Quick info
About ARC Cafe
ARC Cafe is a cafe on the Sidgwick Site university campus in Cambridge, at 7 West Rd. Floor plugs, tables and a couple of armchairs make it a workable spot for laptop sessions between classes or meetings. Teas and coffees are served with toasties, granola flapjacks and cakes, and the hot food includes vegetarian and vegan options. The cafe opens Monday to Friday, daytime only, and is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Drinks come in disposable cups only.
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Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention vegan and vegetarian options, cookies, toasties and granola flapjacks.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention vegan and vegetarian options, cookies, toasties and granola flapjacks.
Customer Review Summary
Reviewers most often single out the baked goods, naming fresh cookies, granola flapjacks and cakes, with students pointing to cheap prices. Close behind are the vegan and vegetarian options and a larger hot food selection since the café changed hands, plus passable teas, coffees and toasties. Several describe it as a place to work between classes or appointments, mentioning plentiful floor plugs, decently comfortable chairs and quick internet for Eduroam users, and several call the staff friendly or polite and efficient. The criticism is mixed. One reviewer calls the food a meagre selection of low quality at poor value, another finds the coffee only OK and dislikes that only disposable cups are offered, and one says a question about a sweet oat milk iced latte was met with mockery and no check of the drink. A couple say service could be friendlier. Seats are hard to find at busy times, and one regular simply takes the food away when that happens.
Customer Review Summary
Reviewers most often single out the baked goods, naming fresh cookies, granola flapjacks and cakes, with students pointing to cheap prices. Close behind are the vegan and vegetarian options and a larger hot food selection since the café changed hands, plus passable teas, coffees and toasties. Several describe it as a place to work between classes or appointments, mentioning plentiful floor plugs, decently comfortable chairs and quick internet for Eduroam users, and several call the staff friendly or polite and efficient. The criticism is mixed. One reviewer calls the food a meagre selection of low quality at poor value, another finds the coffee only OK and dislikes that only disposable cups are offered, and one says a question about a sweet oat milk iced latte was met with mockery and no check of the drink. A couple say service could be friendlier. Seats are hard to find at busy times, and one regular simply takes the food away when that happens.
Featured reviews
- MUHAMMAD AHSAN
“I have a nice experience here environment is good… but somethings need a little bit improvement”
- Jacob Baldwin
“A meagre selection of low quality food at poor value for money. There's nothing positive to say about the frankly abysmal catering on the Sidgwick Site.”
- Amar Bhandal
“Delicious & fresh cookies, 3 for under £1.70 for students. Cheap hot drinks of decent-enough quality, and a nice place to work between classes/meetings too. Service could be a touch friendlier.”
- Francisca Valenzuela Villaseca
“Cheap (if you're student) tho regular coffee. The service is nice, but I asked why the iced latte with oat milk was sweet (I had had it once before) and the person kind of mocked me and didn't even check?”
- A. V.
“The café is of a particular sort that often attaches to university buildings, so can be a bit polarising, but I personally find it a good option to spend some time at in between appointments. It's definitely not the sort of place you go anticipating amazing food or drink, or for the staff to pick up and clean tables after you (although they do offer perfectly passable teas, coffees and toasties, and the staff is always polite and efficient, including during rush hours), but instead one where you can expect to be left alone for hours to work on your laptop, with plentiful floor plugs, decently comfortable chairs and tables (including a couple of armchairs, high-chairs and high-tables), clean, accessible restrooms close by (albeit not in the café itself) and potentially a quick, stable internet connection (available to those who have Eduroam).”
Hours
- Monday
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Closed
- Sunday
- Closed
Good to know
- AccessibilityWheelchair-accessible entrance · Wheelchair-accessible seating · Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Amenities
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Show more amenities
- Accessibility· 2
- Wheelchair-accessible seating
- Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Location
Cafes near ARC Cafe
- 0.4 mi£1–10
soup and sandwich meal deal, vegetarian options, panini
- Pages Coffee House4.62320.4 mi£1–10Outdoor seatingVegetarian optionsWi-Fi
matcha latte, flat white, pastries and cake
- 0.4 mi
jerk chicken mango salsa toastie, chocolate cookie, coffee
| Place | Rating | Distance | Price | Mentioned in reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARC Cafe | 3.630 | — | — | vegan and vegetarian options, cookies, toasties |
| Trockel, Ulmann & Freunde | 4.8476 | 0.4 mi | £1–10 | soup and sandwich meal deal, vegetarian options, panini |
| Pages Coffee HouseOutdoor seating · Vegetarian options · Wi-Fi | 4.6232 | 0.4 mi | £1–10 | matcha latte, flat white, pastries and cake |
| Orlene's Kitchen Cafe | 4.797 | 0.4 mi | — | jerk chicken mango salsa toastie, chocolate cookie, coffee |
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