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

New discovery Absolutely love this place, incredibly friendly welcoming staff, quiet possibly the best Carrot 🥕 Cake I've ever had. Delicious cake selection/ Hence the name "LOVE CAKE" yummy 😋 breakfast and lunch menu as well, lots of cute foodie gifts too. I'm definitely going back everytime I'm in Dorset. Highly recommended 👑👑👑👑👑

Wonderful cafe with fantastic selection of cakes. Great service. Highly recommend. We had the cake selection board which is really good as you can choose 3 slices of different cakes to try.

Love cake? Then this is the place! But not just for cake. The lunch menu is all as good as it sounds. The quality of the service and the food is oozing with care and love for the ingredients. I wish I could make bacon and scrambled egg as good as they do!

Here for breakfast. Nice cafe with seating upstairs and downstairs. The upstairs gets a bit cramped and hard to get to the paying desk if full, downstairs was more spacious so we grabbed a table downstairs. Was looked after soon as we got through the door by helpful staff. The food was great and nicely presented, I had vegan avocado on toast. They have soya milk etc for vegans but sadly no vegan cake on today. Previous reviews show that they usually have it so just my bad luck hehe. Toilets downstairs. Place would be a bit hard to navigate if you had mobility issues. Overall, a lovely cafe.

Friendly staff and lovely food. My coffee was also great. Have already returned already and suspect we will go again before our Dorset holiday is over. The portion size is good which helps if you've done a morning walking. I was particularly impressed by the salad that came with each dish - it wasn't just a few leaves added as an afterthought, but really complemented the plate. Hopefully my photos do it justice. Just updating my review on my return this year to Swanage. Java is still the best cafe in Swanage and possibly the best I've been in anywhere. Food is great, fresh and creative. Staff still super friendly.

Exquisite food. Iced coffee was great, Cappuccino a bit on the small side. I liked the no laptop rule (well signed).

I was there for breakfast on a Saturday morning. It had a separate vegan breakfast menu which was great. I chose the grilled mushrooms, tomatoes, spicy beans and avocado on toast. It was delicious. I also had two flat white coffees and a slice of chocolate cake with orange peel. The place itself was beginning to get busy. The staff were very pleasant too. Nice ambience. A bit difficult to find. A little expensive but worth it.

Visiting this cafe was the food highlight of our little holiday. We stumbled across it from their sign on the high street and thought we'd venture down to see what it was about and so glad we did. Service was great, food was amazing. The lovely guy even gave my daughter her own little soup bowl like ours. Really friendly atmosphere, coffee tasted great. We aren't vegetarian or vegan but would visit this cafe again when we travel to Swanage.

Very excited that we managed to go in for brunch on opening day. Such gorgeous vibes, lovely decor. We sat in doors near the front but I didn’t get to see out the back. I had oat flat white & the cinnamon bun which was delicious. With opening day there are a couple things that need ironing out (had to ask for cutlery & they didn’t have sweeteners)but they were busy & it was all served with smile so really cannot fault the team. Definitely will be coming again!!

My wife and I were visiting Swanage for the weekend and we stumbled across this amazing little cafe in the town centre. We both chose ‘eggs and shrooms on toast’ for our breakfast and it was delicious! Lovely fresh flavours, nice and hot, and really well presented. The coffees were also great. We got service with a smile and the prices were reasonable. Definitely worth a visit, if you’re in the area.

My wife recommend we go to Burnt Toast because I love food and she didn’t disappoint. The food was exceptional and delivered with a smile. They also do great coffee. I look forward going again 🤤

What a fabulous addition to Swanage. Burnt Toast is a gorgeous coffee shop and breakfast/lunch stop. We popped in for coffee and ended up staying for breakfast as the menu looked so good. The Full English breakfast was delicious with top quality sausage and bacon, and super tasty mushrooms 😊. The coffee was perfect too. The place has been decorated beautifully, it has such a cosy and chilled vibe. And it’s deceivingly big, with a whole second seating section around the back. A great place to catch up with friends too as they have a selection of cakes and a drinks licence 🍹🍰. Looking forward to many a coffee stops here 😊☕️.

This is my go to cafe in Swanage! Ben and Sophie are so lovely and always serve with a smile, i always love bringing people to studio south because it’s such a chilled out and lovely atmosphere, the bonus being that their hot chocolates are the best in town! And the cakes are mwah 😘 👌 I highly recommend this lovely little cafe, it’s in the heart of Swanage and is just perfect. (Also dog friendly!!!) Well done Ben & Sophie, you are both amazing! 💕

Amazing place! Art materials, great coffee, lovely food and the dog was welcome too! I wish I lived closer as this would be my weekend hang out place! We will definitely be back!

Studio South is such a lovely spot in Swanage! The coffee is always spot-on, and the pastries are delicious. I love the cozy vibe—perfect for a relaxed chat with a friend or spending some quiet time with a book. Plus, their art supplies shop in the back is a hidden gem. Definitely worth a visit!

Delightful little cafe tucked away at the back of Station Road.The food was absolutely delicious like your mum's best midweek dinner! I also had the avocado smoothie which was fresh and creamy.

A Wonderful Shop/café, the people working here are truly Nice and friendly, and the atmosphere here is great. Truly a hidden gem. The food and the drinks are perfect, i loved it

Amazing food and atmosphere. Very lovely place to go.

We had a really nice lunch at this cafe. I ordered a festive dish with pork loin and my partner order a soup of the day. The food was very comforting and tasty. There's plenty of space upstairs and it has a really nice atmosphere and seating area. We also had cake for dessert and it was delicious. After we enjoyed our meal, we browse the deli part and admired all the fresh vegetables and fruits they are selling. Will be definitely coming again!

Highly recommend a visit to Chococo, great local made chocolate (including vegan options!). The coffee shop offers tea, coffee, the best hot chocolate and selection of cakes, scones and sandwiches.

This is my favorite chocolate shop. They have a fantastic selection of chocolates, coffee and cakes! Very reasonable prices and very very friendly staff. They have a HUGE selection of hand made chocolates made for every taste. They also have a large selection of chocolate related things, such as hot chocolate flakes, large chocolate slabs and amazing little chocolate dinosaurs. I would highly recommend this to anyone who'll listen. It's out of the way so is nice and quiet so you can have a little break from the world, while enjoying the finer things in life.

For hot chocolates and coffee on a cold windy afternoon! Great variety and good preparations. Seating is limited but cozy. Friendly place

I had great service on both visits - the chocolates are that good, I went back again today! I also had a gorgeous cheddar cheese and chive warm scone with melted butter on it. Totally divine. I tried a variety of the chocolates (all made in house) and my top favourites were the Cherry Bakewell, Afternoon Cream Tea, the Conker and Lime one, the Black Cherry one and all 3 of the truffles. Saying that, Timmy's chocolate orange one was lush as was the lemon one and the honeycomb one. The staff I dealt with were all so friendly and helpful and the service at the cafe was spot on - I felt. I can't wait to visit Swanage again already.

Fantastic little cafe. Great food stands out above the rest. Big breakfasts with vegeterian, vegan and special alternatives. All day breakfast is a definite recommendation!

If you're looking for a place with great food friendly staff and low prices this is the right one. You get what you see on the menu, it's great portions and just all in all a great place. Our meal today was an omelette and an avocado toast with poached eggs and hot chocolate which is also really really good here.

Fantastic Cafe! Friendly service with a great menu mixing British Cafe classics with a some Turkish dishes to add variety. All perfectly cooked - the chips were a thing of beauty, crispy/crunchy and golden and fluffy inside! Thoroughly recommended and we went out of our way to visit again on our last day.

5* Food, service and great portion sizes. If you are sick of Fish and chips This is the place for you. Lady was very helpful, accommodating and friendly. Will definitely visit again.

I arrived before the cafe opened but was given such a warm welcome by Josie and her mum. The whole atmosphere was extremely friendly and beautiful. The views were that good you could have been anywhere in the world. On top of that the food was really good and not overpriced. Everyone needs to visit this place!!!!

Went to Old Harry Rocks, after the walk we stopped off at Joe's cafe South beach with lovely peaceful beach views, ordered 2 cheese burgers and an Americano and a latte £24, food and service was good, I could have had another coffee as it was small and morish, home made onion relish was yummy too 😍 would recommend after a lovely walk xxx

Nice sandwiches, ice creams and drinks. Surprisingly really good coffee. Always stop off there on the way to Old Harry.

So lovely! They put it on the sign that they serve decent coffee but honestly it was one of the best cups of coffee we had in a while!!! The views are spectacular and the service was great. Felt like a rare gem find!

Have used these guys for the past 3 years for my coffee beans. Always very flavourful coffee - the flavour profiles described online are well matched. Great value. Unlike other specialist coffee roasters, these guys send coffee that has only been roasted very recently, and it gets delivered quickly. I’ve ordered elsewhere before and had coffee turn up at my door that is a month old. NOT THESE GUYS. Clear coffee enthusiasts with attention to detail. They know what they’re doing.

I've been buying coffee beans and grabbing take-out coffee from Carve for the last year or so. As.a take-away coffee, carve coffee is by far the best in town, I would go so far as to say the nicest coffee I've had anywhere. In fact it made my regular Nespresso coffee at home seem pretty poor, so eventually upgraded to a new machine which grinds the beans. I now use the carve coffee beans exclusively. I have a business near to carve and frequently take clients in for a coffee which is always admired. They are always happy for an excuse to come back and replenish their bean supplies!

I still love coming here, the service is always good, the staff always smiling, the food is good and there's always a nice vibe. Great place to stop for a coffee, snack (or mulled wine and mince pie if it's that time of year. And finally, because I often do, something that makes me smile. This is not about the place I'm reviewing! My 12 year old son tried coffee for the first time today "It tastes like dirt!" I told him it was just ground this morning. How I Mark I may mark differently to some other reviewers, some might see this as harsh, others may see it as fair. But here's how I look at it: 5 star - WOW. I want to go back and look forward to doing so. They delivered everything expected and more. The 'more' is normally about the service or attitude of the staff. 4 star - GOOD. They delivered everything I wanted and a bit more. I recommend them and would go back. 3 star - OK. They delivered what I expected, I would go back if I needed to, although don't currently plan on doing so. 2 star - Not very good. I didn't get what I expected and the service wasn't good. I don't recommend this place. I might get dragged back here, although will always try to avoid it 1 star - This was rubbish. Don't go there, I certainly won't go there again. I didn't get what I wanted, the people were unhelpful and I didn't enjoy it in any way.

Milk shakes are top quality and the scenery looks amazing. The way the food looks is breath taking. Pizza is amazing, I'd highly recommend.

Came here for the breakfast. Was absolutely delicious and very well priced. Staff were very polite and helpful.

Nice place to stop for a cup and a cake. On a bitter afternoon we dropped in for a hot drink and cakes. It was clean, friendly and warm, plus dog-friendly. The cake selection was limited but it was low season and it was getting on but they said they'd been busier than expected due to the Blues festival. It was just what we wanted and I would recommend.