Places to eat in Cheltenham

Cheltenham is home to some of the best eateries in the country, let alone the Cotswolds. There’s such a fine selection of restaurants in Cheltenham we’ve chosen to dedicate an entire page to some of our favourites.

It means we can wax lyrical about places like Lumière, which the AA picked out as England’s Restaurant of the Year 2017. We also pit two top-class French restaurants head to head, and champion a couple of curry houses that challenge the norms of Indian cuisine.

Who can resist a pitstop for some coffee and cake, or a well-earned cup of tea? As you can tell from Cheltenham’s booming café culture, it’s one of the town’s favourite pastimes. When you want to indulge your sweet tooth or appease those caffeine cravings, our favourite cafés are spread all around town, so you’ll never be far away from one.

On the High Street, there’s Café Moochoo. It’s a laid-back, easy-going place to go for an excellent cup of coffee. Plus, their homemade food is delightful, particularly the paninis, quiches, flapjacks and brownies.

Or, nearby on Winchcombe Street, you can try Dolce & Salato. The cakes are sublime, the sandwiches brimming with filling, the breakfasts are fantastic (and cheap!), plus they do a daily specials board of authentic Italian cuisine.

In the shadow of Cheltenham Minster, you’ll find Well Walk Tea Room, which – rumour has it – is the oldest shop in Cheltenham. It’s a quirky place full of antiques and vintage crockery, which won’t be to everyone’s taste. One thing that absolutely doesn’t split opinion though is their afternoon tea – brimming with delicious scones, cakes, plus homemade jam and clotted cream.


Curious Café & Bistro has long been a favourite with the people of Cheltenham. Its all-day breakfast is up there with the best in the business. It’s not because of anything fancy; they just use good quality, tasty ingredients, and they get their timings spot on. How many full Englishes have you had where the toast’s cold, the beans have been sitting around, or the bacon’s overdone? Well, the good news is you won’t find that at Curious – if you can get a table that is; like we said, it’s a local favourite.

If you’re staying at our Cheltenham North West hotel, take the time to call into the ever-excellent School House Café, which is just shy of a ten-minute drive away, on St. Paul’s Road. It’s close to the university campus, but it’s not just for students; School House describes itself as a community café where everyone will be greeted with a warm welcome. The menu is full of delicious vegetarian and gluten-free options, their coffee is excellent, and for the price, you feel like you’re robbing them blind.

Looking for a café on Regent Street? Ignore the Caffè Nero and make your way directly over the road to The Coffee Dispensary. It’s a lovely place for a pitstop. Inside, it’s light, airy and stylishly decorated. Their ethically sourced coffee is some of the best in Cheltenham. They also do great cakes, pastries and sandwiches. If you do go, try a cruffin; it’s a cross between a croissant and a muffin and it’ll change your life.

Last but by no means least, there’s Havanas Coffee – a fantastic independent café in Pittville. Nearby, there are places such as the Pump Room, Pittville Park, and – of course – Cheltenham Racecourse, home of the Cheltenham Festival. So, if you’re in the area, then call into Havanas Coffee for its laid-back atmosphere, excellent coffee, tasty cakes and delicious paninis.

Surrounded by the rolling hills of the Cotswolds, where 80% of the countryside is used for agriculture, it’s no wonder Cheltenham Farmers’ Market is so popular. If you want to purchase some of the local produce for yourself, make your way down to the Promenade on the second and last Friday of every month.

For more indulgent options, like homemade fudge, local wines and lovingly made pies, the Promenade also plays host to the Cheltenham Fine Food & Drink Market on the first Saturday of each month.