If I tell you that I had lunch this week in a café with clown-themed décor, you might be amused or appalled (depending on your affinity for clowns). A rather nondescript building situated on King Street, Clowns Café is something of a Cambridge institution, having been in business for twenty-seven years. When my friend recommended featuring this café in my column, I was intrigued and, after spending an afternoon in the warm and inviting company of the Sauchella family and staff, I’m just sorry it took until my final year at Cambridge to discover it. Inspired by the opera, Pagliacci (which, you guessed it, means ‘clowns’ in Italian), an otherwise quite generic retail space is adorned with large-scale pictures of clowns, with the entire back wall dedicated to various clown puppets. When you first sit down, it’s a little disconcerting, but I soon found myself smiling every time I glanced at the puppets and the drawings of child-patrons, which the family are happy to display.

The atmosphere is very relaxed, with Genni Sauchella, self-titled ‘Young Boss’ of Clowns, welcoming you to the café, handing over menus and directing you to sit wherever you like. Upon being seated, we were greeted with the amusing sight of a man asleep in a chair in the corner (he subsequently woke up, downed his coffee and left without a murmur of complaint from Genni or her staff). This is the charm of Clowns: informal, no-frills dining. I often felt as if I had stepped into an Italian home kitchen rather than a business, with the Italian staff keeping up a steady flow of chatter, with lots of characteristically exuberant exclamations and hand gestures. Even the man delivering produce is greeted like an old friend. At Clowns, you can come and go as you please. Once you’ve received your order, there’s no annoying, hovering waiter trying to get you to leave or order something else. My friends and I had a leisurely lunch of good, home-cooked pasta dishes (the Carbonara is to die-for), spending over two hours in the café without being disturbed or made to feel unwelcome.

Speaking to Genni as I ordered an espresso (which she insisted was on the house), she told me how she had taken over the running of the café since her father became too ill to continue working. Listening to her speak about the hardships of running an independent café in Cambridge, I felt guilty for never having taken the time to discover a place just two minutes walk from the centre of town. Despite feeling the pinch from rent prices and other, more salubrious competitors, Genni is optimistic. She continues to think of new ways to drum up business, from the lunch deals during the week where you can get a hearty serving of freshly-cooked pasta for under £5, to Aperitivio every Wednesday night; a large Italian buffet where you pay just £6 per person with a free drink of your choice.

Open from 7.30am to midnight every day, it is easily the latest-opening café in Cambridge. Whether you want a meal, an afternoon snack, or just a good, strong cup of coffee, Clowns welcomes everyone equally. There is even free wifi, so you can take your laptop and books and work in the sunny surrounds. If you want to experience simple, authentic Italian food, served with heart and genuine warmth, then Clowns is the perfect place to be. Spending time in there, you’ll feel, for just a little while, that you’re more than just another Cambridge student worrying about deadlines.