Gaskyns - Arun

Just over the bridge, and therefore away from the main tourist beat, this place has to be just that bit better, and it is. Spotlessly clean with chirpy staff, picture gallery and small terrace, it ensured that we will revisit next time that we are in Arundel. There is one outside table on the pavement at the front, and it was this that attracted us initially to the place..

We visited as a family of 5 whilst on the way to the Arundel festival and arrived late morning. The breakfast/lunch menu looked ok and the staff were nice but the food was poor. The mushrooms with the breakfast were dried instead of fried and the offered poached eggs were not available and the fried alternative not cooked properly. I wasn’t convinced that the bacon was cooked properly either. If this is just been one plate it might have been a mistake but all our meals were poor. Disappointing.

Based just off Arundel town centre, Gaskyns is a friendly casual cafe/ restaurant with lovely food and nice friendly staff. Prices reflect its close proximity to both Arundel Castle and other attractions but won’t disappoint your palate. Would highly recommend when visiting the area.

We were staying at The Norfolk Arms for a couple of nights, in a dog friendly room, and had decided to have brunch in town, as the hotel stops serving breakfast at 9.30 a.m., which was too early for us. The hotel provided a basic visitor map for the town and Gaskyns advertised as being friendly “for well behaved dogs and children”. The café is in a nice historic building, of which there are many in Arundel, just a short walk from The Norfolk Arms, over the bridge. It is linked to the store next door, possibly with the same owners. There are a wide range of options in the all day breakfast menu. I opted for the Spanish breakfast chorizo and fried eggs, cooked in the same pan, with cherry tomatoes, on toast. Jacci had beans on toast, a healthier option. The service was prompt and friendly. We enjoyed it so much, that we went back the next day! We would definitely eat here again, though we heard through the grapevine that the building may revert to residential use at some point.

Try parking outside as we did by accident when looking for a place to have brunch. We certainly overstayed the one hour time limit and we enjoyed an excellent selection of dishes, served in a friendly and timely manner. Very relaxed and welcoming café highly recommended.