Eat & Drink
British - Traditional
International
Cafe
Restaurant
Kids' venues

Rainbow Vegetarian Cafe (Cambridge)

Details
- SERVICE
  - exclnt
    
    75%
  - good
    
    22%
  - fair
    
    1%
  - poor
    
    0%
  - terrible
    
    0%
- FOOD
  - exclnt
    
    86%
  - good
    
    11%
  - fair
    
    1%
  - poor
    
    1%
  - terrible
    
    0%
- ATMOSPHERE
  - exclnt
    
    66%
  - good
    
    30%
  - fair
    
    4%
  - poor
    
    0%
  - terrible
    
    0%
- VALUE
  - exclnt
    
    54%
  - good
    
    38%
  - fair
    
    6%
  - poor
    
    1%
  - terrible
    
    0%
143 Reviews
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What we thought

A Cambridge vegetarian's stalwart since 1988 and recipient of numerous awards including the winner of the Vegetarian Society's Award for Best Vegetarian Café, the Rainbow Café needs no real introduction.

Exclusively vegetarian, it is wonderfully reminiscent of a bygone era when vegetarianism was the suspicious exclusive preserve of hippies, Buddhists and anarchists: however the Rainbow Café remains the only exclusively vegetarian restaurant in Cambridge to this day. It's not the easiest of

The Latvian Potato Bake, which is apparently a customers favourite since time immorial. We know why? it's a simple and delicious concoction

places to manoeuvre: down an small passageway opposite King's College and then in a basement, and there's not a huge amount of elbow room, so we'd recommend walking past the kitchen to the wider area beyond, bedecked with the odd Buddha, and on our visit, the atmospheric strains of Bob Dylan.

Whilst the building is somewhat eccentric, the range of food is anything but: the menu is modern and creative, and you can experience food from all over the globe, from Ethiopia, to North American and the Caribbean.

All meals are freshly made on the premises and the wines, beers and ciders are all vegan, so you can enjoy a tipple without the guilt. On the date of our visit (a windy Autumn day) the restaurant was decked out in a bright sunshiny yellow throughout, as it has been since September 2009, but they like to rejuvenate the colour scheme every two years so it has seen a number of other shades in the past. The toilets, also decked out in brilliant yellow, are located at street level.

The staff here really know their stuff: as well as being friendly and helpful, they are genuinely enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the food on offer. They are pretty 'right-on' too: two members of staff (Josh and Irma) recently completed a bike ride in aid of Kigamboni Community Centre in Dar-Es-Salaam, which provides free education and opportunities for children. Collecting boxes are also distributed around the restaurant for those who want to offer support.

As you might expect, there's a wide range of juices (orange, passion fruit, mango, guanabana, pomegranate and cranberry) and herbal teas as well as the range of daily specials, so we opted for the deliciously spicy soup of the day, which was served with a lovely crusty bread. Unusually, we both opted for the same main course, the Latvian Potato Bake, which is apparently a 'customers' favourite since time immorial'. We know why - it's a simple and delicious concoction of potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, garlic and herbs.

Food comes out very well presented, and as can be expected at such a health-giving place, a generous chunky salad comes as standard. There's also a tempting range of cakes, which we didn't get round to testing on our visit, but would certainly tempt us back for more. It's a classic Cambridge vegetarian stalwart for good reason: a great place for a healthy vegetarian meal in a world-famous pocket of Cambridge.

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William M 1 Reviews
May 4th 2013

Review posted by William M

Quick service much appreciated. Brusque manner of older female staff not so much so.
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Verina H 1 Reviews
May 4th 2013

Review posted by Verina H

Excellent restaurant. Thank you for being here !!!
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Mrs D G 1 Reviews
May 4th 2013

Review posted by Mrs D G

[VENUE RESPONSE BELOW] My husband is diabetic - he needed a snack at 10:30 we waited to be served until 10:45. No scones. All you had was a bread roll for diabetics. [VENUE RESPONSE: As Nutrition Specialists we were rather surprised that someone would consider a bread roll preferable to a soup crammed with fresh vegetables and we did spend some time trying to advise--- but each individual must be in
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Christine E 1 Reviews
May 4th 2013

Review posted by Christine E

Would love you to be in another place, environment, so when are you expanding? So good you are here for your food.
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Thomas B 1 Reviews
May 4th 2013

Review posted by Thomas B

Wonderful !!
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Sarah F 1 Reviews
May 3rd 2013

Review posted by Sarah F

My best friend was announce about coming to a vegetarian/vegan cafe, but says this was one of the best meals she's ever had. Thank you !!
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Lynn B 1 Reviews
May 3rd 2013

Review posted by Lynn B

Super flavour in soups
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Rosa S 1 Reviews
April 30th 2013

Review posted by Rosa S

We'll come again.
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Janice B 1 Reviews
April 28th 2013

Review posted by Janice B

Lovely enjoyable experience.
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Gabriella D 1 Reviews
March 24th 2013

Review posted by Gabriella D

I really want to work here, but will absoultely eat here in the mean time.
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9a King's Parade,

Cambridge
CB2 1SJ

Minimum disabled access,
parking nearby

Price Ranges

Soup £2.95
Mains £7.95
Desserts £3.95

Opening times

Sun: 10:00-16:00
Mon: Closed
Tue - Sat: 10:00-22:00

Food serving times

Sun: 10:00-16:00
Mon: N/A
Tue Sat: 10:00-21:30

Menus

Reviews from
other sources

Winner of Best Restaurant in the Vegetarian Society Awards 2006 UKTV Food 'Local Hero' Finalist 2006 & 2008 Featured on Channel 4's 'You are what you eat' Gillian McKeith says "I love this healthy restaurant" Winner of Lord Parsvanath Award - Indian Vegetarian Society Runner-up 'Best Cambridge Restaurant' 2008 Local Secrets

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