Ice-cream in the countryside
3.5
3.5
Date of visit: February 2018
Overall Rating
Good
The Milk Barn is a very family-friendly ice-cream parlour in Falkirk countryside, but be aware that it can be super busy! Unable to book a table, we attempted to visit on a Saturday lunchtime. Pandemonium best describes the experience - which is why I've dropped stars for accessibility. That being said, I'd imagine it would be a nice relaxing place to visit mid-week without the crowds. The ice-cream is excellent.
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
Double glass doors into the building via a smooth, gently ramped surface. Buggies and prams seem to get stored in the small entry way between the two sets of double doors which does reduce the space here. This area is also where queues form, so we found ourselves shifting back and forward lots as we waited to be seated. It is exceptionally noisy in The Milk Barn when it's at full capacity. With a small children's play area inside and outside, the noise levels are immense. After around a twenty minute wait for a table, we were seated at the back of the restaurant which was a little calmer. However, it took around 45 minutes for our food to arrive after that. There were people moving around everywhere between tables making it feel very busy, and this was made worse by the fact that you have to order at the till - at the same place people must stand to order ice-cream too. To get ice-cream, you have to go through two queuing systems - one to pay (first) and get a ticket, the second to actually get your ice-cream and choose your flavours. This is confusing, time-consuming and not the most accessible ways of doing things. At a quieter time, this would be manageable and I'm sure staff would have greater capacity to assist if required. It just wasn't the case when we visited.
Parking & Transport
Good
There is a car park for visitors as The Milk Barn isn't conveniently close to public transport. The car park is fairly big, but it is gravelly making it a little bumpy to cross.
Accessible Toilets
Good
Through a small corridor, there is an accessible toilet. I didn't use this, but there was a wide, clear space to reach the door to the toilet corridor.
Staff
Good
They were very friendly despite being totally rushed off their feet. Star is lost only because the cafe was very clearly understaffed which made the experience difficult.
Additional Information
If I return to The Milk Barn, it will be for a takeaway ice-cream - because the ice-cream really is excellent! The atmosphere inside however, is not.
