Famed for their Chelsea Buns, a Cambridge institution has just got bigger
Fitzbillies is nothing short of a Cambridge institution. Famed for their lusciously sticky, gloriously gooey Chelsea buns, the café and bakery has been adored by Cambridge folk for more than 90 years.
When the bakery unexpectedly closed in 2011, the future of this much-loved haunt was uncertain. Fans of Fitzbillies were quick to vent their distress at the news, including Stephen Fry, who exclaimed on Twitter, “No! No! Say it ain’t so – not Fitzbillies? Why I tweeted a pic of one of their peerless Chelsea buns but a sixmonth ago.” And so it was that news got to food writer Tim Hayward and his marketing exec wife Alison, who became the ‘saviours’ of Fitzbillies but a sixmonth later.
The bakery and café reopened to queues out the door and round the corner, and the success story has continued ever since. The revamped Fitzbillies has built a reputation as a fantastic restaurant too, and the syrup on the Chelsea bun of the story comes with the news of a second branch.
Located on Bridge Street, it’s got everything we love about the Trumpington Street branch, down to those iconic blue tiles. From dainty macarons and golden, chocolate encased Florentines to, of course, Chelsea buns, all sorts of gorgeous looking sugary confections line the counter. Then, come lunch, there’s home-made savoury tarts, sausage rolls, ciabattas, salads and the like to tempt, plus a specially made ice cream infused with Fitzbillies Chelsea bun syrup. You can also pick up breakfast treats, as well as great coffee and a range of speciality teas.
Blending contemporary and traditional, much like the Fitzbillies brand itself, the café has all the earmarks of a hip coffee shop, underpinned by serious quality with the food offering. The great location is bound to be a recipe for success too, when the inevitable influx of Quayside loungers and punters appears over the summer.
Always delighted to see a local independent café thriving, we’re extra pleased that one so deservedly well loved as Fitzbillies seems to be cementing its place in the fabric of Cambridge – here’s to the next 90 years, we say.
