Arches Coffee House

Lovely meals. Great service and reasonable prices.

A gem of a small cafe in the centre of the city! No wonder it's so busy.
Lots of choice on the menu, good-size portions, food cooked to order and well done.
Coffee good quality (Lavazza). Ask for milky coffee if you normally have a latte.
Good choice of delicious desserts.
Great value and friendly, efficient service.
Highly recommend.

A superb little coffee shop hidden down the pleasant back-streets of central Carlisle.

Fortunately we visited the place mid-morning with the shop half-full of customers. There's around 12 tables, roughly 5 at ground level and the remainder up four steps - which may prove a little awkward for people who are unsteady on their feet and have to rely on sticks or crutches etc.

That said, the shop feels very cosy, fresh and clean. The tables were always cleared of old food, cups and plates within a couple of minutes of customers leaving; and the plastic table clothes were always wiped down properly, with no obvious mess on chairs or surrounding floor.

The menus are quite typical for a coffee shop - scones, cakes, sandwiches, soups, hot toasties, full breakfasts. And some of the walls do carry special deals and/or chef's specials. And the good thing is that there is a waitress to take you order at your table. So you can always ask questions or ask for variations to your choice, and they are happy to do that for you.

In my case I went for ham & cheese on wholemeal bread (the menu doesn't offer this combo, but by simply asking, they will oblige). I also had the soup of the day (home made thick and creamy vegetable), which was rather excellent!

The ham & cheese sandwich came with the usual lettuce, tomatoes & mayo side, but the entire meal was delightful, filling and very tasty.

To follow I went for a slice of apple pie and two scoops of vanilla ice cream, and a pot of tea. Again all very nice, especially the pie, which was rich with flavour and very filling!

During the hour I spent there the shop was beginning to reach capacity, and yet the three waitresses kept on top of things with ease; always patient, always with a smile on their faces and ready to help when needed.

Even though the final bill was around £14 or so I would definitely make a point of coming again, not least for the pleasant staff and surrounds; but also for the quality of food on offer.

A very traditional cafe in the centre of Carlisle.The staff were very friendly & welcoming .The cafe had lots of homemade food options and prices for food and beverages were very reasonable.The cafe was very busy but service was prompt, seamless and very organised.Cafe & toilet facilities were clean & tidy.

We stopped off at Carlisle on our way back from Scotland to Shropshire and were looking for a place for lunch.The Arches is very close to the cathedral and looked clean and reasonably priced .Tables were well spaced and COVID friendly.We were given the choice of where to sit and the waitress was very friendly and attentive,not rushing us but there when we needed her.
So,the food....The menu has a selection of sandwiches,jacket potatoes,cakes etc as well as full meals and specials on the board.I had steak pie,packed with meat ,very tender and tasty.My wife had the ploughman's which was massive and had everything on it,cheese,ham,cheese savoury,pickle,salad, onions, bread,all delicious.Together with two drinks it came to £18 so I'm not sure why a couple of people have criticised the price? Absolute bargain and filled us up all the way back to Shropshire.When we return to Carlisle,it will be our first stop!
Thanks again

Visited twice 2 initially pop in and c Katie 😊
But had snack
And breakfast over the 2days
Was lovely
We where made VERY WELCOME
Great service and very friendly staff 💖💖

Fantastic dinner, good prices. Nice stuff. Me and partners new place for dinner

Always an excellent breakfast

Love this Coffee Shop. Staff are very friendly and food is very good quality - a regular visitor here

We were in Carlisle for several days in the fall of 2022. We randomly stopped at Arches and it was delightful! The food was tasty, the service was great and the prices were really reasonable. It was nice to get a little bit of the ambience of Carlisle.

Best place to go for a meal best service highly recommend

We went there for teacakes a coffee and a hot chocolate. The service wad was friendly, efficient and slow quick. The teacskes were tasty,
my husband loved his coffee and my hot chocolate was out of this world. The price was reasonable too. I'll definitely be bringing my friend there for lunch next week when she comes for a visit.

Came here yesterday morning between our train connections. Fast, friendly service & does a gorgeous coffee. The food is lovely & fresh. Look forward to coming back soon!:)

This is a lovely little local business to support. We had jacket potatoes: 1 with prawns, 1 with beans. A nice side garnish & coleslaw. Loads of prawns & jackets are oven cooked with gorgeous skins. Service is fab too - very helpful & attentive staff. Good prices -too. We'd recommend to everybody!

We visited Carlisle as tourists and we were so happy that we stumbled upon Arches.
The waitresses and service was attentive but not pushy, comfortable dining arrangements and a fantastic menu selection
This was one of the best cafes I've ever visited, given super portion sizes and the quality of the mac and cheese special was of an excellent standard and low price.
I would recommend this place to anyone who is in Carlisle or visiting the area

Fantastic place to grab lunch. Nice sizeable portions for the price, delicious food and very friendly staff. Highly recommended!

Lovely place, good breakfast and great staff. Absolutely amazing sausages!!

And who cares if the anti covid disinfectant is a bit sticky, at least everything is super clean!! Will be back thank you so much :) :)

Great little cafe. Came in a month or so back and had a couple of breakfasts and coffee. Didn't have to wait long for food to arrive. They seem to take cleaning seriously which is good in times like this. Friendly staff.

Great place been a few times lovely staff 😊

Excellent service. Lovely Steak Pie with Gravy, Chips and veg