--Taybarns--

I had only ever heard of Taybarns, until a couple of weeks ago when I was in Newcastle, and decided to go there for a meal.

Taybarns describes itself as 'The Ultimate Value All You Can Eat Family Restaurant' which I would say is an accurate description. The restaurant serves food in a buffet format, and boasts a '34 metre food line' for its customers to choose their food from.

Upon arrival at the restaurant I could see it was a large building, and there was ample parking outside it. Inside Taybarns it was large and roomy and there were many tables-they obviously get very busy during peak hours. We were greeted by an enthusiastic member of staff behind the bar, we ordered our drinks from her and paid for our buffets, and then were shown to our table and told just to help ourselves to the food as and when we wanted to.

--The Food--

As mentioned above, there is a rather long 'food line' at the restaurant from which to choose meals from. One of the main attractions of Taybarns is the choice of food they offer. The food includes freshly made pizzas, roast meat and vegetables, various pasta bakes, different curries, chinese style food, fish and chips, soup, salads, a BBQ section, and several desserts.

I was a bit spoilt for choice when I got there, which did unfortunately lead to me eating an amount of food I am not proud of! I started with some cheese pasta bake, pizza, and salad. There was a large choice of pizzas, pastas, and salads so I'm sure there would have been something for everyone. You can also have a made to order pizza, whereby they make a small one for you with whatever toppings you want. I chose a made to order pizza which took a long time to prepare. I was full by the time it arrived but ate it anyway.

I then went for fish and chips, but I will add here that the fish is a quite small piece of battered fish, rather than a full one, and I just had a few chips. Even I wouldn't be able to eat a full plate of fish and chips as well as lots of other food!

I then had a few other bits of food including some more pasta bake, some soup and bread, and a burger. By this time I was really full but then I ventured over to the dessert section and was again spoilt for choice! The dessert choices included profieroles, cheese cake, carrot cake, chocolate fudge cake, and apple pie, and there was cream, custard and chocolate sauce to go with them. I couldn't decide between cheesecake and profiteroles so I had both and went for some chocolate sauce too.

To drink I had various fizzy drinks which all come with free refills.

All the food was nice but basic. It was what I expected to be honest, the value for money and the large amount of food available made it pretty clear that the food was not going to be gourmet, but at the same time it certainly wasn't bad, and I did enjoy my meal. The fish in particular was really yummy and the pizza was delicious too. The pasta bake tasted quite bland but I enjoyed it too and did have second helpings of it! The desserts again were enjoyable but nothing outstanding. All in all I would say the food reminds me of school dinners in a way, but nice school dinners all the same.

--Prices--

You pay a set fee once you arrive at Taybarns, and this covers all your food whilst you're there. The price varies slightly depending when you go.

It costs £6.20 per person if you go on a weekday before 5:00 pm and then after that time it costs £8.25 a head. Weekends cost slightly more at £8.75 each, which is still great value. For kids you pay £4.20 and most soft drinks are about £2. Many of the drinks choices come with free refills so you can have as much as you want included in the price of one drink.

--Service--

Obviously as it is a buffet there is no waiting staff who take your order or bring your food over. However they do come over and check you're ok for drinks and that you have everything you need. Everyone working there when I went was friendly and chatty and all generally very nice.

--Locations--

There are only seven Taybarns in the UK and these are located in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Barnsley, Wigan, Coventry, South Shields and Swansea.

The restaurant has only been around for three years so maybe more branches will be opened in the future, but for now, there are many people who will not have one nearby. I only went there because I happened to be in Newcastle, I would not be able to go if I was at home (unless I drove 70 miles just for a meal.)

--My Thoughts--

All in all I enjoyed my meal at Taybarns, despite being too full to move afterwards. It's not somewhere I would go all the time but I'm sure I will go back occasionally when I fancy a good value meal and a wide range of choices where I can eat as much as I want! I think it's a restaurant where you get what you expect and I award it 4 stars.