Air Raid Shelter Cafe and Tea Room in Wycombe

First visit, and took elderly parents. I felt so sorry for the couple running the place today, there were only 2 staff, so I know our experience will be clouded by this, but it isn't their fault! I booked a table and explained one of the party had dementia. On arrival, there was a long queue of people ordering food, so my elderly folks went to find somewhere to stand out of the way. It was VERY cold and the radiators weren't turned on which wasn't ideal for the oldies We sat in "the kitchen" which only had a small table. We ordered 4 all day breakfasts and were warned that service might be slow due to only 1 person in the kitchen. It was slow, but worth the wait, despite my dad getting uncomfortably chilly. The plates were huge. Much bigger than the table could cope with along with lovely pots of tea and plates of toast. Maybe use smaller plates, just an idea The plates were also cold so the food chilled down quickly sadly. We loved the fabulous design and displays! Really fun, especially for my olds who are in their 80s. 3 things we thought we would share. The bicycle in the doorway is very easy to catch your clothing on or trip over. In case of a power failure or fire, it also partially blocks the exit and could cause issues. The signage on the beautiful old front door is nailed in with thin pins which could catch on skin or clothes. The threshold of the "kitchen" leading out where the military jackets are hanging is a bit slippy and a trip hazard. Dad has bad eyesight. I guess a lot of your customers may be of the older generation. Just something to look at! The 2 staff were absolutely lovely, and were like swans on a lake. Graceful and calm, but you know their little feets were going at 100mph under the water! We would come back, but not til it is warmer in there. Fab food and staff. Sorry we got you in a bad day, but we aren't completely put off!

Novel 1940’s decor, friendly service, but with it come a relatively high price £16.95 for a simple fried breakfast and cup of tea (photo below). I can’t see going back at this price sorry!!

Great place to go if you are interested in WW2 and how people lived

We went to The Air Raid Shelter & cafe for my mums 80 it was absolutely beautiful. I highly recommend using it for a special birthday 🎂 or occasion. They sell alcohol so we had a bottle of presecco and a few beers. Nothing was too much trouble, the food was really lovely. It was really reasonably priced and everyone enjoyed the food. Everyone from my 11 year old grandson to my 80 year old mum loved the different sections of the cafè which is like a history museum for you to see how people used to live in the 1930/40's We had a singer Blossom who sang in the village hall area where we had our party. It was really lovely everyone sang and joined in singing. You can also go for afternoon tea or brunch. They have a wonderful online website with a menu and beautiful pictures of the sections of the cafe Really worth visiting

What can I say about this place that's not already been said, believe me it's a truly great place to visit food, service atmosphere are 100% just a fabulous place thank you for a very enjoyable vist

Very rare find in High Wycombe visiting here is an event in its own right! Very well represented 1940s rooms and memorabilia. Definitely worth a visit

What a place - so interesting with great food and friendly staff - please have a look at the photos we took - so much to see. On the day we went they had a singer - May Blossom, Vintage Songbird - she was fantastic and told a really nice story about the war, music and lots of interesting facts along the way. She even sang happy birthday to my Dad and 2 others guests in the tea room which was a really nice touch - thank you. Overall a fantastic experience and we will be back soon as there is so much more to see and learn about.

Unusual place for lunch tea / coffee.

Amazing atmosphere, friendly staff, delicious food! I will definitely come back! The design is gorgeous, taking you to the past. My friend adores the atmosphere of 40th and he was super happy to be a part of it for a moment.

Amazing. Fun and educational and a very important place. Go now.

Had afternoon tea. Location and food excellent. Service left a bit to be desired. Was not busy but left waiting a lot.

We booked the Air Raid Shelter Cafe for afternoon tea to celebrate my Grandad’s 90th birthday, and it was truly unforgettable! There were 15 of us, plus a dog, a baby, and children, and the team were absolutely exceptional – so patient, accommodating, and welcoming. We never felt rushed, and no request was ever too much. The cafe itself is phenomenal, such a unique and cleverly designed space – I’ve never seen anything like it. We had an amazing time and will always cherish this special memory. Highly recommend!

Lovely place, staff really welcoming. Take a few moments to investigate all the different themed rooms as many to choose from. A good place for all generations. Highly recommend.

Went on Tuesday this week. Was quite busy at counter with drinks prep, phone calls, taking orders and serving to tables but communication was good by young lad serving. We ordered food and drink and then I had a mooch around to see developments!! Loved upstairs and the i ongoing train station.

Good service and food was also good

Great cafe filled with memorabilia in a really quirky layout. We loved our visit and the tea, breakfasts and cakes were incredible too.

Amazing place. Takes you back to the war times. Food good staff are very welcoming. Fun for children to walk around the place.

This was my first visit to the new premises and for lunch rather than a cuppa and cake like previous visits. It was very quiet for a lunch spot in town. The food was very tasty and fairly priced. The staff are friendly and helpful. It is a very interesting place. There is even a map to guide you around. I have booked to return next week for an afternoon tea with a friend.

Waited for weeks to come here, it was an absolute shambles. We came for the all day breakfast and ended going home without. We were told firstly that the wait would be an hour then when it came to ordering we were told that they were not doing any more breakfasts. Ruin my treat for my husband, customers were walking out left right and centre after waiting over 1 1/2 hours to be served. Would have been a nice experience….. such a shame! To go to all that effort to create such a unique place and then it be ruined by the service. Could be an absolute goldmine! Sort it out management!

So glad I found this charming place! Check out the photos, the decor and back-in-the-day vibes are really fun. Soundscapes and everything! The server was so kind and helpful (and in costume!). Delicious scone and coffee. Great and different kind of cafe place to do work on laptop - free WiFi :) - when it isn't too busy. Will be bringing my whole family soon!

Great place now that it's bigger. Good food we had HamEgg&chips with salad. We ate in the waiting room. Plenty to look at and read through the letter's. We will be back .

Had a delicious breakfast this morning. Great service, hot freshly cooked food. It's a great atmosphere, always something to look at. Thank you all.

Very unique tearooms lots of memorabilia.Staff lovely.Food very nice freshly made to order.Only downside no baby changing facilities or disabled toilet otherwise it was a enjoyable experience

Shockingly bad. We came fro reading Berkshire as a treat l thould it would be lovely how wrong was l. We were toled no English breakfast well ok we thought wed have the ham eggs and chips then no problem, we waited and waited and waited till after 45 minutes of waiting we asked when are meal was coming and we we were toled oh sorry there was no food to cook and someone has gone to the shops to buy it l was disgusted that no one cared to let us know so we left and went across the road to yates we had a full English breakfast it cost less and was ready in 10 minutes what kind of service is that not to mention the staff were not up to the job you could lezrl a lot from other cafes

Small Jacket potato for the money... no Salad cream No Burgers .Table not cleaned Staff were pleasant Interesting place though.

Well decorated cafe with lots of little items to reflect the sign of the times. Friendly staff and a good selection of food. Update 16/06/24. Following the move to its new location I think it is starting to have a detrimental affect. Plenty of new spaces to sit and enjoy the good food and look at your surroundings. However more space means more people and busy times longe to get your food. Sometimes can be 30 to 40 mins wait of your unlucky. Sometimes I have had a mix up with my order. Prices have gone up, which is to be expected but £3 for a poached egg even though a breakfast item is £1.50. So bit of a mark up for some items. In general it still can be a good experience but I'm starting to go there less and less.

An amazing creation of WW2 life.

Went on June 6th. Great atmosphere with a live singer doing 1940’s songs. Food was brilliant. Service great and very friendly. Well done Chris. Keep up the good work.

Absolutely delightful. So much work and thought has gone into this cafe. Staff lovely. Food was great. I will go back.

Wow,a fantastic tribute to the Second World War and all the memories, I would highly recommend this place to come and enjoy, The Breakfast was superb and the tea served with proper teacups,the staff were so friendly and helpful.

Really enjoyed our visit. Wonderful setting, love what the owners have done and created, quite unique. Would really like to visit when a show and singers are on. Certainly follow them on socials Cakes brilliant, sandwiches/rolls are brilliant, certainly recommend going along, enjoy reading the history of some of our war heroes and children who were evacuated during the war, sit back and enjoy the moment in a unique environment

Gone middle of the road, for stars. We decided not to eat here as it felt unclean. However I am told the food is good. We drove an hour to visit this cafe after following it on social media for some time. The decor is fantastic, worthy of a museum. But when looking around noticed it's not particularly clean and the toilets definitely need a good scrub, and dusty everywhere. Tables that had not been cleared. I asked to look at the kitchen,which I hardly ever do. The staff looked perplexed. One ran I to the kitchen to tell someone. I was going to look through the window but as I did a male exitted so I could see though the doorway anyway. He asked what I wanted and laughed. The kitchen was not terrible from what I could see but also look disorganised. Not for us. Very disappointed To note the lovely lady singing sounded wonderful. Edit: Thanks for responding Chris, your level of clean and mine are miles apart. Hence why I added photos to my review.

What a great place to have something to eat. So much to see, like a tiny museum.

What a fantastically authentic place... They have spent so much time collecting genuine pieces of history... Made me a bit emotional to see... Fantastic!

An absolute delight. Jam full of period fittings and memorabilia. I had a phenomenally good 'Tommy's' full English breakfast, as pictured.

Very unique find. Really well set out cafe. Food is only okay but definitely worth a visit!

Excellent food. Proper cuppa tea, cups saucers and heavy tea pot.

Great experience, really good food, coffee and dessert.

Amazing place, well worth a visit and great English breakfast too, step back in time with music and real memorabilia from that period, and good vibes. I sat in the train carriage and had a cup of tea in the front room. I’ll coming back again to treat my folks

An amazing place, well worth a visit

Fabulous lunchtime visit. Highly recommend 👌

This is a great themed cafe. It has a number of different rooms so plenty of space even during busy times. As an added bonus there is live entertainment in one of the rooms all themed around 1940's Britain. Food was good as was the speciality coffees. Standard coffee was perhaps a little strong. Only downside for a cafe (especially one open on a Sunday) was no cycle parking. This does not make an attractive stop leaving bikes outside in High Wycombe town centre. The cafe was however accomadating so took my folding bike in but not a practical option for a full size bike. Overall a great cafe well worth the visit.

Wonderful recommended place to visit. Part cafe, part museum. Simply blown away with the space and the food was amazing. Ambience and service was fun and homely. I will definitely return. One not to miss.

This place is so amazing cause you can learn about the www1 and www2

Booked for afternoon tea and we weren't disappointed. Friendly staff, delicious sandwiches, cakes and pastries. Excellent value for money. It was delightful walking around all the fabulous rooms. Thoroughly enjoyed our visit and we will be returning.

Great food and great atmosphere. Plenty to see before or after you eat and lots of photo opportunities. Definitely well worth going for the big breakfast and sitting in the atmospheric surroundings. It's roughly 30 minutes or so from London, so well within easy reach.

Well done team! Great attention to detail, good food, fairly priced. We travelled 40 mins for breakfast to see if the hype was worth it, it really was. Lovely young lady served us, her first day, and was clearly not quite in the zone yet, but she was honest, smiley, happy and helpful and, frankly, that's more important than impeccable service.

A really friendly place with a great atmosphere.

We chose a busy time to visit, so we had a bit of a wait, however, there is so much to look at! This delightful place is full of old memorabilia, and I just love it!

Very unique place. Really is a must see

Fantastic venue and experience.. a must visit... such a wonderful place with many different themed rooms to check out

Absolutely fantastic...gem of a place. Great atmosphere with a wonderful singer, lovely food and employees are very welcoming and friendly....comes highly recommended

What a quirky nostalgic cafe. A lovely good value breakfast. Will definitely be back.

It was like sitting and eating in a wartime museum. The service was very good, as was the food, although it was served in a mish-mash of crockery.

Great place to visit with a real 1940s atmosphere.

Saw a review for the the Air raid shelter tea rooms in Amersham on Facebook. Looked interesting, so decided with 2 friends to visit. What a lovely place. Lots of nostalgia, and information about the war years. A lot of work has gone into it. The food was very good, staff were so friendly and helpful. Atmosphere amazing. Lots of little nooks and crannies to eat or have a cuppa in.Can't praise this place enough.

Brilliant cafe, visited for the first time last week after being recommended. Great food and very interesting decor. 👍

A quirky little place that offers both a great dining experience and travel back in time to experience life in the 40's. Great for kids especially when studying WW2 at school as there are many wall displays and artifacts from that period to look at and learn from. Would come back in a flash.

Best Quirky cafe in town, great service, great prices, great food.

Hard - working - Staff ..! , 👍☘️🌻🙃☕️🍰🍩😎🍪🥂🍰

Fabulous place so nostalgic and so much to see, Great service and fantastic breakfast. 5⭐

This is a must visit café, brilliant atmosphere of war time England, the staff are very friendly and it's also dog friendly. A wonderful experience.

Fantastic egg and bacon baguette at the air raid shelter cafe. Great music, great atmosphere and great food.

What a fabulously quirky place! If you're remotely interested in all things vintage 1940's style, then this is a place for you! We were greeted with a smile & the suggestion to walk around, as it was our first visit and there are lots of places to sit! We enjoyed an American burger & a tuna melt with a pot of tea for two aswell as a generous slice of cake each. This place is work in progress, but we look forward to returning and will enjoy seeing it grow from strength to strength!

What a great place. it's like a living museum with great food. Based in an old pub,this place is set in the WW2 era, and attention to detail is great. There is a map available to help explore. You can dine in anything from an Anderson shelter to a rail carriage. There is a licensed bar and daytime its tea,coffees. The staff are really friendly and have an interest in their work!!! We were lucky enough to find two re-enactment chaps in there which added even more. Most definitely will be back. Wrap up warm if you go, bit chilly. Not much parking. Service 10 Food 10 Atmosphere 10

We had a lovely afternoon here with our toddler who loves planes and trains. He enjoyed his chicken nuggets in the train carriage watching trains go by. Husband and I very much enjoyed our coronation chicken sandwich and baguette. Planning our next visit already! Big shout out to the lovely, cheery staff working very hard. Even though it was busy, the guy behind the counter showed us around and talked us through the memorabilia. Prices very reasonable too - my husband was convinced they under charged us! Such good value for money which is hard to find at the moment. Thanks for a wonderful afternoon!

Uniquely brilliant, time-warp themed, old-fashioned cafe with a great full English, home made cakes, delightful staff and a proper huge pot of tea. Obviously a labour of love which deserves every success. Such a change from the instantly-forgettable standard vanilla rubbish which passes for tea shops these days. You could spend hours just looking at all the memorabilia. Warmly recommended!

Nice and friendly 40s/Second World War themed café serving all-day breakfast, burgers and sandwich/lighter bites. The decor, theme and atmosphere is great and there is lots to explore. The interior goes on and on, so do look around when you visit. The owner/proprietor was happy to show us around and talk about how they're putting the venue together. Well worth a visit if you're in town.

Good on Tuesdays for old lads like me 10per cent off

This amazing quirky cafe is an absolute find. It would have taken ages to collect all of the authentic memorabilia to decorate the space (once a pub). Everywhere you look, sit, or walk by has been carefully and thoughtfully designed. The staff are friendly and welcoming, providing a good service. The café is clean, and well-behaved dogs are also welcome. The large area at the rear has been laid out with a stage that could be utilised for specific events. Also, there's a classy vintage tea room upstairs. We had a coronation chicken baguette (which was huge), chips, a pot of tea, and a light beer. The cost was under £20 - very good value. There is on street parking if you are lucky, but a couple of multi-storey car parks are nearby. If you prefer to support individual enterprises, then this is a superb place to visit.

Poor service along with an hr wait for food which was brought out staggered with youngest being served last Beautiful venue but avoid at all costs if you don't want to be disappointed

This place was horrible my younger sister got served last dribks were cold after 5 minutes took about an hour to get served our food good atmosphere cause i like olden day things but i wouldnt highly recommend food was cold and miss placed food orders

First time in here today. Food was lovely but the staff behind the counter didn’t seem to know what they were doing . Might be an idea to have table numbers so that the people serving the food etc know which table to take the food to 🤔. Great atmosphere 😊

food took 1 hour to arrive i ordered a yankee burger it didn’t say anything about veg but when it arrived it was full of vegetables keep in mind on the menu it says nothing at all about vegetables and even when it did come the chips were just meh and the burger wasn’t good also people came in after us got served first and left before our food came i used to love this place do not come here

Toured around the cafe last night with my son’s Cubs session. Amazing exhibition of varies items and decoration of WWII theme with old fashioned food menu and sweets! Highly recommended for anyone to explore!

Kept saying we would give it a try so as we did,what a bad move that turned out to be. Waited 10 minutes to get served to be told be with you in a minute guy behind counter made 2 lattes for couple in front of us.our order was by cafe standards easy two lattes and a cheese and onion toastie ,we sat down coffee came only luke warm,waited another 20 minutes for our toastie but never came we were asked by a builder if we were waiting for food said yes cheese and onion toastie on brown,10 minutes later out came a toastie only to be given to a couple who came in 15 minutes after us,now this person had asked for white bread but it was on brown so it was ours .Anyway when our toastie came out it came with the couple on the next table's other toastie. Not a good experience at all so back to costa in wycombe.

It's lovely makes you wish it was still that era in a way love it

Just love everything about this cafe and tearoom.

Staff very friendly atmosphere lovely toilets clean food gorgeous

What a great place to go loved it x

The most homely, cosy and atmospheric afternoon tea I've ever had (and I go to afternoon tea a lot)! I highly recommend this adorable local business. I've visited three times now with friends, family and my partner. We will all be returning. Generous portions, authentic homemade feel and delicious! The staff are always friendly and welcoming, including Chris the owner. Such a special place. I love it here!

Fantastic, Homely, Afternoon Tea experience, affordable, friendly and very appropriate to the 1940's WW2 theme. I would recommend anyone to visit and will continue to come back!!

This is the bet place ever. I love it

Was an instant hit with the family. If you don't eat the chips you will be missing out on the best you'll ever have

This has to be the best cafe experience ever..if you like nostalgia then this is the place for you.The food is very good and so are the prices and the staff are friendly and helpful

A real gem, had to make my coffee last as long as I could to look at all the memorabilia

Top place definitely will be going back there again

If visiting Wycombe, this themed cafe is definitely somewhere that everyone needs to experience at least once. The air raid shelter is an incredibly kitch take on the glory days of World War Two. Marvel at the strange paraphernalia of an incredibly dark era of Britain in the forties that British people continue to celebrate. There aren’t that many places to sit due to all the historic artefacts everywhere including a car and a train carriage. However, great service and lovely food.

Great breakfast in a wonderful atmosphere.

Good considering they only just opened after vivid 19 restrictions.

Great place great food great service 👍🏻 👌🏻

Adorable, atmospheric nook for lunch and coffee. WWII Era memorabilia, late 1930-early 40s radio music played at a freindly level without intefering in casual table conversation. There is even a 1936 Morris model car next to my table. LOL. At first glance it appears like there is only a couple.of tables but don't be shy, there are plenty spots to sit and dine, you just have to go in to discover there much more in this little gem. We both got toasties: a cheese, ham, and tomatoe; she had a cheese and onion with a latte. Excellent tasty nibbles and filling. I overheard my company hum in delight a few times over her latte, so that must have been good. Staff was quite friendly and prompt. So, if you're in the mall and need a quick bite to eat, this stop will hit the spot.

Visited for a hot drink and cake. The cake was very reasonably priced in comparison to many other cafes in the area. £2.60 for a decent sized slice of Victoria sponge. The cafe itself is likely stepping back in time to the 1940s. It is packed with lots of historic pieces from days gone by. There is a realistic home setting with a kitchen, living room and even an air raid shelter, all of which you can sit in to eat. There is a lot of information particularly about local history in High Wycombe. Definitely worth a visit.

Te transportas a otro tiempo,es increíble cómo se puede hacer algo tan bonito . Si es posible viajar en el tiempo gracias a gente como ustedes. Desde Málaga (España), enhorabuena!!!. Servicio y estancia super agradable.

Unique place, food excellent would thoroughly recommend.

The lady serving us didn't give us a warm welcome, no smile or hello! We ordered 2 tuna baguettes, 1 ham and cheese baguette,2 teas and my son only had a choice of a can of Pepsi Max or water as he didn't want a hot drink or a milkshake. The baguettes came out long before our drinks, and unfortunately, we didn't enjoy our tuna baguettes. They had a strong vinegar taste. Tea was lovely when it came. In a lovely retro tea pot with cute cups and saucers. While sat waiting for our food and drinks, there are some really lovely things to look at and talk about. The cakes looked good, so maybe next time, I might just opt for a cuppa and some cake.

We ordered 2 all day breakfasts.Excellent quick service. The food was lovely and so was the atmosphere. Definitely recommend.

A brilliant place to visit. Amazing 40's decor, great atmosphere.

Great atmosphere amazing staff great value for money Wycombs 2nd museum

First visit here and certainly not the last. Definitely will return. Great vegetarian breakfast with a lovely cup of tea!!