Baileys 2 — Restaurant in West Suffolk

We popped into this café on our trip around the town of Bury St. Edmunds. The staff were really cheerful and friendly, and the cakes looked amazing. It was about 3.15pm and despite them closing at 4pm, the girls at the front of house assured us that if we came back after finishing off our tour of the town, they would still be able to serve us - even if it was 3..55pm.

Upon completing our visit around the town and feeling a tad guilty (as it was 3.45pm), we headed back to Baileys2 to be greeted by very cheery smiles and the promise of a table to sit at, cakes and coffee.

How could we refuse? We perused the delicious sounding (and looking) cakes on offer and chose 3 to share. Carrot cake, Amaretto & coconut cheesecake, and a three chocolate brownie, served warm with ice cream. We ordered a mint tea, and to my delight, a café con leche (which really did taste like the real thing). The cheesecake was huge; the body of the cake itself, moist and delicious. The frosting had incredible flavour and was honestly the best I have tried in a café. The Amaretto & coconut had great consistency, good flavour and texture. The chocolate brownie is highly recommended by us (and as per the chef's recommendation ) served warm with ice cream.

All service was prompt. We had a host of questions to ask about the various cakes, all of which were answered promptly with both professionalism and courtesy. In the end, the chef came out and answered questions himself. Was the jam homemade? Yes. Was the cheesecake vegetarian? Yes. Was the bread and chutney etc homemade? Yes, yes and 'yes' to everything! In the end, Dean the chef (and owner), spent a great deal of his own time chatting with us and discussing the way he made his dishes, his cakes and other elements to what comes out of his kitchen.

He also kindly spent time chatting about Baileys2, the whole ethos behind it and his background as a chef. The biggest thing we picked up on (aside from the quality of everything), was the absolute passion.

You really can tell when love and passion go into creating what comes out of the kitchen ... and at Baileys2 you can taste it in every delectable mouthful. The place gets busy, so if it's difficult to get in, don't worry. Simply go back later when you can get a table, and enjoy what is probably some of the best cake you will ever eat.

You...

Next level coffee shop, with the best cakes I've had in a very long time, possibly ever! Very nice food, very large selection of sandwiches and toasties, with gluten free bread options. But it's the coffee and cakes that really makes this place stand out. The coffee is superb, the best flat white I have had after Silver Oak in Ely, who do the best flat white I've ever had. They however are coffee roasters with a passion for the stuff so it is less of a surprise there. It is a surprise here as so many coffee shops have very mediocre offerings in this regard. Not Baileys however, there coffee is superb with clear attention to detail in the preparation and quality coffee. Highly recommended for this alone. But, if you enjoy a nice cake then you are doing yourself an injustice by not going here. Great variety and every one of the four I tried were exceptional, not just great, but truly exceptional. The Biscoff chocolate cake was my personal favourite, and is one of the nicest cakes I've ever eaten. All of their sponges were perfectly moist with the optimal balance of sponge to icing. Just go and enjoy some cake and a coffee, you won't regret it. Oh and the service was very good and super...

We read about this place and drove an hour to have afternoon tea. We arrived right at closing time and all the staff had gone for the day. We knocked on the door and the owner, Dean, was so gracious to let us in, packed two slices of cake and teas to go on the house. WOW, best coffee walnut cake we've ever had! The cake was moist and light, the sweetness of the frosting restrained by the dark bitter coffee flavor and nutty walnuts--perfectly balanced. The Victoria sponge layered with homemade jam elevated this simple, British classic. Our serendipitous stop coincided with Dean's 15th year anniversary. For anyone looking for the quintessentially English luxury teatime experience, this is it. Gourmet cakes, pastries, and teas, with some of the best customer service we have experienced anywhere. We will definitely go back on our next trip. Six stars if we could, but five does seem to...