Peacocks Tearoom

Someone from this business manages this listing.

1,243 reviews

#5 of 58 Restaurants in Ely££ - £££, Cafe, British, Vegetarian Friendly

+44 1353 661100+ Add website

Hours

Sun

10:30 - 17:00

Wed

10:30 - 17:00

Thu

10:30 - 17:00

Fri

10:30 - 17:00

Sat

10:30 - 17:00

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

1,243 reviews

#5 of 58 Restaurants in Ely

Travellers' Choice 2023

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

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PRICE RANGE

£5.00 – £30.00

CUISINES

Cafe, British

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options

meals, features

Location and contact

65 Waterside, Ely CB7 4AU England

+44 1353 661100

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Does this restaurant allow dogs or considered pet friendly?

Yes

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About

We are a traditional English tearoom, and on sunny days there is nowhere better to sit than under the trees in our new back garden. We offer cream teas, hot dishes, salads and sandwiches all day, and all freshly prepared to order. It's not 'fast food'. Our tea-list is certainly unique - nowhere else in the world are you offered teas from every continent. We're proud that the much-missed Tea Guild, gave us Awards of Excellence for eighth year running, counting the time they declared us the best tea-place in the country. The Times newspaper has listed us in their top 5 places to have tea, Country Living magazine named us their favourite tearoom and BBC Good Food magazine listed us among their 10 favourite tea-rooms. Open Wednesday to Sunday, and Bank Holidays, and Tuesdays in school summer holidays.

PRICE RANGE

£5.00 – £30.00

CUISINES

Cafe, British

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options

Meals

Lunch, Drinks

FEATURES

Outdoor Seating, Seating, Street Parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Wine and Beer, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Waterfront, Dog Friendly, Non-smoking restaurants, Gift Cards Available

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4.5

1,243 reviews

Excellent

915

Very good

218

Average

Poor

Terrible

kimble12

Wymondham121 contributions

Quintessentially English tea room

Jan 2020 • none

Visited on a Sunday afternoon, and easy choice at first glance was the afternoon tea.... good selection available and everything tasted delicious. Especially the scones, just as they should be slightly crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside served warm with your choice of jam and of course clotted cream..... fab what can I say. looking around other dish choices all looked fab too, so would happily revisit if/when in Ely again. only down side looking back is that £20 might be a bit pricey for an afternoon tea which was in effect 4 finger sandwiches, 1 scone, and 1 slice of cake (again of your choice), when you I've recently had afternoon tea at a London Hilton for about £5 more.....

Written 5 January 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

592GeorgeP

Thanks for coming, and for your kind review Kimble12, and for your comments. We're never going to be the cheapest choice but we aim to give good value and I take all (well, most) suggestions seriously. Hope to see you again soon.

Written 16 February 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Mary C

Ely4 contributions

Perfect Afternnon Tea

Feb 2020 • none

We visited today after receiving a Christmas gift card for an afternoon tea. The staff were absolutely lovely and just...kind (for want of a better word). The tearoom itself is lovely, cosy and full of interesting ephemera. The afternoon tea itself was fab- the sandwiches were tasty and fresh, and the scones came with a jam of choice, accompanied by clotted cream with a fruit adornment that complimented the chosen jam. The third tier of the cake stand was a piece of cake of your choice. The loose camomile was light and tasty (and made me question why I always buy camomile teabags). An alternative soft drink was offered to the non-tea drinker, and the raspberry lemonade selected was nicely presented with ice, lemon and a fresh raspberry. If I were to make any suggestions, it would be a request for a couple of other sandwich fillings ( the ones on the standard sandwich menu look good, eg brie and blueberry chutney ). Looking forward to visiting again.

Written 12 February 2020

592GeorgeP

Thanks very much for your comments Mary C, and your suggestion (they're always welcome). I know what you mean about the loose camomile being a cut above the teabag variety. It's the same with loose tea-leaves: they give you a drink that is a world away from your average teabag, for all sorts of reasons. When we were first planning the tearoom - sixteen years ago, now - we were adamant that we were only going to make tea with loose leaves, and it was one of our best decisions. In those days even a Michelin-starred restaurant thought it could get away with a tea bag in a pot. Too many places still do.

Written 15 February 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

xyjason

Biggleswade126 contributions

Constant source of quality.

Aug 2020 • none

Covid restrictions have resulted in an extra room indoors being opened as more space has been provided between tables. Be aware that the glass tops on the tables can make cutting items on a plate more interesting than usual. We enjoyed some banter with our regular waitress (restaurant supervisor, not sure what titles are appropriate or relevant), ordered our usual selection of tea and 2 Croque Monsieurs and enjoyed it all as much as ever. We have been enjoying the atmosphere, food and drink here since it opened. As ever with quality like this the tea room gets busy and you may have to queue, particularly in the height of summer. The food is always excellent as are the staff and there are interesting bits of food and tea related ephemera in all of the rooms even the bathroom. I thoroughly recommend this establishment, long may it continue to provide this quality of food and service.

Written 11 August 2020

MichaelfromSuffolk

Bury St. Edmunds179 contributions

Expensive

Sept 2020 • none

Pleasant cream tea but cannot get away from the £19.50 price for : 4 tiny finger sandwiches, 1 scone, a slice of average cake and a small pot of tea - that is averaging £5 per item which this tearoom cannot justify charging. The baking was average and not commensurate with the price or service. The crockery and decor is quirky and quaint but doesn't compensates for the over pricing.

Written 27 September 2020

Alyce15

Southampton28 contributions

Wonderful!

Jul 2020 • none

What can i say. From the moment of stepping into the courtyard, to leaving with a full stomach, the experience was amazing. The waitress who attending to us at the beginning, was friendly and we were promptly seated in a lovely area surrouded by pretty flowers. The waitress who served us was helpful and informative about the menu, using good knowledge to assist us with questions we had about the food. When it arrived, the food was tasty. I had the brie and blueberry toastie, and my husband had the brie, ham and fig chutney sandwich. For afterwards we had a scone, cream and strawberry jam to share. Our dogs were even given treats! Would highly recommend, and will defiantly be coming back.

Written 26 July 2020

Seaside574855

4 contributions

Consistently brilliant tea, food and service.

Jul 2020 • none

I have finally got round to writing a review here. We took advantage of the home delivery service Peacocks have set up during social distancing for my Mums birthday in July. The afternoon tea for 4 was delivered locally by Taxi (nice to be supporting two local companies!) We had a slightly picky clientele who wanted tailored finger sandwiches and the team were really helpful on the phone to arrange that. The sandwiches, tea, cakes, scones and cream/ jam were all delivered bang on time, the scones were still warm, and it was all extremely tasty with generous portions of everything. The Mrs Hudson tea (my favourite) was worth waiting for lockdown to be over for alone! This attention to detail and great customer service to work around the current restrictions is typical of my experience of the service and quality of food at Peacocks over the last 5-6 years. I have yet to find a better tea shop anywhere. They really did make the birthday more special.

Written 2 September 2020

geoffp119

Ely5 contributions

Tea in a bag

Sept 2020 • couples

We had an afternoon tea takeaway due to Covid. Lots of care taken over what tea and cakes we wanted and definitely better that they just supplied the tea so we could make it. Although it is not a big tea four finger sandwiches (delicious), lemon and lavender cake (hmm) and a lovely mocha cake. Pots of our chosen jam & clotted cream. Now herself felt the scone a little dry, I did not notice so much under the weight of jam and cream. Thankfully all improved as Clare and Andy had left lovely China cup saucers and plates for us to make it proper special.

Written 29 September 2020

Charlie R

1 contribution

Game of two halves

Aug 2022 • family

Having googled tea rooms we found peacocks. by the river ✓ Cosy✓ Seated quickly ✓ Staff friendly ✓ Menu, at times quirky but interesting ✓ Choice of beverages ✓ Cleanliness ✓ Dogs welcome ✓ Now i really really wanted to leave an amazing review and Peacocks does have some excellent points however . Seated near the toilets crammed against a China and tea cabinet X Service was so slow for drinks and food . By the end of our time the chef's were bringing out people's food . My strawberry milkshake for £3.75 was so small i thought oh is this a small child's? And didn't taste very much of strawberry . I get that it might be a little pricier than some being in Ely and by the river (good foot traffic) however i felt that £32 .10 for a couple of sandwiches , light salad and 2 scones was a little excessive for the overall quality. The food was mainly ok , scones were quite dry but homemade and the jam was nice I think though my main bug bare was that i and a few other customers before i paid were asked at payment if we would like to leave a tip . I have never had this happen before anywhere. I found that being asked in this way sort of forced you in a way to oblige . Usually if paying cash you would leave on the table what you thought the service was worth and leave , if paying by card usually the former or it would have a gratuity on the pin pad with a yes or no leaving up to the customer to decide , so on the basis of this i declined to leave a tip. As my title suggests our visit really was a game of two halves .

Written 20 August 2022

ilm

9 contributions

Lovely little tea room

Jan 2022 • none

We were bought a voucher to have afternoon tea here and the place was delightful. Delicious sandwiches and warm scones with a choice of jam, cake and a huge selection of tea. The service was excellent, extremely efficient and we were even offered a top up of hot water on our choice of ‘Moriarty’ and ‘Dr Watson’ teas. We recently had an afternoon tea at ‘The Ivy’ in Cambridge and the quality of food was much better here and the prices a lot cheaper.

Written 8 January 2022

gwenhafjames

Liverpool9 contributions

Worth the wait! Delicious homemade food, friendly staff and a lovely atmosphere

Apr 2021 • couples

We queued for approximately 10 minutes to get a seat in the gorgeous tea rooms by the river. In the meantime, the friendly and welcoming hostess kept us all up to date with expected wait times etc. We were seated in the garden near the entrance, and were offered an umbrella to shade from the sun. The waitress took our order and it arrived quickly, especially considering how busy they were! I had the ham, brie and fig chutney toasted sandwich with a glass of pimms, while my partner had a smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich with a cider. Delicious homemade food! We did then wait a little while to be seen after finishing our lunch (totally understandable considering how busy they were, and actually lovely not to feel rushed!) and followed our lunch with a carrot cake and a brownie with another drink each. My partner was very impressed with the brownie and the carrot cake may well have been one of the best I’ve had! So glad we decided to wait the short time for this cafe rather than rushing off elsewhere, it was definitely worth it and a pleasure to visit this cafe as our first excursion since pre-lockdown!

Written 31 May 2021

Hannah-Ruth G

18 contributions

Best tea and cake I've had in ages

Aug 2021 • solo

The Peacock Tearoom was recommended to me by my parents because of their extensive tea selection. I chose the full monty afternoon tea with a fruit scone (warm from the oven) and the lemon and lavender cake, which was pure joy. Tried the D'Orsay tea this time around and am already looking forward to going back to sample more of their selection! The tearoom is located almost next to the antique centre and overlooks the river so it's in a great location and the team are warm, friendly and accommodating so definitely pay them a visit!

Written 30 August 2021

Karen

Soham12 contributions

afternoon tea party during lockdown

Mar 2021 • family

Had an afternoon tea party for my husbands 60th birthday during lockdown. Peococks did a wonderful job. Excellent food all packaged and labelled ( including gluten free and for children) All delivered to 3 different addresses by taxi Everyone enjoyed their food and the stress of catering was taken off my shoulders by very helpful staff who even telephoned the morning of the tea party to confirm the choice of cake for the coeliac was acceptable And someone even commented they don’t like seeded bread but this may have converted her 5 stars isn’t enough but it’s all I can give

Written 28 February 2021

Proterra

40 contributions

Disappointing visit

Aug 2020 • none

Three of us went for lunch . it took ages for our order to be taken, even though waitresses passed used several times. Then we waited about 30 minutes plus for the food to arrive.without even an apology about having to wait. This was 15 minutes after the drinks arrived. I had quiche and salad, the quiche portion was quite small the salads were uninspiring my wife didn’t even get any tomatoes!!!!! We have been before for coffee which made us come back for lunch but we won’t be going again.

Written 3 August 2020

david

Melton Mowbray9 contributions

Top 10 Teahouse

Aug 2021 • couples

My wife and I have enjoyed afternoon tea in various Towns and Cities in the UK and Australia. Peacocks is definitely in our Top 10 but while we enjoyed others tea rooms more, the experience was good and is certainly worth trying if you are in the region. The sandwiches, scones and choice of tea first class, the cake was a little too sweet for our taste and there was not the variety offered at other venues. The menu comes complete with footnotes which were humorous and added to the experience. The location close to the River was nice especially on a pleasant English Summer Afternoon.

Written 4 August 2021

Becky M

5 contributions

Gorgeous tearoom right by the river

Aug 2020 • none

Visited for tea and cake with my husband and baby (3mths old). The lovely lady who showed us to our table ensured we had plenty of room for the pram and also didn't want us sitting outside as she was worried about the wasps going near our baby. She was absolutely lovely!! and so kind. We also thoroughly enjoyed our food. My husband had the chocolate dream tea and said the chocolate scone was one of the best things he has ever tasted!!

Written 27 August 2020

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