The Groundworks in North Hertfordshire

Groundwork’s Breakfast option and it’s 1 slice of toast, 1 egg, 1 tomato, measly rashes of bacon, 1 mushroom and 1 sausage is £14 😂. Costs about £1.40 to make and they’re have the absolute cheek to charge £14. Honestly the place is an absolute rip off. Staff are rude and openly talk about you in front of your face. So many other decent eatery’s in Hitchin. Go there!

Been here before a year or so ago and it’s just as perfect. Pricing is at the upper end of what you would expect but you get what you pay for …. Delicious coffee, faultlessly cooked breakfast and friendly service. The restaurant is mega busy but there is no effort to hurry you. This recommendation is given without reservation.

Packed on arrival, (Sunday 11am) had to wait for a table but no more than 5 minutes. Order was taken straight away and food arrived within 15 minutes. Quality was outstanding. Would definitely recommend and would come again if we visited!

My first visit. Absolutely loved the food - massive compliments to the chef! Customer service excellent, staff were pleasant and helpful. Will definitely be back!

I’ve now eaten here twice and both times the food has been disappointing. Ordered a grilled cheese that looked and tasted like it’d been deep fried? Oil on the plate and rocket. The homemade chilli jam was watery chilly sauce you’d get from the supermarket. Overpriced for poor quality. Will not return!

The food is ALWAYS great here and worth paying a little more than other cafes and I have been coming here once a week after work for years BUT I have started trying out different cafes in Hitchin due to the number of dogs in here and even worse the staff petting them before serving my food. Hand sanitiser does not kill all germs - only a good handwashing after petting a dog will do if you are serving food to the public. I have my own dog but I don’t enjoy going into a small cafe where there are lots of dogs and you have to be careful of where you put your chair, mind you don’t stand of the dog, pretend not to mind when the dog starts sniffing you as you eat, pretend not to notice when they start barking at one another. It’s just not relaxing and not what you expect when paying above average prices for lunch. The last time I went, one poor woman declared at the top of her voice (after two dogs tried to bite one another) ‘it’s really hard going in cafes these days when you’re allergic to dogs like I am.’

My cappuccino was very good, although it took a while for hot drinks to arrive. However, little did we know that avocado on toast and scrambled eggs would take half an hour to arrive. We tried a few times to get the staff’s attention to order more coffees, and it took several attempts.The food was tasty; the cappuccino very good.The service inattentive, slow and chaotic. We thought the lady serving us was abrupt, verging on rude. It was very cold inside (I understand the door needs to be open as a Covid safety measure), which made the long wait for food and hot drinks more unpleasant. Wouldn’t go here again- luckily in Hitchin we are spoilt for choice

I've been to the Groundworks before the pandemic and they've always been outstanding, the smaller menu makes sense but I miss the fish dish they used to do and they're attentive as ever. Only issue is other customers not following rules and goverment guidelines. Over heard girls mention they were exempt from wearing masks but why are they allowed inside if they could be asymptomatic? Not many customers following table service guidelines. We were bit confused with what rules are being enforced and whether the other eaters are taking all of this seriously. Would come back again but probably only outside unless they get stricter on rules.

Four of us ate here. One coffee, four cups of tea, one smoothie, four mains (of the toasted sandwich variety). No salads. £60. Finding that hard to believe. Food was tasty and well presented, staff well mannered but I can’t afford those prices for a lunchtime snack.

Delicious food! & good coffee. Great too see a nice simple but tasty menu, insuring that it’s nice and fresh. Following the Covid guidelines too, very happy!

I love the food here! The scrambled egg & salmon is my favourite, sometimes I even add bacon!! Very happy to see all the Covid procedures in place and staff wearing masks.

Had lunch here twice since it reopened and the food is just as good as it was. So pleased the staff are all wearing masks; it just shows they’re taking COVID seriously and makes patrons feel safer. Thank you

Staff did not even come to speak to us. We waited outside the door for a table with a couple infront of us. One lady came and moved the couple infront of us inside the little waiting area. The three of us stood there for another 5-10 minutes and not once did a staff member come up to us and say it will be a little wait sorry about that - didn’t ask us why we were there or what we were after, nothing at all. I appreciate they have to social distance waiting customers and the cafe was full at the time, and staff were busy, that’s fine - but not even a hello when we were waiting at the door? Waited 5-10 minutes like I said and with no staff member even making eye contact with decided we would be better off elsewhere. Won’t be coming back in a hurry.

Despite the pandemic restrictions they were running a speedy, friendly and efficient service. And the coffee was top-notch artisan stuff - none of yer Starbucks rubbish!

Groundworks cafe in Hitchin are absolutely awful,they increased the prices because of Covid19.+the size of the cups were smaller than average,and the female serving was so insincere and false.Dont go there,go to Simmons cafe 5mins away.SUNDAY 31/05/2020.

Enjoyed a fabulous Sunday breakfast in March. Quality of food was excellent although a tad pricey. You pay extra for things like baked beans. However it was very good and a really nice ambience to start the day. Will definitely return

Really good choice of breakfast/brunch options. The four of us had American Pancakes with bacon and syrup, Pancakes with apple compote and blueberries, full english breakfast and a Chorizo and kale hash. And each option was thoroughly enjoyed by the diner and admired by the others.

Really great place, went twice on a recent mini break to Hitchin. Amazing food, you won’t be disappointed

Have lots of times and it has bern so good. This time was a disappointment. Overcooked chips and the chicken in a coating was hard and chicken was dry. I was with someone who does like to make a fuss or complain, so wad not able to. But when I go again I will regardless who I am with. Such a shame as prior to this have always enjoyed the food.

Serving proper heart (not greasy) breakfasts, ideal for brunch too. Mellow environment that’s great for a relaxed morning.

We were in the area and walked past, looked inviting so we were stopping for a coffee, the food looked good so we decided to eat, I need to be gluten free and there was nothing I fancied, the staff were very helpful, I had poached egg on gluten free toast, very nice, also very clean

Nice staff, quick turn around.Avo on toast was as you would expect. Nothing amazing about it, but felt like my coffee tasted a little burnt.Really enjoy the aesthetics and the fact you can get take-away. Will happily go back despite my coffee tasting off. Would have asked for a new one if it wasn't so busy. The staff looked a little stressed and no one picked up on my need for assistance ie eye contact. So stopped trying to get their attention.

Small very busy modern cafe, had to wait 10mins before a table became vacant. Friendly staff.Full English breakfast had good ingredients, and lovely toasted bread. Black pudding and beans were extra. 2x loose tea in tea infusors. Including 2 enjoyable homemade soups & bread. 1 orange juice. Bill came to £33. Comparable with other eating establishments of this type here.

They make amazing food and really tasty coffee, but if you want a takeaway coffee, it will often be a very long wait... even when it’s quiet!

A very good brunch not typical British food. I enjoyed the eggs on toast with salmon and avocado. Recommend

Have eaten here before but forgot to leave review. Fabulous food fast service, despite it being 23rd December.i had eggs florentine with bacon. I did originally think quite expensive but the serving is big. They also did decaff tea. So i was happy.Will keep visiting when I'm in Hitchin.

I visited with my mum and 2 children and was quite disappointed... the service was very slow! We waited ages for 1 coffee and a tea... people walking in for take aways seemed to be served before us! We ordered a mince pie and the first one had no mince meat and the 2nd hardly any! The coconut lime cake was very dry! Surely the cakes should be tested to see what they are like before serving them to customers! Overall a disappointing experience - hadn’t been for a while and won’t be going back... competition is high in hitchin with coffee shops!

Fabulous brunches, lunches and quality coffee. Always a good reliable service and fantastic food and drinks

Amazing place for brunch! Very good gluten free options and they actually take allergies seriously unlike Hillmans next door. Would recommend the eggs benedict or cheese toastie

Very unique looking place. The staff seem friendly enough.

Third time visiting this place for a light lunch....that says something. Soy sesame mushrooms on toast, simple but perfect. Friendly staff as always. Looking forward to fourth visit already.

Needed somewhere for a quick light lunch and The Groundworks didn't disappoint. Menu made it hard to choose as there was quite a lot I could have happily munched my way through. In the end decided on the corn fritters with chilli - delicious. Really tasty and with the roasted tomatoes, sweet chilli sauce, herbie yoghurt and spinach salad it looked a real picture. Service was excellent the staff very helpful. Would I go there again - you bet I will!

If you want freshly cooked slightly different food good place to go. If you have any fussier eaters not so good. I had delicious cheese on toast with a twist. Service was very good and friendly

I am so happy to find a coffee shop in Hitchin that I can actually drink the coffee AND, equally surprising, some lovely cakes (not too sweet).

Great food & coffee! Was out for the day with my Mum, fancied a bit of lunch. I had the kale hash (delish - those crispy potatoes and chorizo!) and she had the soy sesame mushrooms on toast. Shared our food cause y’know, you can’t just stick to one and loved it. Coffee was great too! Looks like the people of Hitchin love it, was busy with a relaxed vibe and great atmosphere, staff super friendly

Beautiful food, beautiful coffee, beautiful staff. GW’s never lets me down & has been one of my go to’s for the past couple of years on a the weekend. TenTen!

Have enjoyed a lunch here in the past but today it was just dreadful. The French fries were overdone and very greasy although the burger I had was fine but not worth £13.

Have been there before and it was better but this time, the service was slow and the food was mediocre while the bacon was very overcooked. A £4 smoothie came in a 250ml plastic bottle... Only good thing was the coffee but considering you are paying London prices to have brunch in Hitchin, the Groundworks will need to do better than that

Came here on a Saturday morning with no reservation, so had to wait maybe 15 minutes, but that was fine.

Food was nothing to write home about and the cost was outlandish for what was received. Coffee was mediocre at best. Limited seating. Customer service was wonderful, however.

came for breakfast last week. Really enjoyed. Would recommend. Really friendly service and good food too.

This was a great little find! We wanted something hot but simple. Wow! The haloumi/falafel burger was fantastic. Crushed avocado was good too. Well worth a revisit

We hired the Groundwork’s for a work event on a Saturday evening. Communication prior to the evening was great, really easy to organise and very professional. On the evening the staff working couldn’t have done more for us. Even helping to blow up a balloon or two. The drinks menu was delicious, a small menu but it’s all you’d need as the cocktails are scrummy. We spent most of the evening out the front with the church as our back drop, really pretty setting. We will certainly be back. THANKS!

Lovely brunch today at the Groundwork, friendly, sweet, kind, helpful staff, we had the Pancakes with butter, bacon and maple syrup they were lovely, coffee was great also, every table taken inside and out we got there just right, they were turning people away, lovely decor, comfortable atmosphere all round really enjoyable 5 stars, will go again for sure, thank you Groundworks Cafe.

We turned up as a table of 6 on the Bank Holiday, which if you know the place was a tough ask anyway. However, they accommodated and despite having to wait 40 minutes for the table it was definitely worth it! I'd recommend the veggie breakfast, pancakes with bacon, eggs Benedict, or to be honest anything on the menu...

Beautiful food, tasted delicious! Experience tainted by a rude judgemental woman with short hair who decided to completely ignore me. Felt judged, insulted and unwelcome. Coffee came when I had almost finished my food. Lovely cafe but will not be returning because of your staff.

Very nice experience from start to finish, would definitely recommend. Menu is an eclectic mix and safe and adventurous.

Popped in last week for a coffee , a cup tea and a tea cake - when arrived smallest tea cake ever seen turns out to be a spicy bun @ £3.50 very expensive

Great choice of fresh cooked breakfast traditional mixed with more unusual options.Best scrambled eggs I’ve had friendly good service . Space limited nice ambiance Food excellent

Had a really lovely brunch for mums birthday here; food was lovely, drinks were fab too - we all really enjoyed it and mum had a lovely time too.

Popped in after having golf club fitting at Customlabgolf. Great spicy chicken burger and cappuccino!

First time here and will be coming back again. Fresh decor and tasty food. I can see why it can get busy as it isn’t the biggest, but definitely worth a visit.

Amazing food, good coffee, good service and dog friendly! Perfect. High prices but the quality of the food reflects so I understand and am happy to pay more for a good meal Thank you for a nice experience. See you again

Great breakfast/brunch. Perfect size portion. Really really tasty. Beautiful flavours from the bacon, sausage and scrambled eggs but THE best flavour mushrooms and tomatoes. We will return. Excellent.

I love this place for an excellent brunch, the fritters are my favourite. Add to that a great chai latte and I am a happy lady

Sunday breakfast in Hitchin is our weekly treat not just for us but for our lab Willow too. Alfresco dinning is getting a little teeth chattery now so we have explored the internet for dog friendly venues. On arrival we are told yes Willow was welcome, but only in the entrance hall so a very 'nice' breakfast was hastily consumes balanced on high stools with Willow wedged between the wall an our knees. Any other possition for her would have put her in the door way and therefor in the path of all, dog lovers and not ! Which we totally understand not all appreciate the somewhat enthusiastic welcome of a large wagy dog as they come in. The meal was very good quality and staff were busy but friendly. We felt a little over prices and smaller portions compared to some of our other finds on our sunday morning rummages through what the lovely Hitchin has offer. So we think we may wait till it gets warmer to eat Alfresco before we return.

Love the coffee here (well most of the time) and had gorgeous Christmas sandwich today, combining all the taste of the festive lunch in one sumptuous mouthful.

Stopped here for brunch and cannot agree with perception of previous reviewer see 27 November.

Not a bad place for brunch in hitchin, food was good and coffee nice. Cakes looked excellent as well. Place is small but we only had to wait 5 mins for a table

went for a saturday brunch/lunch on a rainy soggy day and this cafe cheered us up no end! sat at bar, waited for 15 mins for a table to be free and then we were sat down. Cafe had a great buzz, enough to create an atmosphere, and enough to let you have your own little chat. Great service overall from various people. Food is good and big portions. between us we had smashed avocado with egg and halloumi, and the halloumi masala burger with skin on chips, wow we were full and the food was fabulous. i will definitely go back next time I am in town and highly recommend it.

Trying so hard to present their “beans on toast “ with such professionalism lol ,but it is what it is. Arrogant staff. .. over priced and tiny portions.

Opposite the War Memorial in Hitchin Churchyard in an (estimated) 18th Century Building, Groundworks is a nice coffee and light meal venue. Mixture of ladies who lunch and better heeled youngsters as clientele. Coffee better than average both quality and price. Cake selection good, although sliced for the smaller appetite. Was once ushered out fairly abruptly near closing time but I think they had an evening event on, (GW may be hired for a fee and will cater for events). Been to a wine tasting some time ago and had some very entertaining little snacks between glasses.

had brunch with friends and really loved this place- great venue and lovely people- really good service and a nice atmosphere will definitely go back

Dopo tre anni siamo tornati ed è cambiato tutto. Arredo, personale e forse gestione.

We stopped here twice recently. The first was for coffee only and we decided to support an independent rather than the national chains that exist in the town.

A must visit on your list when in Hitchin. Great little independant gastro delight. Just a coffee, breakfast or a meal. Beautifully cooked,super friendly service,everything tastes marvelous.

Groundworks always has some interesting menu items and is a good place for breakfast or Brunch. Prices are slightly above the norm but the quality of the cooking is always good. I am slightly boring but I love their poached eggs on sourdough toast!!

Visited here from out of town with some local family who rave about this place. The fact that our family rate this place was the only reaon I never sent my terrible dry, (and I mean it was crispy), definitly not cooked fresh, or likely even recently kedgeree back. Service was ok, the rest of the food seemed mixed, apparently pancakes were also very dry. The bill for 4 of us was £55 odd, which was far from value for money. Insult to injury if you are paying by card , before you can complete the process you are forced to choose a tip % to add to the bill. You can of course choose no tip, but the terrible food was hardly the fault of the servers, who actually were ok. I couldn't possibly recommend this place based on this visit.

First visit went for alight lunch on birthday. The coffee was served in a smallish glass which was too hot to hold. Found it difficult to find something on menudo ordered simple omelette and salad. The omelette wad flat , tastedlikerubber, really awful. Could not believe it.

Best brunch in Hitchin for sure! Normally I go for my favourite, the kedgeree, but as it was Sunday, had a craving for there American style pancakes which were divine! Two friends that accompanied me also enjoyed themselves! Good job :)

Really nice coffee shop. Sometimes hard to get a table but shows how popular it is. Lovely lunch menu with plenty of choice. Really fresh ingredients and priced well for quality of food. Their cakes are delicious and coffee is proper decent coffee ! A must to try in Hitchin

This is a lovely local independent cafe offering a nice selection of brunch items. It gets busy at weekends and you cannot book so make sure you get there in plenty of time so your not disappointed. The staff are friendly and helpful although once you food is delivered I did feel they forgot us! I really enjoyed my poached egg with smoked salmon on sourdough and a side of smashed avocado but this came to £16 without a drink!!

We love going here. Lovely service, lovely atmosphere.

We are regular visitors to Groundworks, and are always happy with the quality of the food and drink.

Coffee is lovely and the cakes look good, though i haven't tried one. Tables could do with being cleaned a little more frequently but, overall, very good

Gorgeous cafe for breakfast , lunch or tea and cake. Really friendly and helpful staff. Always enjoy my visits to GW

Went to have a nice birthday breakfast here this morning, we have been before so no what to expect very good food, very busy on a Saturday so service was pretty good considering.

What a great place for brunch. Nice relaxed vibe, friendly, helpful staff and a great selection of food to suit everyone! Now that is a rarity! Completely worth a visit

Simply the best brunch in Town!

Absolutely love this place! Staff are friendly and welcoming, food is incredible and the coffee is lovely. Me and my friends come nearly every week for brunch and never leave disappointed. (The grilled cheese is 👌) would highly recommend!

With a friend, who is a regular here, for a late lunch. The menu is attractive & the food was tasty but I have rarely experienced such poor service. The staff stood at the till chatting throughout our entire time there & each time we needed anything we had to go and ask them. I wouldn’t mind but this is a small restaurant and it wasn’t even busy. Very complacent.

I came here for a simple afternoon coffee with a sweet treat, one of the nicest salted caramel brownies I've ever had from a coffee house!

We went out to visit Hitchin on a Sunday morning and decided to have Brunch at this lovely little looking place. We were sat in the corner which we was happy with. We placed our order- 1 coffee, 1 tea, Eggs Benedict and a Smokeworks Breakfast with extra beans, simple order? 25 minutes we were still sitting without our drinks so I hate to moan or ask but I asked a waitress (in a blue t shirt) I said "Excuse me" to the reply of "yeah" like I said I don't like to moan but it got my goat up! They simply lost our simple order! We was then told by another waitress it would be 5 minutes for the drinks and 10 minutes for the food, great! 10 minutes went by, the waitress came back to say that the managers coming! We was given free drinks and an apology, good management, thanks, the food came 10 minutes later and I have to say best brunch I've had in years, When we left I didn't tip for obvious reasons. Would I go back....no unfortunately, for me some of the staff could not give 2 hoops and I don't like that, I pay good money not to be ignored but the manager was good with the free drinks, My brunch lasted nearly 2 hours!! My legs fell asleep!!

We had the pleasure of attending our dear friends wedding party last night at the The Groundwork’s! It really was a super venue.... The staff were so accommodating and friendly. I helped my friend with the decorations and finished decorating the cake at the venue but the first the staff did was to welcome with me a drink! Everything about this place was fantastic. Thanks to your team for making my friends wedding party so special! You smashed it, the food, drinks and service was fantastic. So good we came back this morning to line our stomachs with your tasty breakfast and fab coffee!!!... We will be sure to pay you another visit.

Had a really disappointing experience at the GW today. I waited over 30 minutes for my food. The place was half full, and I watched several customers being served their food despite having arrived after us. When I questioned this I was told that there had been a 'communication error'. This sounded far too political to me. My guess is that our order just wasn't given to the kitchen. The food when it finally arrived (40 mins wait) was ok..certainly not worth the wait. I would have expected a more sincere apology and perhaps my coffees to have been taken off the bill. Instead I was relieved of just under 30 quid and had to run back to my car before I got a ticket. This is usually a fail safe lunch spot for me, but today was really disappointing

I visit groundworks regularly at the weekends and always enjoy it. There is a great atmosphere, although always busy, the food is worth waiting for. Overall well worth a visit!

Went to The Groundworks for a brunch and recieved excellent quality food and great staff service! Will be returning!!!

Love it here! Always one of my go to brunch places! My favourite is the korean chicken burger with sweet potato fries and an iced almond milk latte!

Been in a few times for coffee which is a bit up and down, but overall very nice. Tried food with a few friends over the weekend although very busy, the wait for food wasn't much longer than 15-20 minutes. The food was full of flavour, fresh and came out what we think was reasonably quick considering how busy it was! The only downfall was that the tables were rather cramped.

Last Sunday I went for lunch with a few friends and had an amazing time! Great atmosphere and incredibly friendly staff. Also let’s not forget the food the salmon and eggs I had was delicious! Can’t wait to go again.

We went here as a family on a sunday morning expecting a tasty brekkie for us all, to say that they were expensive is probably a bit of an under-statement, not only is it very cramped inside, the food isn’t actually all that good, how you can charge so much for a full breakfast is beyond me, especially as you have better competition opposite!!

There are lots of restaurant and café choices in Hitchin. Having tried this restaurant for the first time, I shall certainly be back. Great food, modern décor, friendly staff and very reasonable prices. The menu is modern and lots of choice including vegetarian. This place has a great atmosphere and a vibrant personality - don't come here for a quiet cuppa.

Groundworks is my go to place to eat! The food can be altered to meet needs and so theres something for everyone. They even do smaller versions of the menu for children and my little niece loved the pancakes we had on Sunday. The staff are always welcoming and attentive; often making the extra effort to get to know regulars names and orders which is incredibly sweet. Lovely atmosphere, kind staff and great high quality food!

I went to The Groundworks for lunch and ended up wishing I hadn't. The food was OK but the place was extremely noisy.It is all hard surfaces which bouces sound around in a very uncomfortable way. Not a relaxing place to eat in..

I booked Groundworks for my netball summer social. The whole service was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. The food was amazing - brilliant flavours and suited everybody’s needs (we had a few dietary requirements). The staff were quick to replenish drinks and help at any opportunity. The space is intimate and welcoming. Perfect venue: thank you so much!

I regularly visit Ground Works during the week and the service is friendly, personally, relaxed ( mainly thanks to Anita) The coffee and food is always great and so is the atmosphere.

You seem to feel like the staff are doing you a favour by allowing you to eat here. The internet was down, so no orders could be taken. What did we do before the internet? Well, just took orders on paper and handed them to the chef maybe? 25 minutes. Still no food or drinks. The place wasn’t that busy, but just disorganised. Shame really. Complacency is the downfall of many businesses. I guess they think the place is so good it doesn’t have to worry about it.

First and last visit to this cafe. Ordered tea for two and a glass of tap water, whilst we considered the menu. The tea arrived with cups, one of which was dirty, asked for this to be replaced and a reminder for the water. A slightly cleaner cup was delivered, and we ordered two tea cakes, plus a third reminder for the water. The tea cakes were tasty, albeit very small with plenty of butter but still no water which I then gave up on! The tea was left to brew until it was getting cold but still very weak. This cost in excess of £11 so expected better.

On recommendation, suggested checkout Groundwork’s for lunch, wasn’t disappointed.

Looked on TripAdvisor for a nice place to have lunch with my lovely Dad.