Families say the Mad Hatter's Café is ' the place to go' for ice cream and milkshakes plus there is free soft play on Fridays

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When the sun is shining, there's nothing nicer than sitting outside, drinking coffee whilst the kids play. So, we were delighted when we stumbled upon a café described as ' the place to go' by mums.

Mad Hatter's Café is tucked away above Harley's Smokehouse, which is set in the grounds of Dunsley Hall in Kinver, near Stourbridge. It boasts a large play area with climbing frame, rope bridges, fireman's pole, ladders and slide plus swings too.

There's a field behind the play area where kids can kick a ball around too. It gets a 4.1 rating from more than 600 reviews on Google. Parents praise the customer service and swoon about the desserts.

Read more : Best family friendly cafes, pubs and restaurants in and around Birmingham

One said: "The breakfasts are amazing and if you love cake, ice-cream or milkshakes this is the place to go!"

Another added: "We absolutely love this place! The staff are so friendly and helpful, the food is delicious, the décor is lovely, it's super comfortable and the restaurant is DOG friendly! There's a new tea room/cafe opened upstairs called Madhatters, which is also dog friendly, selling breakfasts, pastries, cakes, cream teas and their own, homemade gelato. They've created the most delicious flavours. 100% recommend and we'll be back again."

Another said: "Love this place..... The food is AMAZING!!! We have been a few times and it never fails our high standards!!! The food is delicious, fresh and home cooked. Great setup for couples as well as big groups, we always take our 2 daughters and it is perfect for them too (plenty of space for a pushchair etc) Do not hesitate if you're thinking of booking!!"

One said: "This is by far the best place to go for a meal out with your family and friends. I enjoyed the food and drinks and the customer experience is ridiculously good. Staff are absolutely the best. Definitely going there again.. don't forget to try their desserts."

There's free children's soft play on Friday mornings plus baby yoga and mother and baby fitness sessions through the week (fees apply). And it's dog-friendly too with dogs made very welcome throughout and even a dog walking field available too. There's even child and dog-friendly 'Shaken Not Stirred Fridays' where a live DJ plays chilled music whilst you can tuck into tapas, cocktails and street food!

"We have a large play area and offer soft play on Friday mornings," said marketing manager Nicola Wood. "We're hoping to make soft play available Monday to Friday soon too.

"We have lots of ice creams, which we know kids and mums like! And we make vegan milkshakes in jam jars with ice cream. We also serve fresh cakes and are very dog friendly, with water and treats available for dogs too."

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Food at the Mad Hatter's Cafe includes American style pancakes, crumpet stacks loaded with cheese, bacon and maple syrup, full English breakfasts, sausage sarnies, egg and smoked salmon benedict, toasted teacakes and homemade scones, with prices starting from just £2.

You can also order bacon, brie and fig relish paninis, roast beef baguettes and Harley’s Smokehouse beef brisket jacket potatoes. There’s also plenty of vegetarian options, such as roasted pepper salad sandwiches and Mediterranean salads.

There's an onsite Gelato Lab where they make flavours said to be 'creamier, denser and richer-tasting than regular ice cream' - it's even said to be lower fat too! You can tuck into cones, sundaes and milkshakes.

There’s also babyccinos, which is frothy steamed milk in an espresso cup, and puppaccinos, which is whipped cream in a cup, for pups! For special treats, there are sharing picnic benches and afternoon teas available. And the café is licensed and also serves mocktails.

Mad Hatters Café seats up to 130, is open seven days a week and has a pushchair friendly entrance at the rear of the smokehouse. Find out more here

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