Hot Numbers Coffee in Cambridge

Hot numbers at Mill Road has always been my favourite cafe for brunch for the food, atmosphere and location. However, with the menu changes they have every few months , the food in the past year or so has been somewhat disappointing. There is no avocado option at all anymore, and they often run out of ingredients, which leads to eggs on toast or something that I don’t like being the only option. Today I tried the scrambled eggs on toast with streaky bacon, eggs and bread were tasty and well made, but there was too much salt and the bacon was too dry and salty. I would suggest to the owners bringing back some of the amazing dishes you used to have , like bibimbap, burrito bowl, jerk chicken with avocado and corn on bread. And make sure these are available while your kitchen is still open.. Consider also adding nicer options for a treat like scone with cream & jam, banana bread, blondie, almond croissant, pain au chocolat..

Been here a few times - good coffee. Food is ok - not as delicious as the menu makes it sound, nothing has wowed me, but nothing has been bad either. Not great value for money. Had pork belly there once which was terrible quality.The place has a great vibe and bustling with interesting locals. Service is very unfriendly, but beautiful interiors. I go for the beautiful space.

It's a sad day for me because it's been my favourite coffee shop in Cambridge for a few years, as a lovely place to work and have great coffee and lunch during the day. But they've adopted a new policy whereby all laptop users (the majority of the daytime crowd) are forced to sit around a couple of specific tables with benches. Anyone who sits somewhere else and opens a laptop is hounded until they give in and move. I had two incredibly rude staff who wouldn't even give me the coffee I ordered until I moved tables. They also hounded a dad with a newborn baby and a Macbook, until he gave up and closed the laptop so they would leave him alone. Avoid if you plan to get any work done. Otherwise, the coffee and food is usually good.

Service was poor as they were unhelpful after being told not to block the aisle while holding a travel baby seat and looking for a table in the cramped atmosphere. Quite loud as well which can’t be controlled though prob due to the density of tables/customers Coffee Latte art was nice with a swan and a rosetta. Single origin coffee tasted average, nothing to rave about. Unsure as they labelled them as white coffees whether they going for latte, cappuccino foam or white flat microfoam consistency. Food, Maple buttermilk pancakes were oily and soggy, poached egg tastes watery and under seasoned each being different sizes. Had better pancakes and poached eggs at many other places. Plus note was the bacon was very crispy.

Far too cramped and uncomfortable - I'm now finding I have a sore back after most visits. After years of being a regular, pretty much since it first opened, I'm going to have to find somewhere else. 😥 UPDATED: much better now that it's permitted to sit at tables that don't require hunching over. Thank you for taking on Lucy's suggestion!

Every and anytime I’ve been, I’ve told myself not to go back. Staff are not attentive or helpful. A pain getting seats due to people ‘working’ at tables, however I think they have a new no laptops rule.

Delicious breakfast. Order yourself at the bar. Very friendly staff.

So many options. Picture talks by itself

Very expensive and a bit pretentious, but the coffee was nice

I ordered the Turkish eggs and my girlfriend got the sausage sandwich. Both were excellent, well priced, and came out quickly. Definitely hit the spot on a cold morning. The restaurant is clean, well decorated, and comfortable, but above all else, it is dog friendly which gives many bonus points. I will definitely be coming back here in the future.

Good coffee and brunch. Ok service. Quirky atmosphere in the old brewery.

Always delicious coffee and food! And I love their breakfast/brunch options. They change their menu seasonally and they really are delicious. The last thing I tried there was lemon & strawberry granola and I really liked it. It was neither too sweet nor too sour. Staff is friendly as well. Definitely recommended!

Food is nice but overpriced. Please make sure cutlery is properly clean as there were still food bits stuck on one side of the knife that was given to me.

Went for brunch on a Sunday for my birthday. Had to queue outside, though as it was windy and cold (and my 8 month old was with us), moved on inside to wait by the door. We had noticed a big table that was free our entire wait time by the way. Not one staff member approached my family and I until my partner decided to seek service himself which is when the waiter gave the ok for us to take that table. Ordering is a pain. It’s a scan and go link. Want a regular cup of coffee? Better off ordering at the counter (which is what I ended up having to do for our entire table due to the crap reception where we were seated). The process for ordering a coffee is just not necessary - choosing how many ounces of milk and having three options for the type of coffee is a first for me. I guess it is better suited for all those hippie students on their laptops who made up the bulk of customers that day. It took 40 minutes for a waitress to realise I had a baby and asked if I needed a high chair - this was when our food arrived. She then went to bring said high chair though appeared again, empty handed, asking if we needed anything else. The food tasted great, I can’t deny that. My partner and I shared the pancakes and scrambled eggs which were the only positives of our whole morning/early afternoon spent here. Overall, a disappointment. Understandable that the weekends are any cafe’s busiest time to work. Though with as many servers as this establishment had rostered it’s not too much to ask for at least one attentive staff member.

Lovely place, yummy food, good coffee, family-friendly

Love this cafe so much. The coffee is great, the cakes and sandwiches are delicious and it’s really cosy if you want to do some reading/work on your laptop. It does get busy at the weekend so do not do that on Saturdays/Sundays!

Hot Numbers en la calle Gwydir fue una vez (antes de 2016 ) manos - abajo de la mejor pequeña cafetería independiente en Cambridge, para el café, café - hacer habilidad y conocimiento, y para el ambiente. Es difícil para alguien mantener ese alto -un- estándar para siempre, así que quizás siempre iba a caer, especialmente después del Covid. Desde entonces, se siente como si se deslizara lentamente hacia una ciénaga genérica deprimente de mediocridad. Ahora, siempre tienen un buen personal (aunque parece tener una alta rotación) , buen (no gran) café, buena (no gran) comida, pero la administración promedio que parece de alguna manera ajena a todo el concepto de una pequeña cafetería independiente al servicio del vecindario local. No es fácil. Un gerente de un lugar así necesita un estilo natural para conectarse con los clientes como personas, mientras se mantiene profesional - es una habilidad especial, y actualmente carece de HN en Gwyd. calle, imo. Para volver a reclamar ese sentido único de los aficionados serios al café y volver a sentirse menos cadena - y, necesita un desnudamiento adecuado, volviendo a lo básico: comenzando con la calidad de los granos de café, la preparación del café y creando un menú de café sano. (El plan de cocina abierta necesita ventiladores más fuertes y/o una barrera, ya que su ropa siempre termina oliendo a aceite/bacon quemado, sin importar dónde se siente (en interiores) , después de solo 30 minutos. )

Great night of drink and draw! Thanks for hosting. ❤️

Very disappointed with this new laptop policy. I have been coming here for quite a long time now however on my last visit, after ordering my food at the till and already sat down, I was told I can only use my laptop on a specific set of tables. The problem is that these tables are really small located in one corner of the restaurant and not suitable for this. Lots of people were sitting down across the two sides of the tables, so cramped and funnily enough the rest of the place was pretty much empty. Eventhough there were empty tables I had to cancel my order and leave because I couldn't use my laptop elsewhere. I understand why would they make such a change however the execution is so poor and wasn't carried out properly.

Perfect coffee, Nice place and good food.

Lovely fresh food and baked goods.

Pancakes looked good although I did not have. Egg dishes need improvement. 1 washroom for the whole restaurant which is lined up. People sit around there and not order anything, you might have to ask to share a table. At sphere is decent

So loved this cafe and coffee roaster. The vibe. Offerings beyond the food and coffee/tea (watch out for writing classes, jazz, art for sale on the wall that is incredible). Green nature pops. Pastries, breakfast and all round Great offerings. Green tea perfecto. Coffee lovely. Chai ✅ Multiple visits over many days, consistently good.

First of all, how nice are the staff. Great start. Enjoyed brunch, lots of coffee, Turkish eggs, bacon butty and huge sausage sandwich. Oh yes we've been back for repeats. Silly not to.

Brilliant food and coffee. Chill, relaxed space with more space than usual in English cafe. I had Turkish eggs which were just what I wanted - garlicky yogurt with dill and crispy chilli. Husband had straight up eggs and sourdough, and the bread was lovely. Coffee meets Melbourne standards, we were impressed.

Have never been disappointed with any of the hot numbers branches. Great coffee and great food. The only qualm I have is with the limited seating which can become tricky on busy days. Parking here is also difficult as the car park opposite on Gwydir street is very small and there's limited parking on the road (which is usually paid or residents permit only) The blueberry and pear cake (pictured) is delicious though!

Always visit for the Turkish eggs when in Cambridge

Fantastic tea and coffee, great food, fresh pastries are amazing and great music in the background! Be aware the cooked breakfast options aren’t available first thing but the pastries make up for it!

Service was shocking and our waitress slammed down our drinks, maybe she was having a bad day.

Great for jazz/live events. Not the biggest fan on their speciality coffee but it is above average.

It is a pretty solid three but the coffee is exceptional. This is a really cool place with an awesome location. It is a bit annoying to eat here because there are so many people cafe working that it is hard to get a seat. The food is okay but what I ordered was not very good. The ‘pancakes’ were dry and stone-like and the bacon was soggy. The cakes look great though so I would maybe stick to that. The people that work there are very nice so overall it is a nice experience.

Incredible options for breakfast/brunch/coffee. Clearly super popular, but we managed to find a table and enjoyed a delicious brunch. Would highly recommend.

The coffee in Hot Numbers is always good but food is very much hit and miss. Few weeks ago my pancakes arrived completely lukewarm, not even warm which indicates they are probably premaking it. That time they were very kind to remake them and they arrived fresh and warm after that. However today I ordered porridge which was completely forgotten. I asked about it after 20 mins wait and the kitchen chef was very blunt and said he didn’t receive the order while his colleague gave him the ticket. I got quick sorry and „I’ll make it now” which took another 10-15 mins before I asked where it is and was forced to ask for refund. I appreciate mistakes happen but if the cook claims to fix it and make it now and 15 mins later it’s still „few more minutes” you might want to consider what is wrong with the kitchen. This was a normal chill work day and not even weekend - then brace yourself for an hour wait for the food. Still great place for a coffee and I appreciated understaffed and overworked kitchen, but at least please be nicer and more honest to your customers. I’m suprised how many positive reviews there are considering they are constantly making shortcuts on food which is already overpriced. Please bare in mind this is coming from a Cambridge local who used to come for hot numbers pancakes every week and even 3 times a week sometimes while they were good. At least I have healthier diet now.

Algunos de los cafés más caros de Cambridge (pagué £ 4. 70 ) y no espere obtener una mesa. El lugar estaba tan ocupado que el personal me empujó físicamente a un lado mientras esperaba para recoger mi bebida para llevar en el mostrador, y fue solo un jueves por la tarde! Su propio descuento de taza es un insultante 10 p. Eso es aproximadamente un 2 % de descuento.

Nice place, food was really nice and filling. Tea was ok, bit odd that they don't have white sugar available though only brown sugar.

Usually I don't give bad reviews but I will take my good sweet time to write one for this. Popularity of this place has boosted the ego of person running this place (or the lady behind the counter) in a bad way. No care towards customers to make them feel welcomed or heard. A group enters after us and takes the only big table available. No one cares so just barge in and grab yours or you will end up writing a review like me. People shuffling around tables inside was fine but weirdly when we did that it was not allowed. May be they didn't like our face. Also the food has become way below average compared to last time that I visited. Never coming back.

Very nice place for breakfast on site or to buy some pastries to take away. We were there on Sunday around 10 am - although there were a lot of people, you may have to wait a moment for a table, but they clear out very quickly. And it is worth the wait - delicious breakfasts - we chose pancakes and a toast with mushrooms. Taste 10/10. If someone is very hungry, the pancakes may be a bit small, but you can eat a cookie afterwards 😉. I recommend adding a poached egg to the toast with mushrooms - it goes great. The place itself is very charming, a lot is going on. The service is very nice. I recommend it.

Excellent lighting and enough space to make evening jazz events particularly atmospheric. Great for a date.

Fantastic coffe and food. Great service thank you🙂

1st time I have been to hot numbers in Gwydir Street, we had a great time.

Tuesday breakfast I had mushrooms on toast. Blew me away, diverse range of mushies, best I've ever had. Tuesday lunch I had Turkish eggs. Wow! I'm not fond of mint, but the mint sauce made the eggs pop in flavour. Well done!! Coffee good, too

A good place for having breakfast/brunch that is a short walk away from the station. We ordered mushrooms on toast and eggs on sourdough. Carrot cake is a must try.

Lovely place for lunch or morning coffee. Gets crowded at midday. Waitresses are lovely. Cool antiques shop next door

Visited with my kids for breakfast at the start of summ holiday treat day and all 3 of us loved it. Would be very happy to visit again.

Amazing place, very good coffee

Great atmosphere and wide selection of food choices

Very nice coffee and reasonably priced, too.

I'm a fan! Their pancakes (berry ones) are so delicious and the coffee is good, too.

El café era delicioso, pero se cobra mucho más de lo esperado. El tocino vegano para la opción vg del sándwich de tocino era £ 4 más cuando esto no se indica en el menú. Pagó £ 14 en general por dos rebanadas de pan, unos trozos de tocino vg y algunos guisantes mushy en el lado - definitivamente no vale la pena el precio.

One of my favorite cafes in Cambridge. Great food and atmosphere but still calm enough to work. Highly recommend!

My favorite coffee shop in the world! Literally the best coffee I've ever had, a varied/sophisticated/rotating menu of savory/brunch items, and delicious cakes! So many thoughtful details like SOUND INSULATION, a killer jazz playlist, and very sturdy tables makes this an absolutely exceptional establishment. My celiac boyfriend eats their gluten free food without problems! Couldn't recommend more!

First and last time I will go there. Went yesterday for a coffee, blond woman at the till was rude, not really friendly and barely explaining. Coffee was average

The atmosphere is not too bad, but the coffee is really bad. I tried a flat white a few months ago and it was sour, then I went again today to try again and I order a decaf as it was afternoon, but it was was not drinkable, I even added the sugar which I don’t us, but it didn’t help, I could not drink that coffee. I’m not sure why is this place so popular. I drink a lot of coffee, have a coffee machine at home and come from a country of coffee drinkers.

Helpful staff happy to double check things and accommodate dietary restrictions. Some of the best coffee I've had in a while. Food was good, though not outstanding. The ginger cake on the otherhand, was a nostalgia trip to my childhood and my Grans ginger cake. Loved it. (Bought some coffee beans as well, good prices.)

Pro: Nice location, food came out quickly and looked and tasted great! Coffe was delicious, nice and strong. Con: Confusing coffee menu; there's no latte/cap/americano instead they have their own system with 4 different sizes and all milk is steamed the same way. However this isn't described anywhere, you have to ask at the till/ know beforehand. They want you to order using a qr code (sorry but can't stand this) which we started doing but then couldn't place order and pay without entering personal information like home address, email address and full name. Gave up at that point because it was exhausting and buggy, not smooth at all. Got up at that point and asked to order at the till. Staff in general seem demotivated and are all fairly low energy (but hey ho maybe my husband and I have high standards? Idk), no smiles, no banter, no checking in on you, asking how the food was. When delivering food/drinks to the tables items were just plopped in front of me and then it was up to me to send them on down the table. So basically, no service at all. The only redeeming part of the experience was that at least there was no service charge, maybe that would motivate the staff more though? 😅 Majority of guests were working/studying remotely by a laptop with airpods, and I understand that this makes for a slightly less stimulating working environment, but if staff were a bit more energetic and managed the seating time, maybe customers wouldn't hold a table with their laptop and 1 coffee for 1 hour. Anyway, would return for the food and coffee but if you do go, don't expect any service because there isn't any. 🙃

Great food and coffee. But tends to be really busy during weekends and you have to wait for half an hour for the food.

Delicious, simple and effective. Our Oasis, with tons of workers and artists who interact by sharing a few dishes and a few drinks. Sweet, savory, coffee, tea, juice, alcohol... You will find the comfort you need there, trust me.

Love to come here so much, always good vibe! Good food! Good Coffee! Their homemade sourdough is divine and poached eggs are like stars of the show, even bacon tastes nothing you could make at home😆 Pancake is one of the best in town!

Wow, came here for the first time today for breakfast and was seriously impressed. Wife and I agreed the coffee was the best we’ve had in Cambridge. We had the Turkish eggs and cornbread and both were extremely excellent, albeit a bit each on the small side (portion size could be improved a bit, or at least use bigger bread slices as ours were pretty tiny). Nonetheless, food was fantastic and ambiance and decor were great all around. Will definitely be visiting again!

Very tasty breakfast and brunch options. Quick and friendly service, great quality foods.

Visitamos para el brunch del domingo - que obviamente iba a estar ocupado, así que nadie - uno podría quejarse razonablemente de eso! Lamentablemente, no se sirvieron: a pesar de que el personal de la cocina se quitó los calcetines, los servidores estaban en su mayoría dormidos - después de acordar dos veces llevar leche para nuestro café, todavía no se molestaron, así que fuimos a buscarlo nosotros mismos. El pequeño espacio estaba lleno de muchos clientes sin rumbo en recados similares. La comida y el café eran realmente excelentes, así que fue una pena que estar aquí se sintió cansado en lugar de encantador. Y permitir que los perros entren en un pequeño espacio de comida interior simplemente lo estropea para todos: la administración sin duda protestará porque claramente son “amigables con los perros”, pero la mayoría de nosotros con modales no hemos consentido en ser molestados y lamidos por los animales de otros y es la gente - poco amigable para someter a los clientes de pago a esto. No es ni la mitad de agradable que podría ser si la gerencia tuviera control.

Wonderful cafe. Excellent coffee. Had a slice of vegan ginger cake - sublime.

nothing too special, nowadays lots of trendy independent cafes the services varies on location but this place has really rude staff.

one of the worst services i have ever experienced

The space is beautiful, and I can see why it’s a popular option in Cambridge, but unfortunately the person who was serving on the till this morning was quite abrupt/on the verge of rude and made me feel like an annoyance because I hadn’t found a table to sit at the point of ordering. As someone who doesn’t know the system of ordering, I think a simple, friendly explanation wouldn’t have hurt. I ended up taking out as there were no available tables when I ordered. There was tables behind that needed clearing which I felt could have been pointed out as they were cleaned by the same person who took the order right after we paid. It just made the experience of going there not super pleasant. Being a little more helpful and welcoming would have made all the difference.

Gluten-free bread + « poached » eggs + salmon - incredibly underwhelmed by this plate

Can be a bit busy, but only because it is so good!

Muy inconveniente para mí, no aceptarían efectivo. Debería haberme ido. Pero no volveré. El café, por cierto, era tan... tan.

Cute place! Very busy and you can’t book tables in advance so arrive early. The smashed avocados and the Turkish eggs were amazing! The hot chocolate was great too!

Worst coffee shop in town! Bad coffee, repeatedly tried to screw me, expensive, oat milk costs extra even if you just take the bottle on the counter. Generally just unbearable. After avoiding their shop in Trumpington Street, it turns out the whole chain is unbearable. It happened to a lot of us that they grind your espresso wrongly so you have to buy the entire things again. They then blame you that it’s your responsibility although you have no influence at all over how they handle your espresso. This happened to me first in Trumpington and now also in this shop, and others in my College have no reported the same. Unbelievable. Take a look yourself: they pretended both packages were ground the same level (they obviously aren‘t) and that this was my own problem.

Great coffee shop with a nice vibe inside, good place to hangout or work from.

Place was recommended by a friend so we popped in for brunch before heading over to visit them. Unfortunately it wasn't great, not awful (apart from being extremely loud), everything was just average/mediocre. Sourdough extremely dry and tough and food was generally bland, coffee was OK but nothing standout either. Unfortunately it's priced higher than the quality should dictate.

We went there with a friend of mine and needed a table for two. The waitress was not interested in serving at all to begin with and kept treating us with an obvious unvoluntary and patronising smile . She decided to change our table after a family of 3 came in behind us and pointed us to the table just near the door on an unusually cold and rainy day. We asked that we could wait a bit longer for a more comfortable table and she insisted that there won’t be any other table even if we wait longer, again in a patronizing and unwelcoming manner as if we were not the ones who were the customers. She spilled my coffee when serving it( and no apology afterwards, no signs of courtesy). Foodwise: I had an Italian Shakshuka, which was too spicy and quite standard otherwise. The food was mediocre, I would say. The menu is quite limited in terms of options, as well. The branch in Trumpington is better. The waitress’ treatment of us in this branch was quite a disappointment as it was one of rudest that I have ever experienced in this country.

I've just had the most wonderful service! From till to table - superb. I ordered the Shakshuka and oh boy was it spicy! The staff were so understanding and changed it without any fuss. Thank you 😊

We had some cakes, a sourdog pancake with egg, a chai and a mocha, all were delicious. The atmosphere is nice and there is WiFi. I am the daughter of my father

Service and atmosphere was top but I'm just struggling to give it higher because the coffee was really just mid.

Love this place. Great coffee - most important. Great vibes, friendly staff and patrons too.

The coffee is lovely, but this is my third visit this week and every time I’ve had to wait almost 15 minutes for a takeaway latte. Crazy, especially when it isn’t even that busy to warrant that kind of wait.

I love this place, and all other Hot Number branches. Coffee is great, food also fantastic, pretty quick service. The reason why I took a star away is high prices. I had the granola today for the first time and all the ingredients were super high quality and delicious, but the ratio was wrong- too much granola and not enough yogurt, making the whole plate overly sweet, with sweet apricots, pear and also honey at the bottom of the plate. Also, some tables are terribly small! Nevertheless, I love to come here for breakfast and some work, lovely change to a routine!

I have literally given up on this place it’s busy for one reason only it’s full of people on laptops nursing one drink for hours on end. You really need to have a better policy in place to free up tables for people who actually want to spend money in your coffee shop.

Bit of a wait as it's so popular. However, staff very friendly and efficient. Food was delicious. Would visit again

Legendary cafe, great coffee, nice busy atmosphere.

Possibly the pretentious coffee shop in Cambridge, rude server , coffee was nice but won't waste my money (not cash🤔) again

Amazing brunch and coffee! Such a great atmosphere and helpful staff. Especially Irine, thanks for making us feel welcome and for the great service 🙏🏼 Will definitely come back soon!

Coffee and food is also great! I often grab a coffee in the morning for a walk and it’s always yummy and wakes me up. Dog friendly also and the oat lattes are always nice 🫶🏼

A bit to crowded to work, but excelent coffee and food.

Busy little place. Nice servers with good attitude.

I never leave reviews but this time i was so tempted to!!! We visited this place on Sunday with my husband and 7 month old baby - we were really excited to try the food and coffee in this place. As soon as we went in the lady/waitress was extremely rude and asked me to wait outside until a table was free. Obviously outside was rainy and windy and i was holding a baby and still she demanded to go outside and take the pushchair out of the way coz it blocks the entrance when it clearly didn’t somehow we had get in the shop 🤷🏻‍♀️ anyway we left only because of that member of staff and I don’t think i want to go again to be treated - myself and my baby with disrespect!!

Great food and coffee at a reasonable price. Service was friendly and efficient, any changes to the order were done without any issues. It can get quite full and busy so it lacked a little the cozy atmosphere but we still had a good time.

Meh nothing special. Gives off a chain atmosphere. Egg wasn’t poached well and overdone. Kind of a strange menu! The toast combinations don’t exactly make sense to me.

This place is my absolute go-to for brunch, especially paired with their heavenly iced oatmeal milk latte with honey. The food is always delicious, the coffee is superb, and the service is simply incredible! It's hands down one of my top 3 favourite cafe spots on Mill Road.

Friendly staff, good food in a local atmosphere.

Good spot for reading and light work in the morning or evening. Their have nice selection of cakes.

Tasteless coffee, slow and disorganised

Beware - Kitchen closes at 3pm. Focaccia sandwiches are good though.

always crowded place Be sure to try the Bacon Maple Pancakes!

The ultimate hipster coffee shop lives on!

Lovely pancakes, highly recomended

Really good independent coffee shop with an energetic vibe and friendly staff. Really cool that they roast their own beans, which are also available to buy.

Wasn't amazed by food options but that's on me really