Cafés of Cambridge

The one on the Cam, not the Charles. From north to south:

Grounds Cafe, Milton Country Park

A lakeside cafe in a country park with walking and biking trails. Only worth it if you’re sitting outside. Not as busy as the Orchard Tea Garden in Grantchester, but the food isn’t as good – no cream tea! They do soup-and-bread at reasonable prices though.

Stir Bakery & Cafe, Chesterton

My go-to during the two years I lived in Chesterton. Expensive, but the food is good, the coffee is good, the light is good; the only downside is how busy it gets. If you’re not ordering food, sit at the bar by the windows; if you do order food, sit wherever — the staff are quite permissive about how long you can stay, especially if you’re a regular.

Barbarella, Chesterton

Small cafe with a chic interior across the road from the Haymakers pub. You can’t get a proper lunch but you can get good coffee and cakes. There are two tables out the front for good weather days, but otherwise it is a bit dark inside.

Costa in the Tesco superstore, Newmarket Road

This is not my favorite cafe in Cambridge. It’s a generic Costa sharing a building with a giant Tesco. The only view is the parking lot. It is, however, objectively the best place to get work done. It’s almost never busy or noisy even during peak student or tourist seasons, it’s air-conditioned, it has huge three-storey windows that let in tons of sunlight, and the tables are set well apart from one another so you’re not jostling arms with other customers. The staff do not care how long you sit even if you only bought a tea for £1.50. Plus you can grab groceries on your way out.

Fitzbillies, Trumpington St

Expensive but good if you’re in a fancy mood. Famous for its sticky sweet Chelsea buns; also makes good French toast. Used to have a tasty shakshuka but it seems to have deteriorated over time.

Trockel, Ulmann und Freunde, Pembroke Street

Just around the corner from Fitzbillies, much cheaper, and surely the friendliest cafe in Cambridge. The owner is a cheerful Turkish woman who greets every regular by name. I’d visit all the time if it weren’t so dark inside.

Hot Numbers, Trumpington St (or Gwydir Street, off Mill Road)

Popular among students and therefore busy. If you want to use a laptop at peak times you’re required to sit at a shared table, but outside of term time they’re more laid back. The Trumpington Street one has covered outdoor seating in the back.

Black Cat Cafe, Mill Road

One of my regular work cafes. Good coffee, good scrambled eggs on toast (getting expensive now though); a nice big window if you can grab one of the two tables next to it. Only moderately busy, and when it is, there are many other Mill Road cafes to choose from (Hot Numbers on Gwydir Street, for instance).

Cafe Blue Sage, Mill Road

The best shakshuka & menemen in Cambridge, and other great Greek & Turkish food (and coffee, and tea). It’s tiny and always seems to be full up, though.

Kanto Cafe & Bakery, Cherry Hinton Road

Cute little place that makes great filled buns.

The Orchard Tea Garden, Grantchester

A Cambridge institution. Outdoors seating in green deckchairs in an old apple orchard at the far end of Grantchester meadows. The classic thing to get is a cream tea (a scone with clotted cream and jam — and tea, of course) but they have fancier and more filling lunch options as well. Best place to work outside in Cambridge when it’s not too busy. You have to go during the week, or on a day when the weather’s bark is worse than its bite. For instance, pick a cold, bright, dry winter’s day and dress warmly. There is some indoor seating, but why come here if you’re staying inside?

Dao Cafe, Trumpington

Quiet vibes, friendly staff, Chinese tea (da hong pao! longjing! pu-erh! and more, and more). Plus, they make mapo tofu with real málà. A good reason to cycle down to Trumpington.