Quick info
About Whale Cafe
Whale Cafe sits upstairs inside the Zoology Museum on New Museum Site in Cambridge, a café reached from within the museum itself. The menu runs to sandwiches, baguettes, jacket potatoes, soups, paninis, and pasties, with a daily soup alongside the jacket potato with tuna and beans. Seating is available both indoors and outdoors, with enough room to spread out. It operates on a walk-in basis with no booking needed, and the entrance is step-free, making it accessible for visitors with mobility needs. The café opens Tuesday to Saturday during the day only, closing Mondays and Sundays. It can draw a crowd, particularly during school holidays when families and children make up much of the seating, and waits are common at busier times.
Good to know
- AccessibilityWheelchair-accessible entrance · Wheelchair-accessible seating · Wheelchair-accessible toilet
- Good for kidsGood for kids
- DietaryVegetarian options
Menu & Prices
11 dishes- Cake
- Flapjack
- Choc Caramel Shortbread
- Rocky Road
- Brownie
- Fruit Muffin
Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention jacket potatoes, baguettes and sandwiches, daily soup and hot chocolate.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention jacket potatoes, baguettes and sandwiches, daily soup and hot chocolate.
Customer Review Summary
Reviewers most often return to the Whale Cafe for its jacket potatoes, with one praising the tuna and beans filling and another ordering several for a group, and they add a baguette, panini, a hot Thai pasty and the daily soup to the lunch picks. Close behind is value for money, which several describe as good or incredible, along with friendly staff who stay on top of things despite the crowds. Families and holiday visitors fill the plentiful indoor and outdoor seating, and one reviewer calls it great for museum visits. The complaints are specific. One says the halloumi and chicken in the baguettes were dry and the orzo salad lacked flavour, and another found service slow on a quiet day. Two reviewers dislike how the space is run: one says paying students were asked to leave during half term to make room for families, and another describes tables taken by laptop users with no food or drink. One visitor found it closed. A reviewer also mentions waiting when it gets busy, and another comes for hot chocolate with a grandson.
Customer Review Summary
Reviewers most often return to the Whale Cafe for its jacket potatoes, with one praising the tuna and beans filling and another ordering several for a group, and they add a baguette, panini, a hot Thai pasty and the daily soup to the lunch picks. Close behind is value for money, which several describe as good or incredible, along with friendly staff who stay on top of things despite the crowds. Families and holiday visitors fill the plentiful indoor and outdoor seating, and one reviewer calls it great for museum visits. The complaints are specific. One says the halloumi and chicken in the baguettes were dry and the orzo salad lacked flavour, and another found service slow on a quiet day. Two reviewers dislike how the space is run: one says paying students were asked to leave during half term to make room for families, and another describes tables taken by laptop users with no food or drink. One visitor found it closed. A reviewer also mentions waiting when it gets busy, and another comes for hot chocolate with a grandson.
Featured reviews
- Philip Hampton
“This place does not work. Every table has a student with a lap top and no food or drink. Maybe they are zoology students so fine if that is allowed. But does not work as a cafe . Apparently they have to buy food between 12 and 2 but I didn’t bother to stick around to see if that was enforced”
- Gloria Flack
“Lovely relaxed atmosphere, great staff.Took my grandson out for hot Choclate.”
- Harry Newman
“Best cafe ever! The particular standout is the service - love a few of the young lads who give us a little extra. I also appreciate one lady who gets everyone moving along in an organised fashion. What else can I say about the food except immaculate. I have been recommending this cafe to everyone I’ve met, even a few people I’ve bumped into on the street. Wow wow wow”
- Mohammed Maahir
“The whale was the only reason I applied to Cambridge medicine. I eat lunch here genuinely every day and it’s the only thing keeping me sane. Anyone who has a negative review should treat themselves to a jacket potato with tuna and beans and re-evaluate The staff would die for the badge- I truly think they’re my only real friends”
- Joseph
“Generally a lovely space to spend the afternoon and have some lunch or a coffee. The prices are great, however the food is a little disappointing. The halloumi and chicken in the baguettes were dry and the orzo salad didn’t really have any flavour to it. Staff were friendly but service was quite slow given how quiet it was.”
Hours
- Monday
- Closed
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
- Closed
Highlights
- Great coffee
- Great dessert
- Great tea selection
- Popular for breakfast
- Popular for solo dining
- Vegetarian options
Amenities
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance
- Dine-in
- Good for kids
- Vegetarian options
- Casual
- Coffee
Show more amenities
- Quick bite
- Dessert
- Solo dining
- Toilet
- Trendy
- Dining options· 3
- Breakfast
- Brunch
- Lunch
- Crowd· 3
- Groups
- Tourists
- University students
- Highlights· 1
- Great tea selection
- Accessibility· 2
- Wheelchair-accessible seating
- Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Location
Cafes near Whale Cafe
- 0.1 mi£1–10
soup and sandwich meal deal, vegetarian options, panini
- 0.1 mi
coffee and latte, cakes selection, rooftop view
- 0.1 mi
jerk chicken mango salsa toastie, chocolate cookie, coffee
| Place | Rating | Distance | Price | Mentioned in reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whale CafeVegetarian options | 4.266 | — | £1–15 | jacket potatoes, baguettes and sandwiches, daily soup |
| Trockel, Ulmann & Freunde | 4.8476 | 0.1 mi | £1–10 | soup and sandwich meal deal, vegetarian options, panini |
| John Lewis Espresso Bar | 3.953 | 0.1 mi | — | coffee and latte, cakes selection, rooftop view |
| Orlene's Kitchen Cafe | 4.797 | 0.1 mi | — | jerk chicken mango salsa toastie, chocolate cookie, coffee |
The 3 nearest cafes by distance. Ratings, hours and review terms come from public business profiles.
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