Conti's Cafe in Ceredigion

I had not visited Lampeter since my studying days many, many years ago and so during a long anticipated visit over the weekend with my wife I was both surprised and excited to see my old favourite haunt Conti’s still going! Perhaps it was better left as a memory… What little food they had available was just ‘ok’, the obviously bought-in cake selection looked pitiful and the coffee was lukewarm and bitter. Apparently it is still run by the family but sadly it’s not a patch on the cafe run by good old Mr Conti - what was once a bright, warm and lively eatery is now a dark, quiet and unwelcoming place where customers are seemingly an inconvenience - god forbid you disturb the young boy behind the counter, his phone is obviously far more important than us mere customers… The only redeeming feature is that the ice cream is still as fantastic as it ever was! Perhaps I am now a grumpy old man, held back by nostalgia, but I simply had to express my disappointment in a once much beloved, perhaps even ‘famous’ establishment that I know many were so fond of! I’m sure my wife must have thought me mad to have raved about the place for so long. Sorry Conti’s but I will be erasing this visit from my memory!

We often call in on a Sunday afternoon after ( and sometimes before ;) a walk in the woods..we are vegetarian and I'm GF and there is a good selection of cakes to tempt us. It's a lovely place to sit outside under the trees and birds often come to the table too. The staff are friendly and the carpark is free.

We have easily eaten over a hundred NT meals. This fell short. I could mention top quality salads we have had at other NT properties. One we travel many miles regularly for. This was not it. Allegedly the quiche was broccoli and red pepper. But for me it was bland, though too often the burnt base was the dominant taste. The salad was mostly dark green leaves, with a few purple ones, the odd tomato, and token cucumber. Fortunately a kind lady behind the counter took the trouble to put some salad cream in a pot to add. It seems more an ice cream and cup of tea place.

Stopped off for elevenses (coffee and a bacon butty). Very nice, good quaility. Service was, on the whole, fairly good. Friendly staff.

Lovely food. Cawl excellent but not served with advertised Perl Las , more like cheddar. Inaccessible toilet. I don't know of any accessible toilets in Lampeter.

Stopped here after a days sightseeing. This cafe was a real find. We tried an assortment of cakes and coffee, everything was excellent. A lovely cafe for afternoon refreshments.

A great welcome. Lamb cawl superb. Served with Perl Wen cheese . Wow. Totally inaccessible toilet up 1 and half flight of difficult stairs. Staff very supportive but very difficult for me. Loved the food.

A first visit to Conti’s since our student days and it was a pleasant return. Clearly covid affected we had a great lunch definitely recommended

Heulwen and Tom, who run Conti’s cafe in Lampeter laid on the most fabulous baby shower for our daughter and husband. So much effort went in to the decoration and the food, everyone had a brilliant time. And to top it all off, their ice cream is the best I’ve tasted. Pity they don’t have branches nearer home!! We also visited their cafe adjoining the nearby National Trust Property of Llanerchaeron. Super tasty paninis and lush cakes for lunch and the staff were v friendly and accommodating. This place really made our visit special.

A family celebratory weekend in the area where we visited both Lampeter + Llanerchaeron cafes actually. Absolutely amazing food in stunning surroundings. Conti’s icecream is always a hit!! Very impressed with their customer service -extremely friendly staff who went above + beyond in these terribly difficult times to follow government guidance! Contributing to a really special weekend so thank you to the staff. Won’t be long before we return.

What a great little cafe! We spent the weekend in and around Lampeter and actually sampled the food and hospitality at both the cafes run by the team from Conti's. The food is amazing with some highlights being their sausage rolls and freshly baked scones. Its not just great food though as the staff are also a real credit to the cafe, so please pass our thanks on to them. Very polite and professional with smiles on faces the whole time. As for their ice cream, look no further than Conti's. I don't know what their secret is but more people need to know about it. How they make such creamy ice-cream with such beautiful flavours I'll never know but we will for sure be back.

Visited twice during a family visit to the area and had both hot and cold oat milk coffees. Really friendly staff, cool decor and tasty beverages. My only criticism is fake plants, I hate them! But the neons are cool and realistically fake plants won’t ruin my life, especially when the coffee is so nice :)

Lovely lunch - best bolognaise and Mac and cheese have had in ages. Family friendly and lovely service, very kind and patient with my kids.

My first time back in Lampeter in 20 years and I had to go back to Conti’s. Coming back was incredible and I love the new layout although the sentimental part of me wishes it was as I left it. The food is home made of an excellent standard. Here’s to another generation of Conti’s running a Lampter gem

Very poor customer service. Staff member particularly rude on arrival and abrupt. Not worth the hassle. Don’t bother !

Perfectly positioned cafe in the centre of the town close to a car park. A warm welcome and directed to a recently cleaned table. Very friendly staff and delicious food. It was very busy, several people could not be bothered to wait for tables to be cleared and cleaned so an extra member of staff could have helped during that busy period.

I had a good coffee and something with chocolate here and enjoyed them both very much. A peaceful place and helpful staff.

Delicious food and drink, great atmosphere and friendly staff. Brunch, light lunch and tea/coffee. Will be back for more!

Just had coffee and a scone with clotted cream and jam. I can honestly say it's the best scone I've ever had and the staff were lovely.

This was the cafe attached to NT property, best Bacon bap I've had in ages, lovely bread and thick cut generous slices of bacon, coffee was pretty good to, all well organised with recycled cups, plates etc.

We are members of the National Trust and visit here several times a year. Called in on a Sunday when it was very warm and ordered some paninis. They were a very long time coming so my husband politely asked if they would be long....

We visited when it was only possible to have take away food. Therefore the menu options were limited but we all enjoyed what we had and thought that the quality of the food was excellent. I recommend the cheese savoury toastie and the milkshakes! These...

Called in for a quick bite to eat on my way to somewhere else. Cawl was delicious and it was nice to see it being served with Perl Wen rather than the usual cheddar or Caerphilly which can get slightly tedious. Service was VERY slow....

Was here a few years ago and was really impressed. When we re-visited, it had closed down due to a fire I think but I was delighted that it had reopened on this latest visit. Staff were super friendly and efficient and the food was...

Called with my 18 month old grandaughter.I remember the old cafe but this is very different. An excellent fresh breakfast of quality produce with tea served in mismatch china cups and saucers. Grandaughter had two huge sausages and very fresh toast and cleared her plate....

Extra seating upstairs and bilingual menues. Homemade breakfast, real ham in sandwiches, chunky bread, tasty milkshakes and award winning icecreams. Welsh speaking staff. Diolch. What else could I ask for? The service was slightly on the slow side, but we did have a table for...

Service was really quick and friendly. Ice cream was very nice and the children likes the Christmas lights and fun mini disco ball lights. The decor is modern and comfy.

Just wow! Had the best breakfast here in my life! Bread was amazeing fresh butter home made beans cute tea sets staff absouloutely amazeing exspecially the gentleman who worked there he looked after us all but the food was out of this world me and...

Good selection for lunch or brunch or afternoon tea. Good quality ingredients and relaxed atmosphere.

Saturday 7th September 2019. Family of 5 (ages 21 to 64). This is a big step up from the usual cafes one finds in such attractions. We have a really decent home cooked lunch - a very welcome surprise.

Managed to sneak in just before 5pm closing. The place has some character. Coffee and cake were fine, but didn’t have time to try their ice-cream - pity.

Visited for brunch and had the full breakfast which was delicious with quality ingredients - thick cut bacon, ‘proper’ sausages, tomatoes, field mushrooms, eggs and homemade baked beans. Very tasty! Took some cakes away which were also nice and my son informs me that the raspberry sorbet and salted caramel ice cream were some of the best he’s had! Friendly service. Would definitely eat here again.

Best coffee new machine and change of coffee supplier and still has little taste and the staff seem to think its good to get some in the saucer. The only good food is the Welsh breakfast but its expensive and much smaller than it was.

We ate here twice in one week whilst visiting family in the area. Both times the food was delicious and service friendly and efficient. Great value too! Try the breakfast pancakes (the main reason we came back!) light, fluffy and very freshly made.

My partner and I have been touring Britain for the last month and by chance found ourselves in Conti’s Café today to get a quick bite to eat and a break from the near constant rain. The café is cozy with exposed brick, lots of art and luscious greenery. The menu has a wide variety of breakfast to dinner options, as well as their own in-house ice cream brand. What a treat!

I love coming to Contis. But after many attempts at ordering my favourite poached egg on toast. I am sadly going to have to try a different cafe because he can't and never has given me a soft poached egg!

After waiting for over half an hour for breakfast it was disappointing to have hard boiled eggs on my breakfast instead of poached eggs.

We stumbled across this gem of an establishment during our long weekend in Wales, after a dramatic walk through the misty Black Mountains. The food was out of this world, a special mention to the leek & potato soup, the coffee, and the honey ice cream. If we're ever in Lampeter again, this wil be our first port of call!

We had a light lunch. One of us had a sausage bap, the other Welsh Rarebit. Both were delicious. Tea and coffee were excellent. There was a slight delay in the superb service because the food is freshly cooked, but nothing to complain about. Would thoroughly recommend.

We popped in here en route home after our holiday. We had scones. Fresh and scrumptious. Tea served in pretty tea cups, with pot of tea. All plus points!!

When the two of us arrived there was a table of four who had been served and ourselves. We were given menus immediately and ordered within five minutes. So far so good. Bearing in mind that only one person came in the forty minute time duration between when we ordered and served our food. We ordered poached eggs, smoked salmon and avocado bruschetta. My friend noticed that the cook threw eggs away, so it’s uncertain if he was a new member of staff. If he was, he should have been supervised. When the food came, the bruschetta was solid and we both had to leave the majority of it. I, personally have eaten here on a few occasions before and haven’t experienced any problems.

Brief stop here on homeward journey, been revamped since last visit. Just coffee, but amazing coffee, so smooth, really good. Hoping to return again for food. Great service, lovely loos, still got loyalty card, grateful thanks

I haven't eaten in Conti's for over fifty years, back in the 1960s when I was a student in the university college across the road. No TripAdvisor back then, though I seem to remember that back then Mr Conti used to serve a nice mushroom omelette with peas and chips!

We went to this café for breakfast because I used to visit here when I was a school boy 50 years ago. It has changed a great deal but still offers excellent food and service. If you are ever looking for a good breakfast then go here. The staff are very friendly and the place is spotless.

In Lampeter for the dreaded dentist visit with my son. On departing we both felt hungry and came across this cafe. Friendly and courteous service. A varied menu offering good value and with our order served without any great delay. Nice furnishings created a v pleasant ambience and the toilets were very clean (although up a flight of stairs). Would recommend and would visit again.

Staff very friendly and helpful, nice décor. Pancake stack with apples slices and toffee was a treat. A very enjoyable visit!

A real institution of Lampeter for many years. It is quaint and old worldy, and famous for their home made Italian style ice cream.

Come for a birthday morning breakfast with my brother Breakfast was disgusting Sausages tasted of rubber and not much beans for the price of the breakfast definitely won't be returning I had a breakfast at granny's kitchen today and it was far Infront and cheaper

This is a pleasant enough cafe and the food is not bad but I think the staff could do with some extra training in customer service. Its always my second choice in town behind Town Hall Deli. The furniture and layout just don't seem to make it 'cosy' and its not somewhere I would go for a private conversation! You also have to be the size of Twiggy to get in the toilet as the door opens inwards and you have to virtually squeeze against toilet seat to get round (and I'm not a big person) which is extremely annoying plus not accessible for disable users. Their ice-cream is still delicious though and worth a try.

The tea and coffee were very good, on par with Costa! . Cakes were delicious, however the service was slow.

Been here twice in the last few weeks. Nice atmosphere, good coffee, lovely fresh lunch or cakes. Tried a milkshake last time made with icecream it was epic!!! A definite favourite when we go to lampeter.

Pit stop whilst travelling down to South Wales

Visited today and had both the Welsh Breakfast and Posh Breakfast, very impressed. The presentation of the food and the food itself was simply outstanding. Coffee was freshly brewed. Lovely setting. We will be visiting again, without doubt, this is a super Cafe

Nice decor since renovation, tastefully done. Delicious teas and coffees and good food. I particularly recommend the veg breakfast which is different being a mix of rarebit and poached eggs with beans and mushrooms (therefore not vegan). The "full welsh" is excellent too. Staff are very friendly.

Having visited this cafe years ago when I was younger with my parents I was mega excited to taste the icecream again. On arrival I was astonished by the change in interior, although modernised a part of me missed the numerous sweets that were on offer behind the counter once before.

I was a regular whilst at uni here in the 1980s. I've been back several times and whilst updated has kept its great service and superb ice cream and hot chocolate. A must for students and adult alumni!

This café has had updated and moved with the times but managed to keep its historical look. Ice Cream as always is excellent. A good spot for a chat for business meetings.

Nice spot to enjoy a coffee or a milkshake with the kids. Looks very good when you walk in. Well worth a visit.

The service was terrible, I had to go and ask for a menu, then after no one came over had to ask for someone to take my order, although a waitress managed to walk past me to take her friends drinks orders when they'd arrived 10 minutes after me. The flat white coffee was very nice, but the Welsh Rarebit was soggy and rather underwhelming!!

I happened to be delivering in Lampeter around lunchtime one day and thought I’d pop in, having never been in before, I had no idea what to expect. Eggs your way... sounds good eh?! Topped it up with the option of smoked salmon. Seriously, I think its good value, to the point where its affordable for a quick working lunch. The breakfast isn’t cheap but it is good according to my colleague, worth it maybe though I’ve not tried it. I’m addicted to the eggs my way with salmon. Also the water dispenser is a great idea with the fruit etc. Visited 3 times in the last month or so, and no doubt will again soon. I’ve seen a couple of fairly negative reviews but I can honestly say that I’ve not been able to pick a single fault... ok maybe one, the toilets are tiny, clean though so not a complaint by any means. Good food, clean venue, polite staff, job done. Thanks from the DaviesFurniture delivery team.

Usually when visiting family we visit this cafe for lunch but not in the future.

I visited this cafe today with my family, including my 2 year old daughter with Coeliac disease. We called in advance to ask if they had any gluten free options for children and they were very helpful and understood exactly what we needed. My daughter loved her gluten free sandwiches and there was also soup and cake on offer. The staff were very helpful and accommodating.

On a very cold day in Lampeter we called at the cafe for a coffee. We had a lunch engagement later but wanted a quick drink and rest.

Visiting with my family including my 7 year old granddaughter who is coeliacs condition.

Lovely café. Good selection of food, drink and ice cream. Quirky décor and a fast and efficient service.

We visited Conti's Cafe on Friday December 8th.Before we arrived in Lampeter we had 2 excellent reviews from friends about Conti's and we were not disappointed.We had Portugese Custard Tarts and a variety of pancakes with various fillings.Also coffees soft drinks and green tea.The staff were very friendly and welcoming on a very cold December morning.Loved the place the food and excellent service from attentive staff.

My partner and I come here a lot. It is definitely the best cafe in Lampeter. Really great breakfast and the milkshakes are amazing!

I seem to be spending quite a lot of time in Lampeter recently and I have been trying out several places to eat . I had a Welsh ( shame on me! I called it English when I ordered) breakfast here on Tuesday. The meal came and it looked good, not just slopped on the plate, Bacon, sausage, 2 eggs, 2 whole large mushrooms, beans and half a tomato. Toast and butter on the side. What a lovely smell, I knew I was going to enjoy this meal and I did . I'm never sure about sausages, but this one was the real deal. The mushrooms were exceptional freshly cooked and tasted, well, like none I've ever had in a cafe breakfast before, just delicious, fresh, tasty. Everything was great, the toast unbelievable, crisp proper bread and real butter. The quality of all the ingredients shines out, the whole meal was lovely. I had a milky coffee, that was great too. Ok, Breakfast here might be a little more expensive than some other places in in town , but what's the point in saving a quid or two if half the meal is left on the side of the plate? There are quite a lot of places to eat in Lampeter, but I shall definitely be coming back in here. Thanks Guys.

Just stopped for a quick bit to eat with my wife, she had the vegitarian ciabatta, I had the maple...

We didn't stop for long but we did try the lovely ice cream. Definitely worth popping in for. I had...

Through the past few months, Conti's seems to have a bit of an identity crisis with itself. Given the drastic...

The food in here is simply fantastic. I loved the quirky design of the place. Would especially recommend the ice...

Pleasantly surprised as I thought it might be a trendy place but it was just the right feel of cosy and functional.

Came in for years, the old pack of girls held it together it seems. The two gentlemen who work there now look like thier competing for who can look the dirtiest. Wash your hair the both of you!!!As for the food, nothing to write home about. Eggs were way overcooked and the breakfast I had was tasteless. Cook looks out of her league. Management is infamous among the locals for a couple of years now as being notoriously bad.

This review is for Conti's ice cream shack on the front at Aberaeron. Nice small ice cream and coffee shop overlooking north beach. Lovely ice cream and coffee served by friendly staff

Recently came here for breakfast with my friend and had the full breakfast which was fine apart from the person serving us who looked like he hadn't washed his hair in about 10 years and was all swinging about in his face. My friend ordered 2 poached eggs on toast with beans as an extra and baby chino, when it came to paying her bill came to £8 odd!! For poached eggs on toast? Plus the girl at the till didn't even look at the ticket. Disappointing to say the least.

My mother and I had tea here twice while holidaying in the area. Good scones with clotted cream and jan.

The best ice cream in townAn original family recipe, consistently award winning over the years, and now with new flavours.

Tables cramped so close together I actually had to climb over the people on the too-close-by table to sit down. Although it was not at all busy we waited 20+ minutes to be served. When nobody came over (despite one of the many servers walking past and looking at us several times to do nothing in particular) we walked out. I looked back as we left to see our menus were taken back from the table immediately. Absolutely appalling which is a shame as I have been used to enjoying regular breakfasts here.

We have visited here twice and the coffee is good and the cakes very nice. There is good atmosphere and comfy seating

Went in for a coffee,saw a chocolate cake coold not resist .The portion was enough for me and was delicious.I know about the icecream so bought a small tub.Could not wait to get home so ate the icecream on the square in town,lol

This was a 'must-do' for us when we visit Lampeter. Unfortunately they had a disastrous fire in 2016 which meant that it was closed for several months for repairs. We continued to use their facility at Llanerchaeron during the closureWhat we really liked about Conti's in the past was the eccentricity which it had acquired over the years it had been open. A random collection of tables and chairs, together with random bric-a-brac about the place gave it a unique charm and atmosphere.The refurbishment seems more like an imitation of the quirkiness of the past, and feels rather contrived, which is a shame.A table and chairs right behind the front door makes access difficult, and would be near impossible for a wheelchair user unless several people were made to move. Similarly the tables are set uncomfortably close together, making it difficult to stretch your legs, and having to take care not to bump into your neighbours.We visited on the Good Friday holiday when the place was busy. Service, whilst not being rude was far from friendly, the staff seeming to be very harassed, not a single smile was evident. My toasted teacake was very doughy and heavy, my wife commented that her scone was the same. A notice informed customers that the (legally required) toilets were not available owing to the ongoing refurbishment. Staff were telling customers to use those at Sainsbury's.We left feeling quite disappointed that a one time favourite just was not the same any more. There are other places in Lampeter. Sorry Conti's.

A late morning visit so brunch was called for. Pancakes and bacon cooked well and plenty of tea. Good range on menu and quick service. Good friendly place

Very disappointed. We were served soup which was so salty it burned my mouth. It was inedible. When I came to pay the waiter said "you didn't eat much soup". When I said no it was too salty I couldn't eat it. He said "sorry mate", and charged me the full amount. Very bad. Earlier in the week we had the same soup at the Conti cafe at the local National Trust property and there was no problem. Want to go to toilet when you are in the cafe? No problem if you are prepared to walk 5 minutes to the public toilets. No toilets available at the cafe. I thought that wasn't allowed. Would not recommend it to anyone, especially if you have high blood pressure!

A lovely setting with great views out of huge front window, interior us rustic and welcoming, friendly staff with fresh local food cooked to order, great coffee and the food was much more than we thought, so a quick bite became a substantial filling meal. Highly recommended.

We were visiting friends who are 'locals' and they recommended this café. It is nicely furbished, with some leather sofas and lots of wood. We ordered veggie breakfast (£6) which was very tasty and well cooked : cheese on toast, beans, eggs,mushrooms, tomato. What let the cafe down the morning we visited was the front of house staff ; they were polite enough but although the table had been cleared it was not wiped, and the cutlery was just plonked in the middle , on the dirty table; serviettes then followed in a "bucket".odd. I can only assume that the serving staff were new & inexperienced. Had I been on my own I'd have asked for the table to be wiped, however my friends were too shy to complain and I didn't want to embarrass them. Overall,food good, just needs a little more attention to the details , so I'd go again.

We were attracted to Conti's initially because it looked so good (we were looking for a place to have lunch in a journey south). Delighted to find it had great food (both meat eater and veggie very happy) and fantastic coffee! Served quickly by friendly staff. Highly recommended.

We came here seeking out the famous ice cream but were hungry for lunch so ended up snacking too - we were not disappointed. Really good quality value for money food, at super reasonable prices. Lovely staff. Oh and the ice cream was delish too!

Popped in here for a light lunch with my family. Food was great, especially the Cawl. Tasteful, quirky interior, nice friendly staff.Reasonable prices. Would definitely recommend.

Best cafe and in Lampeter. Not only friendly and great surroundings but the only cafe that actually makes a good espresso

They are generous with the size of mug of coffee but this means that its very weak. The cakes was very nice and friendly service.

We've popped into Conti's on a number of occasions when shopping in Lampeter, but have decided after two disappointing visits in a row to give it a miss in future.First annoyance was a flat refusal to go off menu with a breakfast order. Items could not be substituted and if I wanted anything left off I'd have to pay extra for anything else to replace it. This is a direct contrast to pretty much every other eaterie offering breakfast in the area.I was left feeling quite put out and like a monumental nuisance as the staff weren't interested in offering anything close to customer service! The food then took an age to arrive and I didn't enjoy the experience at all.We thought we'd give them another go recently and we're disappointed with lukewarm coffee and cakes so sweet as to be inedible. My partner and I both ate a couple of mouthfuls and left the rest.

Nothing really to shout about - but basically quite a nice place to have a cup of tea and piece cake

Visited again recently after having been away from Lampeter for a year. The service, food and drink is still incredible and I will always recommend Conti's to anyone visiting Lampeter!

It has become a traditional that when my 11 year old grand daughter visits we go off together and part of the outing always includes contis.We like the food and atmoshere and the quirkyness.Staff are efficient but sadly not warm and friendly and concerned for your comfort. as you usually find in other lampeter establishments.

I have been a customer for quite some time, passing through Lampeter quite regularly. But in recent times it seems as though standards are slipping in several areas.The kitchen has been shut on occasion, once due to an apparent meltdown by a manager who then insulted a heavily pregnant customer in her wake. This doesn't leave a great lasting impression for somewhere where I have enjoyed the food, albeit by the regular person in the kitchen, who I can say is superb. Everything cooked to perfection.Other than that customer service at the front has been on the whole very good, other than lights being turned off and starting to close up around us well before closing time. Always friendly and cheerful.Selection at the front has also waned, recently several flavours of coffee syrup are not available even if there was a full bottle the day previous, same with ice cream in that there is no continuity.In all I do like Contis, I will continue to go in and enjoy a good coffee when I pass through. But I do hope that they take on board the criticisms and make sure that it's pleasant atmosphere remains and isn't tainted by such bad issues.

A very quirky cafe with good coffee. The kids decided to have waffles with icecream and we decided to have the quiche and cheese baguette, two capuccinos. All cost £25.75 good portion sizes too! I also had a sneaky chocolate brownie with icecream. All very tasty and good quality.

A cosy, traditional coffee shop with a strong Italian coffee and ice cream connection. Always reliable for a good cup of coffee, also does a variety of herbal teas too with scones, cakes and excellent toasted sandwiches. Contis cafe has been the main coffee and ice cream stop in the centre of this charming, small market town for many decades. Lovely to see it as popular as it was in my University days there.

Refreshingly revived Italian cafe. Good range of refreshing tea's and coffee's with ice creams and cakes to tempt your pallette. I last visited this cafe about 7/8 years ago when it was showing it's age and lagging behind the competition. Now it's a bit quirky but we'll worth a visit.

been here several times. really really good. all food freshly cooked. try the croque monsieur / madam. they are also at national trust at llanarchaeron. must try!