Best Cafes in Brockenhurst, Hampshire, United Kingdom (2025) - Top 10 Rated!

Rating: 5 / 5

Great selection of cakes and pastries and sausage rolls. Coffee is great too and always happy!

Rating: 5 / 5

Fantastic! Visiting area, went for very cold cycle then headed towards village to find somewhere. Coffee great, cake great, Service great, atmosphere great...... so much so we took takeaway cake too! Following day couple of friends joined us on bikes.... we just had to go back!!!!! I can vouch....blueberry muffins, carrot cake & salted caramel brownies.....perfect! I need this cafe where i live! They are an independent company & so welcoming, DONT throw your money to Costa etc..... support The Absent Pony..... cake portions are huge🙂. Thank you to the very chatty lady on Tuesday & her colleague on Wednesday. Loyalty card will be ready for next visit! Good job girls. Thank you!

Rating: 5 / 5

A Hidden Gem That Feeds Both Body & Soul ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Absent Pony in Brockenhurst is a revelation. As someone who spent 44 years adamantly avoiding coffee, their Coffee has achieved the impossible. While other cafés still fail to tempt my taste buds, I now find myself craving my daily coffee fix from this New Forest treasure. That alone would be worth five stars, but it's just the beginning. Their cheese toasties are pure food perfection, they are made with love and I've made it my personal mission to sample every cake in their display (purely for research, of course!). The extensive vegan selection is remarkable. But what truly sets The Absent Pony apart is its soul. Run by an incredible family who clearly pour their hearts into every aspect of the business, this café feels more like being welcomed into someone's home. Every single member of staff is a credit to the business and to themselves. The Absent Pony is not only serving exceptional coffee and food – they're serving joy, one cup at a time. This is a New Forest treasure that has transformed both my coffee drinking habits, and my definition of what a good coffee hut should be like.

Rating: 5 / 5

Great coffee, cakes and toasties. Easily the best coffee in Brockenhurst. Highly recommend 👍

Rating: 5 / 5

Good prices, the best bakery around. the curry pasty is to die for. Friendly staff. Especially popular with the students and will be cues out the door at lunchtime

Rating: 5 / 5

No need for big words, this has been the best bakery I have ever been to. Not even once in my life I decided to go twice to bakery in a row. Try the massive Belgian Buns or one of the delicious pies. They are so heavenly tasty. The whole bakery is stuffed with such a wide range of bakery products. I would go to the New Forest just because of this shop The prices are so fair. Try it out, IT IS A MUST!!!

Rating: 5 / 5

Granary bread was lovely and the bacon and cheese pastry was described as the best ever eaten. Belgian bun was soft and much better than some tough ones. Staff very friendly and treated everyone as valued customers which many places don't. Would definitely visit again when in area and recommend to others

Rating: 5 / 5

Absolutely love this bakery, the staff are so friendly and helpful, went out of their way to pipe some fresh custard doughnuts as they'd sold out, the bakery produce is absolutely fabulous, highly recommend this bakery, so worth a visit!

Rating: 5 / 5

Beautiful cafe with lovely hot chocolates that our whole family had. Staff were extremely friendly and kind. I accidentally left a package which was very kindly posted back to me. The cafe had stunning gifts inside too. Thank you!

Rating: 5 / 5

Beautiful cafe with a nordic/bohemian feel to it. Great quality drinks and cakes for sale. We really like coming here when we visit the New forest for a relaxing drink and snack.

Rating: 5 / 5

First visit to Burley, New Forest and discovered Noohn. We visited the coffee shop twice because the sandwiches and coffee were delicious. We dined in once and took our snacks/drinks away on another occasion.The sandwiches were amazing and great value for money. When we took them away, they were wrapped up and bagged so wonderfully, such a lovely touch. Made us smile. Quality food and drinks and served with fab customer service in a wonderful little coffee shop in Burley. The tea was pretty good too as were the sausage rolls 😁. Highly recommended and the coffee is delicious. First class 😁❤️

Rating: 5 / 5

Well, this is an absolute GEM of a place! So pleased to have found it. Popped in after a lovely New Forest walk. Had black bean, mozzarella and lime slaw toastie and delicious coffee. The staff are so nice! And they have some very pretty things for sale. I also bought one of their biscoff twists for take away. Their cakes look super fresh and delicious. Very nice atmosphere inside. Gorgeous!

Rating: 5 / 5

Really wonderful cute cafe Amazing experience and brilliant staff As soon as we walked in we were greeted with a beaming smile from one the staff and got seated Me and my mum felt very comfy and well looked after Would highly recommend!!!

Rating: 5 / 5

The service here was absolutely brilliant. People who run the place were incredibly warm and welcoming. Delicious sandwiches and cakes. Clean as a whistle. The biggest gluten free menu I've ever seen. Excellent. Definitely recommend.

Rating: 4 / 5

A lively spot right in the middle of Lyndhurst high street; a very random find and I walked in simply because it was almost packed during lunch hours which is a good sign! And I wasn’t disappointed, great vibe inside mostly locals I guess, food options were simple but plenty and I tried my first Welsh/ Lyndhurst rarebit.. didn’t know what to expect so what I ate was good. Enjoyed a nice cuppa after alongside a lovely warm scone with clotted cream and strawberry preserve. Service was all right. Overall a very good experience.

Rating: 5 / 5

I spent 6 days at Careys Manor Hotel and could not have been better looked after by the lovely staff. Everyone was warm and approachable. The Hotel is lovely and the open fire and log burner were very welcome to lift the February gloom. I enjoyed the leisure facilities and Sen Spa. Breakfast was vey good and the dining room is beautiful. I would be very happy to stay here again.

Rating: 5 / 5

Beautiful place. Walked from the station no problem, fairly nice walk but a deceptively busy road. Our room was lovely. I just found it a little dated. Understand you can’t just rip out a bathroom but the bedroom could be updated - dark, polished wood is just so dated. Service was lovely. The lady who checked us in was delightful, can’t fault, as was the lady who checked us out. Just wonderful. The lady on the spa desk was a little odd/difficult to read, less wonderfully helpful and delightful. But got the job done, I’m just being picky because elsewhere was exceptional. All around, loved our stay and will be back next year!

Rating: 5 / 5

We’ve just returned from an amazing long weekend at Careys Manor Hotel and SenSpa, and it was exactly what we needed! From the moment we arrived, the staff were incredibly warm and welcoming, making us feel right at home. The award-winning treatments at SenSpa were absolutely incredible, and the spa itself is easily the best we’ve ever experienced. We’ll definitely be coming back! The only small downside was the price of access to the hydrotherapy facilities, which felt a bit steep—hopefully, that might be adjusted in the future. Overall, a fantastic stay, and we can’t wait to return!

Rating: 5 / 5

A thoroughly enjoyable stay in the Hotel, all the staff were most friendly and helpful, the rooms were warm, there was a lovely open fire in the reception area and lots of places to sit and relax. The bedroom was spacious and the bed was very comfortable. Breakfast was lovely and our meal in the Thai restaurant was delicious. We enjoyed the SenSpa very much and look forward to visiting again. Many thanks

Rating: 5 / 5

Found this gem of a tearoom with a pretty exterior whilst on a short stay, so decided to try the breakfast a few days later. We arrived just before non-hotel residents were permitted, but were made to feel very welcome. There's a pretty garden, and the interior has quite a few tables and we were told to choose our own and order at the desk. Menus were available on the table. Food and drink were beautifully presented, and service was fantastic. Dishes were hot and delicious, as were the drinks. Would definitely recommend..There is also a lunch and afternoon tea menu available.

Rating: 5 / 5

We had a fantastic experience at Esme’s Tea Rooms! The atmosphere was warm and inviting, and everything we ordered was absolutely delicious. Our server, Ella, was amazing—super friendly and incredibly helpful. She had excellent knowledge of the village and kindly gave us clear directions to our hotel, making our visit even smoother. On top of that, she made a perfect cappuccino and served us some truly delicious cake. Exceptional service and a lovely spot—we’ll definitely be back!

Rating: 5 / 5

My friend and I had the most wonderful afternoon tea at Esme's Tea Rooms in Brockenhurst. Lovely location and beautiful decor. The sandwiches were freshly made and the cakes and scones homemade. Absolutely delicious. Very welcoming and helpful staff. We'll definitely come again. Hilary Martin.

Rating: 5 / 5

Visited this lovely tea room today with family and we were all very happy with the food, the service and drinks. We had afternoon tea and it was plentiful and delicious. Tasty scones, the sandwiches were freshly made and a scrumptious selection of cakes and puddings. And all presented in a very beautiful way. Really good value! I saw other people having ploughman's and other treats and it all looked amazing. The service was great too. The two waitresses were both very helpful and friendly. I would highly recommend this place and we will be back next time we are in the New Forest. (They also cater for vegetarians and I had lovely alternatives in my sandwiches.)

Rating: 4 / 5

Nice pub conveniently located near the station. They have a large outdoor area, perfect for nice evenings and a relaxing stop on the way back from a hike in the New Forest.

Rating: 4 / 5

Nice venue, friendly staff. Didn't get to try the food but what I saw go out looked great. Good value and situated close to the train station. Will definitely be revisiting.

Rating: 5 / 5

I wasn't convinced about this pub because of the UPVC door entrance and slightly outdated appearance but is was so wrong! The bar staff were so lovely and friendly and the food was awesome. Properly homemade, very generous portions and super tasty. Would TOTALLY recommend! And great value too.

Rating: 4 / 5

Always had good service here. Food is always tasty with good portions and value for money. Can't wait for better weather so we can spend longer sitting outside with a cold cider

Rating: 5 / 5

Overall fantastic experience! The food was amazing, loved how they focus on sustainability and locally sourced ingredients. I particularly loved the gardens and decor. The staff made us feel very special as celebrated our engagement. Thank you for everything, I could not recommend the Pig in the forest enough!

Rating: 5 / 5

Having booked to stay nearby we thought we would explore a different Pig, as our local one is in Coombe. We just wanted to let you know what exceptional and friendly service we received from Jack, our waiter. It really was refreshing to be served by someone who clearly enjoys his job so thank you very much. The restaurant is beautiful and we had a wonderful lunch, by far the best gnocchi we have ever had. It was so utterly delicious we ordered another one to share!

Rating: 5 / 5

A nice but small cafe in Brockenhurst, serving all manner of delicious treats. Although I only stopped by for a coffee (which was great) all of their cakes and sandwiches looked fantastic. The cafe gets busy very quickly and only has a handful of tables, but there’s a reason why they are so busy. The staff are friendly and efficient and I will certainly be back to sample some of the lunch items on the menu.

Rating: 5 / 5

Beautiful cafe. Friendly and attentive staff, food great, great tasting coffee. Keep up the great work, will definately recommend and will return when visiting the area again 10/10 Loved the place too, when it use to be called Rosie Lea

Rating: 5 / 5

Really gorgeous salad for lunch and decent coffee. Would definitely come back. Good choice of gluten and dairy free options too.

Rating: 4 / 5

A lovely little coffee shop, but it was fairly small inside, the tables nearest the front have seats pretty much on the windowsill. Lots of drink options but not as many for the very small kids (never confident they will finish anything we get them!) I think I paid about £20 for two adult drinks, two juices and a couple of slices of cake to share - not sure if that's good, I don't go to coffee shops enough to know the going rate! The cake was nice, a piece of caramel slice and a blueberry and lemon coconut cake. It was a nice stop to slow us down a bit whilst visiting the area.

Rating: 5 / 5

On Valentines day we booked a table for lunch, and brought Jack, our elderly Jack Russell terrier with us. The food and service was great, as usual, and the staff so friendly and lovely. Thank you for another enjoyable visit.

Rating: 5 / 5

Lovely find. An old railway station opened as a tea room, in truth they serve a wide range of food and drinks. I went for soup of the day, my wife for a sandwich with two drinks bill was about £20. There was a really tempting array of cakes and pastries. The walls are covered with bits of history from the buildings past and the Southern railway. There are even a few souvenirs on sale. Service was spot on and cheerful.

Rating: 5 / 5

A lovely little hot spot in the New Forest to stop off for refreshments. We had an Afternoon Cream Tea and it was all delicious; I've been to so many Cream Teas where you have no choices other than tea or coffee, so was pleasantly surprised to choose your own individual selection of sandwich fillings, scones with choice of jams and topping that off with a selection of traditional cakes. Lots of other lunch and light bite choices on the menu along with a specials board, too. There is plenty of seating inside and out with some ouside tables undercover for those mixed weather days. A tip if it's raining, take a brolly as the toilets are only accessible from the outside, though don't be put off by this as its literally only 30 paces.

Rating: 4 / 5

This appears to be very popular with walkers and cyclists. There is an indoor area with table service and a large outdoor area, with a counter to order from. The menu usn't huge but it had a nice variety of options. I was particularly keen to try the vegan cream tea which came with vegan whipped cream from a can rather than a clotted cream. All the food tasted good, and represented good value for money.