The Bay Tree

I would give 5 stars for the cinnamon scone. But that doesn’t reflect the rest of the menu.
The food is nice enough. Though if I was in Holywood I would eat in the Yard then go to Bay Tree for a scone. Which I did today. Lol
Good to see all the evening events etc. Lots of fish on the menu. Not quite to my taste buds.

A quirky café situated on the busy Holywood High Street. The staff are very friendly which creates a nice atmosphere. I ordered a baked potato with tuna although this technically wasn’t on the menu the staff/​chef were able to accommodate my want.

A friend and I popped in for breakfast on Friday, and what a joy.
It has been some time since I’ve been in, and I was thrilled to see it hadn’t changed. Cosy corners for cosy chats, and busy enough to provide a nice buzz on a cold morning.
We both went for the big breakfast. The service was a little slow, so by the time it arrived we were starving, but we certainly weren’t by the time we left. It was filling and not at all greasy the way some breakfasts can be, with a healthy dose of carbs in the shape of 3 different types of fried bread!
Because it is hidden down a cute alleyway it feels like a little solace in the car park which is Holywood main street, so hunt it out, you won’t be disappointed.

Lunch here made my day — we stumbled on the place with 3 hungry children. The atmosphere is cozy. The staff is friendly. The food is great! It’s not ‘kid fare’ but they made my picky eater a bacon sandwich (not in the menu) so everyone was happy. My husband had brunch of the month — super! My daughter had the baked potato — super too! I forget the name of what I had, but it was mushroom, bacon and cheese in a mini-​casserole dish — super three!

This place was absolutely buzzing at 11am. I think that the situation of this coffee shop/​restaurant adds to its quaintness. It is situated down a kind of alleyway and to get to it you have to pass other cool little boutique shops — its got the feeling of the lanes in Brighton if you have ever been.
The smell of cinnamon literally whacks you up the face as you approach the little take away area — I love cinnamon and I can’t wait until Autumn when I can put on my woolly hat and scarf and call in for a cinnamon scone — cinnamon means Autumn to me.
As is everything in Holywood, it’s a little bit pricey. I suppose it deserves to be as it has been awarded by loads of different magazines and food gods from all over the UK — Best restaurant in Northern Ireland, listed in the Top 100 restaurants in Ireland and listed in the Good Food Guide.
I wanted to buy some takeaway food from their GO! section to save myself cooking dinner that night. When you walk in there is a huge menu listing all the goodies — creamy chicken casserole with bacon and mustard, beetroot and coconut curry and aubergine and black bean chilli plus a few others. The girl behind the counter told me that they would be about £6.00 but that would only be enough for one person. I decided to leave it but it smelt and looked good.
Having never eaten in this restaurant I feel like I am missing out — everyone raves about it so I’m going to get the old man to take me here some night for dinner.
I would recommend The Bay Tree just based on the smell, its reputation and the quaintness alone.

When I worked in Holywood you always waited to hear when someone when somebody would say they were going to Bay Tree to pick up some scones and baked goods because you knew you were in for a good time.
The prices may be a little bit high and it is a nightmare to get parking near by, but its still top quality stuff. The food is delicious and the staff are young and friendly. For a cuppa and a scone, especially the cinnamon ones, you really can’t go wrong with this place.

Anyone who’s anyone has been to The Bay Tree, so it would seem. Apart from me, that is (well, until today). Having heard rave reviews from friends («You should sooooo go to The Bay Tree, they do beaut cinnamon scones») and my mum («Aww, yes, that’s where Liz and I used to go for our cinnamon scones), it seemed the whole blinkin’ world loved this eatery, and its infamous cinnamon scones. Not one to follow the herd (baaa), I decided to go and try The Bay Tree out for myself. I know, I know… the temptation was just too great.
I popped in with my sister earlier today, at 1:30, and the place was craaaaazy busy. We almost didn’t get a seat, though a kind Englishman offered us his table as he and his wife were just about to leave, but we spotted one just in the nick of time. It wasn’t a great location, situated right beside the kitchen door, at the side of a busy corridor, but the place was fairly noisy anyway so I guess it didn’t make too much of a difference. One glance at the menus filled me with dismay… there wasn’t really that much choice. Oh deary.
My sister and I eventually settled on a two variations of the same panini, which turned out to be pretty delish (the red onion was beautiful), and was devoured rather quickly, with a cute little side salad. Our order had to be double checked, as there seemed to be some confusion in the kitchen, but other than that, the dining experience went rather smoothly. The staff were very agreeable, and the prices weren’t too bad — £5.50 each for the paninis.
The variety of drinks and desserts /​sweets was a good deal better than the lunch choice, with everything you could think of from Chinese beer to Armagh Apple Juice. Neither my sister or I were feeling particularly adventurous, so settled for tap water, and the paninis were so filling that no dessert was required.
A feeling of guilt shot right through me as we left, realising that neither of us had eaten a cinnamon scone. Oh darn. And seeing as neither of us are really scone fans, this made the situation slightly awkward. A sudden thought occurred to me, and I decided that we should pop into the ‘Go’ part of the Bay Tree (located just across the courtyard) and buy one to take home for my mum. As the waitress opened a large drawer full of the delectable baked goods, I noticed that these beasts weren’t so much scones as humongous shiny pastries. Nice.
Went down a treat by the way («You know these scones are world-​famous?!»). Ok, mum, whatever you say.