It’s the most important meal of the day, so let’s do it in the best possible taste. From rustic barns and riverbank terraces, to chic Scandi cafés and hipster hangouts, book a table at one of these local brunch cafés serving excellent vibes and even better food.

The Taproom, St Ives

Near the river in the pretty town of St Ives, The Taproom serves something called The Ultimate Bottomless Brunch and it certainly lives up to its name. Every Saturday and Sunday you can enjoy 90 minutes of foodie heaven with any main meal plus free flowing Mimosas, Aperol Spritzes, Prosecco, Bellinis, Espresso Martinis or Carlsberg for £35. Bottomless Brunch happens on Saturday from 3pm – 5pm and Sunday 9am – 4pm, but of course you can get your hands on their delicious breakfast options all week too with favourites including bacon and maple syrup waffles, Eggs California and the Norris breakfast!

The Sage of Cambridge at The Fellows House, Milton Road

You’ll find this effortlessly chic café at the front of the gorgeous Fellows House Hotel on Milton Road and it’s a heavenly place to while away a morning. The café serves up wholesome yet indulgent breakfast dishes with a particular focus on local ingredients and plant-based recipes, so it’s ideal for any veggies or vegans. They are serious about amazing coffee here too, so if it’s caffeine you seek alongside a nutritious and filling brekkie (think an avocado and confit tomato toastie or charred pineapple fruit bowl), then this is the place to head.

Stir, Chesterton, Histon and Green Street, Cambridge

For an indulgent sit down breakfast or brunch head to Chesterton or Histon and order delights such as a Big Brunch Board, Shakshuka, Almond Bostock or a Buddha Bowl. Bring a carrier bag – you’ll not go home from the bakery without loading up on their tempting range of treats. If you’re eating on the go you’ll love Stir’s Green Street shop in Cambridge, where you can takeaway their brilliant baked goods.

FItzbillies, Trumpington Street, Bridge Street and King’s Parade.

FItzbillies turned 100 in 2020 and its a real Cambridge institution famous for its Chelsea buns. Owners Alison Wright and Tim Hayward have modernised the décor and the menu and made it into a real destination for breakfast and brunch, plus in 2023 they expanded into the next door premises at the Trumpington branch and opened a new branch on King’s Parade. For brunch you can have some of those sticky buns or you can try the delicious avo on toast which is served with a zingy salsa. Or why not go the whole hog with the meaty muffin stack of sausage, bacon and ‘beef’ tomato, topped with a fried egg on a toasted English muffin. Personally, I’d always go for the veggie breakfast because of the hash browns – crispy and fluffy and bloomin’ marvellous for hangovers.

Scotts All Day, Mill Road Cambridge

The Lumberjack brunch at Scotts All Day in Cambridge

Scott’s All Day on cool foodie street Mill Road has been packed out since it opened in 2019 with punters desperate to squeeze every last drop of fun out of their weekend. The Bottomless Brunch has a party vibe to it with a fabulous playlist and is £35 per head for two hours, although drinks (fizz or beer) will be refilled for 90 minutes. Soak it all up with classic brunch style food such as’ The Lumberjack’ consisting of two pancakes, Mill Road Butchers sausage patty, two slices of streaky bacon, two fried eggs & crispy potatoes. Or why not go for the salmon & cream cheese pizza, Scott’s take on the classic bagel brunch. Bottomless Brunch is available Saturday and Sunday 10 – 14:30.

The Old Bicycle Shop, Cambridge

brunch at the old bicycle shop cambridge

How about brunch in a bike shop? Well, it’s not really a bike shop anymore apart from the name and the quirky bits and pieces around the place, like bike-handle antlers! The Old Bicycle Shop was once the oldest bike shop in the country – Howes traded on Regent Street for 173 years. Now it’s a great gastropub run by the powerhouse of foodie pubs – the City Pub Company and an ideal buzzy brunch place. There are great vegan and veggie options like cornbread, with chickpea, tomato & aubergine ragu or plump for smashed avocado, cherry tomato & dukkha on toast. Non-vegans can enjoy Eggs Benedict, Royale or Florentine. Served 10- 3 Mon to Sun.

Hot Numbers, Shepreth

Hot Numbers has two fab cafés in Cambridge and the HQ and Roastery in Shepreth – with a cafe, bakery, and coffee training facility where Joe Bloggs can learn all about his cup of Joe. Hot Numbers are famous for their brunch menu (served 8-3 pm) – the same in all locations – which features a fantastic version of avocado on toast (on home-baked sourdough) with beetroot, radish, burnt lime, chilli, and sesame – add a poached egg for perfection. Or maybe go for the bacon maple buttermilk pancakes. Wash it all down with expertly blended coffees or Kandula teas.

Two Magpies Bakery, Suffolk coast locations

Everyone adores Two Magpies Bakery in Suffolk, so it’s good news that this bakery is ever-expanding and you can now get your breakfast and brunch fix in Woodbridge, Aldeburgh, Southwold, Beccles and Darsham, the mothership bakery with a cafe on the A12 (as well as Norwich, Blakeney, and Holt in Norfolk). You can feast on incredible baked goods, from croissants to muffins, or cinnamon swirls the size of your head, but we really like the sound of the filled brioche: avocado, halloumi, Stokes chilli jam or the Cherry Bakewell French toast!

Honey + Harvey, Ipswich and Woodbridge

Founded by Harvey Allen in 2011 Honey & Harvey is super popular with the locals and the tourists and has a team of talented chefs, bakers and baristas all ready to make you a brilliant brunch. There’s an all-day brunch menu that has all your faves, plus some really unique options like a filled flaguette (flat baguette apparently) – try the Spaniard with chorizo, parma ham, manchego, and roasted garlic mayo or the Mexican eggs flatbread with two fried eggs, avocado, pineapple salsa, halloumi, chilli oil, and crispy onions. Brunch is served 9 – 3pm.

Gastrono-Me, Bury St Edmunds

A beacon of brunch brilliance, Gastrono-Me on Abbeygate in Bury has the sort of menu you have to read for around 20 minutes before you can decide because everything sounds so good. There’s plenty of unusual treats to get your tastebuds tingling– including the famous Pain Perdu – an Indian inspired Welsh Rarebit topped with a sunny side up egg. If you have a penchant for pancakes (or are suffering from a sore head) then go for Hangover Stack – a triple stack of gravity-defying pancakes – topped with bacon, fried egg, maples syrup. The ultimate breakfast bagel also sounds to die for– includes a bagel tower, avo, potatoes rosti crispy bacon, egg wedge and cheese – oh my! Why not wash it down with a mermaid Me-mosa (see what they did there) made with blue Carocoa and limonata and prosecco. If you chose the bottomless option you can have unlimited standard me-mosas for 90 mins all for £34.95 per head Monday to Sunday, 9-2pm

Jimmy’s Farm, Ipswich

Fancy a day out and a bumper brunch? Jimmy has turned his farm into a great attraction for families, and as you would expect the food is proper pukka. From fry ups to the requisite avo on toast, to wonderful waffles – all the food is locally sourced and done to Jimmy’s high standards. Plenty of things to see and do too with recently added wildlife park as well as all the farm attractions.

Café Bencotto, Felixstowe

We love the sound of the Mediterranean themed brunch at Café Bencotto in Felixstowe – set apart from the usual breakfast or brunch fayre here you can feast on pancakes topped with mascarpone, honey, and crushed biscotti or why not try the Huevos Estrellados – sautéed potatoes topped with two fried eggs and spicy tomato sauce or try the Frittatas- three free range eggs, fluffy omelette, seasoned and filled with Chorizo and tomato The list goes on and on and it all sounds it would need a high quality, delicately sparkly prosecco to go with it, which they of course have plenty of.

Sunny side up! Best places for brunch in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk

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