The Best Cafes in Bookham, Surrey, United Kingdom (2025)

The BEST FLAT WHITE I've had since leaving Australia. Harry knows good coffee, better than any I've had in London and Bristol at any price point. The steak and Brie baguette was nothing short of a triumph. The atmosphere in Ada's is warm and welcoming it's a great spot everyone's just happy to be there. Harry and James are going places, I'll be back to try the rest of the menu Bravo

We took the grandchildren into Bookham village for lunch as a treat, saying they could choose any cafe they liked, and Ada's was the one selected. They kindly put two tables together to accommodate the four of us. The girls ordered lasagne, I had a meat stew which was dairy free as I have an intolerance, and my husband opted for samosas with a pasta salad. The portions were generous and everything was delicious. The girls then had hot chocolate drinks with marshmallows and cream as dessert. It was a very successful visit, and we'll definitely go to Ada's again when we're out and about in the village.

We visited Ada’s for lunch, we were amazed at how incredible everything was! A fantastic expansive & varied menu, we chose sandwiches, coffee & cake! Great value for the quality of food. All of it was delicious! Lovely building & decor, clean & tidy. A warm, friendly & welcoming environment from both the waitress/server & the clearly very talented chef himself. We also left with some treats from their packaged produce including a bag of ground coffee. Would highly recommend for a lunch destination or take away meals to enjoy later.

Shame it’s small and not easy to get a table. The food is great and homemade, staff really knowledgeable and helpful however they were rather slow to serve customers. Great variety of world foods from delicatessen charcuterie to biscuits and sauces. Average priced for the area but excellent quality

What a wonderful hidden gem in Leatherhead! Was going to Costa, but was disappointed at the selection, so went on a wonderful and discovered Lucio's. My, I have never had a better hot chocolate in my life. And the muffins? To die for! I loved the atmosphere, even the style of the plates that the food came on! The service was wonderful, and it was a beautiful place to have a nice refill on a soggy day! Thanks for a lovely refreshment x

Go here for terrific full breakfasts, simple but finely made panini(s), comfort soups and quality bread. And as their name suggests, the coffee was an absolute belter. The pastries and cakes looked appealing too, though we didn't order any. The staff were friendly despite what was clearly the rush hour (non-stop crowd on a Sunday afternoon ~1pm).

I love Lucio's Coffee&Deli the Coffee beverage is amazing as is the Food and the pastry. Absolutely lovely and highly recommended to stop by here and grab a coffee or a nice pastry . The staff is absolutely lovely and so Friendly always in a good spirit. If you don't stop by here, you're missing out! 😉

Wonderful coffee! I’m always impressed when I see coffee being made the way it should! And when it’s served with a smile like here it certainly deserves top marks-will try the food next time. Certainly looks delicious

Incredible artisan chocolate store run by Tamas and his family, amazing choice of gelato’s and chocolate treats and even great vegan options too.

What a little gem! We were looking for something to do in the area and this was about the only place open on Sunday (thank you for having some common sense!). Pecan pie was particularly excellent! Chocolates were a little smaller than most boutique places, but very very delicious. Served by a very friendly chap, shop was a little cramped, but we were just grabbing and going so no issue there. Street parking right outside so easy to get to.

This is a wonderful little chocolate shop selling a range of chocolates made onsite. The rose and violet creams are the best I’ve ever tasted even better than from the shops in London. The service is very friendly and chocolates are very good quality

Found this cafe today as was working near by. What a fantastic find. The owners were so friendly and attentive. The breakfasts we had were so nice. Top range ingredients and really well presented. 100% be going back. Great find

Wow! Have never been so cheerily greeted (before I even got through the door!) and the charm didn’t end there. What a cheerful, lovely place and the food was terrific. Only went in for a quick bit of grub but that pitstop made my day.

Loved the quality of the ingredients. Bacon bread mushrooms well cooked. Just visiting but could feel a real community spirit. Well done Laylas mum. Perfect coffees.

Great homemade food and friendly service, our weekend treat to have coffee and a delicious sandwich at Layla's. Update May 2023 - we had a delicious full English at Laylas this morning, a perfect start to our Bank Holiday!

Great cafe in Bookham station making great use of a sweet little building which had been disused for a long time. Good coffee (including decaf!) And good selection of snacks. Also really well situated for Bookham Common - it's great to be able to grab a nice hot drink before a long winter walk!

Since opening, the railway stop has been a haven for my morning commute, with lovely coffee, tasty food and bubbly, friendly staff. I cannot recommend it enough!

Great place to stop for a coffee or some food. Dog friendly and super friendly staff. Would highly recommend.

The Railway Stop has been much needed for Bookham. The staff seem bright and eager to serve. There seems to be a lovely network between the cafe and the community.

Thank you - the food was delicious, service was timely. A fantastic experience. Highly recommended.

I ordered one of the signature breakfasts. I was happy with the service, everything was well presented and the food mostly tasted nice but I have 2 small complaints. One, the tea has a touch too much milk, secondly I wish the mushrooms had a bit of seasoning on them as even a bit of butter can make them tastier and less watery.

Great little cafe on the town centre. Not a huge menu, but everything is perfect! Lovely attentive and friendly staff! Will be coming back!

A specialty cafe with a healthy menu, calming décor, wood tables, local merchandise, smiles of the servers. My sausage sarnie came with red onions in it of which its sweetness went well with the pork, the sourdough freshly moist, the meat freshly juicy. My wife's avocado on toast was wholesome but the avocado was cut in halves though garnished with red pepper. I would prefer it being smashed and seasoned.

Lovely decor in this place, bright and fresh. Friendly and polite service. Food was lovely, nice cup of tea as well.

Fantastic local, family owned coffee shop. As a self confessed coffee snob, this is by-far my favourite coffee shop. The staff are excellent, always friendly and take care and attention when creating their masterpieces. The coffee is amazing- I drink cortado’s and whenever I order one elsewhere, I’m so disappointed! The sweet treats are wonderful. They have a selection of classics (brownies, tiffins, granola slices, pastries ect) but also have incredible fancier options to indulge in (opera cakes, cheesecakes, Mille-feuille, macarons ect). The prices are so reasonable, especially for the quality served. I always recommend this place to my clients. The only danger of this place is that I work on the high street and can’t help but visit once a day 🙃

The coffee here was the BEST coffee I have had in a VERY long time! Cakes looked excellent too but will have to come back for those another day!

The coffee was excellent and I enjoyed sitting outside watching the world go by. All of the staff were very friendly. If you love coffee then I highly recommend. They also had a good looking selection of treats too.

Best coffee in Dorking by a long way. Friendly staff...lovely atmosphere

Visited with the children for the Tiger that Came to Tea trail. Having done many other National Trust theme trails, I must admit that I think I preferred this one the most. I liked this story as a child too! The trail takes you around the outside of the property and then through the main house. Each trail point provides a short activity such as making the tiger some food, brewing tea by throwing tea bags into cups and dressing up as the tiger (or Sophie). Each activity station was quite small but luckily, due to the time we arrived and due to many schools still being in, we had plenty of space and time at each task. I imagine next week (half term) will be a totally different ball game and with any sort of crowd the trail would really become a chore rather than enjoyable. My advice would be to go early (or late) to avoid crowds and busy periods. We also enjoyed the added bonus of the Last Tree Exhibition on the first floor of the house. This short exhibition presented the works of Luke Adam Hawker and was really eye opening, fascinating and interesting. Whilst my three year old didn't find this too exciting, my five year old enjoyed looking at the art. A nice touch was the addition of some of Luke's art work as a child which inspired my eldest to focus on her art which she loves too. Of course the house itself is a shrine to the family that lived there in the early 1900s and some of the rooms are fabulous. There were also a number of teddy griffins to hunt for in the various rooms too which kept the children focussed. Polesden Lacey is one of the smaller NT properties and is definitely more suited to a lovely warm summer's day rather than the overcast and rainy weather we were treated to. But with the trail, the art exhibition, the historic rooms and the cafes there is plenty to keep you occupied. Four legged friends are also welcome on leads.

Brilliant small place very nice would have liked to see it in full bloom. Toilets very clean and tidy disabled access at front however not sure re house as the stairs are steep. Parking is £4 a day to non members members free. Lots of things to see and do including a tiger comes to tea trail a wooden playground and a big nature trail staff are nice and very knowledgeable Brilliant keep up the good work 👍

Wow wow wow! One of my absolute favourites! The journey to Polesden Lacey along the country roads is just gorgeous and then when we arrived we were in for a treat! The coffee shop has a lovely courtyard to enjoy coffee and a cake, a decent gift shop to buy seasonal gifts and goods and then access to the park & house. The acreage offers plenty! Play areas set up for children are superb to get them out in nature, whilst ramblers can go on long walks and all can enjoy the house and views. The view….whilst walking to the house it comes up on you & wow the Valley is spectacular! The house is stunning and was showing an exhibition inside so plenty to look at whilst taking in the house itself. The gardens and landscape are beautifully kept with picnic areas and seating all over. Highly recommend - super friendly and helpful staff & volunteers

My wife and I visited Polesden Lacey midweek in December. Our visit involved a walk around the gardens, the house itself and then a trip to the cafe. The house is set in some really very well tended gardens and parkland. The gardens and kitchen gardens were very interesting, both in the overall layout and in the details. There were some lovely spots, like the covered bridge and some interesting details, like notices explaining what was happening in the gardens that were displayed on garden forks. Around the gardens, the statues and carvings had all been wrapped in sheets, against the ravages of the winter. The gardens contained a bird feeding area with a small hide. We spent quite some time watching a wide variety of birds there. Really good. Beside the entry to the house was an old carousel (closed off during our visit). People were held in a queue at the door, because the house was decorated for Christmas, with the theme of a masquerade from 1931. The delay at the door enabled relatively small groups to see and photograph the lavish Christmas decorations. In the entrance hall, visitors could hear 1930s recordings of Christmas carols. One carol sounded as though it was sung by Florence Foster Jenkins, although I’m almost certainly wrong. The decorations were spectacular and these included lots of costumes and some live piano music. For me, the highlight of the interior, was the collection of paintings in the hallways and corridors, there were some icons(?) , and Dutch interiors and seascapes. What was disappointing was that our visit was restricted to a few formal rooms, with no bedrooms and no kitchens to be seen. The cafe supplied us with drinkable coffee and there was food available that didn’t contain eggs and dairy.

Lovely atmosphere and friendly service. Lovely place for a breakfast or brunch. Nice and clean. Worth noting: 1) it is on the high-end when it comes to prices 2) cappuccino is not very frothy so it’s more like a caffellatte of flat white. Dogs welcomed.

Visiting the area for the dance comp. Whilst walking the high street, found this wonderful independent coffee shop, had a lovely chat with the owner. They also use Ozone coffee which is a perk. 💪🏻 I wish more high streets had more independent coffee shops. The chains have no personality

Excellent vibes, terrific coffee, great food. What's more, the service is good - the staff are warm and welcoming. The menu is interesting without being overwhelming. I've not been to one of the musical performances that they apparently host, but it sure seems like a good venue to host a small, intimate musical evening. The one sticking point was the slightly sticky tables (I tried two of them), reminding one of a round-the-corner greasy spoon, but that apart, Charlie & Ginger is super cool.

I have been getting my coffee from Charlie & Ginger for years now at this rate, and there is a reason for it! Perfect coffee, great seating spaces, and delicious pastries. They do have a loyalty stamp card, so you can get a free coffee every so often. It's a great spot if you WFH, there are spaces with charger points. They also sell really nice candles & coffee beans for those with a machine at home. The aesthetic of the cafe is also so pretty, and the staff are always super friendly (and will remember your order if you are a regular!) They also have clean toilets, are dog friendly, and have space for bikes outside.