Oakleys

My friend and I decided to go to Ilkley one Sunday, as she had just passed her driving test and I was long overdue a good shop. We had intended to stay for lunch and it was getting to around that time, our tummies were certainly on the rumble, and so we decided to head back to Oakleys since we’d spotted it earlier.
I can’t tell you how glad I am we made this decision. I mean, there was Betty’s but their queue was as long as my childhood, so we’d already decided not to bother there. Oakleys was different. Don’t get me wrong, it was really buzzing for a Sunday in the arcade — almost everything else was shut. But, there was only a small queue and most of their patrons were of an elderly age, which meant the place was very civilised and peaceful.
The décor was cosy, they had a very rustic vintage feel with some nice plants and cute little round tables. At the tills was a large deli counter, filled with the most delightful looking cakes ever. Had we not been stopping for a proper lunch I would have definitely gone with the lemon cheesecake. Then again I seem to remember coveting all their cakes and discussing that, if we had room, we could get one each and share so as to try two at once! This never happened in the end, but I am certain those cakes would have been to die for.
Now for the food. What can I say? YUM! It was nothing too fancy, simplistic, but my it was effective. They had a specials board with the cooked meals, everything else was sandwich based, although we noted that it was more than likely they weren’t specials in that each day they were something new — more that they were the hot meals, and that’s why they were special. Crikey they were cheap too — nothing on the board was over £6!
I had the lasagna and my friend had the salmon. Both of us had a bit of salad and chips to accompany our mains too. The chips were perfection, chunky, not too greasy and totally melty. Salad made me feel less guilty and the lasagna was perfect. Like a home cooked pub lasagna but a nicer price. It was utterly delicious and totally a delightful stop for lunch. Service was great too, friendly and polite.
Highly recommend!