I love Liutaio! The food is delicious, with loads of variety including plenty of healthy options if you don't want to have too many rich dishes. There's also a great range of teas which help you to digest and enjoy your meal.
It's the only restaurant I've eaten in which is also a music shop, and that explains its special atmosphere - calm and cultured withot being fussy, and a great place to exchange ideas with friends.
I especially enjoy the music evenings on Fridays and Saturdays, where you have a chance to enjoy music from both East and West, including some pieces played on authentic old oriental instruments. A special place!
I have been there 4 times now and love not only the food but the atmosphere too. The musicians are so talented and we've also been allowed to play on the piano for my son's birthday. I would highly recommend this place especially for a celebration. You do have to wait a bit longer if there are many guests among your party but it s all worth it. A nice jewel on Mill Road :)
Menu was extensive and superbly marked with vegetarian and vegan choices. Live music played whilst we ate. The staff are wonderfully talented...one moment they're explaining the menu the next they're playing a range of instruments. Delicious food, compliments to the chefs on an outstanding meal! Highly recommend
Jaspyr Hansell-Rainbow
+5
Amazing vegan menu! So many options, and can't wait to go back and try the vegan set menu too. Talented piano players on the staff, and a very open policy for playing yourself. Such lovely staff and atmosphere. Best evening out in ages!
Liutaio on Mill Rd call themselves a 'music cafe', but as well as daytime coffee they're open in the evening as a restaurant with a great selection of vegan and vegetarian Chinese&Asian food.
I've been there twice now for a meal out, and the food's been gorgeous and interesting choices both times, and the place has been quiet enough I'm not sure Cambridge has caught on to the fact it's open in the evening.
It's more or less standard Cam restaurant prices, and they do a super-tasty 3-course vegan tasting menu for two for about £50. Not sure whether they serve alcohol but they have like 2 pages of interesting teas!
Highly recommended.
Lovely restaurant which also does great meat and fish dishes. The slow cooked pork belly with Pakchoi was superb.
The music, the art and the staff made it memorable for all the right reasons. Thanks
Amazing food, great atmosphere and really friendly staff. Had a great night out and will definitely be back!
One of the most enchanting places I've had the the pleasure to visit. Cultured without being self righteous or ostentatious; modest while having great taste. Welcoming and original on many levels, be it the music walls, acommodating staff and wonderful cuisine.
Musicology prevails particularly towards the entrance, then , as you move along, you observe fusions of the Buddhist East. Very suited to it's Cambridge location and compliments the City's sublimity. If someone asks for a Chinese Restaurant, take them to a thinking person's Restaurant. It has style in a league of it's own.
Really lovely atmosphere and such friendly owners. Delicious food and interesting things on sale. Live music was lovely as well. Thoroughly recommend it! :D Thanks so much for a wonderful evening. Happy New Year!
Great authentic food, friendly staff, calm atmosphere, and beautiful interior design. A++++++
Good music and good food? LIUTAIO, marvellous precious, warm place in one word Unique. Here I tried for the first time the Wife Cake and I fell in love with it!!!!!
Rosario Hermida Magarinos
+5
We celebrate there our Christmas dinner an we have a fabulous time. The service was fantastic and the food was amazing. Thanks to the nice music night the atmosphere was perfect for your event. Many thanks to Liutaio Music Cafe staff.
Amazing food that caters really well for veggies and vegans. Lovely staff too!
Excellent food and service - will definitely be going back!
Amazing vegetarian and vegan choice, wonderfully tasty food and great service!
Fantanstic service. Food came very swiftly which was pretty and delicious. Great live music on Saturday as well! Would definitely come back again!
This place is a hidden gem, serving authentic and delicious Chinese cuisine! We had the Gyoza set for two and the Steamed (Dim Sum) set for two. Every piece was so yummy and we left full. The drinks were quite tasty as well - the Hot Bubble Almond Dew and Jujube tea we're both warm and comforting. Also, very note worthy, was the musician playing the traditional Chinese stringed piano while we ate. The music was so LOVELY.
Update: They've received their alcohol license, so customers may no longer bring their own alcohol in - but no fear, as they have amazing drinks to pair with their food!
I went from eating there once a week to eating there almost everyday. SO delicious AND healthy - not a combination you can find everywhere.
I walked pass this "restaurant" so many times but haven't had a chance to try it. It does not look like your typical restaurants because of all the musical instruments but let me tell you they have pretty decent food. I went there during lunch time and they offer lunch menu. You pay £8 for one main which you can choose from 15 different menu (vegan included) plus one hot drink. £9 for one main and one cold drink. Add 2 more for spring rolls/ samosas/ dessert. I ordered the pork belly with pickled pokchoi. It was delicious. My husband ordered the barbecue pork and he liked his too. The hot yuzu-honey that I ordered was also nice. Too sweet for my husband but I like it. The place is very clean. Would recommend it for a quick lunch.
Great service, great food, and excellent atmosphere with live violin and panic music late into the night.
I had Chinese licorice root tea, kimchi, and a wedding cake which were all delicious.
This is really a special and interesting place worth visiting in this part of Cambridge. Doubling as a shop for music instruments and fairly often with live Chinese music performed by the family who runs it. The food is generally good. I have had a few dishes that was a little too authentic for my taste but well prepared and I am sure some would find that a major part of the appeal, and there are plenty of delicious ans more "classic" Chinese dishes on the menu. The atmosphere is amazing dinning amongst instruments and with an open kitchen that looks more like one you would find in a house and less like an industrial one - an effect amplified by the family running it often dining at a large table in end of the room
Enjoyed a vegetable set menu, it can be difficult to find vegetarian Chinese food let alone dim sum so pleased to have this in Cambridge. £59 for two, more than enough food for this price.
Amazing dim sum, so tasty. This place is a hidden gem on mill road. And the service was fantastic and friendly
this place is a gem in cambridge. the drinks were lovely, very unique flavours and well made cocktails. for the food, we tried the crispy squid, octopus dough balls, duck gyoza, and char siu buns, they were all absolutely delicious and everything tasted very fresh. wish there was live music when we went, but would definitely go back another time for the music!
Sabrina “ConsciousEye&I” Burrell
+5
Wow what an amazing quaint gem. Friendly staff in an eclectic atmosphere. Food is made fresh so be prepared to wait 20mins but the food is served hot, plentiful and absolutely delicious!.... truly unique restaurant.
I really enjoyed my time here. The vegan menu was really good. My partner and I had the sweet and sour seitan and we both really liked it. The set up was nice and it was a very calming atmosphere.
I would have given it 5 stars if there was live music. My partner and I picked this place for date night expecting music but apparently they only play sometimes, so that was disappointing.
Just a heads up make sure you have cash because they don't take cards.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this beautiful cafe! I have never had so many vegan dim sum options that were all executed exquisitely and to high quality. I don't live in Cambridge but I will return solely to eat here again.
Amazing food and service. Love the instruments and the music.
Great food in a unique atmosphere.
The restaurant is like no other. Inside are lots of different instruments and the decor is very unique and vintage. Gives an inviting feeling.
The service is great, attentive and fast.
Food is very good. Dishes were pretty good - pork and coriander dumplings were amazing. Would highly recommend those.
Liutaio was a delightful experience, I highly recommend it.
A very days per week, Liutaio offers set menus exclusively. They had 3 different vegan set menus. As we were three, we ordered one each and shared. I also order a virgin cocktail (La Rose de Versailles) which was delightful. The food was delicious and diverse. I forgot to take a picture of the desserts, which were also delicious. The staff were always attentive and helpful.
The restaurant is also a store and sells antiques and music instruments. The atmosphere is relaxing and intimate.
Please note that although Liutaio has an extensive vegan menu, they only have one steamer and one fryer.
Lots of vegan options and all tasted lovely! The person that took our order was really friendly and the restaurant itself was like being in an antiques shop! Would definitely recommend 🌱
We had the Silk Road set menu and it was very good indeed.
The staff were lovely and very helpful.
I have been here a few times and will return again
Three of us went there and ate mostly but not all vegan. Mostly dim sum and some dishes ordered through one of their many set meal options. The food was delicious, every single dish, excellent service with good advice on ordering. Plentiful food, complete with desserts to choose. Extremely friendly management. We will be regulars now that we have discovered this gem. We used to live in the West Coast of the US with excellent Chinese restaurants and are just delighted to find one here.
Would definitely recommend! Great authentic food with a range of veggie/vegan/meaty selection! Lovely staff too and setting. Must go to, best meal out I’ve had in a while. THANK YOU!
Great :)
We asked if we could upgrade the full vegan set menu from 2 to 4 people, so they offered us to pick different salads, mains, and desserts between the 4 of us as well; this way we got to try lots of the menu!
There were many tasty bits in there and a massive selection of vegan and vegetarian foods - massive amount of food for the price too. Their drinks are delicious and beautifully presented too, I especially enjoyed the hit Juzu & Honey drink. The waitress was also very sweet and helpful! Would definitely recommend for vegetarians and vegans who want to enjoy tasty Dim Sum!
Only downside: the venue is cash only, but luckily there are ATMs nearby at Tesco & Co-op.
We found this restaurant by accident and ended up having a lovely dinner there. The staff was very friendly and were able to explain about how various menu items were cooked. The menu has a lot of different food options to choose from, including interesting choices of teas (even milk bubble tea!). As a vegan, I was impressed how many vegan options there were to choose from! So many! Plus vegan/vegetarian/etc options are clearly marked on the menu, so it’s easy to spot them. I chose japanese tofu curry which was delicious. The meals were brought to the table in sharing plates which was lovely as we could easily try each other’s food. The portions were decent as were the prices. To top that up, they play live music on Fridays and Saturdays which we got to experience. We are very happy about our dining experience and can’t wait to come back.
We really enjoyed our stay here. The staff was very attentive and friendly. Everything was prepared with care.
The wooden furniture and Chinese items lend this place a nice flair. Most items are for purchase, too.
This is the perfect place, if you'd like to try vegan dim sum :)
It was very quiet as it was a Monday, we were the only ones there! The menu was good except the specific set meals were all for 2, which meant I had to just order everything from it for myself, but that turned out to be too much food. Very nice food though, even if some of it was too spicy. Also the music was good.
Visited here with my daughter for an early dinner. The staff were great. They helped us with any dishes we weren't sure about and the food was delicious! Definitely need to book if visiting after 5.30pm.
![5]( "Recensione")
✓ Vegan and Vegetarian Options
WHAT I HAD: Har Gow (4 Pcs) [£4.30], Vegan Mandu (4 Pcs) [£3.50], Spicy Bamboo Shoot Salad with nuts (Vegan) [£5.00], White Bait meets White Bait [£8.00], Taro and Ginko in Green Curry (Vegan) [£10.00], Vegan Karaage Bento [£9.00 Set Lunch with Cold Drink]
A wide variety of snacks and meals ranging from dim sums to noodles and main meals, all handmade! They specialise in teas and Dim Sum, and offer great deals of set meals for one person and groups. Also, a surprising amount of vegan options too! So, I definitely recommend it for vegan and non-vegans looking for fresh, delicious and affordable variety of Chinese food for any time of the day!
The Dim Sum is good (dumplings have some room for improvement but still great)! The side dishes and main meals are fresh, quality and well cooked, and I love that they use ingredients not commonly found in the typical Chinese food fare (i.e. Gingko, Prickly Ash etc.) that is a breath of fresh air especially for the vegan options as it goes beyond the usual tofu and mushrooms! The staff of this mostly family run restaurant is friendly and warm, they are also very flexible to requests. I love the eclectic décor that although it is mainly Chinese antiques, somehow still has a contemporary feel to it, perhaps due to the minimal design and well-spaced seating. The ambience is a mix of cosy and classy, a place I also love spending time at even if it’s just enjoying some snacks with a pot of tea while people watching and taking in the beautiful antiques (some of which are for sale) in the store. I also heard that they have musical entertainment at night.
Absolutely loved it! Food was absolutely delicious and big selection of everything. Amazing teas and very nice service.
Just FYI they don't accept cards but right across the street is ATM it will definitely not stop to visit again and again.
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