Reviews of restaurants, pubs, hotels, and places to relax, shop, and meet away from the menace of piped music. The reviews are contributed by members of Pipedown: the campaign for freedom from piped music. Quiet corners was launched in June 2009. If you would like to contribute reviews, join Pipedown and help the fightback against Muzak.

St Lawrence Cafe

Useful information: 

National grid ref TM163445. Website www.stlawrencecentre.co.uk.

Cheap & cheerful, pleasant atmosphere of deconsecrated church.

Location

Dial Lane
IPSWICH IP1 1DJ

Ristorante Europa

I had the good fortune to stumble on this place whilst out in London with a friend. I didn’t ask them about whether they had a policy on playing music, however when we were there there wasn’t any, or at least it was so low that you couldn’t really hear it.

The restaurant does a nice range of standard Italian fare, with a range of pizzas and vegetarian options. Not particularly expensive, a good alternative to pizza hut\pizza express etc.

Location

AlbeMarle Street
London W1S 4JF

Age and Sons

Useful information: 

Round the corner from Leopold Street multi-storey car park, less than 5 minutes' walk from harbour.
www.ageandsons.co.uk

We really enjoyed our post-Christmas lunch at Age & Sons. Upstairs in the restaurant, the food was delicious, the service attentive and the original art attractive. Above all, THERE WAS NO MUSIC in this tastefully converted Victorian warehouse, formerly used by local wine merchants Page & Sons (the "P" tile fell off, it seems).

Location

Charlotte Court Ramsgate
Kent CT11 8HE
Phone: 01843 851515

Scottish National Portrait Gallery Cafe

Useful information: 

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/visit/café

Newly refurbished Portrait Gallery is a lovely building with wonderful exhibits. Before or after your visit to the galleries, a visit to the cafe is a must. It can be very busy at lunch times, and it's self service, so it's best to avoid the crowds. But the cafe itself is lovely and muzak-free.

Location

1 Queen Street
Edinburgh EH2 1JD

Loudons Cafe and Bakery

Useful information: 

Based on, but not quite as good as, the epic Peter's Yard... nice cakes, coffees, light lunches etc. Not as crushed as P's Y, with plenty of room, free wifi, comfy couches, newspapers and best of all - no muzak!

Location

94b Fountainbridge
Edinburgh EH3 9QA
Phone: 0131 228 9774

Edinburgh University Library Cafe

Useful information: 

Open every day and in the evenings during term times.
Open on weekdays during university vacations.
See the website for details: www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/accommodation-services/current-students...

Next to the University Library on the south side of George Square, the cafe is sizeable and has comfortable chairs and sofas and quiet corners for conversations and for groups to socialise.

Open to the general public to just walk in, and generally blissfully quiet outside mealtimes.

The food is standard good cafeteria fare and the coffee is fine.

Location

30 George Square Newington
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ

Reeves

Useful information: 

Reeves is an independent bakery with nine shops in towns across south Wiltshire, Hants and Dorset. Their original and largest shop is in Butcher's Row, Salisbury. (see their website for details www.reevethebaker.co.uk/find-store/find-store.html )

Reeves bakes a huge variety of breads, cakes, croissants, scones, pies etc. Some of their branches, such as those in Salisbury and Amesbury, have cafés attached. None has piped music as far as I know.

Location

2 Butcher Row
Salisbury SP1 1EP
Phone: Tel: 01722 320 367

The Last Bookshop

Useful information: 

Part of a small, newish chain of bookshops selling remaindered books, with most @£5, some at £3 or even less.

This small bookshop selling a decent range of intelligent books - not just the usual celebiographies, cat and cook books that too often fill such shops - has been muzac-free on two out of the three occasions I have been there. I congratulated the sales assistant on this quiet the last time, and hope the message will get through.

Location

11 Butcher Row
Salisbury SP1 1EP
Phone: 01722 333 144

The Old Mariner

Useful information: 

Grid ref TM273491, between the middle of the main street (The Thoroughfare) and St Johns church.

Garnished sandwiches lunchtimes Tue to Sat, full meals evenings Monday to Saturday. Some cask ales.

Location

26 New Street
Woodbridge, SFK IP12 1DX
Phone: 01394 382679

Nag's Head

Useful information: 

Reviewed 8 November 2011. Nearer to Malvern Link station.

Brilliant pub with real ale, cider and interesting food. It even owns a brewery.

Location

21 Bank Street
Great Malvern, WOR WR14 2JG
Phone: 01684 574373
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