Cafe 21 in Colchester

Had a very delicious traditional Christmas lunch with a friend. The staff are always very friendly and even accommodated my strange request for 'no gravy'! It lovely place to eat.

It’s a lovely place with a very cozy environment, and the food portion sizes are good. The customer service is very friendly. The only disappointment was that the breakfast beans portion size was too small, with only 2 tablespoons. Apart from that, everything is good.

We got a table down the back on a Monday morning as we were 4 adults and 2 children. Menu has a good range and all breakfasts options. Food was tasty and service was friendly couldn't fault it. Dining area is grand nothing negative to say but nothing extraordinary either. Found it maybe slightly cold at times but could have just been the exit door was opened and cold air blew in. Would go back !

Friendly service and very good portion sizes

Dogs only allowed outside. If you have a dog go to Starbucks or plenty of other places.

We come to the cafe as they serve a great vegan breakfast. Large portions and great dairy free coffee.

We were a group of 5 needing to squeeze in a quick bite and refreshment at a specific time on a Saturday. It was great that there is an option to reserve a table here. The menu has excellent variety, so we could all have different sorts of things depending on how hungry we were. And the food itself was very good. Very friendly and efficient service even though it was busy and they were all working flat out.

Unable to leave stars for the food or atmosphere because we didn’t get that far. Queued to wait for a table to become available for 2 people, with one couple ahead of us. They were unable to tell us how long it would be which was fair enough , we were happy to wait. However a group of 3 people came in behind us. They didn’t want to wait but were told they could leave their number and they would be called when a table became available. Whilst still waiting, these 3 people were then called to say a table had become available!! Now I can understand if it had been a table that seats 6 and not wanting to give it to just 2 people but I think it extremely poor customer service, not to have given it to those next in the queue for the sake of one seat! How were they to know that the party of 3 weren’t just going to order drinks. Very short sighted of Cafe 21 not to mention greedy! We have dined here many times before but sadly, won’t be returning!

Best indipendent eatery in Colchester. Excellent food, nice venue, and good staff. Prices are very fair. I've been going for years.

Charming eatery, once a home. Has a garden for dining too. Friendly service. Their 'all day breakfast' is recommended

Fantastic food Fantastic staff the only thing I think needs looking at is seating arrangements out side on the upper level maybe have a low line wall and better paving we were sitting on the edge bit worrying going fall off but besides that absolutely beautiful place and had a very enjoyable day hear thank you x 😀 definitely coming back x

I’m a bit of a fussy eater and deviated from the menu which the staff were more than happy to help. Was lovely and would definitely come again :)

Always the best breakfasts, with the nice range of teas. The service is just great, definitely an amazing place to have some delicious meal

As always quick service, lovely staff and cheap and yummy breakfast options (£7.95 for an eggs benedict with bacon and mushrooms). Thank you Georgia!

Gone downhill, I am still looking for the chicken that was supposed to be in my bagel and trimming the fat of the bacon. Salad was out of date. Shame as used to be great.

We are currently still sitting in here and I had to leave a review, the food is amazing and the staff are even better. We were looking for somewhere to eat and we see they have vegan options and my wife cannot have animal fats. Our daughter only wanted a toasted bagel and egg which isn't on the menu but they are more than happy to cater if they can.

Tasty food, fab staff, good prices & lovely building in the heart of Colchester. We visit Cafe21 regularly and we are always greeted with a lovely welcome. This quaint little Resturant in the heart of Colchester has 3 dining areas: to the front of the building, to the back and a courtyard with plenty of seating. The food is always tasty and the staff work hard to make sure your visit is an enjoyable. It goes without saying the kitchen staff are of course at the heart of this lovely establishment so I won’t forget them in this review Maxiene , Georgia are the names I remember but there’s a few others in there too- you past them working away as you head to the back of the cafe so you can see how busy they are. Plus hats off to them with the hot weather temperatures we having been getting lately, it can’t be pleasant with the kitchen heat too. Highly recommend this little gem of a cafe .

Waitress Georgia-Paige was very helpful and polite and engaging. Excellent service. Georgia-Paige is an asset to Cafe 21.

Had a lovely lunch here. Greeted very quickly by friendly and welcoming staff. We ordered and received food very quickly. Good prices and offer daily specials and delicious desserts.

I normally try to point out the good and the bad when I leave a review, but I really can't think of anything bad! Great tasting food from a very varied menu and plenty of drink options too, also very good value for money. The staff are absolutely amazing, friendly knowledgeable efficient and helpful. To have staff like that must mean great owners too. I have to say the whole experience was first rate. It was our first visit but definitely not our last, I really recommend Cafe 21, if like us you visit on a nice day sit in the garden it's lovely.

What a lovely cafe in the centre of Colchester. Georgia who served us today was so attentive and helpful. Would definitely recommend.

A truly lovely cafe … like stepping back in time with good service , tasty food at reasonable prices … the outside space is like a secret garden … a favourite place to visit at anytime of day ..they deserve to be recognised for what they do !

Top place for food. Bit expensive but good food. However I’ve been here over 50 times so if I get up after eating to pay on the way out - don’t tell me you usually take payment at the table that’s a little rude and not really good customer service.

We booked a baby shower at the start of the year for July. With the understanding that we would have the back room and the patio doors open for guests to be able to go out into the garden also with an afternoon tea spread type buffet. Which sounded lovely and we went ahead with the booking. We had spoke several times throughout the year also regarding adding more guests and how the day might go etc. (not once being told this wasn’t to be exclusively used by us) However the day before the baby shower I received a phone call asking if I wanted the back room setup or the patio area. I explained as originally planned if we could do the buffet food inside incase of the weather, then guests can come in and eat and go outside etc. I was told I had to pick either the back room or patio. Which was never discussed for months prior. After explaining that’s not what we were told from the beginning we were then informed they would still have to seat guests in the garden. That the back room holds 20 people. To which I said we have 25? (Surely we would’ve been told ages ago that the back room doesn’t even fit our amount of guests?) That they would try to open the side gate to stop strangers walking through etc. We also told them we’d be arriving 30 minutes before guests to set up decorations too. Which they said they’d aim for customers to leave by. Slightly frustrated by the miscommunication we still went into it with an open mind and hopeful they wouldn’t be too busy as it was towards the end of their closing time. When we arrived to set up decorations the back room was filled with customers still and the garden was pretty full. We ended up setting up with customers still in the room, and luckily got the room ready with minutes to spare. Thankfully the guests still managed to get some seating in the garden. We did have a lot of customers walking through the baby shower to use the toilet and leave etc. the staff also was walking through with peoples food and drink. Which was tough when you’ve got a large group mingling in a small room and having to move out the way a lot. Once it quietened down we all ended up having a lovely time and the food was all okay. People got fed and were happy. It was just all a big faff and not so pleasant. Miscommunications from management were to fault here mainly. My Mother in Law asked on arrival regarding the whole situation and was told if we had of wanted the garden booked privately too, we had to pay extra for that. (Which if told in the start or anytime prior we would’ve paid for!) If we were told everything they told us the day before in the beginning we wouldn’t have booked a baby shower here. Because who likes to have strangers wandering around at a personal event you thought would be private. Sadly most of us got really bad stressful vibes from the team that catered for us. After thanking my guests the next day for coming I received quite a few negatives regarding the teams attitude and people found them to be rude. There was however one girl who was being ultra nice! Almost like she was compensating for the rest of the team. To her I say thank you lol! She was lovely!! It was just a bad vibe and I felt like I put the venue out by having my baby shower here. We didn’t feel welcomed and you could feel animosity radiating off the manager 😔. Me and my wife came here regularly for breakfast and have never had a bad thing to say. But can’t say we will be coming back after a stressful baby shower 😭

My daughter and I had a very nice drink at the cafe and were both very impressed with the service and the outside garden was lovely to sit and chat. The atmosphere was pleasant and calm and we liked the fact that the tables aren’t pushed close together. Really good and we’ll be back

Please don’t eat here as the staff are extremely rude!!

Excellent food, generous portion, polite service & value for money. The best advocado on toast I have had or a long time.

Enjoyed a delicious lunch here in the pretty little garden, shaded from the hot mid day sun. The staff were supper attentive and our order was ready very quickly. The food was really good and reasonably priced. I especially enjoyed the smoothie. Would definitely come back here, a real little gem.

I was so pleased to find this delightful cafe while wandering the streets of Colchester. I enjoyed the day's special of homemade chicken pie and veg. The food and service were perfect and all at a very reasonable price.

First expérience in England for us and we are so happy with the english breakfast in the café 21. The waitres are very sympathique The food is excellent Thanks you for the moment with our english Friends.

Decent breakfast, well cooked & came hot which is important.

Only worried that Cafe 21 would be closing before my order had been collected

What a lovely cafe . The staff are really welcoming and kind and the food is delicious . We enjoyed their cheese n roast veg toasties which came with a really fresh and tasty salad and some crisps . The coffee was good too . We were sorry we didn’t have room for cake . The food being brought out to other customers looked lovely too .

We found Cafe 21 located in Trinity Street colchester,polite,courteous service and food and drink beautifully presented very happy indeed would highly recommend

Had brunch at Cafe 21 while out shopping in Colchester. The welcome was excellent and a table became available after a short wait. The staff were attentive and friendly. The menu was varied and included a good range of gluten free items which pleased my wife. The food and drink was excellent and very good value for money. All in all a very pleasant experience. We will be back!! (From Father Paul)

Beautiful Food ,very friendly polite staff can’t do enough for you Food is always good here and i recommend anyone looking for a bite to eat / meal in Colchester this is the place to go

Had lunch here again today, always go here for lunch when I'm in town! Great food, great service as always. Wouldn't go anywhere else!

Had lunch and cup of tea here at Cafe 21 with my daughter and was lovely though out, Friendly/helpful staff. Will definitely return

Thought I’d give a new place a try. High quality ingredients, tasty food and good customer service (they confirmed something rather than just assuming). The breakfast waffle a particularly good choice!

I had the worst cup of coffee I think I've ever had, and I note I'm not the only one reviewing who thinks so. I asked for a black americano. When it arrived, my husband thought it was his tea, it was so thin and watery looking. It tasted as bad as it looked. When you then add in a scone that had a hair baked into it, tasteless soup and mediocre service, it really was poor. We prefer supporting local businesses but, they have to do better than this. We won't be back.

Really great for allergens (gluten free) - such a reliable place and loads of options - really lovely girls

This cafe is by far the best one in town centre. The waiting times for a table aren't that long and I usually get served promptly. The staff are quite friendly and accommodating as well. The barista with the stretched septum makes lovely coffee! It has a wide range of vegan and gluten free options that cater to customers' dietary needs and preferences. I'd recommend the welsh rarebit and jacket potatoes with coronation chicken. The dessert menu is quite lush as well, especially the strawberry heaven waffles.

Lovely experience at cafe 21. Staff were super friendly and helpful and we throughly enjoyed our full English. Tea and cappuccino also very good. Staff were excellent!! xx

Quite a nice little cafe staff was pleasant the vegan veggie section was quite good but it all had peepers in so could.nt have any of em

I've been visiting colchester for the last couple of weeks and have spent a fair amount of time in it's amazing independent cafes. Cafe 21 is definitely my favorite. The staff are super friendly and accommodating, the vibe is warm and relaxing and the food is excellent. Their menu is great regardless of whether you are there for breakfast, brunch or lunch. I tend to get a coffee and cake to start while I do a bit of work both of which are always top notch. The lunch options are plentiful and I haven't been let down at all by what I've ordered. If you're a tourist looking to stop by for a drink or place to eat, I can't recommend them more. If you are a local, definitely give them a visit and I'm sure you'll be frequenting them again soon! Lots of love to you guys at cafe 21! Thanks for being such great hosts! X

First time here and firstly a friendly welcome. We were sat by the window but the rear looked just as nice. Our coffees were good and we had a sandwich plus toasties both on granary bread. Now there is supermarket bread and lovely bread, which despite the good prices was the lovely bread. Really enjoyed my roasted veg toastie.

Been here a couple of times. In summer the back garden area is lovely. The staff is friendly and the food fresh and tasty. They always have some delicious quiches on offer. We sat inside this time round and had full English breakfast which was delicious and very filling. Coffee was also a decent size unlike some places. Staff is very friendly and attentive. Highly recommended.

Good, value for money food. Pleasant friendly staff.

Absolutely delicious breakfast with good quality ingredients. I generally leave the sausage if I eat at a cafe but this one was delicious and clearly not from the cheap frozen section. Coffee that came with was good and service spot on. Less than a tenner and you are onto a winner 🏆

Cute spot! Great afternoon tea&scones. The blackberry jam was delicious 🤩 Great service

Had a lovely cheese scon and cappuccino bear today all girls really friendly and scone lovely and soft and warm nice cappuccino yo recommend and definitely suu u again thank u

This cafe is excellent all round, the staff are friendly, accommodating and very informative regarding their extensive menu. I have a specific dietary requirements as I’m have many food intolerances and on a low fodmap diet. Gluten, onion and garlic are the main ones. Nothing was too much trouble, adjusting the menu to my needs and many choices for me to choose from. I can only congratulate them on the service I received. Thank you Caroline

I ate homemade lasagna and salad with salmon. I drank a cappuccino without caffeine. I liked everything very much. Friendly and smiling waiters, food is prepared very quickly, which is a fundamentally important factor for me.

Food was not too bad. Not a lot of flavour in the chilli. Friendly welcoming staff. It was very noisy whilst we were there. The waitress apologised for this but she wasn't responsible for the volume at which people talk

Nice cafe, good vegan options. A few more would be nice! Friendly, helpful staff. Lovely courtyard garden

Fantastic. Sat in the garden on this warm autumnal Saturday. Beautiful halloumi and mushrooms sandwich. The bread was so soft and thiccccc, the halloumi far from rubbery and the mushrooms, aplenty. Service is phenomenal. It flows perfectly. Hahaha, just seen Versionfilm's 1* review. Look at their account. They only leave negative reviews. Morons!

Popped in for lunch and sat in the lovely garden, good menu and quick friendly service. My daughter had a Brie, bacon and cranberry sandwich, it was lovely thick bread. I had a prawn flatbread, both were delicious. We got a brownie to take away.

Excellent friendly service and yummy brunch x

I have never been to this cafe before and I am so glad I come we sat outside and was greeted with smiles as soon as we came in we had a lovely waitress who’s name was Georgia she was very kind and patient with us and made us feel very comfortable and relaxed, the garden out the back is lovely and shady if it’s to hot would definitely recommend it here and if you have Georgia as your waitress you will have a lovely time !!!!!

I frequently visit Cafe 21 and am never disappointed. Great food, top staff and always a nice atmosphere. Love the garden in the warmer months!

Wanted to find a local cafe in town to go to and came across this place . First off the food was really nice but what was very confusing was we was told when asking for certain food such as chips that they may not be able to provide this as it had something to do with next door which was strange and slightly disappointing especially being a cafe . Also its important to know it is very very very small inside and our table was a table usually fit for one maybe 2 at a push and there was 3 of us including a child which made it abit stressful as we then would have to manoeuvre bits on/off the tiny table. I would revisit alone or with a friend as what we did have to eat was nice but would keep in mind what I now know

Staff are so friendly. Food so tasty .

Been eating here for years and today the waiting staff really were the worst. We gave up and left! We sat, in the Sun, for 20mins and never even got a menu even though we signalled repeatedly. We even laughed they were so obviously ignoring us! Never mind. Went to the Mediterranean Cafe 20 secs up the road and got a great welcome! Shame after many years as loyal customers. Edit to owner response: We spoke to the younger and older member of staff on entry asking them if there was a seat in the garden. They said there was a table for two, but it's in the sun and go and have a look to see if it would suit. I can't "slip" anywhere at 6ft6inches and thanked them. We waved and asked several times for menus. Then gave up. We did actually laugh at one point because it was so bad. The one thing I do know is, the tone of your answer shows what you're like and how you treat people. And yes, good did come from it, because the Fig and Goats Cheese salad at the Med Cafe was lovely and less expensive to boot. I wish you well at Cafe 21 and I'm sure they will challenge the next people who dare to "slip" into your cafe after asking for a table!

What a beautiful hidden gem! The food was lovely, and so reasonably priced, with a huge variety, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten free. Very pretty little garden with plenty of tables and lovely service. We had such a nice lunch, will definitely be back next time we are in Colchester.

My favourite place for lunch in Colchester. The staff are really friendly and helpful and the food is excellent. The garden area out the back is fantastic. I highly recommend a visit!

Went to this cafe yesterday and the food looked amazing. Ordered quickly, no problems, drinks arrived and then other people started arriving. Still sitting with our drinks…. Waiting. And then the other new customers food started appearing but we still had nothing. After 45 minutes I asked how long our food was going to take as I had noticed other more recent customers tucking into their food. The waitress returned to apologise that she had not put our ticket through correctly and the kitchen would rush it through now!! We left and grabbed a sandwich somewhere else. Such a shame they are not keeping a better eye on their customers and checking they are boring taken care of. Won’t be returning g.

We took our friends for the first time and we were throughly impressed. We sat in the lovely garden and the service and food were great. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff also. We will definitely return, thank you!

Lovely food and atmosphere. The prices are great value for the quality and staff were friendly.

Impromptu lunch with my lovely friend. Pretty little garden area out the back. Extensive menu and chose the welsh rarebit which was delicious. Would recommend

Quite popular cafe in Colchester high street.

Lovely cafe and perfect for lunch with my mum after shopping. The food is great value for the quality, and we were really impressed with the options available. We sat in the garden which was very relaxed and nicely decorated.

Lovely lunch, staff very helpful, such a quaint spot in the town.

The cafe offers gluten free options on most of the menu, as well as special gluten free hot meals. They offer homemade gluten free waffles (both sweet and savoury dishes), and ours were light, fluffy, and perfect. Toppings were generous, especially for the price. There are also plentiful vegetarian and vegan (and therefore dairy/lactose free) options. The staff were helpful, and there was clear communication about the dietary requirements to the kitchen. Overall, the staff were wonderful. We'll definitely be returning.

Always use Cafe 21 when in town, wouldn't go anywhere else to eat. Food always excellent and always greeted by friendly helpful staff! Considering its always busy I have always been served quickly and given the same great service every time no matter how busy they are!!

Lovely cafe with so many choices of foods & drinks all freshly prepared. Definitely reccomend.

Great food, friendly staff and lovely surroundings. A real quirky atmosphere gives this place a real character.

Excellent food and service from staff member Freya, All for a great price.

Greasy cheap food, half buttered toast, weak coffee (i'd rather have instant) served in a glass for some reason.

Excellent yummy food for a really good price we didn’t have to wait long and for the price you get quite abit of food i would defo recommend to others .

The service at this cafe is amazing! The staff are very friendly, and our food came extremely quickly. I had the loaded cheese scones, which I would highly recommend!

There are a lot of competing places in Colchester, this one is ok. One of the downsides is that the kitchen is in the middle of the cafe, and to keep the warmth, they keep the doors and windows closed.The choice of teas is very good, I had a latte, which was ok. Hot chocolates looked better I think. The choice of food is good. Service was friendly, though there was a small mixup with us, but they were happy to resolve it. Atmosphere could be a bit better (perhaps if you are used to the polished look of 'Costa') but if you just would like a place to eat this is fine though. Would I go back? Maybe, but I'd try other cafes too in the area.

Lovely little cafe. Great food options and wonderful service. Kids meals were a very good size and quality.

Have been coming here for years and miss it if I don't come for a while! A lovely little café with a very cute courtyard to eat outside in the warmer weather where you are surrounded by trees & shrubs. There are vegetarian curries, shepherd's pie, sandwiches, jacket potatos with a variety of fillings, & the Welsh Rarebit is AMAZING!! Very filling with 2 eggs on top ! Yum ! 😋 Absolutely delicious cheese scones & usually a fab range of homemade cakes & excellent coffee/latte/cappuccinos & good quality soft drinks of course. I do miss that you don't sell egg mayo sandwiches any more though!

The wife and I started using cafe 21 about 8 weeks ago, we found the food cooked to a really good standard and the staff are very friendly and helpful, we would really recommend this place to everyone,

Usually brilliant, this was very disappointing , too busy, should have said no to me, I could gone somewhere else Coffee cold, breakfast inedible, jacket cold and uninteresting. May give another chance, however plenty of competition

Had a lovely breakfast, Charlene was especially helpful and very friendly. 10/10 would eat and chat again.

Beautifully decorated place, good food and high quality coffee. A fair price and the service was outstanding. My table of 3 was mainly handled by a new member of staff called Charlene who was extremely accommodating and kind. I would 100% come again.

Good food, staff very friendly (especially the young ones). Great little back lane cafe.

Very friendly, helpful service. I had a lovely pot of tea, with skimmed milk and a very large slice of carrot cake, which was delicious. I thoroughly recommend this cafe.

Lovely home made, fresh food at really good prices.

A busy little cafe, in the heart of the "city" centre. There are several rooms and a pretty, enclosed garden area (not open in Winter, or at least on my visit). The odour of cooking does fill the indoor rooms, since the kitchen is central on the ground floor Service is prompt and friendly. Food is tasty and the portion size is good. Recommended.

Just amazing really can't say anything more.

We love it here and always pay a visit in in Colchester shopping, food is lovely.

Lovely little cafe, outside seating is quiet and peaceful. Food is fantastic and very competitive pricing.

Excellent Food and Service. Great Menu.

Quick service. Good reasonably priced food. Been here a lot over the years . Never had any bad experiences

Welsh rarebit is to die for,go with all trimmings for proper taste sensation. Plus location is an oasis of calm in the town centre, great for garden dining

We had christmas dinner here yesterday for 10 people. The service was excellent, the food, every course was superb, everything was fresh and cooked to perfection. Everyone commented how lovely the food was. I would without hesitation recommend, I simply cannot fault it.

Lovely place for brunch or lunch, staff are friendly and helpful, Christmas decs look nice, food fresh and tasty and drinks were great too. We will return.

First time of being here. Food and service were both very good. Good value for money. Wide range of choice on the menu.