A trip to a supermarket café normally means greasy fry-ups and mugs of builder’s tea — but at Tesco, the offering is far more upscale.
After a menu shake-up, its in-store eateries, formally branded The Café, now serve up the likes of Turkish-style eggs and matcha lattes.
Shoppers can also get their hands on fried chicken and crumpets, garlic mushroom mac and cheese, and smoked salmon bagel plates from any of Tesco’s 329 café locations around the UK until March 23.
These modern dishes are among the 11 new additions to the retailer’s breakfast and lunch menus, which already feature the likes of smashed avocado on toasted sourdough, nourish bowls with halloumi and grains, and bacon, egg and chilli jam brioche rolls.
A number of former favourites have returned to its roster too; the chicken a bacon club sandwich, New York deli focaccia, open chicken caesar flatbread, and perhaps most enticingly for those with a sweet tooth, the jammie shortbread biscuit.
Alongside the food, a toasted honeycomb latte, blood orange spritz, and rhubarb crumble shake are now available, as well as a series of healthier bottled drinks including Plenish shots and Living Things soda.
It’s The Café’s limited edition rhubarb and custard iced matcha (made with Perfect Ted ceremonial-grade)that’s really got people excited though, with an Instagram post announcing the launch garnering descriptors like ‘delicious’ and ‘unreal’.
Under a post from UK Newest Foods, @kitchenbykerry commented, ‘I tried this and it’s soo good,’ while @gyllyngton added: Omg! Sounds divine.’
Better still, the prices are still what you’d expect for a supermarket, ranging from £3.95 for a breakfast bap to £9.50 for hand-battered fish and chips.
And despite sounding like something you’d get at a bougie independent brunch spot — with lemon yoghurt, fried eggs, harissa oil, coriander and crispy onions on toasted sourdough — Tesco’s Turkish-style eggs are a mere £6.95, as are the fried chicken and crumpets.
A Tesco spokesperson tells Metro the new menu is ‘full of vibrant options to brighten up the winter months,’ which ‘further bolsters The Café’s fantastic offering of Tesco Finest coffee, all-day breakfasts, cheese-topped toasties, lunchtime classics and a selection of bakery items.’
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The supermarket is currently overhauling the experience within a number of stores, introducing touch-screen self-service ordering and updating the design of the cafés themselves to include a range of softer seating options and a brighter colour scheme.
It’s also running its popular Kids Eat Free scheme for half term, where children can enjoy a free meal with every adult purchase at The Café from Monday to Friday.
It’s a decent deal at an expensive time of year, but you’ll need to scan your Clubcard to take advantage, so make sure you don’t leave yours at home.
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