The Specialty Coffee Shop in Nottingham

This place a is awesome. Great drink choices, the brunch tastes amazing and there is a great vibe in here. We went at around 11am Sarurday and we needed to wait outside for about 15 minutes for a table - we werent the only ones either. So be prepared to get there early or accept you might have to wait. But it's totally worth it.

Incredible food, so tasty and unique but be prepared to wait. Took ages for food to arrive, spent nearly an hour an a half inside which put a bit of a downer on it but really enjoyed everything we ate, highly recommend the Birria toasty, extremely tasty and luxurious, enjoyed every bite and DEFINITELY get the Ube french toast, crunchy, soft, silky and sweet, perfect to share after your meal, all went well with the great coffee they serve. Will be back again and hope next time we don't have to wait as long.

My fav place for lunch when I come down to the office! The staff is super friendly! Food is amazing!!!! I totally recommend it!

One of the best places to get lunch and coffee in the city

Great speciality coffee, I also had an ube blondie and it was delicious. Staff is friendly and chatty, especially the nice guy with piercings

ambience was very chic, not entirely convinced by the menu - why did everything taste the same? was tempted by the slices displayed at the counter though…

Turkish eggs are great, I could’ve ordered extra couple of pieces of toast to mop up all the goodness

Sadly, we just didn’t understand why people were queuing for an hour to get into this place. It’s just so small, tables and chairs are crammed in. The food wasn’t great, the beef in the grilled sandwich was fatty, coffee was quite good but very limited options and syrups. Small, limited menu, that could have done with a wipe. Pancakes that are on their Instagram weren’t in there. Service was so slow, took ages for our food. No real customer service, guessing due to the pressure of having a queue outside etc. 1 toilet, space not particularly clean.

Nice staff and service. The best cafe in Nottingham👍🏻

Lovely dog friendly cafe. Highly recommend the potato hash!

Lovely staff, nice coffee, can’t go wrong.

Took almost 45 mins to bring our brunch

The food was quite fried, in a bad quality oil. It didn't sit well. We ordered the french toast and the hash potatoes.

Disappointed with the visit to this highly recommended coffee shop. When we entered the cafe was not crazy busy, and we still waited more than 15 minutes for a coffee to our table, of which was an average latte and an average black coffee. When ordering, staff were less than enthusiastic to serve and clearly other customers in the cafe were becoming irate with the lack of service... What a shame.

Amazing matcha made by the best barista in the world Gabi!

Had the best matcha I’ve had in Nottingham so far made by the lovely Gabi! 10/10 recommend!!

Amazing matcha lattes by Gabi - best one in Nottingham! 🍵The latte art gives picasso a run for his money 🎨

Coffee was nice, although they only have oat milk as an alternative. Ordered the avocado on toast, which was just okay. Not worth the price imo. Didn’t try the pastries, but they looked really good.

Amazing cofee and vibe. That staff are super friendly and knowledgeable. Gabby and Baz were super helpful and professional. I would definitely come back for more. They also sell cofee beand and fantastic hot chocolate beans.. I also believe the food is delicious as it looked sooooo good but I only came for coffee 😁

Great place to stop off for a coffee. Beautiful coffee art and friendly staff. Seating area is perhaps a bit more minimalist than I’d usually go for but it’s made up for by the quality of the food and drinks served

Tasty food, good coffee and friendly service. Minimalist interior and no free wifi.

Many pillows, but the most wonderful service and delightful staff. Such a dream to be a person and not an order In a coffee shop.

Who would have thought Avacardo on toast could taste so good?! Delicious 😋

Turkish eggs here hits different! And the matcha, best quality matcha I’ve had in Nottingham for sure!

Really like the place and coffee here. The staffs are really nice too! Love it!

Waiting more than 15 minutes for a takeaway coffee that isn’t worth it…. Should have gone to 200 degrees

Lovely place with nice interior and well brewed coffee. My favourites have to be the matcha latte and San Sebastián cheesecake, they are absolutely mouth-watering 🤤

Cozy cafe cum coffee shop which offers exceptional food!

The coffee was good, a Guatemalan roast..however that's where it ends. I mirror the feelings of other reviewers - no atmosphere at this cafe, the staff seem disconnected from their customers. You can't use a laptop in there as they'll make sure to let you know. Food looked basic. Very small space, and for some reason, it seemed a few of the staff members were arrogant. Would recommend elsewhere if in Nottingham.

Really nice place, friendly atmosphere and exceptional food.

Great recommendation. Nice spot for breakfast pr brunch

Really good service but terrible coffee - milk with barely a taste of coffee, and £3.80 at that! Quite disappointing to be honest

Took ages to be acknowledged at the till despite there being three people behind the bar. Someone finally took my order for coffees to go. After waiting over 15 minutes for them, they were barely warm and tasted awful.

Coffee was delicious, definitely recommend!

Service was very slow but otherwise superb. Will be back.

A fun and cozy place with a great staff, food and coffee. Great to chill with friends, read or study.

The staff, coffee, tea and food here are perfect! I had a pretty crappy day yesterday and the staff picked up the vibe and made us feel incredibly welcome, such a kind and welcoming bunch of folks, highly recomend you go here!

Bitter coffee, very small, expensive

Really great brunch at the speciality cafe. Great birthday treat. The menu is small but quality is high when you get the food. Would recommend the Turkish eggs. Just the right amount of spice. French toast was also a hit. It’s a lovely little cafe but I would say that’s also the downside. You can’t escape the cold. Back door is open to the toilets and the front door gets left open. Not a place for a nesh. Overall a great place and would go back but maybe with a thicker jumper.

Stopped in for lunch on a busy Saturday, and the friendly staff helped find me a table. Amazing Turkish eggs and the tastiest coffee I’ve had in Nottingham. New favourite discovered!

Lovely flat white and Lilac muffin so tasty and excellent value. Staff Lovely and friendly and efficient. Definitely recommend.

Great place - great coffee. Had the batch filter - delicious. Highly recommended.

We were visiting nottingham and was actually heading to another food venue but saw this quirky cafe and thought we'd give it ago, so glad we did! Food was presented beautifully and tasted amazing. They had a great drink selection. Very reasonably priced too. Would highly recommend added this place to your list of places to try

This place was perfect, I went for a latte and a ube blondi and was not disappointed. The coffee was smooth and the perfect size. The atmosphere was very relaxed and a perfect place to relax and people watch.

This is an absolute gem of a place. The staff are friendly, the coffee excellent and the food is incredibly good.

coffee is highly recommended, the food was 10/7 i ordered Turkish egg

delicious brunch, great coffee! Loved the hash browns. Vegan options ✨

A bought a coffee (latte), it was superb. Nuff sed. Very Slight criticism: it could have been a tad hotter. But the coffee was great tasting and the milk was smooth and silky.

Great coffee! Service can be a bit slow at times, but it's worth the wait.

Amazing service, coffee was normal, nothing special .

Beautiful quirky place in a heart of Nottingham, delicious breakfast and great coffee, swift service and generous portions, lovely breakfast place to put on your map!

The food here was incredible! I've been a few times for coffee, which has always been great, so decided to stop by to try the brunch menu by Lilac Eatery and it did not disappoint. We shared the Potato Hash with Avocado, and Stick Toffee French Toast. The poached eggs were perfectly cooked and runny, and the hashbrown was crisp on the outside, but still beautifully light and potatoey on the inside. The addition of cheese sauce gave it a lovely creamy taste without being overly cheesy or intense. The French toast was a game changer. The toast itself was pillowy and light swimming in a pool of rich, decadent sticky toffee sauce. In between the layers of toast, there was a hint of something salty that perfectly balanced against the sweetness of the sauce. It came with a good amount of mascarpone and strawberries, which rounded off each bite. I would 100% order this again, however I don't think I could finish it to myself, it's definitely a sharing dish for me. This time, I decided to try the chai instead of coffee. It was a lovely warming drink, with a good spiced flavour. I would say that the food was a bit slow to come out, so we finished our drinks quite a bit before. It was busy when we arrived, with all the tables full, so there was possibly a backlog in the kitchen. I think if the food hadn't been so impeccable I might have been put off, but it was definitely worth the wait and it won't put me off of visiting again to try some other menu items.

Very good food, very good coffee and excellent service. The staff is super friendly.

The Lilac (popup) - beats any brunch you'll ever have! Great food and coffee.

A place where both the coffee and food are increible! With Lilac Eatery currently working the kitchen, the food is special. The turkish eggs were some of the best I have had! The coffee is also great, I have had a few different drinks from the and all have been really well made. The pour over I have from the source in Edinburgh was some of the best coffee I have tried. Definitely one of the best cafes in Nottingham!

Breakfast/Brunch: 10/10 Coffee: 100/10

2nd visit. Both were equally fabulous. Food so delicious. I had Turkish eggs 1st visit. This time Shakshuka with hash brown side. Incredible. Match latte hot or cold both amazing. Also chai iced latte delish. Service genuinely friendly. My go to for city brunch or lunch.

We called in recently and the friendly guy told us to take a seat. (Only 2 staff) The table we seated at was dirty and had not been cleared. It felt uncomfortable sitting there, so i grabbed a napkin to handle the used cups and took them to the reception counter. I was told someone will clear the table. Eventually a woman came and removed the items, but she could have brought a clean cloth to wipe down the obvious wet stains on the table. We sat for 8 or so minutes and after looking at the ‘stained’ menu we decided to leave. Why does these eateries drop the ball! 😡

The most delicious oat latte I've ever had, thank you! X

Friendly greeting and friendly service made for a good experience. I personally think their Turkish eggs are some of the best I’ve ever had. The cherry pie was also delicious! Highly recommend.

Was excited to try after seeing some good reviews on Instagram but was left disappointed with the food which was fine but simply that. With such a strong brunch scene in Nottingham I was left wanting more.

Went here for brunch the other day - phenomenal food, good coffee, overall great experience. Would recommend.

Has to be the best brunch in the Midlands!

An unmissable café. The Specialty is tucked away on a little side street branching off Market Square, so it might be easy to overlook if you were only visiting Nottingham for a quick tour, but you’d be doing yourself an immense disservice if you didn’t at least stop in for a latte. The staff at the Specialty are welcoming and knowledgeable, and their coffee never fails to make my heart sing. If, like me, you are the type of person who loves to maintain a proper home setup for making coffee, this is an ideal place to top up on beans with both more traditional and more artisan flavours on offer (and they don’t neglect their decaf beans, which makes me very happy!) They also have a selection of lovely pastries and cakes, and a very good lunch/brunch menu - I recommend the turkish eggs! Speaking of turkish eggs, I came on an afternoon that had been somewhat fraught and stressful for me, ordered some eggs to perk myself up, and promptly realised I needed to leave for an appointment and didn’t have time to eat in. The angels at the Specialty took care to pack my order in a double box and clingfilm, meaning I could enjoy a beautiful meal on the tram with no fear of leakage. Thank you for making my day so much better. My singular gripe with the Specialty is that I don’t live right next door to it, though that’s probably healthier for my bank account…

Didn’t like the vibe for a hijabi girl. people and staff are not welcoming .. sorry

Very good coffee, and the French toast was nice too!

This is probably the best coffee in Nottingham. Staff are also always friendly.

Great coffee and lovely staff, nothing to fault and would love to be back!

Walked in and pretty much walked out after being ignored for five minutes at the counter and waiting with children. No acknowledgement of our existence and only wanted to take out too. I will remember not to wear my cloak of invisibility next time and see if that improves.

Amazing brunch! French toast was beautiful

Came here to try their new lunch (brunch) menu. Had the potato hash. The food is phenomenal. Cannot recommend highly enough.

Great coffee and a lovely team 🌸

Kind and gentle staff. Tried gesha beans hand dripped and it was amazing.

Delicious coffee, and a warm welcome.

Food was excellent, service was quite slow due to only 2 members of staff, but the staff were lovely.

Food and coffee are excellent but the service is very slow and disorganised

The potato hash was one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had. Very nice coffee and the staff were super friendly

Amazing Turkish eggs, good coffee. Friendly staff.

Great breakfast over the bank holiday weekend and the Speciality Coffee and Eatery with the Lilac Eatery. We had the potato hash with avocado and eggs, it was so good! The coffee was amazing too. Will definitely be back!

A great little cafe serving amazing french toast. Make sure you book in advance as it's a popular place!

An aesthetic, cosy cafe just a ways away from city centre. Staff are polite but it is quite busy on weekends, as expected, and it's not huge, so it gets crowded quick. The treats are amazing though - they seem to have different things in rotation which is nice. I look forward to coming back sometime soon!

stephen is an adventurous barista, showcasing the best coffee from all over the world, the conversation is easy and he always makes for interesting conversation. i will return.

The pompous owner was unprofessional; foul-mouthed, though not to me but his workers/friends, I found his incessant and loud swearing soured the atmosphere. Coffee was served first and fast but I was left to wait for a good 8 minutes before having to enquire about the cakes I ordered (plus a canned drink) and was then met with unexpected sass from said owner. Coffee ran cold before I received the one slice of cake. Speaking of the coffee - it’s mediocre at best and tasteless at worst. There’s no ice, which I do believe is standard for a coffee shop to offer, especially since the weather is warming up now. Orange cake tasted solely like bitter orange pith and nothing else, texture was questionably dough-y. Food was quite nice, though that doesn’t warrant a return - they did good hiring Lilac Eatery since it’s their only saving grace. I hope they are given the credit they deserve!

The coffee was already good but now there's potato hash too. The speciality, more like yummy town. (Also the barista on today was absolutely delightful)

We had the most delicious breakfast here! The Turkish eggs are absolutely amazing. 10/10! Great veggie and gluten free options too. Friendly service. We can’t wait to come back!

The cinnamon bun was a little dry, but nice. All reasonably priced for a nice coffee shop. I would definitely recommend coming here and i come back again. Plus the staff are very nice. It can get busy and it may be hard to get a seat.

coffe has always been chefs kiss, but now they have breakfast too! we loved it so much. amd a cheesecake 😍🎂 location is great, by the castle just a little out of a bust centre the only thing the place could be heated better

10/10 coffee and food. Good brunch!

Absolutely fantastic coffee shop definitely one of the best in nottingham! Excellent coffee knowledge and amazing cakes as well I unfortunately didn’t catch the baristas name but he was great and even gave a fantastic recommendation for v60 and aeropress which me and my friend took his advice on and were definitely not disappointed! If the barista reads this review it was lovely chatting to you, please let me know when you want to look at that new pc for the strategy games!

Nestled in the heart of Nottingham, Speciality Coffee is a true coffee lover's paradise. From the moment you step inside, the inviting ambiance, friendly staff, and the irresistible aroma of freshly brewed coffee create an experience that goes beyond the ordinary. The flat white here is nothing short of perfection – a delicate dance of velvety espresso and expertly steamed milk that leaves a lasting impression. It has become my go-to choice, and paired with the diverse menu of delectable treats, Speciality Coffee offers a culinary journey that caters to every palate. The attention to detail, warm customer service, and a genuine sense of community make this coffee shop a standout destination for those seeking not just a cup of coffee but an immersive and delightful experience.

This place is what coffee shops are all about! The owners are incredibly passionate about quality coffee and strive for perfection and take massive pride in providing the perfect coffee! I have had many espressi in many places and the espresso that is crafted here is easily as good if not better than ones I have had in Italy. I cannot speak highly enough about this place. Long live the small, independent coffee shop! It puts all of the coffee chains to shame!

Very good coffee and brownie. You can also charge your laptop there & it's a pleasant atmosphere to work in.

Great latte. Light, smooth, full of flavour. Nice guys in there too. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

The coffee and sweet treats are immaculate and always hit the spot. The vibe is super relaxed and welcoming, perfect for doing some work or catching up with friends. Baz and Steven are the best barristas anyone could ask for, they're super knowledgeable, super friendly, and provide the best service. And might I add that the coffee art is beautiful and clearly made with love.

Great independent place with lovely coffee and service but please don’t be tempted to save a few pennies by scrimping on the filling in the sandwiches. The turkey one in particular needs at least double in there. If so then I will have it again as the herby foccacia is is lovely but at the moment that’s all it is. Easily fixed and I look forward to my next visit. 👍

One of the BEST Café in Nottingham Love the flat white Alyaws satisfied Friendly barista Great interior design

Great coffee, central location and trendy cute cafe. Great to sit and work, meet up with friends or read a book alone. Definitely will be coming back soon!

The coffee shop exudes a serene atmosphere, accompanied by impeccable service. However, I wish there were a wider variety of food options available. My order of a brawny and chai latte was satisfactory, and the cheesecake I tried was particularly delightful.

Have been coming here for almost a year, and can't recommend it enough. There's always something new to try, baristas are friendly and (as at least one reviewer has already mentioned) you can steal a bit of winter sunlight through the windows over the magic they whip up. Food's nice, too, but I wish they'd bring back the vegan roast veggie sandwiches!

Popped into this lovely place, a very charming gentleman behind the counter, coffee was superb, atmosphere nice and relaxed, very well recommended.