The Cosy Cafe in Powys

Just returned from a short stay at Hay on Wye and visited this cafe every day! Really friendly staff, fantastic coffee and we also treated ourselves to a slice of carrot cake on our last day which was divine! We looked at the menu and there were lots of lovely things that we could have had if we were staying for breakfast or lunch. A good excuse to go back!

Loved this place. Kept on coming back time and time again during my 3 day stay in Hay on Wye. Will be back again in May and can't wawait to introduce it to my husband. Loved the crêpes especially.

Went to the cosy cafe today, I'd been before and the food is just lovely and flavoursome. Lovely and rustic interior, well displayed cakes and bakes, I had a bowl of soup with a focacia sandwich of ham and Piccalilli. The reason for 4 stars is because the service just wasn't great. I need to point this out as it wasn't great the last time i called last year. Food just dumped on the table and left in a hurry to take other orders. (not short staffed 3 on foh)with no question of would you like any sauces as I'd noticed there weren't any on the tables . 5 stars for food but 3 for service, making it an average of 4 * It's the little things that matter too guys!!

A very popular and comfortable cafe serving lovely food and coffee/tea etc. We came here twice during our stay and both times the service and food were great. It does get very busy so getting a table can be tricky, but worth the wait. There is outside seating if the weather allows.

I ordered buttered sourdough with tomato and coriander salsa and added bacon for an extra £4 What came were 2 very dry or liberally buttered slices of sourdough ,one with chopped tomato and onion ,coriander the other slice had 2 slices of bacon on it only….how odd ?? How odd to get a simple dish so wrong ..the same happened for my fiancee who had sourdough with avocado and chilli (flakes) again sliced on one dry piece of toast and 2 pieces of bacon on the other ..we had had a 3 hour journey to Hay and it was a shame that this was our first meal of the holiday . The coffee was good . But we wouldn't rush back here .

Cheese, onion and mustard scone tasty but dry, combined with hard butter, all just fell apart 😣 on the upside cappuccino was great 😊

We visit Hay quite often and this cafe always looked busy. So we finally got round to going in and was not disappointed. I'm gluten intolerant and not many cafes cater for this. They had a great selection of vegan and gluten free options. We had a veggie chilli and it was beautiful. They also do gf crepes so will definitely be returning soon.

Despite a number of staff service was slow and on two occasions the wrong order was brought to our table. Hygiene was not great, staff used the same tongs and knives on several different cakes. Over-priced for what you get. Not recommendable.

The staff were friendly if a little slow. The decor is lovely. The Coronation Chickpea focaccia sandwich was a huge disappointment. A ridiculously tiny amount of dry chickpeas in a curry seasoning and a few raisins. Where was the yoghurt or mayo and other ingredients? The little amount and taste was lost in a sandwich so I made an open sandwich. The chickpeas barely covered one half of one slice of the bread. Very stingy and expensive. The ‘slaw’ was just grated carrot with a few slithers of red cabbage in a very acidic dressing. My friend said her soup was tasty. I’m not likely to return.

The Cosy Nourish Bowl of seasonal, freshly prepared vegetables was a bowl of boiled new potatoes - garnished with a couple of spinach leaves, a sprig of parsley and possibly a sprinkling of curry powder - but mainly, just a bowl of boiled potatoes, served with a tiny piece of stale flatbread. For £10.50. The waitress who took payment was oddly ill-tempered. Given how much she'd just taken us for, she could have at least looked pleased.

Looks nice inside but I’ve been here twice and both times it was disappointing, service was slow, items were missing from my order and the food was just not tasty. Staff are nice but overall pretty poor.

This place really lives up to its name. Both times I visited the staff were friendly, welcoming and helpful. There are table seating and then also stools at the windows. The lighting is atmospheric and quite low which adds to the cosy feeling. The apple crumble cake, ginger cake and carrot cake were all delicious! Next time we're in Hay we'll definitely be back.

Great takeaway cappuccino x2. Good strength and taste. A decent barista coffee. You have to wait a fair time for the order but appreciate this is a busy cafe. Always visit here when in Hay

We were picking something up in Hay and wanted a quick bite. The food arrived quickly - the drinks followed! The food tasted good but was a bit light on quantity. We sat in the window - the place was buzzing which was really nice.

Came to the cafe on 14th November 2023 as a couple and a baby. There is no easy pushchair access so I waited outside. Partner went in for 2 x Millionaire Shortbread Caramel Slices. £9.00!!!!!! (£4.50 each) They were only no more than approximately 6cm square. A slight positive is they were nice. Soft gooey caramel. Bit messy but nice. But avoid this place if you don't want to be ripped off. I've felt annoyed my partner paid this ever since, as if it hasn't have been me I'd have walked out without purchase. It is no wonder the price isn't displayed against the cake itself. Other places I've seen cakes of varying descriptions being sold for £2.50, £3, £3.50 etc for a huge piece.

We popped in here for lunch with our Friends while staying in Hay on Wye, we thoroughly enjoyed the warm, friendly atmosphere and the food. Our friend had ordered a salad bowl but was given the wrong salad, this was dealt with courtesy and quickly and was given a complementary replacement which looked very good. Dog friendly too.

Popped in here for lunch on a whim, but what a find! Lovely to find a cafe providing interesting home cooked options, many of which (but not all) are vegetarian. All well presented & absolutely delicious. Highly recommended.

Best coffee in town. Food is excellent, really interesting salads and brunches, particularly the bagel for breakfast. Nourish bowls are often brilliant - Mexican stew with cheesy quesadillas was sensational. Good value salads and smoothies too. It's not vegetarian since they serve smoked salmon and ham for example, but I would say generally vegetarian. Always a busy and popular place.

Nice little cafe in town. Some nice options for drinks and food. VERY hard to get a seat at peak times so we sat outside which was actually great as inside was pretty noisy. Service was lovely, very attentive. Food and drinks tasted lovely. It would’ve been a 5 star review but unfortunately upon returning home, I realised I’d been overcharged. Check before paying contactless. Because of this, I checked the prices on the menu (I’d taken a photo of it on the table 28th sep) and realised the prices on the website were significantly different! Doesn’t quite make up the £12 overcharge, but definitely would’ve made our bill £5/6 more than we’d expected due to the price increases we weren’t aware of!

Service was poor…..unable to bring both our meals together. Waiter seemed bored with no effort to be pleasant. Food was disappointing when it arrived

Served our baby buttered bread despite specifically saying he’s allergic to milk and egg. I made a point of saying it to the waitress who clearly made no note of it and didn’t seem at all bothered or interested in his allergies. Luckily we spotted...

Gave them the benefit of the doubt the first day when I sat for 15 minutes without any service (and walked out). Tried the next day, sat 10 minutes outside whilst various staff walked past showing no interest at all, and eventually gave up.

Wonderful location, great atmosphere and fantastic food. Service was first rate despite being very busy. The veg soup is absolutely amazing and the smoked salmon on rye bread really delicious. Great coffee too!

Delicious crepes and coffee. Service was friendly. Excellent spot right in the middle of town. Fast, clean and efficient.

Fantastic coffee, wonderful service! We dropped by for cake and coffee on a trip to Hay-on-Wye. The coffee was really fantastic, three of us had a slice of Bara brith and all really enjoyed that too. But, the most notable thing about our visit was...

Lovely food staff and atmosphere. Yes service was slow but they warn you it might be on busy days as the kitchen is tiny, food is cooked to order and the staff are clearly working flat out. If you want a 5 minute stop and...

AVOID AT ALL COSTS . VERY SERIOUS INCIDENT. First and last visit to this cafe. We ordered our lunches and after waiting a good while for it to arrive we started eating. I had ordered a mushroom crepe. A quarter way into eating I felt...

Do not go unless you can wait 45 minutes for a cheese and pickle and a ham and piccalilli sandwich’s. Chose this on its location and interesting menu But regretted it on its stupid wait times. Had to ask after 40 minute wait, only to...

Popped in here when visiting Hay on a Sunday morning in July. The best way to describe this place is style over substance. It was very busy so there was a bustling atmosphere but the service was very slow. The server apologised for the wait...

Awful service. Had to leave. We went to the till to order - and were told it was table service. All good. Didn't ask where we were sat. Watched as the waitress served 3 families that had come in AFTER us. Promptly left. £10 for...

Smashing food, especially the pancakes. They were very busy but friendly and it was lovely. Will be popping back again.

Slow slow service! Lots of staff working but most standing about and making no attempt to engage with customers. Coffees took forever to be delivered and poorly made, more froth than anything. Tea that tasted strange and cakes so very expensive and completely average. Couldn’t...

Very poor. Ordered a mushroom crepe and a nutella pancake, mushrooms should not have been used they were well past there use by date, pancake was wet and very unpleasant. Went to pay and told the cashier that we weren't happy with the food and...

I have visited your Hay on Wye cafe twice over the past few days with my daughter and your staff have been nothing but amazing. You kindly accommodated my daughter eating her own food as she is anorexic. This is the first time we have...

Lovely place with great vibe going on. Had a delicious Greek yoghurt breakfast bowl here, followed by fab coffee. Great friendly service, only negative is that service was a little slow.

Shocking service ordered a gluten free salmon and cream cheese bagel and then waited and waited and waited.. then to be told the gluten free bagels were frozen and being defrosted ….. I do appreciate that a complementary drink/packet of crisps was offered to me...

The team are on fire today, attentive & speedy service and superb food. Especially rocking the addition of different oils & seeds in the egg on toast range. All in all, we have had a lovely morning. Thank you.

Arrived and was told it was table service. Waited at the table, 25 min to place an order and another 20 min to get drink. Great location, VERY slow - staff do not appear happy

When for lunch, manage to fine a seat in the busy cafe. Staff were very friendly and nothing too much trouble. Service was quick and the sandwiches very nice.

always a great experience! staff are super lovely and down to earth, amazing crepes too! food is all very reasonably priced and beautifully presented

Coffee and a fair late lunch were spolit by intrusive rock music of the background mazak --more forthe benefit from those behind the counter -than for paying customers . Asked for it to be turned off/changed and was ignored. Not a good customner experience ....

Long wait for service; expensive cakes for the cost and coffee tasted like it had been made with long life milk.

Delightful staff , very pleasant. The Victoria sponge has convinced me that I will never be vegan. It was Very good. Crepes were good. A little pricey , but good for light lunch. Excellent coffee.

Not a great start when served very weak, odd-smelling tea for my "builder's tea". Asked for another. Same thing. Seems someone had put peppermint tea bags in wrong jar! 3rd cup ok. Hot cross bun ok but not sure how it was made - not...

Decent coffee but not worth the 25 minute wait for it! It was a busy day but I felt like walking away before we eventually got our order.

SHORT SUMMARY - VERY POOR, AVOID THIS, AND SPEND YOUR MONEY WISELY ELSEWHERE. DETAIL-The table was filthy when we arrived, and I cleaned it myself. The cutlery also did not appear clean, and the glasses for water dirty. The food was very poor, when it...

Came here as my son is coeliac and heard they did Gluten Free crepes. We managed to find a table on a busy market day but the place was packed otherwise. A waitress came within 5 minutes and took our order. The crepes were fantastic...

Once we managed to get our order taken things went very well. Really well. Given the quality of the food and the obvious popularity of the place, the initial wait was more than worth it. The menu was fairly limited but made up for it...

The food so is lazy. There is no cookery to be seen. Not really worth the price - it's very basic and very home basic cooking. I don't think the chef knows what seasoning is either - at least put salt and pepper on the...

Once we’d managed to get someone to take our order everything went speedily and well. Great choice of vegetarian and vegan meals and snacks; thankfully very limited choices for omnivores! Great crepes both savoury and sweet and other dishes.

Ignore the low ratings please - may be a little slow but lovely atmosphere, chill out and enjoy the vibes (and i thought service was great)

On a cold snowy morning the warmth of Cosy Cafe offers cosy comfort. This central cafe is equally popular with locals as visitors to this unique town. Conveniently situated at the town centre, beside the market place Cosy cafe offers a wide range of drinks...

Finding The Cosy Cafe was a real bonus, I loved everything about it. The decor, ambience, staff, food and most importantly for me the coffee. In many ways it reminded me of cafes in Buenos Aries. I was greeted with a smile, took a seat...

After 15 minutes watching the 4 staff that were 'working' serve people they knew and hide behind the counter avoiding eye contact with the few other remaining customers in the half empty cafe we concluded we were obviously invisible and left

Had a quick coffee here - very comfortable and earns its name. Latté was really creamy ad delicious. Highly recommend

Lovely decor and friendly service, but the food was significantly sub-par for the cost. Coffee was excellent though. Don’t go for lunch, do go for coffee and cake.

We were looking forward to lunch today as the cafe was well reviewed and so busy we could not get in yesterday. Anyway, the problem was my BLT. The bread was good quality but the bacon was literally horrible. Cheap, pallid, tepid, stringy, undercooked streaky...

Consistently the best cafe in Hay, and we've tried them all. Lovely atmosphere, charming staff and great breakfast. We had breakfast crepe and breakfast bowl, both excellent, along with the coffee. And the loo is clean too!

Stopped in towards the end of breakfast service. It was busy with a steady flow of people. The atmosphere is indeed quite cosy and relaxing. The staff were friendly albeit the service was a little bit slow with drinks and food. The coffee was very...

Just had the best cup of coffee ever. Absolutely delicious flavour and served by delightful staff. Definitely the best coffee shop in Hay.

Friendly service. You can place your order straight away and pay and sit comfortably whilst waiting. But just waiting for a couple of coffees might take 10 minutes sometimes. I wanted dairy free cake and there was just a choice of 2 only. And they...

Lovely cafe with a good selection of food and drinks. Very reasonably priced and big portions! Delicious smoked salmon sandwich. Great spot for reading and unwinding.

I have tried every drink on the menu (apart from the teas) and they are by far the best i have ever had. we have also tried all the crepes and have never once been disappointed! it's such a comfortable & welcoming atmosphere, with beautiful...

We visited Hay & the Cosy cafe during a short weekend visit. Lovely little find, the decor was very nice and comfortable and location for “people watching” is spot on. We ordered 2 nourish bowls and 2 drinks, the nourish bowls were delicious and we...

I have written to the Cosy club via email and on their website with no response, so attach my complaint below so others can see the poor staff attitudes and that no management which to acknowledge or respond. Very disappointed. Dear sir/ madam, Re: Breakfast...

Nice decor, nice food but oh so slow! 25 minutes for egg on toast, 8 customers and three staff. When asked ‘was everything ok’ I replied that it took a long time to receive our egg on toast the reply was ‘it takes a long...

We can't comment on the cakes or drink, as no one ever came to take our order. We waited nearly 20 minutes for someone to come and take our order, as it said table service. Unfortunately, no one ever did, so we eventually decided to...

Unhelpful staff. Shame because the food looked and smelt good. Lovely decor inside but we didn't attempt to stay with such poor service sadly!!

I visited here last Saturday and was rather concerned about 2 hygiene issues. The first was the uncovered food at the counter - a large cake and a plate of pastries. Customers standing at the counter to pay were breathing all over this food. The...

Just saw a table and popped in. Decor really lovely and the food was freshly made with local produce and was delicious. The juice of the day was also very very good. Recommend it

Had a nice light lunch here whilst exploring Hay. Service was quick despite it being quite busy. Menu was a little sparse but the food was very good so no complaints.

We went on a bank holiday, very busy. Healthy food, not a huge menu, what we ordered was very tasty. We did have to ask if it was table service. Drinks came a while after food.

After arriving at our table we had to ask twice for the dirty dishes to be removed. The food for half of our party arrived quickly but no sign of the drinks or remaining meals, until their meals were finished. After spotting our drinks on...

My husband and I loved this cafe that we visited whilst on holiday. We both had the watermelon and feta salad with some rosemary focaccia and it was delicious. My husband had the berry sundae and I had the banana sundae as it was a...

This is a little cafe which was nice and friendly, the staff were polite and service was quick. My wife had a bacon bagel which had cayenne or paprika on it which I wouldn't have liked but my wife did. However, I asked for a...

We had two visits here. One visit with one person was fine although customer was grumpily told it was table service when tried to order at counter. Staff only suggested carrot cake as vegan although flapjack was too. Other visit dreadful. Two people ordered two...

No system! No communication within the staff! Like something out of fawlty towers! We ordered lots of takeaway rolls and a vegan salad, we wait. The man at the till hands over some of the rolls and then says that they have run out of...

Arrived in Hay, and came here as we fancied a coffee and cake, but most of all I needed to use the lavatory, and I can report that the loo was spotlessly clean. As for the food, I've no idea since it was table service,...

We stopped here for lunch and I was immediately impressed by the fact I could get gluten free crepes as well as gf cakes and delicious salads. The menu was varied wand the coffee was very good so we returned for breakfast the next day....

Ordered an Orange juice. A carton of juice arrived. Disappointing for a cafe of this status. Then a lovely Apple and Raspberry juice arrived. Food OK but not special. Toilet down 3 very difficult steps. Inaccessible. No understanding of Visual Impairment.

Great food, great atmosphere, great staff and most of all the coffee was fantastic...Best coffee I've had all week. Can't recommend highly enough! Really tasty healthy options.

Lovely, friendly cafe right in the middle of Hay with great choice of food and decent gluten free options too.

Lovely cafe, sandwiches Re exceptional with local produce. The piccalilli is to die for! Staff are super friendly and work really hard to get you served quickly

Popped in for coffee and tea which were ok, but the noise levels inside were insane. It was just not very good acoustics and I would not recommend for anyone who has hearing issues. Staff were ok.

We stopped in here for breakfast, the atmosphere is great enhanced by the taste in music played. The coffee is the best I have had out in a long time, food great and friendly service. Staff loved my shirt !

Delicious food, attentive staff, interesting menu, nice decor, busy but that did not affect the service. Plenty of table options for solo, couples or more with outside seating. Our group had soup, pancake, salads and it all looked terrific.

Popped in twice during our three day stay in Hay-on-Wye. Lovely place, great service and the pastel de nata were delicious. Congratulations to the owner for creating a relaxing place, fab place to discover.

We’ve visited before, today we found a seat and picked what we wanted to eat and drink. It’s table service I eventually went to the counter because they were refilling the cutlery container. I was told table service so I sat down again. I was...

Excellent location on the corner of Castle Street and High Town, great for people watching if you can grab a window seat. A bit chaotic, but in a charming way, as the staff were friendly and it was a bank holiday, so to be expected....

Good coffee at this very busy place. We didn’t eat here but the food looked very good and fair sized portions. Staff were friendly but be prepared to wait a few minutes because they are really popular.

Extremely slow service. Forgot water for the table twice. Flapjack ordered for whilst we wait turned up at the end when we asked for it for the third time.

Had a lovely lunch yesterday, pea and mint soup was gorgeous- lovey atmosphere and great value food. We had the ginger shot which was indeed invigorating!!

I've just had a really delicious breakfast at the cosy cafe; garlic mushrooms, egg, and tomatoes on sourdough and a lovely flat white. The atmosphere was relaxing and quiet before market day gets going and hay gets busy! The staff are always really friendly and...

We popped in for some coffee and food on mother’s day. There was over 10 people in our party and despite not booking anything, the service was great. Coffee was superb and the food was really nice. Will definitely be back, highly recommend their smoothies!

I am lucky to live & work within Hay on Wye & consequently visit Cosy Cafe numerous times per week for my coffee fix . The staff are always so warm & welcoming which makes for such a relaxing & friendly environment. The pancakes are...

I usually pop into the Cosy Cafe on a Saturday morning with my 6 year old (on our way home from his gym class!). We both absolutely love it - it's a such a vibrant atmosphere, and the staff are brilliant. Always such a warm...

Having now tried this place many times on different days of the week and when busy and when very quiet and the only thing that is consistent is the inconsistency with both food and service. It is usually chaotic despite so many staff working which...

Very relaxed and welcoming staff. Good coffee and excellent sponge cake made by Amber. We will back for more on the next time we visit.

Went in for a coffee and had the most gorgeous home made victoria sponge. lovely atmosphere and great service.

Difficult to get a seat, but there is a good reason for this as the food is fresh and delicious. We found the staff to be hardworking and very receptive to the needs of their customers. We had three trips there because it was the...