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

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Polow Restaurant in Egham, and it was an exceptional experience that I feel compelled to share. Specializing in Persian cuisine, Polow offers generous portions that are both satisfying and bursting with flavor. Each dish we sampled was prepared with fresh ingredients, and the taste truly reflected the rich and aromatic essence of Persian culinary traditions. The variety on the menu was impressive, catering to diverse palates and ensuring that there is something for everyone to enjoy. The kebabs were succulent and perfectly seasoned, while the stews were hearty and comforting. The use of herbs and spices was masterful, enhancing the natural flavors of the ingredients without overpowering them. One of the standout features of Polow is its atmosphere. The interior design is lovely, blending traditional Persian elements with a modern touch to create a warm and inviting ambiance. It’s a perfect setting for both casual dining and special occasions. The attention to detail in the décor contributes to an overall pleasant dining experience. The staff at Polow were incredibly friendly and attentive. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with genuine warmth and hospitality. The service was prompt and efficient, with the staff making sure we had everything we needed without being intrusive. Additionally, the convenience of finding parking nearby was a significant plus. In an area where parking can often be a challenge, Polow's easy-to-access location makes the dining experience even more enjoyable. In summary, Polow Restaurant in Egham is a gem that offers great food, a welcoming atmosphere, and exceptional service. Whether you are a fan of Persian cuisine or new to it, Polow provides a delightful culinary journey that is well worth experiencing. Highly recommended for anyone looking to enjoy a memorable meal in a charming setting.

So happy that we stopped here en route back to London. Delicious food, awesome people. Saffron sugar “kebab/lollipop” by the tea is cute. The naan is so gorgeous. So fragrant and bubbly crispy. For starters we had grilled Aubergine cold and warm (kashke bademjan and Naz Khatoon) and olive with chopped walnuts (Zeytoon parvadeh, savory and subtly sweet and with lovely walnuts). All wonderful. Kebab Koobideh is very tasty. One of the best minced lamb dish I’ve had. Super flavorful but not overpowering, tender but not greasy. Kebab barg is perfectly grilled and tender though chenjeh is my usual choice. The people here are very nice and friendly. Checking on us about food and requests but not pushy. A nice place to catch up with friends. Hope I’ll pass by or take another reasonable detour again :)

Wow! Always wanted to have a Persian meal and weren’t we lucky to have been recommended here! Amazing decor from originally a butchers shop in the 19th century! Jug of water on the table as you get the menus. Lovely, calm, polite service throughout the meal, with great help and suggestions. We had a cold mixed meze to start with lovely fresh bread. Stunning main meals. Persian ice cream and the best fresh mint I have ever had. All of this set in a lovely atmosphere…..can’t praise here enough!

This place is just near to Egham town centre. I just love their way to serving most of the food. I just love kebab and their chicken and mutton ones were exceptionally good. I have ordered a Persian tea as well, it was okay not too bad but the way it was served was actually intriguing. Do try their saffron beer they taste really really good. I would definitely want to go again as the staff there they were so humble and polite, they do help you in ordering and suggesting.

The is my new hangout spot with my mates, people are always friendly and their food and drinks menu is also great. Staff members are always happy to recommend their best flavours of shisha and we are never let down by it.

I hate shisha spots with overly loud music and you can't have a normal conversation let alone decent food. So glad I found @jumeirahlounge_egham who not only have quality shisha flavours but have introduced a new food menu. Of everything I loved their smashed loaded fries and their naga burger. It's a whole new menu so they'll definitely making improvements so looking forward to revisiting but for a start, this is very impressive. Had no idea Staines/Egham had such a spot so anyone who wants nice shisha and food, here we are! By the way their mocktails are great value too - only £5 and generous portions 👌

First time at this lounge and it was enjoyable. Usually we’d head out to central/west London for but who wants to travel that far and pay ULEZ/Congestion Charge on top of already high prices? - occasionally, sure, but not all the time and I also don’t like being “forced to pay” those toll fees…!!! Jumeirah Lounge is conveniently located, easy to get to and parking is available. Food is actually better than what I had expected it to be to be honest - Naga mayonnaise is a nice little concoction and the smash burgers were nicely cooked. Chips were better than average; perhaps change to the crispy chips as a value add for your prices? Just a thought. The mocktails were nice, a good size but also a little on the pricier side. The team/staff were all lovely, polite and courteous, everyone was helpful - but the service was ‘slow’ and it always seemed difficult to get ‘help’ or to grab someone’s attention. Other than that, would definitely recommend. See you again soon.

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Lovely coffee shop, with very chatty and friendly staff that never fail to put a smile on your face :) Warm atmosphere and a great place to study with friends! 10/10 food and coffee☕️☕️

Good coffee and food in a relaxed environment. Randomly walked into this coffee shop and was pleasantly surprised. The Esquires English breakfast was delicious and hit the spot not the mention the tasty organic coffee. Cappuccino came in a big cup with the option of chocolate and cinnamon powder sprinkled on top when picking up the drink at the counter. There was plenty of seating and WiFi was easy to access. Staff members were friendly. Will definitely be back if in the area.

I visited Esquires for the first time today. I chose it because it was halfway between me and my friend and because of the photo of the eggs benedict. It's a lovely coffee shop in a great area. The coffee was good and the eggs benedict was delicious. I even had coffee art of a smiley face. I would highly recommend. 🥰

This place is beautiful. I really enjoyed having breakfast here. It was extensively decorated with Christmas-themed accessories by early November 🎄 In particular, I recommend the cappuccino with cinnamon.

Absolutely incredible, kimchi was some of the best I’ve ever tasted and the beef bulgogi was amazing. 100% recommend!

Fantastic food, limited menu but it's soooo good....katsu curry and spicy chicken are both amazing. Only about 12 seats but very Very good👍

The food here is insanely good! Great service, very friendly staff and atmosphere. So delicious that i now stop by once a week to satisfy my cravings

We tried our first bibimbap here and it was incredibly interesting and delicious! Large portions, good prices, nice and helpful staff, answered all questions. The gentleman helped us compose our bibimbaps and they tasted delicious. The place is small, sometimes there is no place to sit, but they also pack takeaways well. I recommend it to anyone who likes Korean cuisine, and if you haven't tried it, you must

Great food and excellent service, staff are so welcoming and friendly. Best food I have ever had in a cafe. And many choices to choose from. Im in paradise when I'm working in that area just cause I get to eat there. Thank you guys for the lovely food And making everyone feels very welcomed.

Huge breakfast, went for the poly green special. Everything was very hot and fast. Will definitely go back.

Lovely every time. Good food and service

Visited this place with my work colleagues for Christmas dinner. Excellent service, food, location and ambience. Bravo! The chicken was halal which made all the difference for me. 😇 Thank you Caffe Gandola. Will be back.

Fairly quiet on a Wednesday evening. Everyone was very happy with their food and the staff were friendly and helpful, although there was a weird moment when the menus were almost forcibly removed before we had ordered our mains. Turned out they were protecting them from spillages from our olives, oil and bread, which makes perfect sense because they're on classy printed card with no nasty plastic lamination, but an explanation at the time would have left us less confused

Honesty some of the best pizza I’ve ever had. I know pizza is one of those subjective things that can be quite unique for each person, but for me at least, this place does the best pizza. Can’t get enough of it. Dining in is a nice experience too, I like to sit outside usually.

Dined as a group of 10, 9 adults and a child. Had to move the booking around a bit but staff were accommodating. Sunday roast was amazing!!! 6/9 had lamb which was out of this world, amazing sides and very generous servings - we took home lunch for the next day. Would definitely return. Parking is on street, but we didn't struggle.

We visited for the seafood weekend, this pub never disappoints. The food was exceptional, as was the wine list. It felt like being on holiday with the sun shining in their pub garden area with such delicious fish, fizz and rose. Can’t wait to visit again!

August 2024: I felt compelled to re-review this gastropub and reduced it 3.5 stars but giving 4 here. Why? My hot seafood platter at £55 was very disappointing. 6 white baits and calamari that tasted of batter only. The half lobster was overcooked and rubbery. The best thing in that platter was the cod cheek. Tasted very good. I waited a while for this seafood weekend. And it was disappointing. If I were to go again it wouldn’t be for the platter. The sea bream was superb. And the white baits starter was worth it! Next time I’d get a 4 starts and that would still be cheaper than the platter and portion size would be so much more. The lobster here wasn’t worth it unfortunately. Service was 3.5-4 stars. It was a bit slow considering it wasn’t busy. It’s like we were an afterthought. A lady of age was so much better. I recommended this pub to so many of my connections and I was going to make this our regular. However after this second visit…. I don’t know. I’m now unconvinced and it’s a shame. I just feel disappointed that it’s a hit and miss. And I feel bad for recommending it. Maybe I’ll give it another go before deciding for sure. We had the platter, fish and chips, bream as main, white baits starter, 1 dessert, 2 teas was over £126 (including service). October 2023: I’m giving it all 5 stars eventhough it could be better because nothing is perfect right? Example the service could be better because the girl looked shell shocked when we arrived and said I’ve booked a table for 3. Even our son noticed it and kept asking us why was she surprised as he could see our names in the book. But after that a lady of age was super nice. Top notch customer service. Atmosphere should just be 4.5 because it’s a bit shabby chic inside and out. However, perhaps that’s the charm. It’s cosy. It’s ok. Food - this is where they excelled. I went there because of the reviews. It’s very very good. We had 2 starters, tea for 2, 3 mains and 1 dessert. With tip, just under £96. So not bad. I’d definitely recommend the beetroot salad with goats cheese. It has hazelnuts in it. The burger came medium rare so ask if you’d like it cooked more. We weren’t asked but we also forgot to ask. Everything - delicioso!!

Everything about the Sunday lunch was exceptional. The whole atmosphere, decor and table arrangements, the food delicious, the wine excellent. Above all the staff were absolutely fantastic and served perfectly. Smart, friendly, helpful. We were quite a lively party, but the whole pub/restaurant had a fabulous vibe. Thank you. Keep up the great work.

The food is fresh and very good. I normally create my own omelette, and it comes hot, tasty, and non greasy. The service is great here, very friendly staff and owners. Cafe is clean and we visit often.

I celebrated my 50th birthday with a party recently in the upstairs function room. The food was incredible, the staff were amazing, serving us throughout the evening and went out of their way to cater to our every need. Thank you so much for making it such a special evening and a special mention to Saira for her preparation beforehand and on the evening, Helen

Great quality food and really nice staff. We had lunch here, it was a little quiet on the Thursday but I’ve seen it very busy on the weekend. Croque Madame was lovely and recommended. Well worth the price. Hope to come here for dinner soon. Thank you

Wonderful! Lovely coffee, incredibly tasty eggs royale with beetroot cured salmon. Not been here for 30 years, great to see it still going strong!

The place was cozy and atmospheric. The food rations were huge and I had to come back to repeat the fish & chips. The service was very attentive and nice 😊

The food here is simply amazing, and the staff are very friendly too! I had no idea what to expect when my young son pushed me through the door, but they beat my expectations by miles! All the food was delicious... the Croffles, the Yuzu lemonade and the giant vanilla clotted cream ice-cream. Imaginative recipes and beautifully presented! The meal was perhaps a bit pricey at £26, but everything was fresh, the restaurant was beautifully clean, and there are even clean facilities when your little one needs to go. It was quite quiet when we went on a Sunday... maybe it's a little busier when the local students are back at Uni? Overall, a fun place to visit with an interesting menu.

They has some of the best pancakes I've ever had! They’re perfectly soft and delicious. The staff here are incredibly friendly, and the whole experience just feels welcoming. Highly recommend if you're in the mood for a great treat!

I came here with my friends to celebrate my birthday and they made me feel so special and accommodated. They were so lovely and the pancakes were amazing!! They even put on birthday music!!

Very friendly staff! My first time trying the Japanese soufflé pancakes and I wasn’t disappointed. The pancakes were very fluffy, light and not too sweet.