New Road, Willenhall

Tel: 01902 601606

Traditional cafes should not only provide top notch food in a cosy environment but also offer a social outlet for people in the community.

The Sandwich Box in Willenhall which is now under new management provides everything you are looking for in a traditional cafe. In an age when trendy coffee shops are dominating the high street it is refreshing to see a traditional cafe which remains as popular as ever.

With its whitewashed exterior walls, and black window frames, it is certainly an unusual building, looking more like a slightly eccentric music shop than the typical place where you would spend lunchtime.

It is certainly a security-conscious establishment, with huge mesh grilles on the windows giving it a slightly forbidding appearance, while a huge notice in the window informs customers that it is open on a Sunday.

But if the outside looks slightly intimidating, the inside could not be more different. The first thing that hits you when you enter the cafe is how friendly everyone is, and it would have been difficult to have had a better welcome.

Hot sandwiches and baguettes include sausage, bacon and egg for £1.85, hot roast beef for £1.75 and jacket potatoes start at £1.25. The lunch menu which is available from 11am, includes chilli with rice or chips for £4, pie with chips for £3 and sausage and chips for £2.50.

But in the end I had to go for the cafe’s full English breakfast, which is available throughout the day.

At the request of hungry builders from nearby, the cafe employs a system where you can choose from eight and 12 options, and my choice consisted of two jumbo sausages, two rashers of bacon, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, hash brown, black pudding, fried bread, toast and bread and butter swilled down with a cup of coffee.

The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed and it is clear many of the customers are there for a chat and a catch up and not just a bite to eat.

A pensioner who sticks regularly to the same routine everyday popped in and enjoyed a roast beef sandwich.

Two teenage girls were also enjoying a sandwich while one young mother with two children ordered sandwiches to take away.

The staff all knew the customers by name and chatted while they waited for their food. It was clear they were regulars and enjoyed a natter.

The cafe is small and the decor is basic, with a couple of pictures on the wall. There are three aluminium tables in the cafe with chairs surrounding each.

My breakfast soon arrived, and was fantastically cooked, not at all greasy. The bill came to £5.20, which included my breakfast and two coffees.

The Sandwich Box offers a friendly, efficient service in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere and the food is excellently priced.

The cafe opens from 6am to 2pm Monday to Saturday and also provides a free delivery service for orders over £5 within a three mile radius. Buffets are also available for £3.50 per head.