Overview

This was a nice central spot in Hyde Park to get some lunch. It had a good selection of hot and cold food to choose from and lots of seating options. We went on a gloriously sunny day; I might have got a little bit sunburnt as we opted to sit outside! On first arrival, I thought I wasn’t going to be able to get in as the front entrance had steps and no signage about a step-free entrance. However, after some searching, we were pointed in the right direction and made it inside. The seating inside would have been a bit cramped, but we were really keen to sit outside anyway. There were a lot of seating types to choose from and it had a lovely view of the river. One thing I would say is there were a lot of blackbirds hanging around and some people did have a bit of trouble making sure the blackbirds didn’t make a swipe for their lunch! The toilets weren’t the nicest, but given they are the most central toilets for Hyde Park with lots of the main attractions of the park nearby, they are probably used a lot. There was a lovely view when sat outside and we were right next to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain and the Serpentine Lido.

Transport & Parking

This cafe is located in the centre of Hyde Park, so the closest public transport locations still require a bit of walking to then get to this spot. Tubes: Paddington tube station is one mile away from this location and Earl's Court tube station is 1.8 miles away. These are the closest tube stations with step-free access. Buses: There are a large number of bus stops around the outside of Hyde Park. This includes: 2, 6, 9, 13, 23, 36, 49, 52, 70, 74, 94, 137, 148, 274, 360, 390, 452, N2, N9, N32, N74, N137, N207. As this location is in the middle of the park, you would have to walk to the edge of the park to find bus stops. There are lots of bus stops to choose from around the edge of the park though. Parking: There is a car park located just 0.2 miles from the cafe which is called the Serpentine car park. This is a pay and display car park and has 3 disabled spaces.

Access

The main entrance had a few steps into the building and there wasn’t any signage for an accessible entrance. I had to ask my friend to go in and speak to a member of staff to ask about a ramp or separate entrance. The entrance ended up being on the left-hand side of the building (when facing the building), tucked behind a large bush. It was a door that opened inwards and wasn’t too heavy, but the handle was a little bit high. Once inside, it was a bit cramped, especially getting from the accessible door to the main food section. I also would have struggled to sit inside without blocking other people's way. Luckily, the weather was lovely so we sat outside. The food section had fridges with sandwiches, cold drinks, crisps and pastries. There was also a menu for hot food that you could order to your table. The cold fridges were set into a worktop, so while I managed okay, some may find it difficult to lean over and see or reach inside. The main counter for ordering and paying was also quite high. The indoor seating was wooden tables and chairs which could be moved, but like I mentioned, it was quite cramped. The outdoor seating had a lot of variety and space. There were a mix of bar-height benches and stools, picnic-style benches which were fixed to the floor but had spaces at either end where a wheelchair user could sit, and metal slatted tables and chairs which were all moveable and also had a mix of smaller tables for 2-4 and larger ones for 6-8.

Toilets

The toilet wasn't the cleanest, or nicest smelling, and it was quite small. It required a RADAR key to get inside, and the staff in the cafe did have a RADAR key there too for anyone who didn’t have one on them. The toilet also doubled up as the baby-changing facilities. I did unfortunately have a member of staff come and unlock the door for someone while I was inside. If I were to use these loos again, I would only do so if I had someone with me that could wait outside to make sure no one entered while I was in there. The toilet was quite cramped; there wasn’t a lot of room for me to manoeuvre around in there despite my wheelchair being pretty small. It was also quite messy and not particularly clean. Given that these toilets are public and are the closest to three different eating spots, the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain and the Serpentine Lido, they are probably used quite frequently. Someone had even left a slice of pizza on the radiator, which made me chuckle! The door opened inwards with a RADAR key and wasn’t heavy. It had frosted glass which meant I was able to anticipate when someone was trying to come in. However, I'm unsure what that meant for others being able to see movement inside while I was in there. There weren’t any coat hooks inside. There were four fixed grab rails, three mounted vertically and one horizontally, and one grab rail that could be raised and lowered. The toilet had a small amount of space for a left-side transfer onto the toilet. The tap was an automatic, sensor-operated tap and so was the wall-mounted hand dryer. There was a waste bin underneath the hand dryer which made it a bit hard to reach in my wheelchair. However, the dryer didn’t actually work, so I had to shake my hands off and hope for the best! The toilet had baby-changing facilities inside. There were also two mirrors: a very narrow one mounted perpendicular to the hand dryer and another mounted on the wall opposite the door.

Staff

My friend had to talk to three separate people before someone was able to explain where the accessible entrance was, which was quite frustrating for us. We weren’t sure if it was miscommunication or if there were only a few members of staff who were familiar with the accessible entrance and its location. It made it much more difficult to get inside and had I been on my own I likely would have left and gone somewhere else. Staff were helpful at the counters, and if you ordered hot food then it was brought to your table for you whether that was inside or outside.

Photos