The Country Pantry - Portsmouth

You must try the delicious Sunday roasts at this restaurant. Be sure to arrive early as it tends to fill up quickly due to its excellent value and fantastic flavors.

You would easily walk past this place and disregard it going by appearances, but venture in and you'll get a reasonable breakfast for a reasonable price. Basic cooking and surroundings nothing fancy just filling.

Good range of classic English breakfasts and lunches. One of the last traditional working class breakfast cafes in my area so I like to support them now and again.

I was a regular customer at the country pantry for many years and would overlook the staff’s general lack of welcome and their insistence on even the coldest of days to leave the back door wide open so that they could smoke outside. However, we were shocked and appalled that recently, mid-pandemic, our breakfasts were inadvertently served to the wrong table. This was irritating enough as we had been sitting and waiting patiently whilst other later-arriving customers were inexplicably served before us. Then, as the table prepared to eat, handling the plates and squirting condiments on the food, chatting over it, the plates were reclaimed by the staff and returned to the counter. There they stayed, never leaving my sight, until subsequent to a whispered conversation between waitresses, whereupon I heard the words ‘just do another egg on that one it’s got sauce on it’ one of the breakfasts was brought to me (presumably the one without the offending egg) and presented as my full English! Even pre-Covid-19 this would be absolutely disgusting, but considering the current potential for serious illness and perhaps worse, this ranks as the worst, greediest, most irresponsible and downright nasty and potentially criminal acts I’ve ever been victim of where food and drink is concerned. All the more disgusting is they were very ungracious when confronted by me, a regular customer. If anyone reads this, I would caution using this place, if they would do this, what other corners are they prepared to cut?

I had a great experience with the "Early Bird" breakfast at this restaurant. The meal was delicious and the atmosphere was pleasant. The staff was very helpful and accommodating. Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better dining experience.