Hot Numbers Roastery in South Cambridgeshire

I’ve been going Hot Numbers for years and it’s never been a cheap option but the venue and quality of food always kept me coming back. Sadly that balance has slipped away of late and the pricing on the reworked menu doesn’t justify the food they’re serving now. On my visit today I ordered the ‘new’ mushroom on sourdough and it arrived as a single piece of bread with a covering of mushrooms, which yes is what it says it will be but it was comically small and looked like something you’d get on a child’s menu. At £11 it’s just too much (in my opinion) and I’ll be heading elsewhere for a while. The plague of flies which are covering the lights on the upper floor isn’t particularly nice either, how no one who works there has thought to try and sort them out is a mystery.

We sat upstairs above the serving area, there is a proliferation of flies up there around the hanging lights, which quickly come to help you eat your food when it (eventually, always slow) arrives. As they are directly above the food laid out for Service, I’m Sure they are snacking down there too? I suppose it’s why they are in that location? I just don’t get it in November, and previous comments about being in the countryside are ridiculous, there are many ways to control flies, that’s what pest control companies are for! We come Back because we like the food, but how many chances can you give..

Tucked away off the A10, this place has a great vibe. The place was buzzing when I visited. I loved seeing the coffee beans being roasted right there as you walk in and the aroma is incredible. The Turkish eggs were to die for. Step aside shakshuka, I think I’ve found my new favourite brunch. The coffee was rich and smooth, enhanced I’m sure by those amazing coffee aromas. Service was snappy and friendly. I’ll be back!

Beautiful facility and tasty food but a bit pricey, slightly devoid of atmosphere and staff somewhat lacking of wanting to be there. Pleased I went but Shane rush back

Wanted to like it but it is all style and no substance. Branded pre bottled stuff was ok (drinks and ice cream) but their ice coffee was repulsive and so disappointing. Location is good, off the A10 but service was mediocre at best and ice coffee awful. Won’t be back sadly as it has so much potential but failed to deliver.

Loved it - I had the porkbelly noodle salad and my husband had the Nduja pizza - both incredible. The space is super nice, the carrot cake is unreal. A little on the pricey side but to be fair the food was fantastic and the service was great,

We come here often because we like the food and it is conveniently located in south Cambridge. The menu changes a few times a year which is nice, and the coffee is reliably good. We also love being able to sit outside in the summer! We see lots of cyclists/bikers/runners there too; it has a good vibe. For us the main negative is the slow service. We queued for 15 minutes just to order at the desk today. There were only 5 people in front of us when we joined the queue... Maybe they should have another member of staff collecting the cakes/sandwiches during busier times? We decided to get some cake to takeaway before leaving, and this was another 15 minute wait in the queue. They frequently have "30/45 minute wait for food" signs up at the front which although is transparent we can't understand why they haven't managed to work out an efficient system during busy periods yet..especially considering a lot of the menu is not cooked and there are limited ingredients to all the dishes. Other issues for us are that the seats are largely uncomfortable garden chairs or benches (we find this across all hot number cafes) and the sourdough is very hard with no alternative breads on offer. If the cost was cheaper we wouldn't mind so much, but ~£20 a head for brunch we'd expect a little more. We would recommend for the good coffee and food, but put aside enough time for your visit. And despite the negative points mentioned, we will continue coming back.

Hot Numbers Roastery is a fantastic addition to the Shepreth scene. With exceptional coffee, delicious food, and a welcoming atmosphere, it's definitely worth a visit. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a top-notch coffee experience or a relaxing place to enjoy a delicious breakfast or lunch.

Over priced tea which was stewed, £5.50 pot for one, replacement was also poor. Wide range of cakes and interesting location

Lovely coffee but poached eggs on toast very disappointing. They were like golf balls . Sorry but poached eggs need to be runny. I should've sent them back tbh.

They open at 7a.m and close at 5 p.m so an excellent stop off for any driver travelling along the dual carriageway in need of sustinance. It's clearly very popular. On a sunny, end of September morning more people were sitting outside under the trees than in, it seemed. The coffee, whether black or cappucino was excellent. Good croissants but cinnamon bun was raw in the middle and didn't like the crisp outside of the bun either. You can have breakfast or lunch as you please and they are happy to let you sit and chat or work on your lap top. A very friendly place.

Although there is a limited selection for lunch. It may have some limited options, including myself. I had a very nice bacon sandwich. The cakes can vary in quality on personal opinions. The coffee is nice 3 cup sizes. If you want to take a 250g gram bag it's going to cost around £10 - A lot of money for a small amount of beans/ground coffee. I choose not to get some due to the high cost. If it's around £4-5 pound I'd likely have bought it. Although they make it on site they should have offered a discount.

Always liked this place as it opens early on a Sunday which is ideal for us early risers and nice coffee. Came for brunch today. My daughter is celiac and they do gluten free options. Ordered the food when it arrived something was missing off my daughters plate. Took a while before they bought the salmon which needs no cooking. All poached eggs were more like a hard boiled egg and there were two hairs in the smoked salmon. Sour dough is nice but very hard to bite into it. Another option would be nice. I feel at £60 for 3 breakfast and coffees everything should be top notch. The ivy in town is a better brunch option for the price

To charge £6 for a small pot of tea is ridiculous. My mum and her elderly friend popped in for 2 cups of tea and paid £12. Hot Numbers have refused to refund her which with these prices they can well afford to do.

We have been coming here for a number of years as a bit of a treat and decided to visit today with our young son. We had to ask the waiter to wipe the table after he put the cups down on someone else’s dirt. We ordered 2x pancakes with bacon which arrived and the poached eggs were hard boiled inside but the white was still raw. Then one of them had a hair in the food! We were pleased with the way it was handled after we found a member of staff, but it shouldn’t come to this. There’s so little care being taken with the food and cleanliness of this place I really would wonder how they would do during an inspection now. The toilets were awful too, covered in dirty handprints, dirty floors and the baby changing table is not one I would use again. We were hoping to bring some relatives here in the autumn for a great breakfast but we will now be finding somewhere different to save ourselves the embarrassment of recommending this place. Shame because the coffee is always wonderful.

Hot Numbers are one of the best cafe/restaurants around area west of Cambridge. Their sourdough bread, pancakes with bacon/poached eggs and maple syrup, scrambled eggs on sourdough are all second to none that’s before you start on the cakes and their excellent coffees. They have 2 others in Cambridge if you have never been then you are missing out 😳

Finally got to try their brunch after last time driving up and their kitchen was out of use 🙈 it was worth coming back for, the coffee here is always amazing, some of my favourite and we have also had the espresso chocolate cake in the past which was incredible! Brunch this time we got the bacon pancakes and poached eggs on sourdough with sausage and we sat outside and the surroundings are lovely, surrounded by fields and countryside. Food was all delicious, i’m still thinking about my pancakes! The sausage on the other dish was so flavoursome too, poached eggs were perfectly done!

Thought we’d try Friday evening pizzas. Ordered, sat at our table outside with drinks and waited, and waited, and waited. In the meantime people were turning up and collecting their take-away pizzas that must have been ordered after ours. After 40 mins we asked where our pizzas were. They came 10 minutes later, unceremoniously placed on our table by a waitress who didn’t even think it worth apologising for the delay. Pizzas were good, but not worth waiting 50 mins for. Won’t be coming back.

Sourdough so hard we could not eat it and pancakes also very overdone. They only do pizzas Friday and Saturday. Everytime we go it seems to get worse, so think it's our last visit.

Inconsistent Sometimes the pizzas are excellent, others the bases are too thick and the crust is 2”. As the crust makes up so much of the slice and it isn’t covered in topping, I feel like I have just eaten a 1lb of bland dough. It’s a shame as if they were consistent it would be great. I haven’t left a review before but this is the 3rd time that the meal has been poor so I wanted to say something.

So shocked at the price. We saw on the board that a tea bag in a cup was £3 and 'tea pot for 2 = £6. We did not want tea for two nor did I wish to have a tea bag floating in a cup so my husband asked if we could have the tea for 1 in a pot. He was told he could. My husband duly paid for 2 plain croissants, a standard cappucino and tea for me. The bill was an unbelievable £14.50!! We visit various places for identical food and have never paid more than £12 at the most. We shall certainly not be visiting Hot Numbers again as I cannot for the life of me work out how they can charge that much.

It was quite Expensive for some luke. warm drinks and my crossiant was not warmed up just left cold. Expected more for the price. Would not recommend.

Popped in this afternoon for a tea and was asked by waitress if I wanted a cup or a Pot. My friend had a coffee and we had two pieces of cake and cost us £17.10.... Felt really ripped off and queried the bill with the waitress as to how it came to that amount and she said you asked for a pot of tea but I said for one and she said its the same price if for one or two...£6 It wasn't even a large pot ....Won't be back which is a shame as the cake was delicious !

Nice place good food and coffee. Is really popular so gets very busy. That do hot food, cakes and fresh breads

We came on a Sunday afternoon and had to queue for 15 minutes to get to the front of the queue. I went upstairs to find a table as there were none available downstairs. Whilst my friends were waiting to order, the staff blocked up...

First time visit. Tried the batch filter coffee, was a little disappointed as it was cooler than expected, didn’t say anything at the time as I will see what it like next time. I did buy the cheese and jalapeño bread which was delicious. Coming for food the next time as the pizzas looked amazing. Next time I won’t be in a rush.

Extremely disappointed. Staff unfriendly spent £30 pounds on breakfast, waited forty minutes. No apology for delay and food was cold when arrived. Staff disinterested when I asked to feed back my concerns. I was informed we have looked at your ticket and impied this is...

Always love Hot Numbers. The Pancakes with poached eggs and bacon are my favourite. Great little spot, especially if you have dogs, as it is very dog friendly. The decor is nice both inside and outdoors. The staff are so lovely here always, could do...

Being the only place offering specialty coffee in the area, this used to be one of our favourite places. The coffee was great (especially the pour over), and the pastries were outstanding. In the last few months, we've seen a gradual decline and each of...

Special lunch at Hot Numbers....first visit our for a long time... definitely with it...great place..great food... definitely returning soon.

First of all I love your bread,cakes,coffee,breakfast,pizzas. BUT I have probably been a dozen times or more and seen the length of the cues and thought I can’t be bothered to wait 15-30 yes 30 minutes to get 2 loaves. I’ve often cued 15-30 minutes...

Decided to call in here for breakfast on way to Cambridge as my husband loves good coffee and has visited before. What a gem! Such a great place really quirky coffee and food excellent. Bread being made and sold looked fantastic but sadly we were...

Me and my partner come here for brunch almost every Sunday, great service, great food and great price. There’s always a lovely atmosphere in here too which is really nice.

A new venue for lunch for us with a lively, buzzing atmosphere and lots of yummy cakes and unusual menu options. My buttermilk pancakes with poached eggs, crisply bacon and maple syrup would have got a 5 but was so heavily doused in syrup that...

We were recommended this restaurant as being a really good Gf place. The menu stated Gluten Free options. We queued chose our table and was told they didn't have GF bread. What a waste of time and so disappointing. Why advertise it, if it is...

My first visit with a friend who had been a few times. I was impressed - the staff were friendly, the coffee & cake were great. The actual place seemed relaxed & it was totally different from anywhere I’ve been in the U.K. which was...

Sadly not as much love on my plate as it used to have. Coffee not hot, pancakes slightly over and quite expensive.

I’ve always loved the food and coffee here. Today my four year son over-indulged and was sick before I could get him to the bathroom. The staff member who had to clean up the mess was so lovely. He asked my son if he was...

Good and coffee great (as usual). The place needs an active manager present - I realise there are industry wide challenges with staffing but numbers are not the problem here. Zero sense of urgency, lots of standing around chatting. We’ll stay away for a while...

Frequent visitors, love it here from the food to the atmosphere. Decent cup of coffee outside seating is the best nice and tucked away

Coffee and food is good, but the service is terrible. Waited several minutes while someone typed something into the computer terminal, all the while carefully ignoring me. When the finished, they just walked off. When someone else appeared they took a card payment, then just...

I took my parents here for lunch today and they were very impressed. A nice barn style building with outdoor dog friendly seating. We were served by a lovely young lad called Carter and he recommended the pizza. He was spot on. Will be back...

Rude staff, flies all over food and slow service. Was told we couldn’t have cake in the fridge as it was for tomorrow and what was on display had flies crawling over it. Will never be visiting again!!

A bit pricey, cakes were quite nice. A little disappointed with the coffee surprisingly. It was OK not bad but not as strong or anywhere near as nice as Costa Coffee. Would go back though as quite a nice ambience and makes a change.

for this level of inefficiency! Just so painfully slow. Took 10 minutes to get to the till. 5 minutes to pick coffee from coffee point and then 30 mins for breakfast to arrive. It’s just eggs and bacon!! Not even that busy! Loads of people...

An absolute gem of a place! Really good cakes and exceptional coffee. How have I never been before. Will now be a regular stop on trips to and from Cambridge.

Disappointed with today's lunch experience. On the dozen or so occasions I have eaten here the experience has been excellent. Not today. Ordered two 10" pizzas for me and my wife and received two 6" pizzas. The waiter said that's the size we are making...

Friendly staff…nice coffee, great cakes. But I have to say this will be the last time I buy a pizza from here. 3 out of 4 times there’s been something up with our takeaway pizza and we’re not fussy people. Endless piles of onions this...

Hot Numbers is the latest expansion of a two cafe owner in Cambridge. The Roastery offers a great range of food for brunch and the rest of the day.Food is prepared in the onsite kitchen, although a little pricy the quality is good. The premises...

Busy and very popular. The food was tasty if rather pricy. Bread is amazing so it’s a must try! Tables were full and large, so the ones at the entrance can fit a couple of families on one. Service was friendly and efficient. My only...

Food is good but over priced for portion size. Attracts people who have more money than sense. Sorry.

Arrived at 405pm stood by till for 5 minutes while the staff mopped and chatted to each other oblivious to me standing waiting patiently to ask if they were open (sign on counter was not clear) staff not apologetic or really seemed to care and...

I went to Hot Numbers with an old friend that I hadn't seen since before the lockdown. It is usually a relaxing place to have a good cup of coffee and good atmosphere. Plus some enjoyable jazz music in the back ground and a catch...

We have visited The Roastery regularly over the past few months and although overall the atmosphere, quality of coffee and the menu are more than acceptable it is spoilt by one member of staff who is excessively loud which is totally unnecessary, when not there...

First time visit well worth another visit when next in the area. Nicely laid out with plenty of room. Food was really good best pepperoni pizza I've had for a while.

It was ok the seating is a mishmash of rustic wooden tables that are hard to clean. Staff wearing masks when clearing tables but did not wipe them down. The menu was easy to read and simple in choices food presentation was lovely but the...

Amazing food and coffee. Was a little disappointed when we were told there would be no pancakes until 9am but they are on the menu from 8am. It is expensive but the food is very good and the coffee is lovely. The decor is also...

Visited mid-week. Have been going to the Cambridge Hot Numbers since they opened and love the coffee. The roastery has good indoor and outdoor space. However, it is ridiculous multiple people were turned away as they stopped serving from the kitchen at 3PM (2 hours...

Specifically went to try the pizzas. Wasn't disappointed. Ordered 3 different pizzas. They were delicious. As a tea drinker they wanted nearly 5 pounds for a small teapot with hot water and a tea bag.

Positives are that it’s a great place with cute design and environment. Place to have some newspapers and coffee or brunch with friends. Visited about half ten and got a table easily. As we left an hour later queues were starting. This was a Sunday....

We’re a bit gutted. We’ve been travelling up and down this road from Bucks to just north of Ely, for years. Today we decided to make time to give Hot Numbers a try and we’re so pleased we did. A funky place with a great,...

Living fairly local we cycled to the Friday Pizza night at the Roastery for our first try of the place on a mild comfortable evening now a sense of normality has resumed. The place is scenic, clean & presentable. The service though disappointing. Firstly the...

This place is one of the best coffee shop type restaurants in South Cambs and so worth a visit, the food is incredible and the brunches are out of this world. The staff are always so welcoming and the seating inside is funky and eclectic...

Every Sunday we go to hot numbers to play cards and grab some brunch! Our faves are: Sausage sandwich, eggs on sourdough or the sweet pancakes! It would be great if Hot Numbers started a loyalty scheme.

This is easily one of the best cafes in the area. The coffees and cakes are always delicious and the service is friendly as well. The outdoor seating area in the garden is also a lovely place to sit on a warm day. I would...

Your coffee is amazing and appreciate the place as well. The cookie and sweets are delicious. I introduced the place to friends and they are a fixture now.

We stopped into Hot Numbers for brunch and it was amazing! We had porridge and pancakes with vegan bacon - both of which were lovely. The outside area was perfect in the sunshine and of course the coffee was great too.

Came for a quick pit stop mid-cycle ride, ended up staying over an hour because service was so slow. They only have one cashier point for a huge number of tables, had to queue for 20 mins just order, we got our coffees straight away...

I went to the Hot Numbers at Shepreth a great location and smart building i ordered an extra hot coffee and a hot chocolate also extra hot. If you like your drinks hot don't go to Hot Numbers both drink were lukewarm almost cold i...

Very substantial breakfasts but very good. My husband and I have decided to share dishes next time we go. Coffee very good, sourdough bread, eat in or take away is superlatively good! Recommended!

Ordered 2 of their pizzas for collection, service was all very good. Food tasted absolutely amazing, will definitely be back again! Have also ordered coffee from here, and that too tastes fantastic

We had a couple of takeaway pizzas from here a couple of weeks ago. Excellent tasty ingredients - my partner had the goats cheese with mozzarella pizza, when I got home to our disappointment the mozzarella wasn’t on the pizza, so a rather dry pizza...

A great visit to the Hot Numbers Roastery. Visited with my family and enjoyed sour dough pepperoni pizza freshly prepared and baked in their ovens. Coffee is incredible, the best I've had. Being freshly roasted on site it helps to fill the venue with the...

These guys are doing a really awesome job. The atmosphere is clearly relaxed despite the obvious and necessary safety measures. The tables were a suitable distance apart and the service and food was awesome! The strawberry and Elderflower cake is gorgeous and the menu has...

Excellent Sunday morning visit. A queue for tables but the guy managing it all was brilliant, keeping everyone informed and finding tables as quickly as possible. Was worth the wait, even in the rain! Food was lovely, especially the scrambled eggs. Cakes were delicious and...

Great coffee, lots of outdoor seating and a small but interesting food menu. Ideal spot for a working brunch!

0 gluten free options. Really disappointing and shocking these days when I very rarely have no options.

Great place with mezzanine floors that serves good brunch style food with home baked bread and pizzas. Also great coffee, that is pricy by the cup but excellent quality and better value if you have some freshly ground to take to make at home. Take...

We discovered this place more by chance and have subsequently been back on regular occasions. The coffee is absolutely outstanding and the menu offerings including the pizza's are all delicious. The sourdough bread is a regular take home and enjoy and the best that I...

I have visited Hot Numbers Roastery several times over the last couple of years. I have popped in for coffee with a friend and had lunch with my family. Every time I say what a great atmosphere the place has. Such a cool vibe. The...

We’ve visited quite a few times in the past few weeks and we love it every time. Social distancing and a one way system is in place and masks are required to place your order, but of course can be removed once you are seated...

Myself and a friend met for brunch last week. We had poached egg on toast and a couple of coffees each. It was an absolutely bargain due to eat out to help out. The Iced Coffee was the nicest coffee I have ever had. Will...

I was not a customer for this review, rather out walking 7am on Sunday morning, struggling with dizziness and worries of fainting and how to get home to Shepreth 1..5 miles away. I think you can learn an awful lot about a place by how...

Coffee and cake in the garden. Friendly staff, well organised re Covid and the majority of customers wearing masks to order etc except for a group of yummy mummies who clearly thought it didnt apply to them or maybe they could not read. Anyway, coffee...

Still the best coffee in Cambridge in my opinion. I’ve really missed it over lockdown & it was nice to enjoy spending time in a cafe again. Still as relaxed & welcoming as always. Can’t wait till we can get back to proper plates &...

We were nearby and have been before so made a small diversion. Not too bad a queue and people were socially distancing. Staff had masks and correctly recorded our details. Good food which arrived quickly and was tasty in its box. I should have bought...

I was very excited at the prospect of visiting Hot Numbers in Shepreth. I have heard only good reports about it. My bubble friend and I I had decided on sharing a chocolate brownie, I would have latte and my she an earl grey. We...

Lovely coffee house and individual snacks. Their cakes are fantastic. Very friendly staff.Highly recommended.

We dropped in for a light lunch at 1 pm on a Thursday. This is an interesting café based in a warehouse...with lots of different seating and decor. Lots going on for the people watchers. There is an ambiance of gentle chaos....which is there for...

We visited today for a light lunch , the food , drinks and ambience were very good . It is the sort of place that caters for all ages . It was lovely to see children playing and families being welcome . They welcome dogs...

One of the best brunch spots in Cambridge. Porridge and avocado on toast are very nice. Coffee is probably the best in Cambridge, beautiful latte art and complex taste of the coffee. Staff is friendly and enthusiastically. Toilet is clean.

I was disappointed last time and left an average review but said I would come back and give the roastery another try. So I have and I can confirm the following - smiling staff - hot coffee - granola yogurt was tasty - service was...

On entry there was no direct contact with staff as hello can I help counter. We were stood looking around. I know the staff are very busy but. Ok so we eventually got served with a menu and table number. One girl took our order,...

Worth the little drive out. This place is always busy and it’s clear to see why. The best coffee in Cambridge (freshly roasted and ground on site) and amazing food. Veggie and vegan options, exceptional cakes, brunches and mains. Going to the HN roastery is...

Initially this was a great, slightly different, experience. Feel it has been a victim of its own success. Visited this week. Menu, although with a couple of new additions, is now boring. Couldn't cope with the noise in what is an up market wharehouse so...

Lovely setting although there’s no exactly passing traffic. We were taken my wise friends. Much enjoyed. Really excellent pancakes. Lovely avocado on toast, sparked up with chilli. Lovely. Definitely worth the trip

love this place from the day it opened in Shepreth. great atmosphere and fabulous coffee if a trifle expensive. Great to see the brunch menu has expanded but after telling everyone that they make the best bacon sandwiches around they have totally ruined them by...

Brilliant lesson. Sophie was very informative and enthusiastic... even when my latte art hearts turned into tulips....! Highly recommend, would love to have another lesson.

Fri 3pm. No ras al hanout lamb (forgiveable), too much bread, no teaspoons, and no sourdough bread to buy ie run out, even though you sit watching them make it for this and two other restaurants, and the over loud front kitchen staff who thought...

We went to the roastery for an espresso extraction workshop and we had the best time. Our instructor, David, did an amazing job presenting everything we needed to know to make a perfect espresso, but he also went way beyond that. We practised ourselves and...