Il Caffe Felice

Felice is a bit of a step down for the guy who used to run Tic Toc, but it’s not all bad. It is a bit of a mess: high ceilings and spartan layouts make the whole place a little cold and uninviting, and the food is a bit uneventful: café classics served in paninis. Still, it all tastes great, and I really recommend the cakes and the like on display: they are always really great and worth a nibble.
Prices are a bit much, but the location is pretty impressive, slap bang in the middle of an area that could do with more open cafes like Felice: North Road. Still, a lot needs to be tweaked here: the menu looks dull, even though it tastes great when it arrives. The whole lay-​out is a bit cold and needs some light, love and energy. Still, worth sticking out: the food is really good, worth the price and the slightly impersonal set-​up.

Caffe Felice is a charming little café. It’s the perfect place for a light lunch or afternoon coffee and cake. The cakes are absolutely delicious. They do a variety of cakes such as carrot, chocolate fudge and banoffie which I would highly recommend a slice of! I haven’t tried the lunches but there is a fine choice of baguettes, toasted sandwiches, jacket potatoes, savoury quiches and a range of pastries. Some may say the interior is slightly plain but in my opinion it’s light, spacious and quite traditionally decorated inside which makes it a calming place to unwind. It has plenty of tables, comfortable seats and sofas to sit on and if you go on your own there’s a fair selection of magazines and newspapers read as you relax with an afternoon tea or coffee.
It’s slightly pricey but if you want a satisfying slice of cake you won’t be disappointed. It’s definitely worth the extra pound! Another great thing about this café is the cake service they offer — you can order a tailor made cake or choose one of their classics; a great place to use if you want a specific and tasty cake for a celebration or special occasion.

There’s something lacking in Caffe Felice… all the right components for a good café are there (cake, hot chocolate, coffee and sofas) but it just doesn’t quite come together somehow. From the exterior and the interior décor, right through to the desserts and hot drinks, everything just feels a bit artificial. My hot chocolate was pretty ridiculous– it was the richest, most chocolaty hot chocolate ever to have passed my lips! Perhaps this level of intensity appeals to some, but I prefer not to receive chocolate soup when I order a cocoa! It was also not hot enough– I find this to be a common disappointment with hot chocolates, why is it they so often arrive tepid?
I was not moved to try a dessert as I felt they were overpriced and frankly not all that appetizing. Prior to visiting this place for myself, I had heard rave reviews. I’m struggling to understand why! The loud Italian ballads were frankly kind of intrusive and although the service was friendly, there just isn’t anything special enough to make me return.

The sign for Café Felice has caught my attention several times whilst waiting for the bus on North Road. It’s elegant and brightly coloured design brings to mind tea and fancy cakes … and so I was a bit disappointed.
The display of desserts was ample, but none of the cakes or pies seemed to be in top shape — the plates were filled with crumbs and smeared with loose fillings, and the apple and rhubarb pie was nearly falling apart. A quick tidy of the area would have made it much more appetising.
As it was, I only ordered an Americano, which rang in at a steeper-​than-​usual £2. The décor was not quite charming — the matching wooden table sets and a few pristine brown sofas lacked character.
Um, in good news, the service was friendly and the Americano was nice.

This place has a really convenient location, and its shop front does a great job of luring in the passing Brightonians and tourists. I ended up here to meet a friend the other day as they were late meeting me at the end of the North Laine opposite and this seemed a good place to wait. I’d looked in a few times before and the cakes looked delicious, but one thing did put me off. This is quite a new café so maybe it’ll get fixed with some time, but personally the décor ruins the whole experience.
My cake was delicious — I had some fruity tart thing — and my friend had a gorgeous three-​tiered Victoria sponge type cake (excuse my lack of cake expertise!). They were decent slabs too, so don’t go if you’re looking for a light snack! There were loads of cakes to choose from and the savoury food, including homemade quiches, looked equally yummy. Prices were what you’d expect for Brighton really — take a fiver for tea and cake and don’t expect much change.
Unfortunately, the décor doesn’t do justice to the alluring shop front and the wholesome comfort food. It’s very minimalist, and almost cold. I guess that’s what they’re going for, I’d just prefer something a bit cosier.