It is a good historical place to have coffee and cake. When it is very busy, it could be a bit claustrophobic.
AkinAli88
Lovely spot for coffee - this is a fantastic location in the centre of Cambridge. Definitely worth a visit.
Jude Yeung
It was a specious coffee shop and I went there on weekdays, quite busy, good customer service and delicious cake and good quality chocolate milk. Better for hanging out with friends.
Sky Lark
Lovely place to have lunch and often meet a friend here but why on earth have you moved the till? A till at the start before you've seen the food is the wrong fix for the problem of the queue. You should have simply moved the person making the drinks to the start, then food, then pay. Queue was shocking seemingly because of this strange change. Soup not great on this occasion (curry spiced cauliflower) and no-one had thought to turn the lights on in the mezzanine meaning people assumed it was closed. Not the best visit but will return, hopefully to a better thought out customer experience.
Sara B
I visited this café twice while I was in Cambridge, so I certainly recommend it. I enjoyed the ambiance a lot. It felt cozy and comfortable. Coffee, croissant, and cream tea were all delightful.
TeslinC
My friend and I hadn't visited for a year. Since the change of management during Covid, I hadn't been overly impressed; although the atmosphere/setting was still good, the coffee was nowhere near as good as the previous 'Illey' on offer and the food far more expensive. However, I was actually pleasantly surprised today. The 'Flat white' has definitely improved since this time last year - now being at proper strength as opposed to the large, milky offering of before. I thought all the staff seemed fairly friendly, although the service was very slow and I agree with a previous reviewer, having the card machine in the middle of the counter, rather than the end, seems really odd. I also had a concern that other people in the queue can now easily see details of the card of the payee. You definitely need to change that and move the payment section back to the end of the queue. We didn't try the food, but it looked appetising and I thought maybe the prices had been reduced a bit, but that might have been wishful thinking. However, it is a shame that the menu could not have continued as it was pre Covid time; i.e. with a wide variety of nutritious, interesting salads, quiches and soup and cheese scones (the latter used to be really reasonably priced) along with a small selection of good quality cakes and cookies. Lastly, I did think it was a little on the cool side, but none the less, it is still a very pleasant, relaxing environment to meet up with friends or just for a solo break from shopping!
GerbilQueen
So sad the cafe has reduced its menu and changed its service. There is very little hot food now and no chips! which were always so good. The only food was ciabattas and both offerings had pork in, New York pastrami baguettes or spinach and mushroom sausage type rolls. The cake selection was also very limited. We used to really enjoy coming here for the freshly cooked and locally sourced food, but I don't think the coffee alone is enough of a pull for us now and sadly we will have to find another lunch venue on our visits to Cambridge. Being a gluten intolerant vegetarian there is nothing for me to eat here anymore. I am very sorry to give such a poor review of somewhere I have really enjoyed over the past fews years and sincerely hope that they change tack again and again offer real wholesome home cooked food in a lovely environment.
nomiseoc
Go to this cafe a lot for a drink and a snack. The last few weeks it really has lost the plot. Service slow and staff very indifferent compared to what it was. The till has moved to the wrong end of the counter…why? You now order then have to go back through the queue to pay. A simple thing but it doesn’t work.
Joan J
Sadly very poor rating of what was a great place for coffee and for lunch. No hot food, used to have great casseroles etc had a cold quiche and my friend asked for her pastry roll to be heated and was told, "We don't do that'. Not enough staff,so long waits. Bring back our lovely cafe.
Dawn M
Met up with a group of friends for lunch mid week- a group that meets very regularly at this cafe. We were all so disappointed. There was no hot food and no explanation why, the staff were rude, the place was cold and the food that was available was overpriced- all in the setting of a church!! We will be going elsewhere from now on, which is a great shame as it used to be so good!
This place is extremely cool, very different, and artisticThe staff was very friendly and quick, there's a lot of space, although when it gets busy it's likely that you won't find seatingIf you live in Cambridge and you've never come here, it's a mustThe food wasn't as great as I expected, good presentation, and the taste was alright, and the price wasn't that of a restaurant, so I'd say understandableI had the Beed Chilli something, and my partner had the Jacked Potatoes; like I said, it was alright, but not the reason I'll be coming backI'll try the coffee next time. We wanted to have a coffee and some dessert when we visited the first time, but the queue gets so big it becomes a torture to order something afterwards, so we went somewhere elseDon't get me wrong, though. Still 4 stars for a reason,
T G
This magnificent cafe in a beautiful old church was our new found favourite and we loved going and taking friends and family, until our last visit, sadly young, immature, unprofessional and rude staff really spoiled our view and our visit, this was further spoiled by the ignorance of the management who failed to even acknowledge our complaint and follow up several weeks later, clearly they don't care, sad. Such a shame
Beth Gill
Gorgeous old church, great cake and breakfast options. Helpful staff and although busy there were still tables available for Saturday
mike crossland
A great establishment being both interest and accommodating. Food and beverages are top class, the staff are very friendly and helpful. A little oasis from the hustle and bustle
Mick Nice
Lack of variety with food. No goodif you're vegetarian. They had ranout of veggie soup and hot potatoes, only quiche Lorraine( bacon ) available of any quiches.The Main Lunchtime menu wasCumberland Sausage, Cheese &Bacon sandwich salad or Chicken& Bacon sandwich salad withspicey chips. I had the Chickenbut asked them to remove theBacon as I don't eat red meat.They complied ( I think ! ).The Chicken came in nice crispybaguette and the chips were piping hot but not spicey.The food was good, I do admit.But there is a severe like of choise. But if you like bacon,this is the place to come.
It is a good historical place to have coffee and cake. When it is very busy, it could be a bit claustrophobic.
Lovely spot for coffee - this is a fantastic location in the centre of Cambridge. Definitely worth a visit.
It was a specious coffee shop and I went there on weekdays, quite busy, good customer service and delicious cake and good quality chocolate milk. Better for hanging out with friends.
Lovely place to have lunch and often meet a friend here but why on earth have you moved the till? A till at the start before you've seen the food is the wrong fix for the problem of the queue. You should have simply moved the person making the drinks to the start, then food, then pay. Queue was shocking seemingly because of this strange change. Soup not great on this occasion (curry spiced cauliflower) and no-one had thought to turn the lights on in the mezzanine meaning people assumed it was closed. Not the best visit but will return, hopefully to a better thought out customer experience.
I visited this café twice while I was in Cambridge, so I certainly recommend it. I enjoyed the ambiance a lot. It felt cozy and comfortable. Coffee, croissant, and cream tea were all delightful.
My friend and I hadn't visited for a year. Since the change of management during Covid, I hadn't been overly impressed; although the atmosphere/setting was still good, the coffee was nowhere near as good as the previous 'Illey' on offer and the food far more expensive. However, I was actually pleasantly surprised today. The 'Flat white' has definitely improved since this time last year - now being at proper strength as opposed to the large, milky offering of before. I thought all the staff seemed fairly friendly, although the service was very slow and I agree with a previous reviewer, having the card machine in the middle of the counter, rather than the end, seems really odd. I also had a concern that other people in the queue can now easily see details of the card of the payee. You definitely need to change that and move the payment section back to the end of the queue. We didn't try the food, but it looked appetising and I thought maybe the prices had been reduced a bit, but that might have been wishful thinking. However, it is a shame that the menu could not have continued as it was pre Covid time; i.e. with a wide variety of nutritious, interesting salads, quiches and soup and cheese scones (the latter used to be really reasonably priced) along with a small selection of good quality cakes and cookies. Lastly, I did think it was a little on the cool side, but none the less, it is still a very pleasant, relaxing environment to meet up with friends or just for a solo break from shopping!
So sad the cafe has reduced its menu and changed its service. There is very little hot food now and no chips! which were always so good. The only food was ciabattas and both offerings had pork in, New York pastrami baguettes or spinach and mushroom sausage type rolls. The cake selection was also very limited. We used to really enjoy coming here for the freshly cooked and locally sourced food, but I don't think the coffee alone is enough of a pull for us now and sadly we will have to find another lunch venue on our visits to Cambridge. Being a gluten intolerant vegetarian there is nothing for me to eat here anymore. I am very sorry to give such a poor review of somewhere I have really enjoyed over the past fews years and sincerely hope that they change tack again and again offer real wholesome home cooked food in a lovely environment.
Go to this cafe a lot for a drink and a snack. The last few weeks it really has lost the plot. Service slow and staff very indifferent compared to what it was. The till has moved to the wrong end of the counter…why? You now order then have to go back through the queue to pay. A simple thing but it doesn’t work.
Sadly very poor rating of what was a great place for coffee and for lunch. No hot food, used to have great casseroles etc had a cold quiche and my friend asked for her pastry roll to be heated and was told, "We don't do that'. Not enough staff,so long waits. Bring back our lovely cafe.
Met up with a group of friends for lunch mid week- a group that meets very regularly at this cafe. We were all so disappointed. There was no hot food and no explanation why, the staff were rude, the place was cold and the food that was available was overpriced- all in the setting of a church!! We will be going elsewhere from now on, which is a great shame as it used to be so good!
Restaurantji Recommends
This place is extremely cool, very different, and artisticThe staff was very friendly and quick, there's a lot of space, although when it gets busy it's likely that you won't find seatingIf you live in Cambridge and you've never come here, it's a mustThe food wasn't as great as I expected, good presentation, and the taste was alright, and the price wasn't that of a restaurant, so I'd say understandableI had the Beed Chilli something, and my partner had the Jacked Potatoes; like I said, it was alright, but not the reason I'll be coming backI'll try the coffee next time. We wanted to have a coffee and some dessert when we visited the first time, but the queue gets so big it becomes a torture to order something afterwards, so we went somewhere elseDon't get me wrong, though. Still 4 stars for a reason,
This magnificent cafe in a beautiful old church was our new found favourite and we loved going and taking friends and family, until our last visit, sadly young, immature, unprofessional and rude staff really spoiled our view and our visit, this was further spoiled by the ignorance of the management who failed to even acknowledge our complaint and follow up several weeks later, clearly they don't care, sad. Such a shame
Gorgeous old church, great cake and breakfast options. Helpful staff and although busy there were still tables available for Saturday
A great establishment being both interest and accommodating. Food and beverages are top class, the staff are very friendly and helpful. A little oasis from the hustle and bustle
Lack of variety with food. No goodif you're vegetarian. They had ranout of veggie soup and hot potatoes, only quiche Lorraine( bacon ) available of any quiches.The Main Lunchtime menu wasCumberland Sausage, Cheese &Bacon sandwich salad or Chicken& Bacon sandwich salad withspicey chips. I had the Chickenbut asked them to remove theBacon as I don't eat red meat.They complied ( I think ! ).The Chicken came in nice crispybaguette and the chips were piping hot but not spicey.The food was good, I do admit.But there is a severe like of choise. But if you like bacon,this is the place to come.