londony-type’ neighbourhood deli. Or should that be pantry? But see for yourself.
They’re planning to have a bar, cafe and restaurant in the building as well, but that’ll come later (hopefully). We’ll keep you posted. For now, this stays in our ‘deli’ category.
Some of the fare on offer, and to try, at the Old Skool Pantry in Round Green.
Look. At. That. Bread. No wonder the young man behind the counter is smiling.
Cheese counter to reckon with.
Us tucking into some french Pamplie butter and ciabatta as soon as we were home from our first shop at the Old Skool Pantry.
Address: 359 Hitchin Road, Luton, LU2 7SW
Opening times (for now, until the restaurant opens): 8am to 6pm.
After a long time in the making, The Well pub opened just before Christmas last year.
We’ve been a couple of times, and the experience has been good. Landlady Victoria comes with armed with decades of experience under her belt, and we’re hoping that she’ll make it a big success of it.
It’s been really welcoming, with two snuggly seating areas at the very front, that let you watch the life go by through the big windows. I’d been hoping for a pub with a vista like this since I’ve arrived here!
Further along, there’s the bar, more seating and a stage/dance floor area. Live music is on the cards, and there’s certainly plenty of space for it, which is welcome in High Town.
We’re looking forward to see things develop.
The ‘Scandi’
This has very sadly closed in January 2015. We’ll post an update as soon as we know what will happen to the Scandi. It has served as a community hub cafe for 48 years (or thereabouts) and will be sorely missed.
This is a pretty pub at the top of Hitchin and Stockingstone street roundabout. It’s run by Greene King. When we visited, we particularly liked the outside seating area or ‘beer garden’.
This is a stub about the Bricklayers Arms on High Town Road. It is a real ale pub, where fans of Luton Town FC hang out before and after games.
A really friendly place, where some of the town’s more interesting people inhabit, but unless you are a Hatters fan, probably best to avoid when they have a home match.
Visit the Bricklayers Arms website.
“The Bricklayer’s Arms”
16-18 High Town Road
Luton
Bedfordshire
LU2 0DD
01582 611017
View Larger Map
Situated at the top of Hitchin Road, near the butcher’s and greengrocer previously mentioned, is a takeaway so popular that queues snake far out of the door on Friday and Saturday evenings: Chicken George.
How do the staff stay so friendly and quick while serving chicken every which way you could imagine? I do not know, but they know many of their customers by name too – a great sign – and unlike their many rivals, they have no need to stuff leaflets through your door every week telling you how good they are.
There is more to say, but we will have to grab a menu first to furnish you with a more detailed description.
And when did this place begin filling the hungry stomachs of Luton? I think the plaque says 1985 or 1986. Long may he reign over us.
“Chicken George”
345 Hitchin Road
Luton LU2 7SW
01582 720 723
A fairly new addition to Luton’s food landscape (est. 2011). Makes a tasty change from the burgeoning rows of chicken shops, although there is at least one of those worth writing about – more of which elsewhere.
This place is a family concern serving cheap snacks and meals from South India. Very different from the usual curries served across much of the town. Mostly veggie, but there is always one chicken dish on the menu. At time of writing, a filling portion of vegetable curry with rice will set you back the princely sum of £2.50. Why not try the ginger tea too? Made with a chunk of real ginger, it’s a perfect pick-me-up in cold weather.
At the moment, the snack bar is doing a roaring trade with South Indians attending the University of Bedfordshire, and a few adventurous souls who don’t have their origins in places such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
But be warned: it’s a mobile unit and the owner has told me that he will move to another town if there isn’t enough custom to sustain him.
Open from 9am to 7.30pm, seven days a week.
Teas from 9am; hot food from 11am; dosas (crackly, savoury pancakes) from 4.30pm.
You can find it on the pedestrian thoroughfare of George Street in the centre of Luton, competing with a range of other mobile food units, most of which I haven’t tried… yet.
Use it or lose it!
A new buyer was found, but hasn’t opened yet. We’ll keep you posted.
Here’s what we’re missing:
The loveliest place for fruit and veg, just down from the roundabout at the top of Hitchin Road, is Mr & Mrs Mini’s little greengrocery.
It may look like a bog standard greengrocer’s at first glance, but it is so much better than getting supermarket stuff. Having shopped there for most of our fruit and veg since we moved to the High Town area of Luton, we wouldn’t want to leave it off the site.
The Round Green Fruiterer’s opening hours are:
Monday: 8am – 5:30pm
Tuesday: 8am – 5:30pm
Wednesday 8am – 1pm
Thursday: 8am – 5:30pm
Friday: 8am – 6pm
Saturday: 7:30am – 5:30pm
Sunday: 9am – 12:30pm
Mr Mini sources local produce when available, so this summer we brought home pound after pound of the tastiest Bedfordshire mini plum tomatoes. He also stocks Bedfordshire honey, free range eggs, a selection of Italian staples like pasta and olive oil, bird food and even bedding plants.
The Minis offer great quality and they’ll kit you out with some recipe ideas as well.