The Hours Cafe & Bookshop in Powys

Sorry to say it was very underwhelming and disappointing. Although the staff were friendly enough, there was confusion with our simple order for 4 of us. Food and coffee came out one by one, if it came out at all. A piece if cake here, followed slowly by another. They even brought the wrong coffee. We sat waiting for a long time wondering where the rest of the order was. When we questioned it, they were surprised we were waiting for anything. When the food finally arrived, it was bland. The carrot cake had zero flavour! One person had raisins in theirs the other person had none. We have never had a piece of cake that had no flavour in it before. Most places serve everyone on table all at once. Was very strange. Needless to say, this is not a place we will be returning to.

The location is superb and the food is good but both were let down by the feel of the place. The young waitress who served us showed real customer care. Whereas an older, more experienced waitress meandered around with an inappropriate manner, chatting loudly with customers she knew. When we went to the till to pay, a second older staff member completely ignored us (even as we greeted her) and handed over to a colleague. We had intended on going for Sunday lunch but decided against it after this experience.

Fab location in a spacious area around brecon cathedral. Fab food, tasty,freshly prepared and good value. Fab staff, friendly and, chatty. What more do you want in a cafe.

A large group of us came for a Sunday roast last weekend to celebrate my husband’s 50th birthday. We had a fantastic time. Very tasty food, amazing service and dog friendly too. Very accommodating. Highly recommended.

Such a lovely place and it is clear how much love & pride the owners put into it. Friendly and welcoming and delicious food. I would highly recommend a visit if you are in the Brecon area. A beautiful setting too

Thoroughly enjoyed my Sunday lunch at the Hours. The Cathedral close is a wonderful setting. A lovely warm welcome and great service. I would strongly recommend!

Called in at the Hours Cafe and Bookshop again. Not our first time but love this place Beautiful Cathedral and grounds . Firstly all food made fresh. Coffee first class. Great choice of homemade food . Very attentive staff and owners who also work there. You cannot miss this Cafe and Bookshop surroundings beautiful. If you do nothing else call in this amazing place when in Brecon

Coffee spot on!!!!!!! Spent a lovely hour drinking coffee and enjoying ambiance. Will return to try the Sunday lunches another time.

I don't think this cafe understands customer service, limited menu and rigid time after 12 rule for serving toasted sandwiches. They charge top prices for basic food and service. Don't bother going if you're a family or a couple.

What a gem of a restaurant. The welcome when we first arrived was lovely and we felt valued as customers. The Sunday lunch was amazing and all dietary requirements were catered for. We will be back when we are in Brecon again. The cakes looked amazing but we were to full

We just want to say we had the nicest Sunday dinner today and the best ever tiramisu dessert we have ever had ,and all the the girls go above and beyond to make you feel so welcome,Thankyou x.Matthew and Claire x

So glad we found this place. Cosy, warm and a really nice menu with specials and lots of Welsh ingredients. Really friendly, cheerful staff. Best of all the choice between a pot and a mug of tea! Diolch!

Cafe in cathedral grounds by the car park. Good priced and varied menu. Converted barn type ecclesiastical structure making pleasant ambiance.

Lovely visit on a rainy Saturday. Super pot of tea and some Welsh cakes. Staff were very helpful and cheerful. Food look very appetising, well worth a visit.

Visited the cafe whilst visiting the cathedral on a wet Saturday in Brecon. Saw the cafe and decided to pop in for a coffee and cake. A lovely building, very friendly staff and a welcome refreshment. Thank you.

What a special find! Nestled in the cathedral grounds, this friendly cafe offers a super tasty menu all served with a smile. Highly recommend the quiche of the day, and there are lots of vegan options :)

Nicky and Leigh catered for our private family gathering at The Hours today - to sum it up, it was excellent! Every step, from choosing this wonderful venue, to the menu of truly delicious home cooked delights and superb, friendly service, we couldn't rate the experience any higher. Thank you both for helping to make it a really special day for all the family.

We popped in over the weekend for lunch and loved it. The staff are incredibly friendly and the food was gorgeous - particularly the salads that come with the sandwiches. Lovely little shop you can potter around too.

The Hours excels both as a cafe and as a bookshop. We had brunch and enjoyed breakfast bap (lovely mid point between full breakfast and a simple bacon bap) and eggs on toast ordered “off menu”. The cakes looked so good. Warm welcome and excellent service. The bookshop is very well curated and organised - great varied selection. Local people are v fortunate!

We stopped here on a rainy lunchtime after reading it was dog friendly. The staff were very welcoming and we sat upstairs which was really relaxing. We had delicious soup and my husband had a lovely sandwich. The cake was very yummy too. I would highly recommend eating here especially if you love books too 😊

What a lovely way to start the day. An Hours breakfast with friends. The breakfast roll was delicious. The coffee was beautifully mellow as was the jazz. Add the lovely staff with smiles and friendly chat and it’s the perfect start to the weekend. 😊🙏

Such a lovely little place, staff were really friendly (especially the lady who served us - she had a book themed face mask!) we only had drinks but they were lovely and the bookshop itself is so sweet and quaint. Definitely recommend popping by here!

Stopped by for a quick takeaway sandwich while attending a nearby training course. Ordered sandwiches which took around 20 mins to be prepared then walked to the river to eat. The ham and chutney sandwiches were made from stale bread and extraordinarily dry. Ham was meagre and the chutney was a smear. The only good part was the tub of salad which was lovely and fresh and well dressed. If you were running out of fresh ingredients we would have been happy to choose an alternative. Due to our time limitations we simply didn't have time to complain or, trust me, we would have! Expensive at £6 per sandwich so I was expecting something a lot better than that.

Popped in here on Friday. Friendly staff, excellent service and great food. It's not local to me, otherwise this would certainly be a place we would eat at regularly.

Had an excellent lunch at this unique shop. Lovely sandwich and excellent coffee with great service. Managed to pick up a couple of books too. Highly recommended.

Thank you for ordering my books so quickly! Great to be able to collect the books and enjoy an excellent coffee on Saturday. The breakfast bap was delicious and set me up for a day hill walking in the sun! WE will return soon to try the lunch menu!

Stopped in here for tea and cake. While there was nothing actually wrong, it wasn't great either even in such a simple order. Drinks came with no sugar and noone had asked if we wanted sugar until we commented. Tea was far too strong, I had to ask for a pot of hot water so we could water it down. The white chocolate and raspberry cake looked amazing but again didn't live up to expectations. The cake I think was vanilla, with the decoration alone containing the white choc and raspberry. If there was white choc in the cake, it was so little I was unable to taste it. Given where we were, the saying 'you can't judge a book by it's cover' is most apt. Looks wonderful from outside, loved the books on display cakes looked fantastic but the magic that makes a place worth revisiting was missing. I also wonder if this is a bookshop cafe that allows you to take he books and read as you sit, I didn't see anything that told me how this worked

My wife and myself had a lunch of Quiche and Salad here yesterday, the welcome was not particularly friendly, no smiles just cold.The meal was served with wooden cutlery in a cardboard tray, the meal itself was not at all pleasant in fact it tasted strange.I appreciate the restrictions placed on cafe's now but they will have to do better than this to get our trade again.

Welcome back to my favourite bookshop and chilling space. As ever when you step into the wonky green shop you immediately breathe out . I can feel my shoulders drop. A beautifully curated selection of books and the coffee as melifluous as ever. The out side seating are looks gorgeous . How lovely to see you again. Like an old friend I’ve missed during these strange times . ❤️

I have been an Hours aficionado since I fell through the door in 2015. But more recently this delightful haven from the world has provided me with some comfort away from the crazy chaos of Covid. An island of books and food to cast myself adrift on and forget my worries for an hour or two. Today I have feasted on a deliciously packed cheese and ham sandwich and the most beautiful parsnip and apple soup. Deeeeeeeelicious. I have bought myself a jigsaw and yet more books. You can never have enough books. Especially when they are such wonderfully curated titles . So thank you @thehours. I will miss you during lockdown. But in the words of Arnie. “ I’ll be back.”

Visited this delightful place, the staff were extremely helpful and very friendly. It has a real homely feel and so welcoming. Food was very tasty and great coffee (I'm quite fussy) so glad I found it .I will return . 😁😁😁

Beautiful books, irresistibly scrumptious food and warm friendly service. All this served up with sumptuous dollops of cheer and charm. This cosy, twinkling delight just glows with Hygge!

Feasted on a delicious breakfast roll at the hours in Brecon this morning. A lovely view of the hustle and bustle of Brecon accompanied by friendly service and hearty food. Reassuring to see that Covid related precautions are being adhered to.

Excellent service, delicious food, a superb cappuccino and as accommodating as social distancing regulations allow during these strange times. It was admirable to see them ensuring the safety of both their staff and the customers. I am so pleased to have found another independent business to add to my list of haunts. It is the bookshop-come-cafe of my dreams and both young and old can find their Shangri-La within this cosy little shop. I cannot wait to visit again when the world has resumed normality; I know I will come back to find another warm welcome, some tasty food and some treasures to take home with me. I recommend everyone within the vicinity of Brecon visits this little green corner of tranquility. Support this little local indie business, they need us more than ever.

Food was excellent, coffee was great. I had a sandwich, my companion had the quiche, that was made in house, and excellent. Seating was outside, due to Covid restrictions, and they couldn't do more to help. Will definitely return! Many thanks!

We were lucky to enough to find the Hours not long after it first opened and we have continued to visit ever since. No trip to Brecon is complete without a visit and more recently we’ve also enjoyed the Deli nextdoor. We love the friendliness of the place and the quirkinesses of the building. As always, lovely food and a struggle to resist the temptation of desert. In a world full of chain coffee shops, its an absolute joy to visit somewhere charming and different where customers really matter.

Called in for a spot of lunch - soup was lovely, cheese and pickle sandwich was great, latte was lovely. When I asked where the loo was, I was told they do not have one, they are all locked up and I can't use them. I would have to use the public toilets in town somewhere. I have a broken foot, which I mentioned and walking is painful, even with it strapped and bandaged. I think the limp gives it away! So, I limped up the hill, couldn't find the public toilets, so ended up using the one in Costa - thank God for Costa!!. I found it hard to believe that as they serve food and drink they didn't have a loo! From reading the reviews on here, the standard of service seems to depend on who is working - being sent off into town was not pleasant and was painful. The food was lovely and it was in a nice setting, but I felt belittled at being asked to climb the hill with the damaged foot, so I won't be going back.

Tried to visit here on a very wet Saturday only to be told they were just doing takeaways. They lost customers for their books as well as the cafe!

Had a coffee there before the covid started. Great coffee and cakes, reasonable prices, kind staff, warm atmosphere,

Social distancing requirements mean having to use outdoor seating the opposite side of the road to the cafe at present. orders are taken at the cafe and are brought over to your table. Food/drinks are good and the staff are friendly and helpful.

Got there to have a lunch sitting at their tables outside but...didn't apply the eat out and help out scheme even if the cafe appears on the gov website. They for sure get more customers thanks to that (we did come for that) but did not have the honesty to say before we pay that they were actually not doing it. Feel fooled. Food is not bad though. Unfortunately, we will never come back because of this bad experience, sorry.

The brunch options were very good with variations offered for different diatery requirements. The bookshop offers an eclectic range of books with a small but well stocked second hand selection upstairs. The staff are very welcoming and we went back for coffee and cake in the afternoon. Highly recommended as a cosy non chain experience.

I stopped of for a welcome cuppa and sandwich. Very friendly staff and so welcoming. The food was varied and wholesome

The hours offers a excellent mix of bookshop with really interesting mix of books, from classic vintage crime books, to modern authors and local history. The cafe is the home to the amazing "breakfast stack" cooked breakfast which I love, top quality ingredients. They also have a very good deli next door, always enjoyed myself here.

My wife and I liked the look of the place from outside. Inside was also attractive and although the cafe was busy it seem to be well staffed. We were unclear about whether it was waitress or bar order but we could not get any acknowledgement from staff. One waitress spent the time chatting avidly to friends and so after ten minutes we gave up waiting.

Lovely place for a bite to eat. Good coffee, tasty food. A range of books to peruse & purchase. Prompt service and great decor.

This is a lovely cafe and bookshop with adjoining Deli. Have visited during the Brecon Jazz festival for a number of years now for a plated meal during an evening Jazz performance and found it a great atmosphere. The staff are very friendly and helpful. Will always call in when we are back in Brecon.

Lovely food, great staff, charming venue. Here for Brecon Jazz and this is such a fantastic, intimate venue. Thanks to all the staff for making it a wonderful experience.

We were in need of a quick refuel whilst visiting Brecon and were lucky enough to find this gem of a place. The coffee was good, the cake fantastic but what set it apart from anywhere else was the beauty of the whole place. The attention to detail was second to none. The bookshop was not crammed to bursting, but stocked thoughtfully, carefully, beautifully and displayed attractively. There was room to breathe. Across bookshop, cafe, Deli and artwork / cards section there was a clear appreciation of the natural world and it's harvest. We came for coffee and left inspired!

From the outside the building looks appealing with interesting window displays but step inside it is just a noisy cafe. We first visited the establishment 4 years ago and were immediately put off by the intrusive radio banter and music . This is not a place for a coffee and quiet conservation. Since then nothing has changed, except the music is louder played through two speakers at ceiling hight. The body language of the other customers,middle-age /elderly like ourselves seem to suggest that they were not enjoying the experience of loud Cuban/ Caribbean music either . Matters are made worse by the particular low ceiling in the area where we we sat. Fortunately the entrance door was open for a while when the owner took two dogs for a walk. The noise of the outside traffic was a welcome relief. The owners suggest whiling away an hour with a book to read. That would be very well if there were comfortable places to sit or a couch or maybe curl up on the floor alongside the two dogs. Brecon has become a place of numerous coffee shops and there are plenty of options, small and large for visitors and locals like ourselves to enjoy. The Hours has a good range of local books and gifts but any longer time spent browsing would be out of the question. Are the owners of the shop aware that the two biggest book sellers in the UK are music free thanks to pressure from the general public. Are they aware of 'Pipedown' whose supporters include prominent individuals such as Stephen Fry, Joanna Lumley,Claire Tomalin, Prunella Scales,Philip Pullman and many more all continually campaign against music in shops, restaurants etc?

Lovely people, so accommodating to seat a table of 9. Fabulous salads and sandwiches, but the stand out was the cake, lime and courgette was superb, but our party raved over the warm apple and caramel. Everyone wants to go back!

Stopped here for lunch, very popular. Coffee was great, I had the soup, pea, mint and spring onion and was delicious. Hot homemade not to minty, great tasty soup with either a sandwich or bread. Quirky building, books downstairs and selection of secondhand upstairs, worth going upstairs to see the floor. Staff friendly and efficient.

I visited here for a Saturday morning coffee and from the moment I walked in I fell in love with the place. Old floorboards and beams took me back to a more leisurely era. Low ceilings and quirky stairs to the upper level added to the ambiance. As this was one of the few times I have visited Wales I had to try the Welsh cakes. They looked like small pancakes but were more cake like and crumbly - delicious! All the other baked goods looked wonderful. A nice selection of books and cards to buy also. Went upstairs where there are second hand books - the floor is amazing - a must see! Service was excellent with very friendly staff. After an enjoyable Cappuccino I went next door to the deli and bought some sourdough bread to take back for lunch. A most memorable pause in Brecon. I would definitely recommend this cafe.

Great food, friendly and fast service. The staff were brilliant and adapted our order so everyone was happy. We enjoyed our lunch, (and bought books). A definite revisit when we’re next in the area.

I've popped in here a few times now, thinking I'd look at the books...and then quickly becoming distracted by the terrific array of cake - gluten-free included - on offer , alongside good-quality tea and coffee. I have also popped in when it happened to be lunchtime, and enjoyed a platter a meal spas bar would be proud of: chorizo, olives, fresh bread, etc. Always varied, fresh and delicious : pop in when you're next in town, you won't be disappointed.

The Hours is situated near Brecon Bridge, near the river. The owner are friendly, the service is decent and the food is nice. The place also has a nice feel to it and is well presented. Most importantly, they are dog friendly.

Great little cafe tucked away at the back of the book shop.

We had coffee here whilst in Brecon. It's a smallish book shop with a coffee shop but it's very nice. Coffee was good - a bit pricey for a mug, but I get they are an independent and need to make a living. Nice friendly staff.

We love The Hours. Very tasty food which is locally sourced. We always have a great meal. Today’s ham and chutney sandwich with salad was delicious. I would highly recommend visiting.

Came for a quick breakfast and was so impressed with how gorgeous the whole set up is, the deli is next door then the bookshop is around the cafe, all the books look to be curated. The food was delicious and staff were really friendly.

Great coffee and homemade cake. Amazing pistachio and rose water cake! Friendly service. Worth a visit.

Welcoming café with its own bookshop and deli next door. Staff are very friendly and willing to help, particularly about the ingredients in each cake. This was very useful due to one of us being wheat intolerant. The range of cakes was mouth watering and all freshly made. these include a variety of vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options. Based in the centre of Brecon his is an ideal place to sit and relax, or even spoil yourself! The deli is certainly worth visiting also offering a range of locally produced foods.

A really pleasant, high standard and very clean bookshop with excellent cafe serving tasty food. This place does a great service to Brecon, setting very high standards.

Very tasty, but far from enough food. I am not a big eater, but the portions were meagre to say the least. Very expensive for the quantity of food. Went home and had to cook. Very disappointed.

It’s always busy here lunchtime so getting a table can sometimes be difficult, but if you are lucky enough you’ll be rewarded with friendly staff, and extensive lunch menu and tasty food. Daily specials are also available and can definitely recommend the quiches which are always really tasty and come with new potatoes and a dressed salad. There is always a fab selection of cakes to choose from. It’s a quirky building and one of my favourite lunch spots in Brecon.

Found this little gem by accident. Lovely food and staff and books. We had the platter for one and the chicken and pesto salad, the food was superb, really good ingredients and so tasty. We will be back.

Gorgeous bookshop with seating at the back. Had GORGEOUS locally made cakes, gorgeous Welsh cakes for the little one, and the service was great.

We spoted the deli first and after looking around on only good quality food the owner pointed us to the nextdoor cafe for our lunch. Great place with good food!

Passed through Brecon today and had to stop for a coffee and a bite to eat for breakfast. This place was delightful, lovely atmosphere and even lovelier staff.. I had poached eggs which were cooked to perfection.. the coffee wasn’t too bad either.. well worth a stop off if your in the area. Keep it up you guys

We have visited Brecon for the past five years and our annual visit to The Hours has always been perfect. A varied menu, with plenty of choice. Such a qwerky little place, with lovely staff. So pleased to see their new deli shop which has opened. They also have a designated area for books, prints, and little gifts. A really good place to eat, probably the best in Brecon! We look forward to returning next year.

a talk on tonight had a talk on: looks like they are buying up the street with a shop, deli and cafe.... long may it continue. wish it was in town with outdoor seating: anyway people make a bee-line for hours bookshop if you are in brecon and spend a fortune to keep british bookshops on our streets.

We came here after a long day of walking. When the drinks and food came they were all dumped in one spot on the table by a rather grumpy waitress. We ordered three hot chocolates and this toblerone cake. The hot chocolates were tasteless like drinking brown water and the toblerone cakes were not very nice at all. Couldn’t tell how they were toblerone either. We also ordered a caramel apple pie that was pretty basic and obviously microwaved.

Fab coffee, great carrot cake and welcoming to dogs! We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Books are on display for review and purchase.

The best tomato soup in Brecon love the green wonky cafe lovely place to escape to , read a paper listen to beautiful music

We loved this bookshop! It was very quirky and sold interesting artwork as well as books. There is a cafe where we had delicious cakes and coffee.

We had sandwiches and cake Fresh sandwiches gorgeous bread nice coffee and the potpourri cake (rose and Pistachio) delicious. Really...

Came in here with the intention of just sitting down for a cup of tea and a read of my...

A fine little place for quality afternoon tea and some decent cakes, where it is pleasant enough to linger over...

Let's start with the food. We struggled to select because we could see that much (perhaps all) of it was...

We visited this cafe 3 days running due to a lack of wifi where we were staying. The staff are...

Found this little gem on our last day in wales had a wonderful day, delicious Welsh cakes friendly staff friendly...

Good coffee, friendly staff, nice cakes and nice choice of food and a book shop to browse too simples

Encontré este pequeño café por accidente, y fue amor a primera vista! ! Me encanta libros y pequeños cafés. No puedo decir nada sobre la comida aparte de que tenía buena pinta! El café estaba bueno y el ambiente maravilloso. No te lo pierdas, amantes...

Yo siempre diríjase a esta preciosa cafetería/librería cuando estoy en la zona y nunca me decepciona. Cayó en la última semana con un amigo que no habían comido antes y estaba impresionado por nuestro almuerzo. El ambiente es relajado y acogedor, y el personal sonriente y atento. Me encanta, no me empezó a las tartas. . . . .

Llamamos a las horas durante una pausa en un viaje al norte de Gales y estamos muy contentos de haberlo hecho. Un buen café y un pastel de té con un pan tostado el excelente selección de libros hizo la parada muy agradable. Volveremos.

I enjoyed and outstanding breakfast of 'Crumpety Joy' this morning and a coffee of two. Lovely warm welcome from the staff and very helpful. It was lovely then to browse the books and found an interesting, unique book on cycling. Just right for the holidays. I would recommend this as the best cafe in Brecon.

This is the perfect place to escape the touristy hustle and bustle of Brecon and while away an hour with a terribly good coffee and cake. With a wealth of interesting books to buy, this is a cultural and gastronomic gem not to be missed - I highly recommend the parsnip soup and a steak sandwich even on the sunniest of days!

Popped in for a breakfast of poached eggs with mushrooms this morning. It was absolutely delicious. My sister really enjoyed her crumpety joy! Great service and excellent value. Perfect coffee. I will definitely be returning to try some of the cakes or for lunch. Stopped to look at books on the way out........heaven in a shop!

First visit to cafe, with my sister & husband. I was very disappointed was the food. It was very quiet & husband paid the bill at the till in cafe. We were then asked again twice about paying our bill. Not impressed at all.

Excellent freshly made sandwiches and very good coffee. Dropped into thus very pleasant cafe for lunch and were made very welcome.

One of my favourite places to go in Brecon! Nicky and Lee have a great selection of books and a super little cafe with lovely sandwiches, salads, coffee and cakes. They're great at catering for vegetarians and vegans too. Can't recommend the place highly enough.

An unusual place but lovely if you want a quiet chat. Lovely fresh cup of coffee and gorgeous home made cakes. Doesn't look much from outside dark and gloomy but interesting inside. Worth a visit.

An absolute gem Well hidden away, and only found by chance.Lovely staff and the best cheese and pickle sandwich I've had (and I've had plenty)

I stumbled in this shop while I was having a stroll in Brecon. Initially I thought it was a souvenir shop, but once I entered I realised it is a teashop/ bookshop. It is a unique place a welcome change from the usual chain coffee shops you find in cities. The staff are very helpful and give the place a very warm classic British feel. Well worth the stop for a tea and some delicious Welsh cakes.

Beautiful homemade food, freshly prepared, I had the mushroom leek and Camembert quiche which came with new potatoes and salad , my partner had a humous and roasted vegetable sandwich followed by an amazing generous slice of apple , caramel and almond cake with cream (see photo) really delicious! Chose this cafe as it's dog friendly and now I've tasted the food will be using it regularly!

I had the most amazing warm apple cake with cream and my husband had a delicious hot cross bun. The atmosphere was lively and the service was perfect, a real gem.

On our way through Brecon (heading for Tregarron) we stopped for lunch. To our delight we found the Hours Café & Bookshop.... Quite small but what it lacked in size it made up for in excellent fayre and lovely staff. One has to tuck into their home made soup, the bowl mopped up by scrummy bread from the local bakery! This little gem is well worth a visit - Ship Street, Brecon.

Called in by chance, on an impromptu visit to Brecon, it was a busy lunchtime, so, took the time whilst waiting for a free table, to browse the books and Art Exhibition upstairs. Lovely menu choices and all freshly prepared. I enjoyed the tuna, beetroot and egg salad, very tasty, whilst my daughter and son-in-law shared a humous and pitta bread dip, followed by one of the delicious cakes.The staff are very friendly, and service was excellent. Will certainly call again.

Three of us had lunch - delicious quiche and organic salad followed by puddings. The staff are really friendly, the service swift and you sit amongst the bookshelves. Our group of 3 bought 2 books having spotted them on the shelves while eating. Upstairs there is an art exhibiting and the shop sells birthday cards and mugs. It's a perfect place to while away a wet afternoon with really lovely homeless food.

Always consistent, lovely home cooked food and cakes, chilled out place and two nice ownersWe don't go to any of the chain coffee shops anymore when you have quality on your door step