Clowns Coffee Bar

I’ve been here for a date and also for a meal with a big group and it was a perfect setting for both. The staff are really friendly and accommodating, they let us sing at the top of our lungs all night and even joined in at times! They do enormous portion sizes and a wonderful sharing platter. I was disappointed with the pasta. Mine was quite plain and not freshly cooked, a bit like cafeteria food. But good enough and ridiculously cheap.

El Clowns en Cambridge es un restaurante-​cafetería italiano (aunque el primer día que estuve allí me di cuenta de que casi todos los trabajadores son españoles/​sudamericanos xD) que tiene bastante fama en la ciudad y que además está muy céntrico.
El local entero está decorado con payasos: muñecos payasos, cuadros de payasos, fotos de payasos… Así que si te dan miedo, no es tu sitio: P Tiene una planta de abajo con la barra, el expositor de pasteles y varios sitios donde sentarse y una planta superior, más amplia y con más sitio.
En cuanto a la comida, está bastante buena. Se puede tomar café, chocolate y otras bebidas (el chocolate caliente está muy rico, y si lo pides con nata por encima ni te cuento xD) acompañadas de pasteles riquísimos (la tarta de queso está… ¡ñam!), y también comer o cenar platos típicos italianos, que están bastante buenos (aunque, para mi gusto, están mejor los pasteles).
Los empleados son muy majos y agradables, y te ayudan a elegir o te recomiendan cosas.
Ah, y hay WiFi: D Sólo tienes que pedirle la clave a algún camarero, te la dará encantado.

The coffee was (on average) acceptable, but.
— no skimmed or semi-​skimmed milk available for the lattes;
— one of the two identical lattes we had was good, the other really was not;
— and they tried to overcharge us.
Two stars because I’m feeling generous.

Statt auf dem Flughafen von Stansted rumzuhängen machte ich Umsteigen in Cambridge zu einem Stadtrundgang. Koffer ließ ich am Bahnhof dort wo man auch Fahrräder leihen kann. Es war Zufall, dass ich hier landete bzw. die Leute, die hier auf Hockern auf dem Gehweg ihren Café tranken machten einen zufriedenen fröhlichen Eindruck auf mich. Kein Wunder die waren wohl alle auf ZUCKER denn sie hatten vermutlich mehr als ein Stück Kuchen gegessen. Ich bestellte Schokoladetorte und Espresso and a piece of cheescake for the road. Wenn schon, denn schon. Sie hatten auch auch herzhaftes in der Vitrine aber nicht für mich.
Coulrophobie sollte man keine haben, wenn man hier [Selbstbediinung] vorbei kommt, denn CLOWNS gibt es hier all over the place und nicht zu klein. Da schau ich bei meinem nächsten CambridgeAufenthalt mit Sicherheit wieder vorbei.

A little authentic corner of Italy in the heart of the city. Well worth a visit if you like unpretentious, authentic Italian food that has not been anglicised for the domestic market though the owners won’t frown at you if you order a cappuccino after noon! I like the fact that il padrone is always perched in the corner as you enter, keeping a watchful eye over his family and the proceedings.

This is a really charming looking place (unless you are afraid of clowns), with equally charming staff, and it’s really nice to find a café open late. However, we were really disappointed with the food, which was also really expensive. The panini had so much bread it was kind of difficult to eat, and the pasta was burnt when reheating so was basically inedible (I assume in the daytime this would be less likely to happen). Smoothie was also quite bland. I would be cautious about returning, but might give it another chance because the people were so friendly.

i’ve been here twice for coffee now, and both times it was abysmal. can’t speak much for the food, as i haven’t tried it. but for coffee, you’re far better off going to stickybeaks down the street.
plus there’s the whole clown thing…
His father was a drinker
And his mother cried in bed
Folding John Wayne’s t-​shirts
When the swingset hit his head
The neighbors they adored him
For his humor and his conversation
Look underneath the house there
Find the few living things, rotting fast, in their sleep
Oh, the dead
Twenty-​seven people
Even more, they were boys
With their cars, summer jobs
Oh my God
Are you one of them?
He dressed up like a clown for them
With his face paint white and red
And on his best behavior
In a dark room on the bed
He kissed them all
He’d kill ten thousand people
With a sleight of his hand
Running far, running fast to the dead
He took off all their clothes for them
He put a cloth on their lips
Quiet hands, quiet kiss on the mouth
And in my best behavior
I am really just like him
Look beneath the floor boards
For the secrets I have hid

Exellent coffee made right every time and very decent food in a lively place. The service is definetely Italian: laud and a bit on the rude side sometimes. However, that is exactly what I like about this place. Italian people running it so no need for borrowed authenticity. It really reminds me of Italy and the passionate ways of its people.

The atmosphere in this place just rocks; try to sit downstairs, as it’s where the clowns are, though there’s outside seating above.
The food is plain, but good, with an Italian slant, and the owner brews his own beer (though he had sold out when I was there on 1 April 2011). Lots of European clown dolls line four two-​shelf bookcases set into the back wall. I had insalata caprese (made Italian-​style, with olive oil and no vinegar, though, interestingly, with a mound of grated carrot), and a Peroni.
It certainly helps if you can exchange pleasantries with the owner in Italian, but it’s not necessary: the atmosphere also spikes upwards if (as I do), you come in poring over a much-​crumpled map, folded and refolded in the course of your search to find the place.

There are clowns everywhere here. Bright paintings of them cover the walls. Models of them crowd onto different wooden alcoves and shelves all around the room. And even more hang on strings from the ceiling above.
This is what you first strikes you when you step into Clowns, an always busy coffee shop tucked behind Christ’s Pieces in Cambridge. The café’s quirky décor suddenly makes other local coffee shops seem very boring and unimaginative.
The customers here feel lively too. The big wooden tables are normally filled with groups of friends and students who’ve come to spend the afternoon. Loud chatter and laughter bubble above the hiss of a coffee machine working double time to serve them all.
There isn’t any clowning around with the coffee though. A sturdy looking machine produces strong, bitter espressos that’d make a Milanese barista proud. Near perfect, not overly frothy cappuccinos also prove that beneath the quirkiness this is a serious Italian café.
Further evidence is given by the quality of the food. A glowing glass counter near the entrance displays a sumptuous selection of cakes. Fresh looking cherry tart, creamy tiramisu and rich Italian chocolate cake all clamour for your attention.
If you’re looking for a more of a meal then another counter has trays of penne and tortellini ready to be heaped onto a plate for budget prices. The café also does a range of other interesting Italian dishes such as lamb shank and white wine chicken.
It’s a place you can come for just coffee, for a lunchtime panini, or for a full Italian meal and a glass or two of wine. Like a true Italian coffee shop, Clowns shifts its identity through the day, starting as a coffee spot but staying open late to offer a relaxed alternative to the bars.
With good Italian style coffee, a huge range of well prepared food, and a really friendly atmosphere, it would be easy to spend a lot of time in Clowns. It’s an act which the rest of the Cambridge café circus may find it difficult to follow.

If you take it for what it is, a place that offers reasonable food (none of that Maccy Dee nonsense), cheaply, in a place with a good, friendly, busy informal vibe, you won’t be disappointed!

Friendly restaurant. Good authentic food with good portions. Excellent coffee drinks. The clowns are a bit creepy, but I’m a total fan of their food. It’s a great place to hang out with friends and do some reading.

The service was wonderful. The people were nice. The atmosphere was comfortable. They made me forget how frightening clowns are. Minus one star because of the clowns.

Good coffee and cakes. Cheap and tasty pasta dishes. Really nice chunk of pork dish which had a strange name.
The staff are always friendly and the customers seem relaxed, I’ve always felt relaxed in Clowns anyway.
It’s far enough away from the tourist routes that you can dine is comfort while not paying top price and feeling ripped off.

This place gets great reviews wherever I look, is rated as a Cambridge institution etc, etc, but when I made the effort to seek it out I found it to be rather dull. I thought the food was ok, but nothing terribly special, and the surroundings were a bit canteenish. I guess people don’t go for a ‘fine dining’ experience but I think even a mediocre experience passed me by really.

I lived in the flat next door to Clowns for four years, which meant I basically lived in Clowns as well. This is without doubt the warmest, friendliest café around: once you’ve been there a few times, Ray, Genni, Michaela and the rest make you feel like part of the family, and they were model neighbours.
It’s open late, and you can sit for hours with your coffee — ideal if you need to do some work. Most of my PhD got written at one of their tables, fuelled on their espressos and bacon sandwiches. Great, cheap, filling food, and good drinks — I loved their hot chocolate.
I went back when I was in town a few months ago — it had been a few years since I was there, but the family instantly made me feel right at home. «Institution» is the right word: I can’t imagine Cambridge without Clowns!

I know the Raphael and his family that runs this Cambridge establishment.
It has undergone a majora facelift with which some of the character got lost.
The food is excellent when it is cooked fresh. However by evening the taste goes off a bit. I suggest that you try the pasta dishes early afternoon and lasagna dishes in the evening.
Their Tiramisu is to die for!!!

One of my favorite places in Cambridge! Clowns is a wonderful little café where you can grab a nice (and cheap) lunch, chat with friends, or sit and mull over your notes during exam term with several cups of coffee. Lovely place. The owners are so friendly and welcoming, they just make you feel right at home. Order and pay at the counter and grab a seat upstairs. There’s even a little patio where you can sit and sunbathe as you while away the hours.
Not a place, however, for those with a pathological fear of clowns. Clown dolls hang randomly from the ceiling throughout the building. It’s kind of weird.

Clowns, decorated heavily throughout with Clowns, is a charming little find. The food is all pre-​prepared, and displayed in large dishes in the counter. You make your choice at the counter and pay before you sit down, then your food is brought to your promptly (having been reheated). The food is always delicious — with the vegetarian lasagne being my personal favourite. The atmosphere is relaxed — like a lazy family-​run café in the heart of Italy. The owners are passionate about their work, and customer service is superb, with everyone feeling welcome and being well looked-​after. The wine, at only £5 a bottle, is never going to be good — so don’t bring any wine-​snobs out for a quick bite here if you want to impress them!
If after the delicious main course you are still not full, treat yourself to a traditional Italian dessert. Much more delicious than anything you will be served in a chain Italian restaurant, and only a fraction of the price. Enjoy!

I remember coming here as a student, whiling away many afternoons catching up with friends, putting the world to rights and sharing yummy cakes. A few years on, Clown’s is still everything I remembered from those student days — unpretentious, quirky and very reasonably priced. The Italian staff are very friendly and there’s a really lovely family atmosphere. It’s one of those places where you could happily idle away an afternoon with a latte and wouldn’t get harrassed. It’s open late too — so if you fancy catching up with friends in a chilled atmosphere after the shops have closed, it’s ideal.
However, if you get creeped out by clowns, perhaps this isn’t your ideal hangout!

Clowns coffee bar is one of the few Italian cafés in city centre. It is a typical café, with glass windows, 3or 4 chairs round a circular table and high counter for serving/​ordering your coffee. So why did I decide to go there of all the many cafés around? I do not know myself. Well, I wanted to go to a different coffee from the ones you get in well known coffee shops and I was not disappointed with the coffee I got. My cappuccino was very creamy just the way I like it
The activities going on in the café was quite entertaining as it kept me away from peace and quiet I get from other cafés, which is sometimes a good thing. There was a mainland feel to the atmosphere and the staffs were polite, that is about all I need to enjoy a good coffee like the one I got.

My ex would despise this place with a passion. Not for the good coffee or the cheap genuine Italian food or the tasty thick milkshakes or the quite helpful staff but because of the proliferation of clowns. Clowns does not disappoint if you desire clowns. The walls are choc-​a-​bloc with paintings, drawings, collages and photos of clowns. My ex has a terrific fear of clowns.
It’s a cute little café. The coffees are good. The food is generally made in one big go and then put in the fridge so you can look at it and pick which one you want microwaved up it’s not real fancy but it’s good cheap food. There is also a great choice of homemade cakes. They sell booze too, and one of the finest things about Clowns that sets it apart from the rest is that it’s open til midnight which in Cambridge is a rare and wonderful delight.