Cathedral Café offers a welcoming place to pause, relax, and enjoy quality food and drink in one of Carlisle’s most remarkable settings.
Located within Carlisle Cathedral, it combines the charm of a historic location with the comfort of a casual, cozy atmosphere, making it an inviting choice for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dessert, or a quiet coffee break.
With a strong reputation backed by a 4.60-star rating from 288 reviews, it has become a trusted favorite for both locals and visitors looking for a memorable café experience. Whether you are meeting friends, taking time for yourself, or settling in with your laptop, the café provides a setting that feels both comfortable and refined.
The menu and service options are designed to suit a wide range of needs throughout the day. Guests can enjoy great coffee, an excellent tea selection, and delicious desserts, along with breakfast, lunch, healthy options, small plates, and quick bites.
For those looking for something more relaxed, Cathedral Café also offers beer, wine, and alcohol, making it easy to unwind in a pleasant surroundings. Indoor dine-in seating is available, along with outdoor seating for those who want to enjoy fresh air and the cathedral backdrop.
On-site service, takeaway, and delivery add extra convenience, while the bar on site, restroom, and free Wi-Fi make longer visits easy and comfortable. It is also a practical spot for solo dining or working on a laptop, thanks to its calm atmosphere and reliable amenities.
Accessibility and ease of planning are also key strengths. Cathedral Café features a wheelchair-accessible entrance, wheelchair-accessible seating, and a wheelchair-accessible toilet, helping ensure a comfortable visit for more guests. Reservations are accepted, and payments are simple and flexible with credit cards, debit cards, and NFC mobile payments.
Located at Carlisle Cathedral, Carlisle CA3 8TZ, United Kingdom, and reachable at +44 1228 548151, Cathedral Café stands out as a thoughtful, high-quality café destination where great food, excellent drinks, and a welcoming environment come together beautifully.
Popular Items
Frequently ordered and highly recommended items at Cathedral Café
Our Story
Welcome to a place where great food meets warm hospitality. We believe dining is more than just a meal - it's an experience to be savored and shared.
Our kitchen is dedicated to creating dishes that bring people together, using recipes that honor tradition while embracing innovation.
Photos
A glimpse of our restaurant experience
Food & Drinks
Hear from our valued guests
While on the slightly expensive side I have absolutely no complaints. Probably keeps the Cathedral going and have been to a few Cathedrals now who have successful on site cafes. The food here was lovely, especially the cake, the floor to ceiling windows let in a lot of natural light and give it a wonderful open feeling. Plenty of seating, plenty of choices in food and drink, lovely staff.
That architecture is beautiful. Hats off to the company that manufactured and supplied windows and doors. We enjoyed our visit, excellent coffee, tasty food, nice service, reasonable prices. We will definitely come again when we are in Carlisle.
A wonderful café. Always busy. There was some controversy over this development, but I love the in-keeping architecture and those huge windows because who wouldn't want that view whilst grabbing a cuppa. You can get breakfast or lunch and snacks throughout the day. The fresh cheese scones are a favourite of mine with a pot of Earl Grey. I have also sampled some of the fabulous cakes! If you're just passing through and on the move, there are takeaway options available. For you and your four-legged friends, there's outdoor seating all year round. In the better weather, there's plenty of outdoor seating covering the square courtyard between the cathedral and the cafe, too. The facilities are well kept, and toilets include baby changing and accessible options. The whole cafe is accessible with push-button operated doors and a lift to the Fratry. There's short stay free on-street disc zone parking close by and plenty of pay parking around the city. It's also only a short walk from both the bus terminals and railway station.
After a beautiful visit to the cathedral and attending the Sunday service, it was time for a well-deserved coffee break ☕🙏 We went for a cappuccino and an Americano, paired with a buttery croissant and a rich slice of chocolate cake. A perfect way to slow down and enjoy the moment 🍰🥐
Very friendly staff. The soup was very tasty and the coffee was very good too. Very good value, a lovely cafe and with good weather was great to sit outside and listen to the birds, other nature sounds and watch the world go by 😁 Will definitely be coming back!
Idyllic setting within Carlisle Cathedral grounds. Lots of natural light provided by stunning windows. Very clean and welcoming. Good choice on fixed menu and a daily special board too. Staff all very pleasant and helpful. Food was an excellent quality and served very promptly.
Everyone was lovely staff and customer. When and it feel so open. First time going in because I was just wondering about town because I had time on my hands so I when for a it to eat.
Thank you for taking care of us today at the Cathedral Café. As a family visiting from Gloucestershire—by way of Ukraine—we’re quite used to different British accents, so perhaps I should have brought along a phrasebook and my best wellies for a Cumbrian café adventure! We were warmly greeted by Nils (apologies if I’ve misspelled your name, but it certainly begins with N), who was exceptionally smiley, helpful, and patient—especially when repeating instructions for us. The food was delicious, and we felt thoroughly looked after. A small note: navigating the accent differences led to a few moments of light confusion (particularly over fruit cookies versus Cornish pastry!), and my answer about the frittata temperature caused an outbreak of laughter in the queue—which I take as a sign of good spirits all round. The table numbering system was a complete mystery, but I found my way, only to discover the lower level was “authentically damp,” with a slight aroma that challenged even the most robust wellies. Still, the classical music and thoughtful design quite redeemed things. Upstairs was truly gorgeous—a very nice space just beside a huge window, flooding the room with light and warmth. LOVE IT. Do book a table there for the best experience! All in all, an enjoyable visit, made memorable by your charming staff and atmosphere. Many thanks for your hospitality and patience—next time I’ll brush up on my local vocabulary, just in case!
This cafe in the grounds of Carlisle Cathedral is definitely worth a visit . The food on offer was freshly made and well priced . The main area is bright and modern , also you can sit upstairs in a more traditional original building.
A lovely cafe, busy but able to get a table on a Saturday morning. A nice buzz about the place. I had arrived in Carlisle after a journey on the Settle to Carlisle railway. I took a lovely walk through the city, out and around Bitts park and then back in past the castle. After admiring the cathedral I ventured to the cafe hoping for a coffee and something to eat. I was not disappointed. I ordered a latte and a bacon and egg sourdough roll. Possibly the best bacon and egg roll I've ever had. It arrived and the server asked if I needed cutlery, I definitely did! A perfect egg, lovely and runny, it was delicious 😋 would definitely recommend and visit again.
Common questions about Cathedral Café
Cathedral Café is located at Carlisle Cathedral, Carlisle CA3 8TZ, United Kingdom, Carlisle Cathedral, Carlisle CA3 8TZ, United Kingdom.
You can reach Cathedral Café by calling +44 1228 548151.
Cathedral Café has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 based on 288 customer reviews.
Cathedral Café features the following accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible entrance, Wheelchair-accessible seating, Wheelchair-accessible toilet.
Cathedral Café features the following service options: Outdoor seating, On-site services, Takeaway, Dine-in, Delivery.
Cathedral Café features the following highlights: Great coffee, Great dessert, Great tea selection.
Cathedral Café features the following popular for: Breakfast, Lunch, Solo dining, Good for working on laptop.
Cathedral Café features the following offerings: Alcohol, Beer, Coffee, Healthy options, Quick bite, Small plates, Wine.
Cathedral Café features the following dining options: Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dessert, Seating.
Cathedral Café features the following amenities: Bar on site, Restroom, Wi-Fi, Free Wi-Fi.
Cathedral Café features the following atmosphere: Casual, Cozy, Historic.
Cathedral Café features the following crowd: Groups, Tourists.
Cathedral Café features the following planning: Accepts reservations.
Cathedral Café features the following payments: Credit cards, Debit cards, NFC mobile payments.
Cathedral Café features the following children: Good for kids, High chairs, Kids' menu.
Cathedral Café features the following parking: Free street parking, Paid parking lot.
Cathedral Café features the following pets: Dogs allowed outside.
Business Features
We look forward to welcoming you. Make a reservation or stop by - walk-ins welcome!
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