At up to £40 a head, diners may be paying for the drinks more than the food. Here’s what the city’s menus actually offer.

Here’s the contrarian take: bottomless brunch may be Peterborough’s most overrated food trend if you’re mainly looking for a good meal.

That doesn’t mean Katana, Tap & Tandoor, Bijou, Middletons or The Chalkboard are bad restaurants.

It means a £37-£40 bill can look less tempting once you check what arrives on the plate, how long the booking lasts and how much of the price is really buying unlimited drinks.

Take Tap & Tandoor in Cumbergate. Its Peterborough offer is £40 per person for 90 minutes, with two included dishes and bottomless drinks.

That could work for a group that wants a lively afternoon.

But if you’re hungry and not planning to drink much, it’s a lot to pay for a short sitting.

Katana’s offer is £39 for two hours, with one bento box or sushi platter and bottomless drinks.

That gives you more time, but the food allowance is still one main choice per person.

The Chalkboard also charges £38 for a maximum of two hours, with one selected brunch dish. Its menu makes clear that the food isn’t bottomless.

Bijou’s classic package is £38.

It includes a 9-inch pizza or two small plates, while the menu says a discretionary 10% service charge is added.

That takes the headline price to £41.80 if the charge is applied at the full 10 per cent.

There’s also an alcohol-free option at £32, which may make more sense for diners who want the format without paying for booze.

Middletons lists a two-hour bottomless brunch at £36.95. It also lists a fixed-price menu from £9.95 and a Sunday roast at £17.95.

Those aren’t identical offers, so this isn’t a scientific ranking.

They do show the choice facing diners: spend close to £40 on a timed drinks package, or choose a normal meal and keep the rest of the money in your pocket.

And that is the real test. Are you going for the food, or are you going for the occasion?

If it’s a birthday, a reunion or an afternoon where the drinks are the point, bottomless brunch can be easy fun.

The price may feel fair because you’re buying the whole event, not just lunch. If you want the best plate for your budget, though, the package can feel like a costly detour.

This is a value judgement based on the venues’ published offers, not a tasting verdict.

Portion size, service speed and drink top-ups can change the experience, and no Peterborough-wide winner has been established here.

So before booking, check three things: the time limit, exactly how much food is included and any service charge.

Then ask yourself if you’d still choose the deal with the drinks removed.

Which Peterborough bottomless brunch, dish or food trend has left you thinking, ‘That was not worth the money’?

Tell us the venue or dish, what you paid and what you’d choose instead.