The Orchard Tea Garden in South Cambridgeshire

Great in the week when not too busy.

Beautiful garden, delicious afternoon tea. Only the staff seemed rather annoyed by the customers. However, since you order directly upon entry and have virtually no further interaction with the staff afterward, this doesn't really spoil the experience.

Nice place to have a cup of tea in a meadow but very hard to get that cup of tea. Staff are very slow and listless.

Great location but lack of seating in orchard. More chairs needed at busy times. Delicious scones but cappuccino not so good. Also no choice of milk - very unusual these days. Only full fat or oat milk - disappointing.

I was here today with my family and it is a beautiful place. It is close to a walking area and a river. They accept dogs.

Awful. Overpriced. Don't waste your money. £24 for a pot of tea, a single scone and a slice of sourdough with a few mushrooms on it. Ignore the reviews. No indoor seating, all outdoors.

Really disappointed after reading great reviews that pur experienc today was poor!, £5.50 for a scone and a very small amount of jam! £6.50 for a pot of tea for 2, with limited milk, refused a refill. Zero indoor seating for over 30 mins despite having a young baby and being told we can’t wait as need to know where we are sitting? The seating outside isn’t suitable for young children, or anyone with any type of mobility issues. The chairs are old, sunken and covered in bird poo. Trying to breastfeed a baby in the seats is literally neon impossible. Sadly the toilets are very poor also, no baby changing? Overall, Extortionate pricing and scones relatively average. Poor seating area outside for young families/elderly. Definitely able to charge what they do due to location not quality. Won’t be returning

Amazing place for breakfast or brunch 😍

An excellent choice when the weather is nice.

Lovely place and setting, especially outside on a nice sunny day. They could do with better more suitable chairs instead of the deck chairs which make preparing the tea and food 9n the table quite difficult. Also need more chairs as other customers were walking around looking for chairs. Would have given 5 stars otherwise.

Beautiful garden to enjoy a cup of tea. Especially worth it when the sun is shining. Prices are on the expensive side... (5.5£ for 1 scone)

Great tea house, a proper British Summer must!

Delicious scones but not as welcoming as it used to be. We were not allowed to use the loos after they stopped serving and staff were still there clearing up. Not ideal when we had a walked to the Orchard. Staff suggested we went to the Green Man pub!

A beautiful morning spent at the Orchard Tea Garden in Cambridge. The atmosphere was lovely, surrounded by lush greenery. Located in the charming village of Grantchester, it’s perfect for a peaceful morning walk. The Hot Chocolate and Cream Tea were my favorites. I highly recommend visiting the Orchard to all nature lovers!

Lovely place. Will be coming back for the coffee and scones.

The place is great and the atmosphere outside is quiet as long as the weather is good. Don't expect great food. coffees, and teas are good. Pastry is reasonable.

Great visit today. Had a lovely walk by the river followed by the best mushrooms on toast ever. Recommend

Very pretty tea house, amazing scones, probably best you can find around Cambridge even if you have to walk out to Grantchester for it. So worth it. Afternoon tea is a bit pricy but comes with a lot and we were so full. Scones by themselves make a good afternoon tea snack so no need to go for the full afternoon tea menu if price is a factor

Lovely enclosed garden to relax in and have tea and cakes seated in a deck chair. Great service and friendly atmosphere. Worth a visit!

Food was very average but the gardens are beautiful

Great day here, the fresh baked scones were fantastic

Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves with the doggies, sitting in the huge garden, spacious, one can walk to the river...nice outdoor venue

Beautiful place Lots of walking paths around Lovely views on the River Cam

Great place to eat outside under the apple trees. Excellent scones!

Atmospheric, especially when the apple orchard is in bloom. I agree that really the best scones are in Cambridge

Charming place, with a nice gardens to enjoy specially in summer.

I must say I was quite disappointed by the scones and cream here. Big but nothing special and a bit over cooked. The cream was just a standard pot of Rodda's which didn't seem quite as fresh as it should have been. And what a waste of packaging for everyone to have a plastic pot and a small glass jar. Disappointing in these days to have so much waste. £3.50 for the tea and £5.40 for the scone was too expensive for what we got. Beautiful place to sit and at least the car parking was free.

An idyllic spot to spend a few hours

Great food and atmosphere in the gardens and close to river

Lovely spot, in or out, delicous scones!!

Best scones in Cambridge! Crispy on the outside. Soft and dense on the inside. Absolutely divine with clotted cream and jam followed by a nice cuppa. It was such a lovely day. If there weren’t any plans afterwards we could have sat there until sunset. Will have raisin scone again on the next visit.

Lovely and friendly team, we sat outside in their garden, they had plenty of tables and deck chairs. The food was the biggest surprise of all, it was delicious and beyond expectations Dog friendly Great for families, friends meet up and I’m sure dates can be cute there too.

Somewhat overrated locally, but perfectly fine cafe with average cake selection & service. Garden is nice sit in.

The staff were so rude to me and my friends. We were here for a brunch for my friends birthday and it was such unorganised service as well as a long wait for what we ordered. I'm guessing they were understaffed as well as there was no communication between employees. Too top it all off when we finally got our food it was less than satisfactory. To conclude won't be coming here again. Hope it improves for future customers.

I had a delicious lunch of avocado toast followed by a slice of chocolate orange crunch cake. It was a cold day so we sat inside, enjoying the view of the orchard through the large windows. You order at the counter in the front bit of the building, and then walk through to the seating area at the back. Vegetarian and vegan options are clearly labelled. The toilets are accessed in the corridor and were clean. All the tables in the seating area were clear and clean. There are lots of study deck chairs for people to sit outside on nice days. Nearby parking is limited, and not free. A lot of visitors walk here from Cambridge to enjoy the fresh air of the countryside. There are buses running between Cambridge and Grantchester, but they are famously unreliable, with bus driver shortages making this a route prone to leaving passengers stranded. But the Orchard tea rooms manage to be busy throughout the year despite the transport limitations.

This spot is one of the worst places I have been to in years. Food was cold by the time I received it and the staff seemed very unorganised. May I add the time they take to prepare these meals you would expect them to be less basic.

The building could do with some TLC - the servery is rather bleak, and the carpets in the corridor are stained. I had a cheese and ham toastie. It was rather dry so I looked inside. Commercial 'shaped' ham, and a barely detectable amount of cheese. A good cheese toastie should have hot cheese OOZING out of it! Dreadful value for over £10 - and the bead was partly burnt. It was at least 20 years since I last ate here - it could be the same time before I return.

All good except they don't serve hot snacks in the lawns

I loved a Traditional English Cream Tea under the trees in the Orchard. However now sipping Tea from Paper Cups & eating Scones on disposable Cardboard Plates has completely ruined the experience.

It's always been my go to place to relax and have some scones and tea. I love this place and the food was excellent.

The place is very cute and iconic. In the past, it was a gathering place for intellectuals. A place where you can buy traditional Cream Tea. Cream tea means; Along with a normal English tea, you get scone (a dough between a low-sugar cookie and a pastry), clotted cream and a jam of your choice. Traditional style Granchester can be found around the Corswolds. Prices are not very affordable.

Perfect little spot to relax and listen to the birdsong with a nice cup of tea.

The orchard tea garden is nice place, In this beautiful place, where intellectual people come to have tea and relax, we wanted to experience the same atmosphere. My wife tried a combination of cake, clotted cream, and jam with her tea, and she really liked it. I, on the other hand, tried tea latte but didn’t like it at all. We paid £10 for two drinks and a small amount of food. It’s not a place I would highly recommend, but you can give it a try.

Lovely cafe with beautiful views. Coffee 10/10 and the gluten free cakes are amazing the price is good really cheap and most importantly it's dog friendly. I go everyday just for a scone and Coffee

It takes you to a place of tranquility and peace that has to be impressive in good weather.

Gets very busy in the warmer months. It’s a very cute tea garden. Good selection of cakes, pastries and sandwiches. Not far from the Granchester Meadows :)

Great service and a fabulous beetroot and horseradish soup.

Popped in on a walk just before Christmas. Enjoyed my flat white even though it's kind of cheating here (see name of venue 🫖) and was sad it was not lunchtime yet when they told me about the beetroot and sour cream soup 😋 Nice, relaxed indoor space for winter, lovely garden for summer (if any in UK 🇬🇧☔🙂)

Beautiful place to have a coffee or a bite

I visited this venue many years ago. I enjoyed spending time in the garden with friends (who were living in Ely at the time). We had 🫖 tea and 🍰 cakes near to the ✍️🪑philosophers garden (Ludwig Wittengenstein, for instance) I was reminded of this venue just this morning re: ageing society (the Dame Sheila Hancock interview by Anita Rani on 📺 BBC1 TV - My Life at Christmas - although she talked more about the 🪚Carpenter Arms pub and her attendance at a variety of religious/belief meetings including, finally in her later years, settling for 'non-traditional' Quakerism). There was plenty of parking and space for a walk when I visited

This is a really pretty place but was this really value for money we traveled as a party of 3 we all shared afternoon tea all had the same portion size 18 small bites ( 9 individual but size selections 2 bites consumed said item) 2 coffees 1 scone 1 piece regular slice of cake and the bill was £130 feel a little ripped off

Took the family and some friends for afternoon tea. Lovely surroundings and food excellent. Service inside was wonderful, very accommodating. Only marked down as I'd tried to contact them by various methods five times in the week before the day but got no response, although they made up for it on the day. They do need to monitor and reply to their email and answerphone.

Very excited to pop in and have a toasty and cream scones after reading great reviews. Sadly the service fell WAY short to basically ruin the experience. No hint of any customer service by the young lady on the till. Inflexible with regard to timing of our lunch. Made it very clear there was no table service! Appreciate it was probably the end of a long day, but keep it going until the doors close! In summary .. good food, tainted by poor service. 😞

Great place and good breakfast .

A magical setting in the woods overlooking the meadow. The Red velvet cake was really nice. The coffee was perfect. Really enjoyed the atmosphere of this place.

We went here today with our dog for lunch and it was absolutely lovely. Staff really nice and friendly, scones were delicious - cranberry and cinnamon. Then had a lovely walk along river. What's not to like? Recommended.

Absolutely lovely place for lunch/afternoon tea. We had the most delicious scones there today - Cranberry and Cinnamon - wonderful, such a treat. Had a lovely walk afterwards down by river with our dog. Total gem.

I haven’t visited in 10 years or so since my mum used to work there. But went for some breakfast today and the menu was shocking, hardly no variety at all. We would’ve gone somewhere else but we had already paid £10.50 for parking which was a rip off for how bad the menu choice was! The food we had was great though, so the 2 stars is for the chef, but wouldn’t go back.

The Orchard _used_ to be one of our favourite places to go, but recently not so much. Since the change of ownership the menu has drastically reduced in variety, especially far fewer warm food options than in years past. Staff are friendly and the garden seating is as nice as always, we used to be content to put up with the huge queues but with the increased costs, limited choice menu and now overly strict parking automated parking cameras that has recently given me a £170 "fine" for the last time I ATTEMPTED to park. Normally you park up, queue up for food, and put your number plate in the terminal at the till. On this occasion it was very busy, I parked after waiting about 10 minutes for another car to turn around. Got out of the car and joined the queue. Within 2-3 minutes it was clear that they were not serving a lot of food and the queue was moving very slowly so I gave up, got in the car and left. For this I'm now sent a debt collectors letter (no doubt automatically due to ANPR) asking for £170.

A serene tea garden to enjoy your tea and breakfast.

We walked by the Orchard in the early afternoon for a quick bite. Ordered some scones, tea, apple juice. It was ok. Not the best scone I had, but still delicious, especially with the spreads available. The ambiance is nice, a throwback to a bygone era; very relaxing.

Well I’ve been to the orchard tea rooms a few times, but was really disappointed this time. The whole place looked run down and a bit delapidated,; and outside there multiple uncleared tables and litter on the floor. Food wise, there was next to no variety of cake, and the slice of coffee cake I had was stale. I think my friend’s scone was a bit better; but really not what I’d expected. Feels like it’s hanging onto a name, but doing nothing to build up reputation by actually serving quality produce. Parking was fine, using the touchscreen at the checkout; but the massive notices all over the car park felt a bit mercenary…

Booked for a Saturday afternoon tea treat for mother-in-law's birthday was placed in a freezing cold room, food was not nice at all - lad that served us rushed through telling us what was on the afternoon tea stand when it arrived - we had no clue what we were eating at all! need ingredients/allergens and descriptions of what food is served, so we at least could tell what was served Felt like we were just shoved in a cold unwelcoming café and charged 36 pounds each for the inconvenience! Will not be returning

Always lovely here. Delicious food, a very nice walk from Cambridge.

We went having read about it and was dad to find Rupert Brooks museum was no longer open. There were some information boards in garden. Unfortunately we were not impressed with the food considering the price and will not visit again. Maybe just unlucky

On the 17th of August 2024, I visited [Tea Garden Name] with the intention of enjoying some time there, but the experience turned out to be anything but pleasant. When we arrived, the place was overcrowded, and we were stuck in a long queue for 20-30 minutes. Despite this long wait, we never even made it to the entrance, which is apparently where the parking log system is located. We decided to leave due to the excessive crowd and the slow-moving line. What made the situation even worse was that I received a parking charge notice a few days later, even though I never had the chance to register my vehicle due to the queue. When I contacted the tea garden’s manager for help, they were unable to offer any assistance or resolve the issue with the parking ticket. I was left with no clear way to appeal the charge through them or get any meaningful support. The overall experience was frustrating and disappointing, both in terms of the long wait time and the unresolved issue with the parking charge. I certainly wouldn’t recommend visiting during busy periods, and it’s disappointing that the management couldn’t offer any help with the parking issue either.

Great place but the queue was enormous! So gave up due to the very long waiting time... Must be fabulous to sit outside in the garden in summer time!

This place real letdown is the horrible noise. We were looking for a place to relax and drink our tea, but we were really frustrated by the noise and the staff constantly moving chairs and tables, so noisy and unprofessional.

Just lovely to sit among fruit trees and enjoy the weather

The location and atmosphere of the garden are magical and the staff are very friendly. Regrettably, the cafe seems to rest on it's location's laurels. It was the first soup I had in my life that was so dilute that it tasted of tap water. It could not even be made palatable with 2 bags of salt. The cutlery had caked-in food residues on it, and the outdoor tables had clearly not been cleaned in months. Considering the intended shabby chique effect, it only achieves to look empoworished, which is sadly not reflected in the extortionate food prices. Shame, this place could so easily be made to be exceptional.

It's a bit shabby and run down. I ordered the Ploughmans, the bread was lack lustre, not the crusty type that I was expecting. It was not worth the price that they charged. On the plus side, I had a scone later, which was delicious.

Very pleasant time with family.

Been wanting to go there for years: not disappointed.

I’ve always loved this place for the unique setting and seating. Traditional orchard under fruit trees, sitting in deck chairs and outside seats. When we went last Tuesday the choices were so limited it was disappointing. I am currently dieting and was trying to make a good food choice of soup or salad. There was no soup (because it’s the summer menu!) and the no salad choice. I hoped to see an easy egg option but no and no baked potatoes at that time? We were not late it was 12.30 My Hubbie had a cream and jam scone and grandson a large slice of cake.

Verryyyy yummy scones! Big and filling with options of jam, butter and clotted cream. The garden is lovely and particularly nice to sit in in spring as the trees have blossomed. You have to get your own food with trays available but this is not a problem :) Really nice place overall!!

Cozy outdoor place, but crowded on weekends.

After fasting bloods at Addenbrookes I thought I would drive here for a relaxing late breakfast. It's meant to be served until 11.30. I arrived at 11.05. Not a single breakfast item was available. None of the cooked. No toast. No croissants or pain au chocolate. I ordered a scone with Jam and butter, earl grey and mooched in to the Orchard. Honestly wish I had gone with Addenbrookes toast. There was a dog constantly barking. Owner kept stroking it made no attempt to quieten it. Kids were fine playing and laughing. Then I was hit by cigarette smoke.....two tables. Made me feel sick. An area is needed. I've emerged unsatisfied by the food and on edge. I thought this would be a relaxing place

The Ploughman's lunch I'm afraid is not traditional enough. It doesn't have fresh bread (only longlife rye bread), grapes instead of apple, strange caramelised walnuts instead of pickled onions... Quite an odd mixture. Also we asked for no ham, but there was no real replacement for it. Instead the plate had a very large amount of chutney and walnuts taking up the remaining space. I really think you need to go back to basics on this and offer a vegetarian option as well. Additionally, the quiche with salad was £9 but comes on a small tea plate with a rudimentary leaf salad and no dressing. I expected more for this price, it's not much to ask to have a few new potatoes or coleslaw to balance the dish. The Caesar salad is very good however. The staff were friendly and polite so no complaints there, also the cakes and pastries looked decent. Some changes to improve the food offering / value for money, and I think this could be a decent place for lunch.

Lovely setting with the deck chairs in the orchard. The service was a little impersonal but quick and efficient. Coffee and cake was only average. The price was quite high. I'll be happy to return but only for the lovely setting. Aug 24 returned to the Orchard Tea Garden after quite a few years. We only had coffee and scone; The coffee was good, although it could have been a little hotter, but the scone was excellent.

Great place for afternoon tea. Iconic garden and the perfect stop for anyone taking the walk from Cambridge to Grantchester. Highly recommend!

Walked all the way from Cambridge through the fields along the river on a Sunday morning with my two grown children to have tea and breakfast. Got there 10 minutes before the 10am opening time after an hour and a half walk. Asked a young man who was folding napkins outside the tea house if I could quickly use the toilet before sitting down for breakfast. He said he had to check with the manager and came back to tell me the manager said no, I’d have to wait. I turned around and walked my 64 year old self back to Cambridge without staying for breakfast. Would never patronize any place that treats its customers like that.

Fantastic place for a relaxing, laid back to chill, eat and drink on a sunny day!

We had a great visit here with the family. I would highly recommend it and would be back in the future. It was my first time visit. Slightly expensive but very busy.

The whole place needs to be cleaned top to bottom. Outdoor tables are filthy. Long queues, either need more staff or staff that are more efficient. Asked for a spoon and told there weren't any!!! No action to get one or communicate with the kitchen that more were needed. Lovely location but not matched by the service or standard of cleanliness.

We had flat whites, avocado on toast and a raisin scone. The food was DELICIOUS, the coffee was great and the service was very friendly. The setting is lovely and we sat outside on deck chairs under the sun.

Beautiful tearoom with eating amongst the fruit trees in the orchard. Riverside walks nearby.

Always wanted to come here but so disappointed! Slow service, which meant they shut kitchen despite me queuing for 30 mins - then no chairs - and then not even the toilet doors have handles. Just sad to have had such a disappointing experience

Food was extremely pricey for what it was and the scone was dry and hard. The outside seating was in a nice setting but unfortunately the choice of deck chairs made it extremely hard to sit at the table to eat food.

Lovely sitting out amongst the trees and having the birds coming to visit. Very good food and helpful friendly service.

£8.20 for an ok coffee & a flapjack that tasted of sugar and little else is a bit over the top. Would be helpful to list the prices next to the cake descriptions too - if so I wouldn’t have bought it but I guess that’s the point

The staff need lessons in manners and customer service. Cakes and coffee tasty!

Wonderful country place, with beach chairs under the trees. Excellent and filling scones with cream and jam. Place with a long history of illustrious habitues

Great taste scones and lovely coffee

A lovely garden for lunch, with a family and dog friendly atmosphere. We had a good meal with a good selection of food and drinks. The rye bread ploughman’s was delicious with well selected cheese and ham. Drinks were a little warm and sadly were not served with ice.

How awesome is it to have a nice tea with some scones in an orchard? Totally! Such a nice vibe.

The best is the environment, being surrounded by fruit trees and nature. We went to eat and the food was good but a little expensive for what we had. It's self-service

Superb tea room on the banks of the Cam. I enjoyed a relaxing afternoon tea in the orchard.

Very poor customer service. Expensive food. Overflowing toilets. Dirty tables. We arrived as a large hiking group and were confronted by a young chap who I assume was the manager who seemed reluctant to serve us at first. He advised that we must call in advance if we wanted to eat/drink there in future. Petty behaviour them commenced towards us, such as serving our group their tea in paper cups when everyone else got a metal tea pot and a china cup, only offering wooden knifes instead of metal ones etc...Being a diverse bunch of people we clearly didn't fit with their local clientele hence the rude treatment.

It was a lovely garden where you could eat but there was a huge queue, and they had failed to tell everyone in the line that they had no cakes left, and the kitchen was shut. Lady at the desk was rude to us and the people before , it is very expensive

Lovely location, tables uncleared for afternoon tea and in general outside. Rude overstretched staff and limited menu.