Huffkins in Cheltenham

Pros: It's close to the bus stop. Service is split: nice guy at the entry, although in between clearing the table for me, he was dealing with two other people and making me wait. The woman adult with regarding getting whole milk for my tea, was abrupt and dismissive. I promise you that if I had treated her the way she treated me, she'd have me chained to the stocks. I asked for whole milk for my tea & without even eye contact, was dismissed with "I don't have anything but semi." These restaurants that are cheaping out by only ordering so that they don't have to have two kinds of milk in stock, really pisses off those of us who are paying for an overpriced cup of tea. We want a decent cup of tea and that's impossible with watery milk. I mean, why bother? Food: I ordered the cream tea. I got one puffy "scone." About a tablespoon of jam in the tiniest little jar I've ever seen, and I've been in the Cotswolds for 2 weeks, in Devonshire for 2 weeks and Dorset for 2 weeks. I know a decent cream tea when I have it and this wasn't it. In the scheme of things, bad food is probably a good thing because I am a diabetic and eating too many carbs is bad. (Of course I'm being sarcastic. I would like to be the one determining how much jam or cream I use. Not them.) Finally, I have to admit that this was my last choice. The others, that I got recommendations for, were no longer serving tea at 4:00 p.m. Definitely go anywhere else and I promise you that you will be happier.

Was served by an extremely rude staff member. Asked for a 2 coffees at 4:35, was then told in a very rude manner that its only takeaway. When asking if it was OK to sit out side until 5. Staff member then rolled eyes was yeh i guess so!!! Then felt very out of sorts as I felt they just wanted me to leave as soon as possible. Then waited 10 minutes to be served an unedible sausage roll & 2 drinks that where ok. Just the general unfriendly manner of my server me me feel unwelcome. I know its was close to closing but we wouldn't have stayed past 5 at all. I know it close to close but 20 mins is more then enough time to drink 2 drinks and eat a sausage roll. Just a very very disappointing and uncomfortable experience. Will never return.

Great scones and a beautiful chocolate- and Guinesscake.

Came in for a sandwich and a cuppa and boy oh boy, we were not disappointed! Excellent, friendly service, the open Brie, bacon and chili jam sandwich an absolute treat. My lad had some crispy chicken sour dough sandwich which was equally excellent. Generous portions, nice little side salad - glad to recommend

My sister and I had a Celebration afternoon tea here and we loved it. Staff was so attentive and quality of food and drink was amazing. Would recommend

We visited Huffman’s in Cheltenham for a quick snack last weekend. Tea, coffee, a small lardy cake and a scone. As usual, the scone had been microwaved and was far too hot, despite us requesting it to be barely warm. Food and drinks were ok but we were shocked at the price. Just over £17! I would guess this is the most expensive in Cheltenham. Marks and Spencer and John Lewis have larger, nicer scones and lovely cakes for a lot less. I won’t be returning.

I had a great breakfast at my hotel but the coffee was from a machine. I just wanted a decent coconut milk latte from a local coffee shop. And I got one. Delicious coffee that didn’t separate as some plant milks for in coffee, nice thin topping and delicious taste. Sadly, I was too full to try the cake and drink deal. Pleasant mainly pink interior. Staff brought the drink to the table and were pleasant.

My hotel coffee for breakfast came from a machine. So I was looking forward to a coconut latte. All I can say is that my coconut latte was the best I’ve ever had. The top was great, and the coffee full body and it didn’t separate. Great taste. Unfortunately I was too full for cake on the special deal.

We had visited Huffkins in Witney and Burford several times over many years whenever in the vicinity and loved the food. We tried visiting Witney yesterday but the menu is completely different -gone is the fantastic macaroni cheese and other great dishes. All has to be ordered at the counter or online so no waiter service. We were so underwhelmed by the menu that we left (unnoticed) and went to eat a first class cheaper quiche and salad at an adjoining cafe. Unfortunately will not be returning.

Had a delicious muffin and almond croissant here, truly gorgeous! The next table also had some toasted sandwiches that looked and smelled delicious. Staff were lovely and coffee was decent. Cafe was very clean though I found the decor a bit plain for my taste and toilet was in the basement, a bit of a cold trip! Will definitely be back again for their lovely cakes and service!

Most expensive bacon roll I've ever had. Must have been charged "tourist" tax. Two Bacon Rolls, and a pot of Tea for two came to £23.60 😡. More fool me for paying it!

Can't believe I just paid over £9. for a mocha and croissant! I know they're in the Prom, but really... Also agree with the review about the total lack of atmosphere.

Give this place a miss, it’s really declined over the years. A visit to Huffkins used to be something I’d look forward to whenever I was in Cheltenham but the range of items actually on offer on, the quality of the goods, and the standards of service have declined so much over the years. There are many other options to try out locally.

Very disappointing place. I only went in for a cup of tea and a scone but neither was enjoyable. The scone very chewy! Also this cafe has no atmosphere.

This is my first review on tripadvisor and it’s safe to say it’s a well deserved one. I came for breakfast during race-week a little bit optimistic due to it being very busy in the cafe. From start to finish it was a great, positive experience. We ordered two lattes and the coffee tasted great, perfect temperature and lovely coffee art! The food also did not disappoint. Lovely runny eggs and crunchy sough-dour. All for under £30 what we thought was good value for money considering the area. And just to top this great experience the staff couldn’t have been more welcoming and accommodating especially for my husband with a speech disability. 10/10 great!

We visited on a Saturday lunchtime, it was not overly busy but most tables were full. Ordered at the counter 1 x scotch egg and 1 x Lardy cake and drinks. Cannot fault the service, friendly and efficient. My issue is with the scotch egg. I was really disappointed, it was slightly larger than a Cadburys cream egg in size, the sausage meat coating the egg was so ridiculously thin and was very hard in texture. Nothing wrong with the egg inside and the small salad serving was good. Come on Huffkins, do better!

I popped in yesterday with my two young children for a quick drink and a cake while we waited for my husband. After being argued with by the woman serving about a child lemonade, which she said didn't exist until I pointed out it was on the 'kids menu', followed by a very patronising 'oh just sit where you want' by the incredibly rude woman. I paid my bill and sat outside. I actually regret paying, I should have left at that point after being spoken to so badly by the staff. Then I looked at the receipt! I was blown away. £9.90 for 2 small, average Belgian buns, £9.00 for two small slices of victoria sponge and £7.00 for two small plastic bottles of water. The service and quality did not warrant the price. Needless to say, I won't be going back.

Friendly staff, great food, free WiFi.

Food was good, service most friendly and quick and a first class pot of tea

Lovely service, amazing food, went above and beyond xx

Visited a couple of times in 2023 for espresso and a teacake. Excellent coffee and baking. Although the place is spacious and has some nice Regency era features, it could perhaps do with a bit of sprucing up inside. Otherwise superb.

Very sad to say that the Huffkins experience has really gone down hill. My partner and I have been eating at both restaurants in Chelt and occasionally other branches. The food was very poor and very overpriced. The crispy chicken and cranberry sandwich was nothing more than a feeble burger in a bun and the bacon now an extra for the toasted cranberry and Brie toasty. 35 pounds for this with tea for 2 people. Sadly after many years we will not be returning. However the staff were as pleasant as ever.

Very disappointed, left feeling I had been very overcharged. Had a lovely warm welcome and great service. Ordered a jacket potato with cheese and it said it came with a side salad. Reality was that it was a large salad with the smallest jacket potato I have ever seen and the cheese was negligible. At £11.95 for a Jacket potato I did at least expect a reasonable size hence I was disappointed to get a potato which was less than 3" long and not much filling. Will not be returning if that is the norm.

Ordered a whole bunch of croissant for work team and they absolutely loved it. Great service, friendly team would absolutely recommend!

Delicious lardy cake!!! clean shop and cafe. Tasty home made bread! In the popular Parade area of Cheltenham close to the Imperial gardens & the Neptune Fountain!!! you cannot fail to enjoy the experience

This is our second time at Huffkins on the Prom after a poor afternoon tea ( gift) . The coffee and tea was OK but again, the food isn't up to much and is very overpriced. Today's sausage sandwich was dry ,toasted on one side(?), no butter and on very run-of-the-mill sliced bread. At 7.99 this seems steep. Staff offered to make me something else but cut our losses. The name, shop frontage and reputation seems to suggest a local, artisan bakery vibe but the food doesn't reflect this at all.

They don't take cash so I/we will not be going to any of their establishments. We went to the promenade in Cheltenham which has a nice setting, but I did not think much of the pasty or lardy cake I had with my drink. We made a point of not going to the branch in Stow on the Wold subsequently. Our main objection is that they don't take cash.

coffee nice but the hot milk requested was cold milk. chocolate cake crumbly and powdery but tasted okay. Gluten free range was one item - a brownie.

Great food, coffee and service in a very pleasant environment. What’s not to like!

Quality was good but £15 for a bottle of water, a smoothie and an éclair is a bit of a joke. Very expensive.

Pretty grubby, average coffee and the poor range of cakes were badly presented and looked like they'd been out a good while. Looks tired could do with a clean and tart up but it's a miserable space so not sure this would make big difference. Staff were friendly enough.

individual lardy cake is delicious!! Good service. staff very helpful and friendly. clean and bright environment.😊

The "stone baked toasted huffkin" tastes like a donut and was very unpleasant with poached egg and avocado.

Thought the food was really expensive for what we had, very friendly assistants, & cafe very clean.

Sadly guys you'll get a 2 from me and I doubt I will use you again. In the past I have loved your food and coffee and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere yet since Covid your food portions have become less and less and much more basic. Yet the prices have rocketed! And speaking of rocket, when I ordered a toastie with salad it arrived with a few rocket leaves and a drizzle of oil. That my friends is NOT a salad. A Salad should consist of at least 3 items eg. tomato/cucumber/spring onion etc the list is endless. The toastie also came with a small amount (handful) of crisps. Luckily my wife and I shared the meal as neither of us were very hungry - the cost of 2 hot drinks and a toastie came to a staggering £23! This is ridiculous and as such we cannot sustain such extravagant expenditure when I can get the same elsewhere for half that price.

This café is "in-between". It is a bit up-market in that you wait to be shown a table and be seated, like in better restaurants. But there is no other service at the table, so you go to the counter like in any other café to order and pay for the food. We had an early simple brunch which was nicely served. This is a good option for a pit-stop when shopping at this enormous John Lewis store.

Outside seating area is nice and clean Latte (with caramel syrup) and cappuccino were well made. Please note, the caramel syrup with the latte was very sweet if that's your thing.

what on earth has happened to Huffkins? it used to be fabulous!! beautiful cakes, pastries lovely food.....went in for something when the antique market fair was on last saturday. the outside tables were full of crockery that had been sitting there not collected so we asked for a table to be cleared and cleaned down so we could sit outside...staff seemed indifferent and uncaring. the food looked sad in plastic wrapping and i remember when huffkins did great things to eat. we waited a long time for our food to come out and how pathetic looking it was. i remember not that long ago how great huffkins was - but burford is also a shadow of its former self along with cheltenham and even the huffkins in john lewis is not the same as it was. now you have to queue up to place an order - how nice it was to have waitress service. it made it somewhere special to go. take a look at yourself huffkins to how you once was.

This establishment does not take cash "because their bank closed down" Cash is legal tender and there is a bank a couple of doors away in the centre of the Promenade! And £3.75 for a sticky bun to take away? - expensive.

I visited Huffkins this morning for the first time but unfortunately it will be also be my last visit. The premise was very clean and inviting and the staff were very pleasant. I chose to have a latte and the then, after asking the gentleman who served me what he would recommend for a quick snack, ordered the cheese and ham toasted sandwich. The sandwich was the worst example of a cheese and ham toasted sandwich I have ever tasted, anywhere on this planet The ham was was microscopically small and thin probably from the supermarket "Essential" line and the cheese was so sparse that the brown toasted bread collapsed in the centre because there was nothing in the sandwich to substantiate it and hold it together. The price charged for the latte and sandwich was £13.80!! I cannot in all honesty recommend this establishment to anyone who wants to just pop in for a small bite to eat. Had I not been pressed for time I would have sent the sandwich back to the kitchen with instructions for the Chef to "Try again" or failing that have asked for a return of my money Submitted on behalf of my husband

Disappointing experience at Huffkins. If you are a vegan, I do not recommend you go. I went since the website advertises "a range of vegan menu options in our café tea rooms". However, there were only two pastries in the case that were vegan (not really a "range of options"). Also, I kind of felt like an inconvenience to the staff asking about vegan options. I expect this in most establishments, but not in places that advertise to have vegan options. It made me uncomfortable. Then, the vegan sausage roll was underwhelming, to say the least. The bread wasn't even worth eating (so I didn't). The "sausage" roll was four sad little fingers of smushed veggies. Though I was glad to see they were veggies, there was nothing else on the sandwich. It was mostly tasteless. The coffee was good. That was about it.

Amazing cream tea, reasonably priced and great customer service

Very expensive, £3.60 for a can of coke is an outrageous mark up. The rarebit was untoasted and soggy

Excellent almond pastry, and some of the best green tea, that I have recently had. Good dinning experience, made even better by some helpful and cheerful aware staff. The décor, however (particularly the walls) is a bit antiseptic milk white, and is , of course,...

Lovely pasty and pot of the finest tea around great 👍

Really poor cake and the pictures posted don’t reflect what is served. Nice quick service dry cake and the Lardy cake was no better than a supermarket danish pastry stuck in the microwave. I would not recommend.

Lovely comfortable place to relax and enjoy a cuppa and a cake.

Loved the menu choices, a bit pricey but toasted sandwich we had was really good. Staff were loverly too.

Friendly staff and great food Would happily return and would recommend

We waited 20mins to be served.There was no carrot cake and we were very hungry when we finally got our food.

Lovely breakfast. Excellent staff recommend for breakfast

Very good lunch, with lardy cake to follow!

I was excited to go back to Huffkins after being away since it opened years back. I couldn't have been more dissapointed. I wanted a warm sausage roll to takeaway. What I ended up with was an overbaked sausage roll that was flung in the oven for a few seconds in an attempt to warm it up. The middle was cold and I had to throw it away as was sure luke warm pork meat isn't safe. That's not to mention the memeber of staff used their fingers to move the item from shelf, to oven to bag. Gross. Definitely won't be going back, it's certainly not how I remember it.

Brilliant, all smiles happy little shop. 😊

Visited Huffkins with my Mum during a shopping trip and came away very disappointed. I have been to the Huffkins in both Witney and Burford and this appears to be somewhat of a poor relative to those venues. Decor was sparse and in need of...

Not worth the money. Very average food and very basic for paying a premium.

Booked for lunch as I wanted to be sure of a table after a tiring walk around Cheltenham. Staff and food were excellent however the seats are a bit hard and it could do with a bit of redecoration. It has more of a transport...

Not a great value, bland baked items, but good service and a nice covered place to eat outside on the promenade.

Nice food but thought it was a but expensive

This branch of Huffkins on the Promenade in Cheltenham offers the same delicious food and coffee as the one in the nearby John Lewis. Staff are friendly and helpful and it's nice spot to take a break, especially in good weather when you can be...

Best afternoon tea ever! Was worried about getting a table at lunchtime on the second from last Saturday before Christmas!! But got straight in :). Ordered the afternoon tea for one.. great value for your choice of sandwich (with crisps and salad garnish), a warm fruit scone with cream and jam 🤤 and a pot of tea so generous I got 4/5 cups out of it. I went for the tuna sandwich, which was lush. Everything tasted so fresh. Picked up the cutest gingerbread snowman for my son on the way out. He said it was the best gingerbread man ever! Staff really lovely and polite too. Recommend!

Lovely cafe in a nice area, with lovely customer service. Had a very pleasant afternoon coffee.

Came in with my mum for an afternoon tea. We were so impressed with how lovely it was! Full size cakes, loads of sandwich filling and warm scones. Really made our day and we'll definitely be back soon.

Don’t really expect to see a business advertised as a Bakery using M&S sandwich bread ….. ordered our sandwiches and then spotted the bread was M&S . After 20 minutes a member of staff appeared to tell us that they had no ham … so cheese it was without even a mention of the overpayment we had made ,4 sandwiches being over £2. Cost of 5 sandwiches, 6 coffees, , 2 waters and two pieces of cake over £70 . I don’t mind paying if the service and quality is there but £40 would have been a more realistic price.

Lovely tea and nice cake -but the decor is tired and not great - it looks very clinical with tiles up the walls and chipped paint.It lacks a cosiness which given the amount you pay for 2 drinks and a cake is shame..

This was my first visit to Huffkins this morning (Friday 11th Nov, '22) and I received a friendly, warm welcome by Beth 🙂 I ordered the sausage bagel and tried the chutney as advised by Beth...it was yummy and I don't normally like chutney! Clean, bright and nicely decorated café with a good selection of locally produced products. I will return 🙂

Clean, yummy food, good value in centre of town

Cute little cafe. Great staff and the coffee is pretty nice 🤗

Good cup of coffee and luxury cakes.

Large portion of potato and topping. Nasty vinegar dressing on carrot lettuce salad. Easy ordering. Quick service. No cash .

A quick afternoon cup of tea and spotted the cheese and marmite scone. Absolutely delicious. My sister had a gluten free scone which she enjoyed too. The app at the table was a bit of a faff, so just ordered at the counter. Prompt service...

I love huffkins and have always had very good experiences there. But when I last visited I was shocked. I ordered three coffee éclairs to take home to hereford at the cost of 12.50 very expensive for the éclairs. You can get two giant ones...

Poor service. Rude and abrupt. The drink was ok but service was really poor. We certainly won’t be coming back to this place

Lovely friendly staff, good prices, I had a salad which I asked them to put in a takeaway dish as I couldn't eat it all. It was lovely and fresh and the coleslaw was homemade. Highly recommended

Went to this establishment today with family. Great setting on the promenade in Cheltenham. Menu choices were quite extensive but very disappointing meal when it arrived for the price that I paid. Mediocre small salad, well actually more of a garnish. Size of rest of meal was tiny, and whilst tasty, was not worth the price. Go for the setting of Huffkins, not the price or the food.

It is a must when visiting Cheltenham. They have air conditioning seating and outside seating. Great location. Great staff and great selection of fresh cakes made on site.

Cool place on a hot day with great drinks and scrummy cakes Worth a visit.

A go to place when in Cheltenham, Cool place on a hot day with great drinks and scrummy cakes Worth a visit.

Pleasant enough cafe with savoury and sweet pastries. Choose to sit inside, in front outside or in a small area beneath trees. There are menus but you have to order and pay first at the counter. The service is friendly and prompt. We had a pot of tea, mocha coffee, cheese and onion pasty, sausage roll and a cheese scone for approximately £21. The pasty and sausage roll came with a bit of salad and crisps. The best was the cheese and onion pasty, the sausage roll's blandness was masked by the addition of the light chili ketchup that came with. All in all, a nice place to sit and relax.

Never fails to impress wonderful food

Expensive, slow and underwhelming.

I like this place for a lighter lunch but it is a little on the pricier side

Arrived at 3.25pm to be told ' you can only have cakes and tea or coffee' . Not impressed, would like to have had a warm pasty etc. Place nearly empty and people not staying. Not what we expect. What a shame.

Had a cheese pastie, eclair and coffees. Coffee and eclair were good but the pastie was fairly bland and tasteless. It was nice to sit outside however.

Would have been 3/4 stars had it took cash. Having ordered and with food the food in the oven regenerating I was told they only take cards. Not very helpful at all and please don't use covid as an excuse to not accept cash. Risk is lower than touching a card machine.

Outdoors and indoors sitting available, sandwiches and pastries, coffees and teas.... Great for having a bite to go or to stay. Customers toilet. Different members of staff some friendlier than others but all polite and helpful... You place the order at the counter and they'll bring it to you.

Such a wonderful afternoon tea at huffkins today. The staff were so accommodating, and so friendly. It was overall such a pleasant experience, I would highly recommend it. Everything tasted absolutely gorgeous, as always.

We had Welsh Rarebit here today, the Classic and the Burford. We both agreed they were quite awful. Not sure how you can ruin such a simple recipe but they certainly managed it. Won't be visiting again.

Could have been cleaner. The tables were wiped down but the food on the floor had not been swept up and the place needed some TLC.

We returned to Huffkins having been here before for coffee and cake which we enjoyed. However coming back for brunch was disappointing. The poached eggs were very overcooked and the toastie was acceptable but really nothing special. The atmosphere and service was ok but not...

Very nice coffee. staff very polite. Granddaughter had a chocolate brownie of which loved thank you.

Fab breakfast roll and Kale Green drink Can't remember what it's called Polite ,happy service

One of us had smashed avocados on toast with poached eggs on top. The eggs weren't just cold - they were stone cold. The other had a broccoli and stilton quiche which tasted of neither because there was so little of either in there, and...

Why has the app for ordering been made more complicated? First I had to give my mobile number for a code to be sent to me - why? Then, when I was about to pay it showed the option to pay and save the card. I didn't want the card saved so I gave up at that point. Subsequently I discovered that there is an option not to save the card, but that wasn't visible on the screen at the time I wanted to pay.

Dropped in today for a quick coffee but unfortunately they serve undrinkable liquid tasting of dishwater masquerading as Americano !! Perhaps this is a problem with the water and coffee machine not working properly or staff not understanding the process, either way a disappointing visit!

Really good visit but the waitress had odd socks which was a bit off putting. Would definitely return again.

Not impressed at all. Food dreadful and totally uninviting and poor Furniture plain cheap and stark and ambiance - there was none. Won’t go back.

Excellent loved the chutney with it- a good blob of butter too next time please! Great service and staff

Lovely lunch with a friend, after a walk around the town.

Very tasty breakfast roll and green tea. Highly recommend