We came because of the old Qype reviews, but clearly, a lot has changed…read more Lacklustre. Sorry to say, because it looked like it had so much potential from the outside. 3 of us sat down to have afternoon tea. My sister was visiting us, so I brought her here based on the old reviews. Sad to say, I should've done more research. Tea was a disaster. The tea was mediocre, scones weren't very good at all, and the tea sandwiches were disappointing. The place felt very dark and dusty, and the decor was very tired looking. The servers looked very tired and nervous as well. I feel that with a bit more effort, the experience would change for the better, as the location is good. Overall, a poor experience, so I won't be returning.

Absolutely adored this quaint wee tea room...makes you feel like you're in a scene from the…read morepast...nice and cosy, fabulous, attentive staff & very tasty cream teas.. definitely worth a visit when visiting Colchester. Kind regards from a very happy Scottish visitor

I had a wonderful tea and cake stop here while shopping in Colchester. The building makes for a…read morevery serene experience and the tea and cake was extremely good. There was also food served there for lunch but I didn't have any as I was pressed for time, however there is a new larger kitchen being made at the time of writing which is going to be opened in early 2015. So I'll no doubt return then. Strongly reccomend if you are looking for a little peace and quiet.

This wonderful cafe gets five stars from me for their delicious cheese and gooseberry scones -…read moresimply perfect!! The staff are lovely, the building is amazing (and kept clean and tidy inside). Coffee is good, lots of juice and hot chocolate options for my children. Good price for a good morning coffee. Have come here 3 times when visiting my family in Colchester (I fly 5300 miles from California just for those scones!!)

Initially, Loofer's seems just like any other cafe where you can grab a bite to eat or sip on a…read morecappuccino to break up your shopping day. And it is, really. But the food is pretty reliably tasty and hearty, so it keeps me coming back every time I'm visiting in Colchester for a weekend. I don't even try anything else out at this point; it's always Loofer's. I get the same thing every time: the (soya) Veggie Pitta. It tastes so meaty and delicious, almost as if the cooks have laced it with MSG. Robert D always get the Steak Sarnie. For £10, we have a filling lunch and are ready to get our shopping on the heart of Colchester. The service is always a bit slow; the 'Chiller' Microsoft font on all the signs and menus takes a little while to get used to (it's kind of creepy, Chiller; what a weird marketing choice); the seating area is always a traffic jam of prams; and the toilets are a bit grim, but the veggie pitta has never let me down.

Nice salads and chicken sandwiches, all freshly grilled on orderread more

How many teenage wannabe hipsters can you fit in the closed-off upstairs dining area of a teeny…read morevillage tea house? Three? Five? Ten? How about fifteen. No joke. We just wanted a bite to eat in the late afternoon, so we headed into this cute-looking tea house because the menu and signage outside was inviting. Not a single person under the age of 20 occupied this building excepting ourselves. I ordered tea and toast with preserves. I got my tea after about seven minutes But did my toast and preserves come? No. After the husband's tuna sandwich (on toasted bread) came and I waited another five minutes, I flagged down the braces-wearing youngin' to ask about the toast. I never saw him again. The teenage 'manager' brought me the toast about seven minutes later without preserves. I asked about the preserves and she got snippy with me, telling me she didn't take my order initially and didn't know what I wanted. How about some preserves to go with my 'toast and preserves'? Did I mention the place was bereft of actual customers? While I finished my toast and listened to the asinine conversation between three girls in the back room ('no, like, I'm turning eighteen in two months! Two months! Really! How old do you think I look? Two months! Innit.'), the parade of teenage hipsters began down the stairs. one. two. three. four. five. six. seven. eight. nine. ten. eleven.... The 'manager' began closing rituals, bringing in outside signage to store on the dining room floor, while we sat waiting for a bill so we could just pay our money and leave. After several minutes, I was up out of my seat and on my way to the back room with a tenner when she met me half way with our ticket. Here's my tenner, kthx bye. Pass.

The tea rose cafe is in a nice central location in the middle of town, and is in an old victorian…read morehouse. The building itself is nice, but too many tables have been cramped inside the two floors so if it is busy it may be a bit awkward. However, there is a big square outside with about ten tables that is nice and peaceful and perfect for a summers day. Despite the potential of the Tea Rose cafe, it is fairly poor. The staff can be incompetent at times and need better training, and the food is not always of the best quality. I'd go there for a cup of tea and a slice of cake, but nothing more than that. If it is summer avoid sitting inside the building as it gets very hot, and if you have mobility problems I would also avoid inside as the floors are very uneven and may cause problems.

So, it's hard to give just one star when your friends like a place, and when The Brit is willing to…read moreeat there after a significant amount of time has passed since his last visit. Perhaps there is something that I am missing (though I highly doubt it). Seat yourself, menus are on the table and prices are cheap. The food is not good in my opinion. I only ordered scrambled eggs, toast and a side of sausage as nothing else on the menu seemed appetizing. The eggs were fine, the sausage terrible and the toast, that cheap crap you get that barely passes for bread. The Brit ordered the "Gut Buster" and ate pretty much the whole thing, only stating that the "chip steak" wasn't good at all. What is a chip steak anyway? I tried a bite of beans and a bite of a chip and found them both to be pretty bleh. This is typical crap diner food I try to avoid in the States. The place was quite busy, but then again, they were the only ones open on a holiday weekend which might explain it. Breakfast for 4 ~ 24 pounds.

Used to be a nice little cafe but not great now. Typical greasy spoon cafe which uses low quality…read morefood for their menu!