Al’s Cafe Bar

I think this is the place – which means these pics are out of date and it has had a facelift – bright yellow inside.
But just because the décor has improved doesn’t mean it is good. Service was horrid – took forever to get a waiter’s attention and it took 30 minutes to make some eggs.
Food was mediocre and overpriced. Too bad because the location and setup is great – fabulous outdoor picnic tables in lovely ExMouth market. Disappointing :(

Bless. Al’s Café Bar in Exmouth Market just doesn’t seem to get it quite right, but I think its heart is in the right place. I think the problem is this. It can be quite hard to pull of a place that is both a café and a bar. Both styles of establishment have a very different feel to them, and I’m sure that you have to work quite hard to keep every type of customer happy.
The trouble is, Al’s doesn’t feel much like a café — I certainly wouldn’t go here for a decent cup of coffee, and it doesn’t feel like the type of place that I want to have a couple or more drinks with friends — it just doesn’t have the vibe or atmosphere.
It was quiet when we came in one Thursday evening– and we came here because we couldn’t get a table at any other pub — they were just too busy. The fact that it was just my friends, and one other table does not bode well. This is a shame, because it is a good premise, and the staff are nice and helpful. Step it up a bit, guys.

In Europe, Al’s would be called a Bar. And that’d be it. But ’cause we have quite settled into comfortable categories in the UK, we have to know it as a café/​bar. That’s right people, so they’ll sell you some alcohol, as well as some food. I’m going mainly on the menu here.
Standard. A soup of the day. Standard salads — Greek, Caesar, boring. Warm sandwiches. A ploughman’s. A big breakfast menue. But what’s this? A normal breakfast’ll set you back £7.50? And it’s £8.10 for a Full English. Sorry, what’s going on? Oh right, rich people frequent this area. So I’m priced out, ok, I see. Well I’ll find just as good breakfast nearer my East End abode, and pay £4.00 for everything, coffee included. And I bet they’re friendlier.
Sorry, the prices put me off. Wouldn’t eat here.