Pause in Chelmsford

I came here to meet a few work colleagues for coffee and cake. The coffee was very nice but we were a bit disappointed by the selection of cakes (where was the Carrot cake which looks so nice on the website?) which were quite limited. The staff were quite friendly but they soon cleared our table once we had finished and they seemed to in a hurry for us to leave which was a shame as we would have stayed longer than an hour. As it was when we left, at 12.10, there were no other customers there - despite it being Lunch-time on a Friday - so it would not have mattered if we had stayed longer. On paying the bill, the prices were quite high for what we had (£7 for a coffee and an average slice of cake) so quite disappointing really and nothing special.

Took my children for lunch. A jacket potato with beans and cheese was £7! Not enough beans or cheese and served with a measly amount of “salad”, which was just salad leaves with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. My son ordered a “flatbread” but it was basically pizza. Really disappointing experience as was trying to support a local independent restaurant.

I’ve been here several times, both sitting in and for takeaway, to have coffee and cake. Every cake and baked good I have tried has been lovely but I haven’t tried the lunch menu yet. They use Monmouth coffee and the man who usually makes the drinks does an amazing job. My current favorite takeaway coffee in Chelmsford!

We wanted to try the flatbreads but itbwas so noisy we couldn't hear each other speak. This was our second visit and it was noisy the first-time too.

We had a delicious lunch sitting outside in the sunshine. Service was excellent. Polite, friendly and helpful. We had a salad and a sandwich which were served fresh and promptly. We will be back.

Can't vouch for the quality of the coffee or food. Having sat down, we waited for 10 minutes watching a succession of waitresses scurrying past our table, in the fond hope that one might show an interest in asking us what we would like or at the very least wiping the previous occupants' crumbs (of which there were plenty) off the table. Alas, it was not to be. Eventually we decided to take our custom elsewhere and went next door to Kings Coffee House, where the service, cleanliness and welcome were exemplary.

Lovely atmosphere , the carrot cake , hmmm LUSH! Quiet on a Saturday around 11 Nice lunch options and attentive staff Would strongly recommend

In a town saturated in generic and generally poor quality identikit chains it was a lovely treat to stumble across this place. The idea was just to have a pot of tea but we ended up with a glorious butternut squash risotto and wine. Relaxed pleasant atmosphere, lovely staff, quality food. What's not to love. Always like to support local independent businesses so hope to be back. Seem to have a very popular prosecco and cake option cakes looked amazing.

I have visited Pause several times - lunch, cake and coffee and most recently for - Tea for Two. Service is always excellent and food delicious. Cakes are to die for. Tea for two is a lovely experience - had a fabulous time and complemented by the atmosphere at Pause which is always very relaxed. Will definitely be going there again.

Daughter with small 7 week old baby surprised me with an afternoon tea. Although we did go early 11.00. Lovely cakes and sandwiches, 4 choices of different teas. Service was lovely , not rushed. Baby changing and toilets great for changing baby. Will come back again. Little treasure of a place hidden away from main high street. Do try to find it, worth the trip.

3 of us arrived for breakfast and the place didn’t appear too busy for 11am on a Saturday. We waited 25minutes for our food to be served!! We only saw food served to one table of 2 in all that time. The waiting staff were friendly and attentive and there seemed to be 3 on duty but no explanation as to why the food service was so slow. We had finished our hot drinks ages before the food arrived. The food was very good and if they can improve the kitchen service then I would return.

We have visited Pause a number of times since opening both for just cakes and also lunch, or Sunday breakfast. Their lunches are delicious - particularly like their flat-breads. Their cakes are also fabulous and include vegan cakes/biscuits. Staff are friendly. Our current favourite place and usually come here now at least once a week. Just wish their did their normal lunch menu at lunchtime on a Sunday as well as their breakfast menu.

I have been here 3-4 times with my mum. Always a good selection of food available especially the cakes. Hot food is lovely & comes out very promptly. Would visit again.

I dropped in for a coffee break while shopping on a cold Spring day. The staff were friendly and the carrot cake was simply stupendous. Do go there and try it, it will make you very happy.

After doing our food shopping in the City centre, we felt we deserved breakfast. I’d heard mixed reviews about Pause, but decided to go in with an open mind. We found a seat and were soon provided with menus and a bottle of iced tap water. My wife chose the full English breakfast an America. I opted for Eggs Benedict and a cappuchino. Our meals arrived within about 10 minutes and were delicious. My Eggs Benedict was particularly good. The poached eggs were cooked in the traditional style in a saucepan and thankfully did not taste of vinegar as is so often the case in my experience. The freshly prepared Hollandaise sauce was just in the right proportions so as not to drown the food. I suppose my only negative point was the music. When we first came in, it was at a level where you could still hear it clearly but not so loud as to overpower conversation. Sadly as more people came in, the music got noticeably louder and whilst it didn’t drown out all conversation, it didn’t make it easy. That said, Pause has a great atmosphere, helped in no small way by the glass frontage on two sides. This means you can watch the world go by while you eat. We will definitely be coming back for more

Four of us went to Pause for breakfast and there was not one complaint . Everything was cooked perfectly you can tell it’s quality produce and the coffees we all had tasted amazing . We all said we will be coming back !

I popped in on my own and found the cafe really busy which is great for an independent. My first encounter with staff was that I was rudely spoken by the person at the counter saying there was no room and you can't have a cooked breakfast. This was not a good first impression and when I looked around there was a couple of tables free at the time so was a bit perplexed. I told him that I only wanted a pain au chocolat and a hot chocolat and was then told to take a seat. I waited a good 10 minutes before my order was taken and then a very kind and much better mannered waitress told me that I could move to a table instead of the bench. I then waited another 20 minutes for the hot chocolate and pain au chocolat to arrive. I was confused on why it took so long as the pain au chocolat wasn't warmed and should not take too long to arrive in theory. Both was fantastic when they turned up and was reasonably priced. At that time the cafe was virtually full but not much food was coming out of the kitchen which concerned me. I just hope that it is the case that I came on a busy Saturday morning as there was people constantly going in and out so the market is there. I just hope that this cafe stays open as it very much deserves to but it really needs to improve its service and getting the food out.

Visited for the first time and enjoyed a delicious coffee. Plenty of seating with prompt service and friendly staff. I had a slice of the rocky road which was so delicious, I will definitely return!

We were a little apprehensive eating out with our two young children for Valentine’s Day but so pleased we came here- the quality and presentation of the food was absolutely fantastic, and the five course taster menu put on for the evening was excellent value. I especially loved the oysters and the salmon dish but to be honest they were all exceptional. We really appreciated the level to which the staff and manager went to in order to accommodate us and our young girls, from the table they gave us to additional menu requests we were able to make in advance to ensure everybody was kept happy!

What a lovely little find this morning. So nice to visit an independent cafe. There are too many chain ones around. Especially in Chelmsford!

The food was exceptional. Well done The service was really friendly and helpful. We will be eating here regularly. .

Brilliant friendly service, Monmouth coffee is fantastic and the food is delicious. Haven’t got a bad word to say about this place.

Had a really good coffee and an even better cake on my lunch meeting today! Will definitely be back, need to sample all of the cakes!! Had the jammy dodger one today, WOW! So good. Thank you.

Me and My Husband popped into Pause last week, I was so impressed with the Vegan Breakfast (with scrambled tofu that was actually delicious, I've never managed to find it done well before and it was awful when I tried to make it at home too!) my Husband had the normal full English, both were absolutely perfectly cooked and such a treat........ to top off, vegan cupcakes with a light sponge and buttercream that would pass as the real thing. I am so happy with this little find, can't wait to go back!

So happy I found this place. Great cup of coffee, real coffee from a privately owned place rather than a generic franchise.

Not often food is so stunning you feel the need to write a review. Had a great experience. My turn to choose the location of our monthly catch up meal. My friends were impressed with me lol. Thank you.

It was a shame the visit was marred by untrained and unconfident staff and an incorrect menu of which the staff decided not to honour and argued the toss.

Waited to be seated... the young girl simply pointed lamely to the front area of the cafe, so we just took a seat. She could barely speak to take our drinks order. I appreciate she was a newbie and probably shy, but she needed training and the ability to communicate the wares on offer to the customer.