The Best Cafes in Southwell, Dorset, United Kingdom (2025)

Had a nice egg baguette and a coffee. Unfortunately a seagull got half of it! A warning would have been nice, but the gull enjoyed it eating it in front of me.

Perfect breakfast experience. Very nice staff. Great food. Couldn’t be better

Highly recommend! Wide variety of burgers, seafood, and bites, as well as beers and local ciders available. Beware their hot food service ends at 3pm but if you're a few minutes late they're really nice and can make select menu items. Loved the chicken burger here after finishing a long hike from Studland

A food stall at the end of the beach, about a 5min walk. Outdoor seating but sometimes not enough as it gets busy, beware of the gulls!! A great view out over the beach & water. We had a bit of wait because they were flat out. It provides breakfasts up to 11am but you can still buy baguettes. Usual hot n cold drink, & other food, not cheap but you’re paying for the location.

Lovely coffee that was absolutely delicious! We had cakes that were divine, so yummy we are trying to plan another visit in before we go home! All staff kind and helpful. Don’t miss this cafe!

What a wonderful place to visit. There was ample parking, outside space, inside tables and choice on the menu. I love that they bake their own goodies on site and they also have a couple of corners promoting other local craft people and businesses Well worth a visit

Tasty Portland cake and the best filter coffee (oat flat white is also great). We visited this place as a family nearly every day of our holiday. Lovely staff! The cafe sells local produce too. We ordered seeded sourdough on the first day (received a few days later as advertised), the wait was worth it. This time we’ve come home with local eggs, to be tested!

Great food and location at the top end of Chesil Beach. The car park is free to national trust membership card holders.

Great little cafe. Stopped here for tea and a light snack on our way to Cornwall. Was pleasantly surprised at the number of gluten free options. Millionaire shortbread was delicious!!

Busy lunchtime. Had a delicious soup and amazing pink grapefruit tea. Very good value. Will be back for the plant based croissants! Thanks so much, it’s so important to have options like this.

Had the two breakfasts for £15 special. Seriously one of the best full English's we've had, quality produce cooked to perfection and served by brilliant staff....the chef knows how to cook and when your produce is this good it just makes for the perfect experience. Thank you all, a really good place to visit and the garden centre is lovely too!

Food delicious but rather pricey. Staff friendly enough but a little brash. It was nice that even though they were busy we did not feel at all rushed. Very clean.

A lovely tea room that has a dog friendly seating area. Food is always lovely. Highly recommend!

Lovely, warm, polite, genial staff. Very clean café. Great big pot of lemon and ginger tea. I had cream cheese and olive sandwich and a slice of lemon and almond cake. Yum. I would revisit as it was a pleasant experience.

Lovely little cafe. I had the meatball panini which was delicious, very nice coffee too. Definitely recommended

Having got shocking non service at a nearby cafe we found this one close by and so glad we did. Great prompt caring courteous service was received! We had the vegan Paninis which were stunning, very different to what I'm used to but perfect for breakfast and really well presented, nice coffee too. I know where in town I will come back too! Would be great if there were another vgn choice or 2 but happy here anyway.

Ordered the quarryman and was expecting a run of the mill breakfast. When the food was served my eyes lit up and my jaw hit the floor. What a breakfast, best I've ever had. Never expected what I was served. I would definitely recommend but you'll need a big appetite 😃

Decent, a well needed bacon sandwich and a coffee. Obviously popular with outdoor types so can get full of hikers and watersports visitors, directy opposite a D-day museum so there payable parking nearby. I'm a semi regular visitor when I'm in the area, and have tried most of their food, ranging from a bacon sandwich, where they cooked my bacon as I liked upon request, and the large full english kept me going right through till early evening. Why only 4 stars, fix the front door! Makes me jump everytime, if you know, you know

Great quality farm shop food you can taste the difference ! My third visit a little of the beaten track but worth it .

Popped in for a quick bite to eat after visiting the Roman temple ruins. The cafe has the perfect location looking out over the bay, and has seating both inside and out. Staff were super friendly and even though it was fairly close to closing time they were incredibly accommodating. We had the seafood platter, and even though they did not have a lot of crab meat, they offered to make it up with another part of the platter instead. That being said, the platter had a great portion of each of the seafoods, and the salad was very good too. Personally I really enjoy radish in salads so glad to see it here. We also got a milkshake and a smoothie, the milkshake was a great refresher and my partner said she loved the smoothie. Finally we also had a couple of cakes to finish our lunch, I had a rocky road which was superb, and my partner had the largest slice of coffee and walnut cake, which of course I helped finish off. Definitely worth going for a nice meal with a view!

Recommended by my friends cousins and wasn't disappointed. Great breakfast and coffee. Great views across the bays! Must be good as we left at 10 q was well out of the door!

Great cakes, coffee and tea (we stopped both ways walking from Osmington Mills to Weymouth). Views are spectacular to!

Really impressed. Great value for money. Good honest food, some great gift bits too. Food was quick, hot and tasty. Can't ask more than that (and the views were beautiful).

The Jailhouse Café is one of Portland more unusual tourist spots. Run by charity Expia, it is a café based within HMP The Verne on where prisoners cook and serve the food in a bid to further their rehabilitation, give ex-offenders new job prospects and skills and also help prisoners to make reparation for their crimes. Walking into the cafe, There are plenty of tables inside and outside, a counter to order your food from and an area where you can purchase Jail House merchandise. The on right side of cafe. This also includes flower baskets made by the inmates. The cafe is very light and pletty of space inside and out. Theres pletty of seating in and outside. It's was very clean and staff was friendly and helpful. I took my pops there for breakfast [not the first time]. We aim to get there around 10.30am, as normally 11-11.30am it gets busy and it did get very busy, being out the way. The food gov'ner breakfast fully pack piping hot and was really lovely. Prices are good value. Theres pletty on the menu, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus daily specials. 5 star hygiene rating. Outside pletty of seating and beautiful views looking over Portland harbour and in the distance on a clear day see weymouth beach ⛱️. Pletty of disabled parking, ramps, toilets 🚻.

We've been meaning to visit here for a while and it was worth the wait, plenty of parking spaces on the day we went. The staff were lovely, we had breakfast and it was top notch, perfectly cooked. A good selection of gifts aswell. The views are just beautifully stunning. I can't wait to go back!!!

What a pleasant surprise. Just sorry we haven’t explored your place sooner. A hidden treasure. Wonderful relaxed atmosphere in which our grandchildren could have a game of chess. Excellent coffees and traditional cake. We will be back. Thank you Irene and Lizette (?) for making us so welcome

A most enchanting place, with mouthwatering food (look at that chicken wrap!) and beautiful entertainment. We had a blast, and cannot recommend this place enough. Make sure to pop in over the festive season for some great food, time or just goodies as the guys also prep really nice christmas presents!

I recently had the pleasure of dining at this wonderful Armenian cafe, and I must say it was an exceptional experience. The cozy ambiance, combined with the rich aroma of authentic Armenian spices, created the perfect setting for a delightful Armenian jazz inspired lunch. I had a mouthwatering lamb stew cooked in beer with vegetables and homemade Armenian matnaqash bread! The manager, Irina, was not only attentive but also knowledgeable, offering excellent recommendations. From the first bite to the last, it surpassed my expectations. I left with a satisfied palate and a desire to return soon. A true gem for anyone seeking an authentic Armenian culinary experience!

We visited on a quiet Sunday afternoon for an afternoon tea over some chess. The vibe was intimate, authentic, relaxed, just perfect. They went over and above to accommodate us as if we were guests in their own home. The cakes and scones we had were all delicious, and we had a wrap instead of sandwiches - one of my top places to go in Southwell now - will go back!

Great food, great service and with a smile. Cannot fault this place at all! 100% recommend the seafood sharing board - amazing, thank you 🤩

I meet a friend every 2-3 months here for brunch and we always have excellent food and service. We're always tempted to share a cake because they're big slices, with a coffee, after our poached eggs on sourdough with tea. It's always busy so we often reserve a table.

We had a pleasant breakfast here today. I like Southwell, it makes me feel like I’m on holiday and having breakfast at The Old Theatre Deli make it feel more so. Nice seating and good service. I had the continental platter which was really lovely and different. The croissant was really delicious however, the berry compote and granola was super! I’m allergic to kiwi so I should have mentioned this when I saw the fruit but that was totally my fault 🫠 Super coffee too, cappuccino topped with real chocolate flakes! Delicious I also had a cup of tea, as tea for one was enough for about four people 😀

We nipped into the Deli for a quick lunch and the staff were so friendly and helpful. We had three children with us and they made some simple sandwiches for them and catered for not having any gluten-free options left by making an amazing salad. Everything was delicious, home cooked and well prices. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a nice lunch in Southwell.