Café Nucleus Rochester in Medway

This restaurant is STUNNING. My favourite place I’ve been to so far in Rochester. The only downside (for me) was the lack of main meal options. I’m not a fan of meat, and they only had meat options. The chef did end up making me a vegetarian option which was a cauliflower steak with roasted veg, which was really lovely of him. But I would love for a chicken option. The bruschetta was the best thing I’ve ever flipping tasted like OH MY. And the staff are WONDERFUL.

Lovely experience, we had afternoon tea, but the vegetarian option is lacking, due to an overkill of cheese sandwiches. Service was attentive and beautiful surroundings.

Great service, beautiful venue and atmosphere, been for lunch and breakfast. Food is amazing

Really nice Cafe. Helpful, friendly staff and reasonable prices. 🥰

Splendid small cafe, coffee excellent. Seating 'cosy' or a bit cramped. Would happily go back.

Wetherspoons food for high end prices. £12.50 for the fry up shown in the photo and £9.50 for the panini which was made from all clearly bought in food. Panini, super thin salt beef slices that were dry and shit plain crisps. Absolute rip off, but the coffee was good

Apparently the Bar woman prided herself on her long islands but they were really not great. Maybe that’s how they’re taught. Couldn’t poach an egg without vinegar even in a quiet restaurant, and their vinegar choice isn’t gluten free apparently. Seems like an easy fix.

What a great space and the service is so on point. We had brunch but it's love to go back for their evening menu and cocktails.

Superb service and food/drinks. Could not ask for better!

Great place for authentic Italian food. The pizzas and other food ordered like risotto were very well presented and tasted good. All fresh produce, the service was relaxed and friendly. Good wine selection. It's great for large groups or lone diners. Reasonabley priced too. Clean and well presented. Definitely would recommend visiting here.

Lovely restaurant really enjoyed it. Good prices and lovely helpful staff. The good was presented beautifully and tasted really good too.

Really nice food and service place is very interesting and bathroom throws you off a bit lmao!!!! Really good experience

Such a beautiful place for eating....love the round tables too

Great service from Hannah, she even went the extra million miles to bring us hot water bottles and extra brown sauce. Delicious and great quality food along with a cosy garden atmosphere.

Located in Rochester town. This was a perfect place for a brunch getaway. The place is beautiful, the atmosphere is luxurious but relaxing. The service was spot on. Of course the food was nice and the produce was fresh. I couldn't fault this place. It's slightly pricey, but you pay what you get for. Highly recommended and will definitely get back. It's one of my new top places.

Aki was lovely. Despite other tables it felt like a private dining experience. Went for breakfast, Canadian definitely filled a hole. Love the decor and the history of the building. Aki also off the bat with knowledge with questions about the place. Will be back again for dinner

Nothing special and expensive for what it is

What a wonderful place! Highly recommend! Greta was so great❤️

Enjoyable get together in comfortable surroundings. Food very well presented and delivered with warmth. A bit pricey but on balance I would recommend.

Excellent service all due to the wonderful Riley. We have had a really lovely experience celebrating two birthdays with Excellent service from a relatively new team member, who helped make the day wonderful. Thank you. The food was superb 👌 😋 we all loved it. Five star rating

Love this place,so elegant,so beautiful. The food is delicious.

Avoid!! Staff are not very welcoming, poor food compared to the Nucleus at Chatham. They also charge £2 per person towards their charity and then add 10% tip. I don't mind paying for anything if it's worth it, but unfortunately this was not. I felt obliged to pay the charge as the male staff member made such a scene in front of all the customers when we questioned about paying it and kept repeating its on the website. It does refer to a contribution, no amount is advertised. I have never been charged this in the Chatham one. Looking at previous reviews, a lot of people feel the same about the staff, quite rude and huffing and puffing when you politely ask them about the charges on the bill. Food was average and nothing special. Expensive for what it is. Never had any issues in Chatham.

Great, food, long waits between appearances of staff, lovely dining room (upstairs). Service needs to match prices, but still a nice option in Rochester.

Absolutely terrible experience today - We had booked a table for breakfast at 11.15, only to be told on arrival that they thought it was 12pm. When showed the confirmation they said they could sit us outside but had nothing inside (we had specifically booked inside) - no apology, no offer to have a drink outside or at the bar until a table inside became available. We went elsewhere, along to Fish at 55, which was delicious, with amazing service - would encourage anyone to do the same.

Had an amazing experience here today. Staff members were very friendly and the food was exceptional. Will definitely be returning in the future.

Very lovely atmosphere for dining out! Excellent service and food was just magnificent. The menu is very versatile and has many options, lots of drinks to choose from too which was great. We didn't have to wait long and the staff made sure we have everything we need. One of the best places to go to if you want a cosy yet exquisite evening. The location is close to Rochester castle so if you want you can have a nice walk after dinner. Me and my partner enjoyed every second. Definitely coming back again for brunch next time!

Visited this morning...greeter was nothing short of rude! OK we chanced a table being available...to be told in a very trucculent and facetious manner that "Its a bank holiday" .....ahhhh thanks for that wonder why the wife didn't go to work today. Go to Quills down the road....like we did...despite being very busy they were very welcoming and the food and service was excellent .

Nice food but you must book at busy times like weekend lunch for example

What a stunning establishment. Good food, good music and fabulous people. This is the future of having a good time with friends.

I was taking to Cafe Nucleus as a birthday treat, I went with my family, everything was outstanding, lots of food and hot drinks, and the staff were so very friendly and helpful, I would recommend it highly.

Only has a 4 star rating for Food Hygiene which is not great considering its got the most expensive fry up in kent at 16.5 ! Wow This place looks pretty but it’s guaranteed not to be clean. Dogs should not be allowed into an area where food is consumed. It is unhygienic. Ive seen staff then touching the animals and serving food to customers. Not enough washing of hands have we not learnt anything. This is basics.

Perhaps slightly expensive but a good quality fry up.

Yes decoration lovely, clean, decent service but ridiculously overpriced. The worst scrambled tofu ever eaten, sourdough was only toasted one end of the slice given. The whole meal was cold. Another diner with me had toast, which wasnt even toasted & served without butter, which had to be asked for. I could not believe the bill presented, for so little food & a coke, orange juice & a coffee, which like the food wasn't hot.

Dropped in purely by chance, and what a brilliant find. Everything about the place is spot on, from the food, which is amazing, to the service which is professional, friendly and attentive. Would we recommend this place,? Absolutely and without hesitation. Next time we visit, we'll definitely call again.

I actually went here two days running! The first visit was a Saturday lunch with my son. I had always wanted to go but never had an excuse. We sat upstairs and the room was fantastic. Large, airy with lots of room. The food was OK, if a little toppy price wise but the service and location make up for that. They didn't have the starter or the beer my son asked for, which was a bit disappointing but not really a deal breaker. The second visit was Sunday afternoon and a cream tea. We sat outside which was OK. The table was tilted at quite a slope, which was a bit odd. The cream tea was delicious and not overly priced. Overall I'd recommend it for "an occassion" visit and would definitely look to go again.

We had a delicious breakfast in the board room. Eggs royal, pancakes and waffles were all great. Hannah our waitress was excellent as well as the chef sorting our 7 year old out some extra strawberries we will be back again.

4 generations of us girls out for Grandma's 86th birthday brunch. We had the table for 1hr 20mins (4 of us) and this was just the right amount of time for us. We weren't made to rush and the service and food were 5* We dined inside on the ground floor as we had a walking aid trolley and they stored the trolley safely out the way for us. Not a cheap place to eat but value for money as the food was delicious and beautifully presented, and the restaurant was gorgeous. We'll definetely be going back for the next special occasion!

Really nice food, pleasant atmosphere and just the right level of service. I would highly recommend this cafe to anyone in the area

Turned up asking for a table for 5 with my 98 year old grandma in a wheelchair. Was swiftly told there were no tables despite the place being 80% empty. We asked if there was anything in the courtyard and asked if we could squeeze on a table of 4 even though it was on a hill and we then had to get grandma out the wheelchair. Once we sat down I noticed all the empty tables and enquired why they can’t accommodate when an odd number arrive, was told they only have 2 tables of 6, it is their policy not to bring tables together and we would need to sit separately. It seems a very strange business model to turn people away rather than accommodate when your cafe is mostly empty. It is also not very accessible for wheelchairs at all. Disappointing experience.

Great atmosphere, great food, great staff.

Had a delicious Canadian breakfast at this place! Chill vibes, perfect for the morning! Friendly and quick service. Perfect location, in the middle of Rochester. Would visit again for sure!

Loved this place. Unique, quirky, tasteful decor; friendly and attentive staff; delicious food; great menu for vegetarians and vegans. Not tried the cocktails yet but will 100% be back for those as they looked amazing!

One of my 4 favourite eateries in Rochester, the food is always delicious & the service exemplary. I had a very late lunch on 17/06/24, choosing the chicken, avocado & bacon salad. I love their desserts but it was so large I could barely manage the ice cream I had instead. An added bonus was that my personal 'Dream Team' - Aki, Anna & Ivan - were on duty.

Good cafe, went here for Father's Day breakfast... service was good, and so was the food, ketchup portions are big, interesting painting on the wall

Love this place. Always good quality food and the staff are super friendly. A little bit pricey but worth it.

This place is always awesome! The decor is stylish, food is scrumptious and the staff are just amazing! So friendly and amenable. We went for brunch with our 3 yr old and they were more than happy to cater to our every need. He had the chocolate pancake stack that was absolutely incredible!! Drizzled chocolate, powdered sugar, raspberries, strawberries and blue berries. I had the California eggs: buttered muffins with mashed avocado, poached eggs and warm hollandaise sauce. I added a slice of Bacon. It was soo iso delicious I could have eaten it twice, if I wasn't so full from the first plate. Hubs had the French toast which vanished so fast I don't even have a description of it to leave here! He said it was "horrible" while cleaning his plate entirely. I agreed he must have hated it seeing as there wasn't a morstle in sight. Lol. To drink I had a bramble which came with frozen red currents and hubs had a long island iced tea which again was gone in seconds and professed as so horrid I wouldn't want to try any. I know he was just trying not to share it with me. They seated us outside but under the marquee. I asked to see if we could sit in the sun outside so as soon as one of those tables came up they had us on it. So friendly they giggled and joked with our 3 yr old son who is a total joker. As they always do!! I can't recommend this place highly enough to anyone. Especially if you are looking to take someone for a posh feeling spot of food. Sometimes it gets busy and fully booked so it's always worth calling ahead to make sure they can accommodate. Or actually making a booking. Definitely a place to try in Rochester. You won't regret it.

Cafe Nucleus Chatham and others....Unbelievable overcharging, complained when I asked for the avocado and poached egg on toast, and to switch out the eggs (allergic to them) and have bacon instead!. When bill came, the cafe decided to charge me £2.50 per bacon rasher!!!! All in all the waitress did not make it clear that it would be charged on top and when i spoke to the manager today, they failed to address the fact that the waitress should have advised me that the items i wanted would add up to £5.000!!!!!!!!!!! Disgraceful!!!!!!!So to add insult to injury, a tiny sausage 1 sausage cost another £2.50!!!!! This company need to seriously look at over charging £7.50 for three utems ..I certainly will not be recommending nor visiting this establishment again.

Great food in gorgeous surroundings. NOT cheap!!!!!

Staff are very nice and very dog friendly food is amazing and just my favorite place to go

Lovely fresh food, friendly staff that do not rush you and great decor, will definitely be returning.

Had the pleasure of lunch here. We didn't have a booking but they managed to find us a table outside which was nice. They provided blankets and there was an oil heater on the table. The service was great and everyone was really friendly. Really enjoyed the lunch. It was fresh and tasty!

Loved the decor of this place! The service and staff were excellent. Great food and loved the spicy chai latte. Would be a great place for food with friends. Nice bathrooms too!

Great place to have lunch with the girls

A gem in Rochester for bistro eating in ambience You can also browse the mini art gallery and purchase an original art piece

Everything great only one thing , only 2 toilets.

We’d previously dined at Café Nucleus in Rochester for a cheese and wine evening and, although a little expensive, the food and drinks were excellent, as was the service. The actual venue is stunning. On Sunday we booked a table for a light lunch and sadly we were disappointed. It has to be said that the service remained spot on and the selection of drinks excellent. However, we were very disappointed with the food and unfortunately this rather spoilt the lunch. My wife chose a jacket potato with 3-bean chilli and I chose the Nucleus Ploughmans, adding Kentish honey roasted ham for an extra £3.50. The jacket potato appeared to have been reheated and was in a very bad way, served with a woefully small 3-bean chilli and some salad. The ploughmans consisted of some bread, 50% green leaves, a sprig of cherry tomatoes, pickles and a small piece of blue cheese. My extra £3.50 bought me a single thin slice of ham. We don’t go out often and didn’t want the negativity of arguing with the waiter about the quality so we ate what we could and left a significant portion. I appreciate the venue has some very good reviews but our experience was unsatisfactory and, as such, I really cannot recommend Café Nucleus in Rochester. My recommendation for a much better alternative to Cafe Nucleus is the Cheese Rooms just down the road.

Fantastic vegetarian brunch absolutely faultless Great coffee Beautiful location with an attached gallery Would hold its own anywhere

Always good food and service but expensive. And so noisy at our table - the coffee and milkshake machines were quite deafening.

Absolutely gorgeous restaurant at the top end of Rochester High Street Close to the Esplanade. Friendly staff and nothing too much trouble for them. Will definitely visit again. Highly recommended.

With my husband visited Cafe Nucleous in Chatham for the first time.I realy liked interior, cleanliness, friendliness of waitress. I was thinking- what a lovely place in this gross town! Until with the first bite of my sweet treat I found a piece of glass... Accidents can happen sometimes, while making(it was something like rice crisp in chocolate), but we were shocked, that the waitress or barmen did not appologize! I was trying to be discrete and did not shout loud about my find not to put off other customers, but possibly I should? One is for sure- not going there again.

Popped in at midday, and for some inexplicable reason “the only available table” for a quick drink was two chairs in a hallway outside the open door to the toilets. Not one of the (totally empty) outdoor tables, not in the (totally empty) nice front room. Cocktails were really small measures and therefore expensive at £13 each.

Come here if you like overpriced half portion of cocktails. And to be seated next to the toilet in a hallway while the cafe had space available in addition to the courtyard.

This place is amazing. Staff are attentive and amazing. Decor is amazing. Food is amazing. Atmosphere is amazing. A truly beautiful place! This is my go to venue for special occasions and it never ever disappoints.

Filet steak was divine. Great service!

Afternoon tea in the Boardroom. Absolutely delicious. Great service. Lovely atmosphere.

Nice food and friendly atmosphere.

Food was good, staff were 10/10 polite friendly and so accommodating in such a lovely venue! Was my first time so will be returning!

Came here for afternoon tea on a Saturday. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and the tables were large with plenty of room around. The afternoon tea selection was incredible. There was so much food which all tasted delightful. There was a wide range of teas to choose from and the alcohol was an extra. The service was fantastic and the girls were extremely attentive. Would definitely recommend.

Menu is really overpriced. Knew it was expensive going in but there’s no justification for the price here. Lunchtime menu is very basic and bland - ham and cheese panini was soggy with only 1 slice of ham and a tiny portion of crisps on the side. Croque monsieur was over grilled with dry crusts. Jacket potato was overdone. The glasses on the table for table water were unclean as had old lipstick marks round the edge. Music was loud and bass heavy which was a barrier to conversation. Service was very poor, staff not attentive at all, when drinks were finished the glasses were taken away with no opportunity to order anymore. Really disappointed and won’t be going back, came here for Mother’s Day and had it not been a busy day for the service industry we would have left and gone somewhere else.

Food is way over priced and greasy, venue is nice but service is satisfactory. I’d recommend avoiding you will only be disappointed.

Lovely place to have a little break or breafast. Lovely Staff 😊😊😊

Lovely Restaurant! The food is really great! Everything is delicious and not to salty or oily (especially ham and sausage). I like the pudding which is REALLY AWESOME! They provide Smaller English for brunch, and it is perfect for people who don't eat much (like people can't eat a normal full English). Also, their service is absolutely great. The waiters are friendly and nice, when I asked for sauce suggestions, they gave me all of the sauces to try, which is really a big surprise! Interior of the restaurant is well designed, and atmosphere are relaxing. Will definitely come back again!

Well let me say this place is outstanding it really did outdo my expectations inside and out. The staff are exceptional and the food is exactly how you would have imagined 😊.

When I get the chance, I visit Cafe Nucleus, such a great atmosphere and obviously the food is fabulous. The drinks list is very varied.

Fantastic ambiance, great decor, wonderful food, helpful staff. Highly recommend

Such a lovely old building, done up with good taste. Lovely food and staff.

Great venue, with wonderful staff

Great place to have a meal or simply a coffee. Great service from friendly staff

A true treasure to Rochester, we're so lucky to have such a nice venue as Cafe Nucleus. It's in one of the prettier buildings in the High Street and feels like something you'd find in London with the Ivy/Worsley vibes. Very very good staff, who know exactly how to interact with their guests, friendly, attentive without being over bearing. The menu is a really mix of good old fashioned English food and some unusual European dishes. The boardroom is a must, it really is one of the grandest dining rooms I've sat in outside of London! I'm yet to have a bad meal here and can't recommend it enough. I've visited all their branches, each one as impressive as the last. It's so nice to have something decent on our doorstep as we often get forgotten in the Medway Towns.

Overpriced No atmosphere Staff uninterested

Can be a bit pricey but nice for special occasion

Good here was amazing, only feedback is food took a little while and the butter for the toast was rock solid. Other than that food was flavourful and delicious

Food poisoning for my friend and myself, stomach upset after 3 hrs of leaving the place… very dissapointing. Rude stuff! Continue like this and you will go out of business

Beautiful dining area, well decorated. Great food and absolutely good service.

I really wasn’t sure about this place at all. I am not convinced it knows what it is or what it’s target audience is. I wasn’t a huge fan of the over glam decor though I recognise that lots of people will love it and the atmosphere was stuffy. I found the service from the start a tiny bit stiff and not very welcoming. This was compounded when we were sat in the middle of a section of tables that were a wedding party (we the only ones not involved) which was a bit odd, especially as we had booked days in advance. It made the atmosphere very odd indeed and I’m really not sure why they did that. Do not sit near the bar, the loud coffee machine or whatever it is, makes it impossible to hold a conversation and it really is an atmosphere killer. The fussy menu is also not really for me (and I like many types of cuisine and styles) but who really wants a champagne dressing on a jacket potato? It’s all a bit try hard. It also seems overpriced and all just a bit odd, like it was designed by the marketing department, not by the chef. Wine pricing by the glass is also not good, especially for something that describes itself occasionally as a wine bar. Only 25p difference between small and medium glass of wine. Most wine oriented places are a bit more favourable with their pricing. Very weird and not transparent pricing structure, designed solely to get you to have a large glass (£10.50). I like to try lots of different glasses with my food and this put me off doing so as it was poor value and I wasn’t going to sit there at lunch time having several large glasses of wine with my sandwich (who is??). Ultimately for them I ended up spending not as much as I would have. For me, the food was nice, it was fine, I had a croque Madame (I knew it was Madame because I was corrected by the waiter), and it was tasty, if a bit dry, but we are talking about cafe food and at £14.50 it doesn’t reflect that. I wouldn’t go again. We often go to the Cheese Rooms and I’d say their menu is much more exciting and food orientated and better value too. There are better places on Rochester High St.

I tried to visit twice, there were no tables the first time, it was very busy. However they managed to get me a table the next time. The place is lovely, has many cosy spaces. The food is fresh and delicious. The place is also dog friendly. Staff were polite. I'd recommend you book a table if you wanna visit, especially on a weekend. The chocolate, and book mark with the bill was a nice touch.

The atmosphere and the product were nice.We haven't been welcomed well during your visit. We have been sitted outside when there were options to be inside on the second floor,

Always a pleasant experience and a lovely feeling of decadence. Sat outside in marquee today, mesmerised by the flame lamp very calming and surprised how much heat it threw out, snuggled up on fleece lined chairs and blankets. love a bit of Cafe Nucleus atmosphere to make my day feel special.

Very friendly staff. Dogs are allowed in, which is a massive plus. We had breakfast. Very tasty and the choice of tea is great.

We visited this inside & out beautiful gem in Rochester on Boxing day. We absolutely loved everything about it! Staff there very friendly, polite & making sure all your needs are covered. There is a great variety of very tasty (for even a very spoilt one!) freshly cooked hot & cold food & selection of drinks with reasonable preparation time. Not very big place but with a homely atmosphere Dogs are welcome there too ( which I am sure is a very big plus for many people with furry friends). This is a place where you want to go back to again and again for sure! Definitely recommend!

Such a lovely visit here on Christmas eve. The service was impeccable, and the lady serving us was just a dream! My disabled sister came with us and they were so helpful and so accommodating, I can't thank them enough. Food and drinks were lovely, just slightly more caramelisation on the tarte tartin and it would have been spot on (probably just me being too much of a foodie). But the rest of the food was perfect and the service and surroundings more than made up for that. Thanks guys and merry Christmas!

Had a brilliant breakfast here, service is brilliant too.

Nice dog friendly cafe, the food was ok but not great, the salmon on the eggs royal was not the best, again the scrambled eggs were ok but not the best we have had, a small orange juice is £5, The service was fantastic very friendly, 4 stars because they are dog friendly.

A great place to eat, good food, good service, one of my go to places for breakfast or lunch in Rochester.

Had a delightful festive afternoon tea at Nucleus Rainham. Everything was special and makes me want to return soon for lunch or dinner. Thank you and well done!

Lovely lunch at Cafe Nucleus in Rochester today.

Beautiful place to go for a special occasion.

Beautiful place. Lovely people. Banging food.

Been a few times and always enjoy it - nice atmosphere and very friendly staff 🙂

Usually book a table here if going to Rochester, always found good as well as the atmosphere.