Restaurants At Center Parcs Elveden Forest

October saw us go on our first ever real family holiday and we chose Center Parcs, Elveden Forest for that! We booked for a Monday to Friday break and we couldn’t wait. As we had booked quite a few months in advance I had loads of time to look over the activity options and also to decide where we would eat on each day. Center Parcs has quite a few different restaurants to choose from and we were lucky enough to have a fair few meals out during our holiday.

While we have reviewed each restaurant in detail, here is a quick overview of each one. Click the titles to see the full reviews!

Bella Italia

Bella Italia is always a favourite choice for us whenever we go anywhere. Italian food is generally a pretty safe bet most of the time and there are loads of pizza and pasta options, as well as some others. The prices at Bella Italia are really reasonable and I think one of the cheaper meals we had the whole week. The children’s menu is also great and there are a range of options for different ages.

Our experience at Bella Italia at Elveden Forest was a bit hit and miss really as we received some shoddy service from the assistant manager. However, the food was delicious and that more than made up for it.

Cafe Rouge 

Cafe Rouge was the restaurant most of us were looking forward to eating at the most. Cafe Rouge serves mainly French food but there are still options for those not quite so adventurous or with plainer tastes. Tuesday night is Steak Night where you can get any steak and fries for only £15.

Unfortunately, we had a pretty bad experience at Cafe Rouge with extremely slow service and food not being brought out at the right times. Only half of us enjoyed our meals and due to the bad service, none of us would go back if we had the choice. It’s such a shame too as we were all really looking forward to eating here.

Sports Cafe

We arrived at Center Parcs a few hours earlier than when we could go to our lodge so we needed to eat lunch there. The easiest option seemed to be the Sports Cafe but it was also really busy when we arrived. The menu here is amazing and there is so much choice. What I loved about the Sports Cafe was how many options there are for all dietary requirements and it seems like absolutely everyone is catered for.

We actually ate at the Sports Cafe twice during our holiday because we all liked it there so much. This will be my first choice for our next holiday to Center Parcs! The burgers were a personal favourite so be sure to try one if you go.

Pancake House

I absolutely love American style pancakes so the Pancake House was probably number 1 on my list of restaurants I wanted to go to. Not only does the Pancake House serve stacks of American style pancakes but also crepes, Belgian waffles and omelettes with so many different toppings. I thoroughly loved my banoffee pancakes and would love to go back already. The customer service at the Pancake House was the best we had experienced during our holiday and Erin was kept happy the whole way through our meal, even though she’d finished eating what we gave her!

Next time we go I know I’ll be torn between pancakes and Belgian waffles again so we might have to make 2 trips!

Huck’s American Bar and Grill 

Huck’s was the first restaurant we visited on an evening as we had looked at the menu beforehand and figured there was something everyone would like. The menu has a lot of meat and fish options but not too much if you’re vegetarian or vegan, which was a bit of a shame. The food was delicious though and pretty average when it comes to prices at Center Parcs. We did find the service to be a bit poor though. Our server didn’t really check if we were okay or wanted any more drinks at all and also messed up our bill at the end.

Something I will say for Huck’s is that they had the best play area out of all of the restaurants. Not only did they have something for toddlers and older children but a room full of iMacs with games to play for teenagers and adults.

It’s a shame the service let down our service to Huck’s because the food really was lovely.

We really did enjoy eating out at Center Parcs, as this is something we don’t normally do too often. There is a real mix of restaurants to choose from and something for everyone. While we had a few slightly negative experiences, don’t let these put you off as everyone’s visits will be different!