I recently visited an independent café in east Hull with a friendly atmosphere and delicious homemade brownies.
Lily's Bake House in Holderness Road is a fairly new spot, having opened at the end of November 2024. Since, then, it has received many positive reviews and been ranked as Hull's number one bakery on TripAdvisor.
The dog-friendly café has a constantly changing rotation of homemade cakes and sweet treats, as well as savoury baked goods such as sausage rolls. It also serves up sandwiches, toasties, paninis, omelettes, and fresh pancakes and waffles.
I visited at lunch-time mid-week and was instantly struck by how cosy and welcoming it felt. There is a fresh pink and turquoise colour scheme and artwork and knick-knacks dotted around on the walls.
The café and kitchen area was spotlessly clean. I noted it achieved a five-star food hygiene rating which is always reassuring when eating out.

Service was very friendly and our hot drinks - an Earl Grey tea and cappuccino - came quickly. The Earl Grey was a beautifully aromatic Teapigs blend and the coffee was excellent quality.
From the savoury menu, I thought I'd try the "vegan" coronation chicken. I am not vegan, but I thought it sounded more innovative than the usual vegetarian café fare.

I also picked a tuna and red onion panini. The food arrived nice and hot and came with a generous leafy side salad, crisps, and a side pot of coleslaw.
The vegan coronation sandwich was utterly gorgeous. The sauce was creamy and nicely seasoned - a very mild curry flavour which worked so nicely with the mock chicken.
Also receiving a favourable review was the tuna panini. It was a very generous portion of filling and could barely squeeze between the bread. The side salads were fresh and crispy and perfectly complemented the sandwiches.

Finally, I finished with a homemade brownie. There were so many tempting cakes on offer, but I find it hard to turn down chocolate when it looks as rich and decadent as that.
I was not let down: it was an incredibly dense brownie with a fudge-like centre. The flavour was pure cocoa heaven and I can totally understand visitors who claim it is the best brownie they've ever had. Other than a brownie straight out of the oven, it would be hard to beat.
If you are in east Hull, I would definitely recommend Lily's Bake House. And if you have a dog best friend, the café runs a competition for the cutest pooch.