Julia's Tea Rooms in East Cambridgeshire

This lovely tea room has indoor seating but also has seats outdoors at the back looking onto the cathedral. The staff were super friendly and accommodating. Our food was freshly prepared and tasty. Would definitely go back.

Excellent tea room with quirky upstairs. Friendly staff with good service, even at lunch time. Delicious food, the breakfast scone is inspired. Highly recommend.

Pleasant location and friendly staff. The charcuterie platter was really poor. Baguette soft and tasteless. Ham tasted unpleasant. Tiny pork pie inedible. The cheese was just okay. The grapes were good.

Stopped here for lunch with friends. Food was ok, but nothing special. Sitting upstairs was light and bright, but not much atmosphere when we went. Pleasant staff here and reasonably priced.

Rudely scolded by staff that NO DOGS ARE ALLOWED as I entered with my Pug. We were offered an outside space, which the placard outside proudly declares has 'cathedral views'. It does. Alongside the bins of the neighbouring restaurants, complete with spotty cheap table and chairs. Weird and totally uneccasary. Don't go.

This cosy spot is great for an affordable lunch out! Great quick food, nice cakes and friendly staff!

Called in for lunch on a day out in Ely. It’s a cosy place with plenty of tables. Staff were pleasant. Had a very nice baked potato, which came with a small side salad. The one negative was the very sticky table. Cups and saucers, plates etc were difficult to move around and it felt rather unpleasant. The building itself is full of character, lovely and quaint with sloping floor upstairs. A great place to have a tea room, nice surrounding views.

Lat year, I spotted an ad for Julia's Mother's Day High tea. I ordered one for delivery to my mother. She was delighted and commented that the delivery driver was lovely too. So this year, I thought this has to be the gift. Delicious again, and the same price as last year. Again my mother was delighted, and my brother who was visiting said the food was fabulous. Next time we are down in Ely, we plan on sampling In house. Great service and food. Pretty good value too!

Our lunch at Julias Tearooms was very good. I ordered the chicken and bacon salad and it was vesy tasty and fillng (and I get very hungry). Hubby had a baked potato and was equally happy. The service was quick and friendly, despite them being very busy on a Monday lunchtime. ToLunch and tea for two cost £20. There were lots of lovely cakes on display, and we need to return to sample them all!

Nice paved area behind the cafe with small tables and chairs giving you a lovely view of Ely cathedral. It's a little out of sights of the staff which if why they probably forgot my cake after earlier serving us with our drinks! That said the cake was tasty when it arrived and enhanced by the pleasant surroundings.

We popped in for a light lunch and it was our first visit to Julia’s. We were initially unsure whether the tea room was even open as the window display was completely bare - just empty cake stands, which seemed quite odd. We sat just inside the door in what could have been a really cosy and inviting space, but instead felt more like a store room, with boxes and bottled water stacked around the table. The service was good and the food itself was ok. A lovely coronation chicken sandwich and two platters. The ploughman’s and charcuterie platters looked to be made from basic shop items, but the portion sizes were good. All in all we were just a little disappointed as the place has huge potential, but it felt like someone was moving in/out. With a little more work it could be a fantastic little tea room.

We arrived and sat at an empty table which hadn't been cleared. No menu was offered and we waited. The table wasn't cleared and no attempt was made to engage with us. The waitress / owner walked straight past us a number of times. After 15 minutes of waiting we got up and left . They seemed to be prioritising the outside table .

Our first time in Ely and we had planned to have afternoon tea at Julia's after seeing the reviews online. But by the time we had spent sightseeing and walked back up from the river we where both thirsty and no longer hungry.. We sat outside with a beautiful view of the cathedral and just had some drinks. On leaving we saw another customer with an afternoon tea and the sandwiches etc looked amazing. This gives us an excuse to go back and have an afternoon tea.

We came for lunch after visiting the stained glass museum.I had a jacket potato with cheese and beans and hubby had the veggie platter,all very nice.

Great lunch spot with a great choice on the menu, we had toasted tuna and cheese sandwich, beetroot and feta salad, then gf chocolate fudge cake and apple & date shortbread. Good coffee too.

What a great place for lunch. I had a chicken and stuffing sandwich on brown bloomer bread which came with kettle chips and salad. Best sandwich I've had in years, the bread was so soft and fresh, absolutely wonderful. Try the chocolate fudge cake too,...

A delightful tea room with seating inside and outside. Friendly staff and prompt service with a varied choice of food.

An afternoon in Ely on a summer like autumn day, and a walk in the cathedral precinct; what better than a pause for tea and refreshments? Julia's has the ideal location, opening out on one side, to the cathedral green, and on the other to...

Very near the cathedral. Staff were ware, polite and friendly and the cake was great as too was the bacon bap. The latte however was very small (slightly larger then an expresso cup) and very strong

My Husband and I visited Ely and found this coffee shop, the homemade cakes looked delicious. On entry we were told to sit anywhere we liked so we sat at the table inside when the waitress walked by us she threw the clipboard with the...

Me and a friend visited for Afternoon Tea and immensely enjoyed it, we have visited before and just had to come back again and it was just as good as it was the first time. At £25 the Afternoon Tea is brilliant value with the...

Lovely lunch. Had spinach, avocado, pesto toastie and it was fabulous! Friend had a cheese scone and thought they had good menus choices. They even went and got us soya milk as they’d run out!

Even though we are in lockdown, still managed to have a cream tea. Thank you to Julia's Tea Room. Friendly staff via Facebook and a friendly face while delivering too. These taste amazing, definitely coming back.

Stumbled across this lovely cafe at lunchtime. Really great toasted sandwich combo. Eat in the crypt if you can. Very cool. Recommended.

Love this little place. Service is welcoming and very friendly with an excellent, simple menu. Everything feels freshly prepared and the cakes are excellent. Brilliant place!

We went here for lunch on the basis of the photos in the description here - wonderful medieval vaulted ceilings, decorated with fairy lights - a lovely place to spend an hour, or so we were hoping. The food and coffee were good, but the...

We had seen this place on TA too and decided to try it for lunch - we weren’t disappointed. Despite the current conditions and regulations the staff were organised and efficient and we received a warm welcome. We were asked to wait a few minutes...

Absolutely fabulous tea room! Popped in here whilst visiting Ely and was blown away by everything they had to offer! Probably one of the best tea rooms we haven’t ever visited! Attentive, friendly, safe, and a menu to behold. Delicious menu, I opted for the...

This was a very convenient place for four of us to have lunch and as many places were full we were pleased to find this one so close to the cathedral. The staff were friendly and welcoming there was no problem with space. We had...

This place is perfectly placed - you can enter from the high street or from the cathedral grounds. Very good selection of home made treats like their cakes. Really lovely to sit out back on a good day and take in the views, whist being...

Order an afternoon tea delivery for my parents on Father’s Day. They were very pleased with the sandwiches, little cakes, scones, jam and clotted cream. All food. Don’t hesitate in making an order.

Order an afternoon tea for my daughter and son in law. I found the service I received by messenger and phone, very professional and friendly. Afternoon tea arrived on time, my daughter and son in law were thrilled by its arrival, plenty of tasty sandwiches and cakes and scones with jam n fresh cream , more than enough for 2, would highly recommend!

Quite often pop into Julia's for a snack or light lunch when in Ely. Service is very good and the food is very nice. I like the cheese scones which come with grated cheese on top! I have tried a cheese and tomato toastie, which came with salad and everything was fresh and tasty. A wide choice of cakes and light meals are available - pop in and see for yourself.

After a long day in Ely, we happened on Julia's Tea Rooms on High street. we were led to a cosy dining area on the second floor which was clean, fresh and roomy. we had a lovely tea from a varied menu and was served in good time by the friendliest of staff and was really good value.

I called up the tea room to ask if they could knock me up a special something as it was my friends birthday. Not only did they oblige the hospitality that was served was above and beyond. The afternoon tea was superb. Thank you so much for catering for us last minute which added to my friends special day. We will return.

We dropped in for afternoon tea, which was excellent. Comfy sofa and nice staff. Lots to choose from! Good location on High street near to Topping’s bookshop. And you do need a good cup of tea before or after a visit to a real bookshop!

We had lunch in Julia's last week. Great lunch with a friend. The staff were very friendly. I would recommend it.

Very quick service and friendly staff order came within five minutes,lovely coffee and food all ata reasonable price. Very clean and tidy. Well worth a visit.

My wife and I enjoyed a delicious lunch at Julia's tearoom. There was a wide range of dishes available. The meals were generous; my wife's ham sandwich came with a choice of bread, the ham was thick-cut, and it was accompanied with crisps and a small side salad. My jacket potato was cooked beautifully and came with a choice of fillings (I chose cheese), and salad. The hot drinks menu was also extensive, and included some interesting teas; I enjoyed the pomegranate tea.Value for money was excellent as was the service. Staff were friendly, helpful, and patient. We could take our lunch at a leisurely pace.The tearooms hosts several community events, including a monthly board games evening.

How can you resist fresh scones, wonderful homemade cakes and a proper pot of tea? Lovely place with live music events, games nights and lovely hosts. Looking forward to partaking of more of all this little place has to offer soon!

We had a tea and filter coffee, disappointing! I thought quite expensive for what we got and not even a biscuit on the side. Chose to sit on the settee which were not comfortable and the one toilet walls and entry doors need a good clean or redecorating.

A queue at Peacock’s cafe meant we needed an alternative. Trip advisor pointed to Julie’s being the best. It is very unhygienic- really quite dirty and uncared for. The scones- both cheese and plain - were the antithesis of what a scone should be. Heavy is the best description. What a shame.

The plowman's lunch and soup were excellent. However, the star was the scones and jam, of course with clotted cream. The decor was fun and earthy.

We live in Ely and had seen on trip adviser this was a good place to go. We decided to pop in for lunch, downstairs was closed so we had the option of ground floor, outside or upstairs. Ground floor was full, outside was coved with pigeon poo so we thought upstairs would be good. Unfortunately this is more of a cupboard than a tearoom. There is a section which I can only assume is a kitchen showroom and another part with a few tables and a cupboard full of old junk. Carpet off cuts, loo rolls, kitchen spray etc. Despite this we stayed. My cheese scone was delicious! The fruit scone we sent back as it had no fruit in it. From what we could see the food did look lovely but the whole experience is not one we’d do again when there are so many lovely tearooms in Ely.

This is a unique space with some very comfortable seating on the ground floor. The floor upstairs tilts significantly, which is a little off-putting but not bad. Right now, they've got some expensive, seasonal hot drinks that are quite good--After Eight, salted caramel, that kind of thing. The toasties and soup aren't quite up to scratch, but their cheese scones are definitely worth having.

Although the service was good the temperature in the coffee shop was cold and smelt musty. The coffee was only average and the chocolate cake was dry and stale. I left the cake and was very disappointed after reading so many good reviews.

Welcoming staff. Good location with a view of The Cathedral. a lot of homemade food on the menu - we enjoyed "breakfast scones".

Visited about 11am for brunch. Went upstairs. Ordered drinks and breakfast scones. Order soon came . Polite staff and friendly. Ketchup came in a bottle. Cheese scones were warm with plentiful bacon inside and extra grated cheese. Very good . Coffee cappachino good size and lovely with plenty of choc on top. Flavoured choc milk came in a dinky milk bottle and lovely flavour. Plenty of people drinking and eating downstairs.

Lovely tea room to have a sit down and snack while visiting Ely. Great scones and cakes and they make a very good hot chocolate too. If you want a treat, this place will suffice.

My family and I were visiting Ely for the morning and wanted a light lunch and drink. We passed this cafe on the high street and saw it had an upstairs but also a vaulted cellar. The cellar looked great and the staff member told us a bit of the history, it being the crypt of a pre-existing chapel that was in fact older than Ely cathedral. We chose sandwiches and jacket potatoes which were quickly served and the staff were polite and friendly- would recommend this cafe (though not keen on sachet condiments)

I want to write this review not just because the food is of good quality; service is fast and polite; prices are reasonable...... but go down stairs for your table! There is an ancient crypt older than Ely Cathedral. Don’t be put off about how the cafe looks from the high street, go in.... what an interesting place to eat in. My family and I enjoyed our lunch in such a unique place...... and we enjoyed the food. My only issue is the use of plastic sachet condiments but this is a personal thing. I hope that the cafe will provide information for customers to read about the history of the crypt. Sometimes they have live music which would be worth a visit too.

Visiting Ely with my wife on a very hot day, we needed sustenance. A prawn sandwich was what my wife wanted. Entered Julia's and without looking at the menu asked, "can you make me a prawn sandwich?" Of course, was the answer, no questions or hesitation. I have had really poor ploughmans lunches in the past,(see my previous posting) but I thought "give it a go".. Well, what arrived blew me out of the water.. Sliced baguette, still soft in the middle, a mini pork pie, decent ham, decent cheese, an apple, gherkin, silverside onions,tomato,Branston pickle etc.. the whole ten yards. Would recommend this cafe without reservation. They ticked all the boxes on our visit...Thanks

Booked my history society afternoon tea after a guided tour of Ely Cathedral. There were 29 of them and I recieved not one adverse comment. Everyone enjoyed the tasty sandwiches , scones and yummy cakes. I was the only vegetarian and my tea was served separately which was a nice touch.I would not hesitate to bring another group for afternoon tea. Good service, good food and a good price, Well done Julia's.

Happy atmosphere, friendly and competent staff, comfortable setting and right on the High Street - what more could prospective customers ask for? As for the food I enjoyed pancakes with bacon and maple syrup and my wife a bacon sandwich for our brunch. We both had tea and thoroughly enjoyed our refreshments, both agreeing that the bacon was very tasty and that our pancakes and bread were clearly fresh.

Stopped by one wet Saturday morning for a cup of tea and scone, very nice cheese scones along with excellent service.

We visited at the end of March. There were 7 of us and were lucky enough to have downstairs opened for us. Downstairs as it turned out was a crypt and is older than the cathedral! It was so atmospheric. We all had food including baguettes, sandwiches and jacket potatoes. All the food was lovely I had ham and onion chutney samdwich fresh bread and very tasty ham. We would all thoroughly recommend this tea room. Staff were fab too.

I cannot recommend this establishment highly enough, homemade food, excellent hospitality, unique dining environment in the crypt and an excellent programme of events! What is not to love?

With so many coffee shops & tea rooms to choose from in town we could have easily of walked past but were soooo glad we didn’t.

Whilst we only called in for coffee and cakes (which were fine), we had to sit "downstairs" - which are a hidden treasure

From the high street, Julia's looks like a modest, pleasant café but there's far more to this establishment than meets the eye. Hidden beneath the café is an amazing medieval vault. There are few places more atmospheric for enjoying a relaxing lunch. At the back of the café is a door that leads into the cathedral green, giving you a choice of three great places to enjoy your lunch. The food, service and tea are excellent. This is now our favourite place for lunch in Ely. We shall return.

Very friendly and welcoming. A cozy spot for a tea and snack after touring the cathedral and a walk around town. Prices were very fair. Enjoyed red berry and hibiscus tea - delicious! Definitely would visit again.

Called in here for a coffee when visiting Ely recently. Nice place with friendly staff. Very reasonably priced.

If you've walked your legs off around Cathedral this is the place to relax either pop in for coffee and cake or grab a reasonably priced lunch!

Nice enough tea rooms but my partners white hoc chocolate was watery and the crisps on the baguette stale. Jacket...

We had been to the spa and stopped here for tea and cake as the view was great sitting outside....

Julia's is a wonderful place to rest and replenish in a relaxed setting, midst home made cakes, scones, crumpets and...

I'd had such hugh hopes for a quaint and quirky coffee shop but this is just like sitting in my Nan's front room.

Had lunch with my son ,great service and very good value for money .he had a tostie and I had ham salad sandwich

If you are is Ely and want a good lunch then I recommend Julia's Tea Rooms. The food if freshly prepared. I had a bowl of home made soup with a fresh baguette and my husband had a tuna and sweet corn sandwich which was freshly made with very generous filling. It came with crisps and salad. There is a lot of choice on the menu to suit all appetites.

Having read previous reviews we thought we would come here for lunch. The Today's Special of jacket potato with cheese or chilli seemed fine so in we went and ordered, along with 2 cups of tea. It was not busy. The tea was fine but the jacket potatoes could have been a lot warmer. The couple on the table next to us sent their jacket potatoes back - "cold". Apologies given.

We just wanted some lunch on our little day trip to Ely and thought 'this tea room will do' and did not expect the beautiful absolutely magical downstairs area!! We didn't even care what the food was like at this point for we were so in awe. However, the food and tea was very good too. I loved the atmosphere so much, it was stunning!!

Went in for coffee and scone, clean, warm, friendly staff and relaxing atmosphere, will go for lunch on our next visit.

Ely merita certamente una visita, ma se nel frattempo desiderate fermarvi per rilassarvi un po' e mangiare qualcosa, mi permetto di consigliarvi questo luogo. Si tratta di un locale dallo stile in linea con il paese: essenziale ed elegante, ma anche un po' rustico. Il cibo infatti è buono, ma non troppo curato nella forma. L'arredamento è ricercato e coerente, ma qualche ragnatela qua e là, rende il tutto come dicevo, rustico. Il personale è gentile e sorridente. Assaggiate gli scones: li servono tiepidi e devo dire che mi hanno colpito favorevolmente.

We only had drinks whilst here but they were all very nice - tea, two coffees & a hot chocolate. Had a quick peep at the vaulted room below, which was absolutely beautiful but a bit too claustrophobic for us. The coffee shop is nicer inside than it looks from the outside, but it could definitely have done with a good hoover as the floor was not very clean throughout!

We dropped in to kill a bit of time and were delighted that we had. We only had coffee and a flapjack so can't really comment on the food, but what we had, and the service, and the delightfully cosy cellar were really lovely. I guess this become a regular on our occasional visits to this delightful city.

We were looking for somewhere to stop for a quick lunch but where we could also take our toddler who is very loud, messy and always hungry. We were welcomed at Julia's, which has high chairs and a great menu which was fab for our son who suffers with milk and soya intolerance. The staff were very helpful and provided space to store our pushchair too. The food was lovely, (arrived very quickly) with home made soup and scones which were both delightful. Sandwich varieties were wide and really lovely. The cakes looked gorgeous (we didn't sample them though). I was also impressed with their range of teas. We will be back here next time we visit ely.

Found Julias after a cold day out in Ely.Warm and welcoming .Julias special hot chocolate was lovely and cake to die for! Would definately recommend this tea room

Such a lot of choice of tea! We stopped here for a cups before walking around the cathedral and decided this is where we would stop for lunch as it was such a nice place.

Really impressed with the special of the day - roast pork, with vegetables in a giant yorkshire pudding. We ordered an adult's serving, and shared it between the two children. It was no problem to ask for a second plate. The food was tasty, including my own jacket potato, which came with a decent sized salad garnish. Service was quick, both taking orders and delivering the food, and friendly, with children's drinks automatically coming with a straw, and milk served in a dinky milk bottle. We sat upstairs, where there was a bucket of lego to entertain little ones!

I did not visit this restaurant because when I asked when they started serving breakfast they replied that they didn't. It came up on TripAdvisor when I queried "breakfast."

Visited while our car was being fixed and what a find. We only had sandwiches but they were lovely and fresh we ate in the vault which we had all to ourselves and it was wonderful. Small sample cakes given free at the end were lovely. Staff were friendly and attentive. Will defiantly be back when we have more time.

I decided to hold a birthday party at Julia's, after stumbling across the place late last year. A very good decision, even if I say so myself! The guys at Julia's were brilliant. I invited 24 people, including 3 children, a gluten free and a vegan, for afternoon tea and everyone was brilliantly catered for. The whole afternoon tea was very good! And plentiful!!It's surprising how many places assume a vegan is happy with carrots and houmous - here, we had an individual vegan platter, including scones, jam and a very yummy pecan chocolate pot! Everyone else had more than enough food and tea and the staff were very attentive! The vault is a beautiful space, which helped make the event extra special. Wholehearted recommendation for this place! I'll definitely be back!

Food really good friendly service Homemade cakes Coffee and tea good quality Venue clean and attractive

I have eaten here many times.It is very good.They make amazingly healthy soups packed full of vegetables.Broccoli and spinach is the best, in my opinion.They have wonderful cakes and Bakewell tarts.Best value place in Ely.

Popped in for lunch and received a warm welcome. Enjoyed jacket potato and baguette that had a generous portion Good choice of teas and coffees. We chose to sit down in the recently opened Crypt, which is not everybody's taste. We liked it there with cushions and blankets availing as it can be a bit chilly there but had a lovely atmosphere. Friendly staff, great food and drinks and nice atmosphere.

Had lunch mid week. Sat upstairs. Ordered a hot drink and panini . Hot drink arrived after 10 minutes but lunch arrived 20 minutes later by which time we had drunk our drinks so they didn't get cold. Food itself was OK

We popped in for a late lunch while spending a weekend inn Ely. The food was excellent and the service friendly and efficient. Definitely recommended

Stopped in for an early lunch with a friend today. Really enjoyed the green peach tea. As an American originally from the southern part of the country, we would never have hot tea during a heat wave...we would have sweet iced tea with lemon. But I'm catching on to the "hot tea in all circumstances" idea and the green peach tea was very nice! My jacket potato was a perfect little lunch. Would have liked to linger longer and chat but my little toddler can only be still and quiet for a short period of time. Next time I'll try some cake.

Found this place very near to a car park so we thought why not for lunch? Had an egg mayonnaise roll and a toasted sandwich with tea and coffee. £13 was a tad pricey but it was alright. Both items were served with a small salad and some crisps. Food was average but service was very quick. Sadly there are other establishments in Ely which are better but I hope that Julia's Tea Rooms can survive.

Handily located in a main road in the town. Comfortable tea rooms that served good toasties. There were lots of items on the menu to choose from, all reasonably priced. The cakes all looked fantastic. Wish I had been in town longer to try them.

Dreadful experience. Sat upstairs, floor extremely uneven, very sticky table, filthy windows, coffee undrinkable, soup tasteless, had to ask folk at another table for pepper as there wasn't any on our table, staff reaching over your shoulder to put food on the table. Don't bother going.

We visited here whilst celebrating my graduation in the cathedral. It's a lovely cosy place, staff were welcoming, chatty and very helpful. They have a large choice of tea's, just look at my pics, I had the Jaffa cake mocha, however it was a bit to sweet for me and a Nutella cheesecake which was delicious. Unfortunately we didn't try any food off the menu because we were having a picnic. But I would recommend and definitely return when I'm in Ely again.

We always stop here for either just a coffee or more often lunch. The quality of food is excellent just wish it was bigger as a couple of times it was full :-( so we went for another wander and came back. Seriously don't change a thing you are perfect as you are.

Passing through Ely we needed a break, how lucky we were to find this charming tea room. Not just a tea room but an excellent place to eat. Quality of food was good and service, excellent.

Lovely coffee and scones on a rainy April day. Excellent customer service, nothing too much trouble.

This tea room is situated right next to the cathedral. My husband and I both had the homemade soup which was delicious and nice tuna sandwiches . Staff were nice. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with the place other than it lacks character.

Big selection of tea and very helpful flow chart in the menu! Food is also wonderful! Would definitely go again!

Julia's is a cosy, friendly Tearoom which does a mean cappuccino. I had an excellent home made fruit scone and butter and the wife was impressed with her carrot cake. When paying I asked the waiter if there was a "Julia" and it turned out that she was his late mother and that the tearoom, being a family run business, was named in her memory. Nice one.

Many tea/coffee shops in Ely,but we chose this one as a change from the "big boys".Nice homely feel,excellent value too.Very good selection of teas too.

Tea selection looked good with an excellent pathway to choosing one that was just right for you. Coffee was reasonably good. The menu was very basic with limited choices but my expectation was that for a small exclusive tea room we might have been served a better quality product. We opted for the soup and toastie special, which was a hot cheese toasted sandwich with a large bowl of French onion soup. The toastie was very ordinary thinly sliced bread with a good quantity of cheese. Nice, but not exceptional. The soup however, was very thin in taste, under seasoned and lacked any flavour. The onions were plentiful and cooked well enough. The jacket potatoes looked lovely as did the cheesy scones and large cakes. The interior on the ground floor lacked any flow and was very oddly decorated, in fact the whole needs to be redesigned. The windows were a little grey and uninviting and the view from the High Street into the front gives the impression of someones front lounge room. Not very inviting.The service was quick and friendly, and the food was reasonably priced.Would like to see some improvements as this little gem of a place has so much potential.