More and more dog and cat cafes are popping up around the nation, and the Toon is no exception to this trend.
With these themed cafes getting more and more popular by the minute, the ‘dog vs cat’ debate continues, and I want to solve it once and for all by reviewing them both. So welcome to the most heated and political debate of your lifetime- dog vs cat cafes.
Dog and Scone
First thing’s first, while I (obviously) love a good old-fashioned cringey pun name, I have to protest ‘Dog and Scone’. Never in my life have I heard someone from Newcastle pronounce it “scone”. As I’ve said though, the other pronunciation just wouldn’t make for as catchy a title, so I respect their daring choice here. I’d give it a solid 4/10 in terms of cringey pun name execution.
You can easily book a one-hour slot on their website with a few easy clicks. You do, however, have to secure a £2 deposit online to ensure your appointment is properly booked. The overall entrance fee is £6, leaving just £4 per person to be paid upon arrival after the £2 deposit.
This is a feature I wasn’t particularly expecting, but it would be useful in the event of sudden cancellation or needing to change the time of your appointment. When booking for several people, it did come as a bit of a downside when working out how to split the bill, as one person will have paid a third of everyone’s entrance fee.
So, while I understand the deposit in a practical sense, it did make things slightly more complicated than they could have been. This is certainly a reasonable price for entry. However, the price for the cat café was exactly the same and did not require both an online and in-person payment, making the booking just much easier to complete overall.
The outside of the café definitely doesn’t do justice to the interior. The entire room is decorated like a garden, with artificial walls of leaves on either side of the room, which was definitely a more wholesome touch. This decoration definitely made the environment seem much more natural, and the dogs looked so much more happy and comfortable because of it.
The whole environment is so relaxed. Comfy beanbags and chairs sit in the centre of the room for all the dogs to relax and enjoy as much attention as they can possibly get from happy customers.
Staff were extremely friendly and helpful through the entire visit, providing customers with loads of fun facts about each individual dog.
Teacup Pomeranian ‘Sugar’ (pictured on the right) was described to us by staff as an “attention diva”, very happy to let you stroke her. And I can safely say, the diva part was 100% correct.
An absolute diva of a dog in the Dog and Scone Cafe. Image credits: Rosie Brennan
Despite this, the menu was pretty surprising. Most cafes will serve just a few cakes or something similar, but Dog and Scone had proper lunch options like wraps, mini bowls of chicken tenders and toasties.
While my chicken mayo wrap with mozerella and lettuce was actually really delicious, it did feel like a contrast to the overall aesthetic of the café. Both the wraps and toasties are served with a side of crisps, another curveball I truly wasn’t expecting. You can’t really go wrong with some classic walkers, but the six sad pieces of fried potato on my plate did look slightly depressing if I’m perfectly honest.
For just £4.10 it is certainly a lunch option I’d go for again, it just felt like a slight contrast to the instagrammable café we were sat in.
Chicken mayo mozerella wrap from Dog and Scone, Newcastle. Image credits: Rosie Brennan
Simple and effective, the Dog and Scone menu provides classic, no-nonsense and affordable lunch options that I would certainly recommend. However, if you’re looking for a quirkier, more aesthetic place to take pictures of your food, you may want to dine elsewhere.
My overall rankings for Dog and Scone are as follows:
- Cringey pun name execution= 4/10
- Food= 6/10
- Drinks= 7.5/10
- Decor= 9/10
- Staff friendliness= 8.5/10
- Wholesomeness= absolutely off the charts
Mog on The Tyne
The (hopefully) friendly neighbour to Dog and Scone, ‘Mog on The Tyne’ cat cafe brings a similar sense of warmth to their customers. I do have to commend them on the cuse of the cringey pun name (I’m something of a connoisseur of those myself).
Booking was again very easy to complete online, arguably much simpler than booking ‘Dog and Scone’. Both cafes have an entrance fee of £6 per person. However, Mog on The Tyne meets this price without the need to an initial £2 deposit to be paid online prior to entry. I have to say as a pathetic excuse for a mathematician myself, this did give the cat cafe a slight edge.
TikTok visiting the Mog on The Tyne Cafe. Credits: Rosie Brennan, @cuppatoon on TikTok
The decoration of this cafe was certainly nowhere near as creative as that of ‘Dog and Scone’, but it did certainly have a fun, playful nature that made for an aesthetic-looking cafe.
The entire room is filled with cat tree towers for the ‘Mogs’ to walk around, play in and relax in.
This definitely made for a more fun and enthusiastic atmosphere, while still retaining a sense of calmness and relaxation. The cats were able to come and go as freely as they pleased, and they clearly enjoyed doing it.
A slightly grumpy cat minutes before feeding time at ‘Mog on The Tyne’ cafe in Newcastle. Image credits: Rosie Brennan
The classics are executed very well, with my simple hot chocolate (served in a mug so adorable I was tempted to just take it home with me) tasting absolutely delicious- a perfect winter treat.
With all paninis costing just £4.50, it’s the perfect affordable cafe for all cat lovers.
My main issue with ‘Mog on The Tyne’, was a specific white cat that definitely did not want to engage in any form of social interaction.
Can’t say I’ve ever felt less at ease than having two great big green eyes glaring at me while I sip my drink.
Other than that singular cat clearly secretly plotting to take over the earth, ‘Mog on The Tyne’ is definitely an adorable, affordable experience.
Nacho the cat wistfully gazing at my hot chocolate from across the table at ‘Mog on The Tyne’ cat cafe in Newcastle. Image credits: Rosie Brennan
Overall rankings for Mog on The Tyne are as follows:
- Cringey pun name= 7/10
- Food= 7/10
- Drink= 8.5/10
- Decor= 9/10
- Staff friendliness= 9/10
- Wholesomeness= Again, off the charts. The scale is broken and cannot be recovered. RIP to the scaleometer.
- Fear of getting scratched by a certain cat who shall remain nameless because I’m fairly sure it has a vendetta against me=11/10
Both cafes overall deliver the same wholesome experience for customers to enjoy. A somewhat therapeutic respite from every day life, accompanied by delicious food and drink, at a price that doesn’t break the bank balance.
Click this YouTube link to see my full opinion on which is the better option: