On the first day of our holiday we arrived at about 12pm but couldn’t get into our lodge until 3pm. As we already had meals booked in at some of the other restaurants throughout the week we decided to get lunch at the Sports Café which is located in the Sports Plaza. All of the restaurants are in the Village and only a couple of minutes walk from the Subtropical Swimming Paradise. When we got there it was heaving!! We got a table okay but there was a bit of a wait for a high chair for Erin.
Luckily, the Sports Café had a small soft play area and some arcades so Erin had loads of fun while we were waiting to order and waiting for our food. Outside of the restaurant is also a large play area with slides and climbing frames so there is something to keep children happy no matter what the weather is doing. Erin was also given a colouring sheet and crayons to keep her entertained while she was sat in her high chair. Our first impression on Center Parcs and their facilities for children/ families was fantastic and we couldn’t have asked for more.
While Erin was busy playing with John, our waitress informed us that there was a 35 minute wait for food. We expected this because of how busy it was but it was nice to be told before we even looked at a menu as we may have decided it was too long!
The menu was AMAZING and I don’t think I have ever been so impressed. Not only was there a main menu but vegan, lactose free and gluten free menus for both adults and children. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this somewhere before. Not only are there classic options like burgers and fish and chips but loads of smaller bowls such as chicken wings, nacho bites and loaded fries but also a page full of soups and sandwiches to choose from. We saw someone bringing out a tray full of burgers and after that, this is what we all decided on. Between us we had a cheeseburger, Breaded Chickpea and Spring Green Veggie Burger and the Sweet Potato and Bean Burger. Erin shared our food as I knew she wouldn’t eat anything much from the children’s menu. We also had 3 glasses of Pepsi and a beer!
The food was absolutely delicious and I was so glad we chose burgers. They were massive and really filling! None of us left very much and Erin helped us out by eating some chips and bread from our buns. As prices go, they are slightly higher than you average high street restaurant or pub but that was expected really.The total came to about £57 for mine and John’s food and drinks, with our Pepsi being about £3 each.
Towards the end of our meal, Erin was starting to get super tired and annoyed and our lovely waitress helped out by bringing her over a couple of balloons. This sorted her right out and meant we could finish our food and drinks while she played happily! Customer service like this doesn’t happen everywhere and we were really impressed!
We were so impressed with the Sports Cafe that we actually went back there for a second meal on the Wednesday evening of our stay. At around 5-530pm, the Sports Bar was extremely quiet (they were playing golf advertisements about rotary swing).. Instead of having waitress service we had to go up and order our food from the bar, but this wasn’t a problem at all. It was nice to eat with it being a bit more relaxed too and Erin pretty much had the play area to herself. This is a lovely time to go as it’s sort of late for baby meals and earlyish for dinner. It was perfect for us though!
On our next holiday to Center Parcs, this will definitely be on our list of places to eat again.
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