Cafe Bencotto in Suffolk Coastal

Felixstowe lacks good places to eat and Bencotto is always popular as there are few other places to go. It’s situated in a very nice building and the ambience is very good. We were there on a busy Friday night . We have been to Bencotto several times but have never written a review so thought it was about time to do so. On every visit we have received ok service in very nice surroundings. But each time the food has been very average and overall disappointing. We will be back again I am sure as Felixstowe has such a lack of choice. There is a golden opportunity for someone to open a top quality establishment in the town and apparently someone has recognised this opening !,

This is our favourite place to eat - the breakfast menu is amazing. Everything on it is filling and looks great. Staff really help make this our favourite restaurant, they are very attentive. Would rate this higher if I could. Keep up the good work Bencotto!

Nice little place to stop for a quick lunch or light bite

Amazing as always. The only place I visit when in Felixstowe

Lovely restaurant. Amazing vegan options. Delicious food. Lovely service

Wanted to give all 5s but although the food was lovely the portions are a bit on the small side for the price

Absolutely fabulous service and great food highly recommend. Very nice atmosphere in the restaurant The food is freshly cooked and well presented. They do a really nice peach sangria

Very nice layout and atmosphere, food was very good and a broad selection of Mediterranean dishes

Great place for Quality Italian food. Friendly staff and good menu choices. Great atmosphere just the right amount of hubbub.

Food lovely and tasty all staff were friendly and polite apart from 1 who was a bit abrupt and short

Good food at reasonable prices and friendly staff. Let down by the recent price rises on the wine list.

The restaurant was super busy when we arrived and as you can’t book we were lucky to grab a table, a real bustling feel to the place. Service was really good, friendly and efficient. Would recommend the salt cod starter, lovely calzone with a nice soft dough, Pizza really good. A little unlucky with the ricotta chocolate crumble dessert not so keen on the texture! Creme brûlée was superb! Really enjoyed only thing we thought could have been improved was the kitchen end of the room was very loud music wise, a little hard to be heard, but we still loved the place!

It was okay, not great food but certainly not poor. Disappointing range on menu - specials board offered a little more choice. Restaurant had run out of mussels and ice-cream - I mean seriously, was it too much like hard work to pop to the local supermarket for some bloody ice cream?

My favourite restaurant! Food is absolutely superb, all cooked fresh. Menu varied and changes often.

Perfectly relaxed environment with attentive waiters and great food

Very poor vegan choice, plant based brownie was awful & really stodgy. Had to wait a very long time for food.

Lovely retro retreat...a good all rounder place to go.. shall be returning soon 😋👍

Nice venue in Old fire station, good coffee and brioche

One of the best restaurants in Felixstowe, menu changes seasonly, very often the specials are the best

Lovely coffees and cake, good service. Delicious brioche and Panettone.

An excellent lunch served by lovely staff. We will continue to drop in for replenishment when we are in the area. Nice ambiance.

Great food and friendly service. Arrived about 4.30pm so was fairly quiet so no problem getting a table. My husband had rump steak with roasted beetroot and I had the hake with lemon couscous, both were cooked lovely. Lovely decor and conveniently situated in the main street.

Great place easy going, time to sit and chat

Wonderful welcome from the staff who are very professional and attentive. The food is incredible value and excellent quality.

Very slow service. Otherwise good is good. Just takes about an hour or longer each time before getting your food.

The food was fantastic and that's why I kept the score at 5...but I found the service a little frosty ! We went on a Friday lunchtime when it wasn't busy so I would expect the service to be a bit more personable.

Food was superb and service friendly, yet still professional.

Great food, great atmosphere and service I'd recommend this place 👌

You walk into another world when you enter this restaurant- it’s a renovated fire station with beautiful brickwork and a warm atmosphere. Service was spot on and the food was good and tasty. We had hummus to start and pizzas for our main, although there was a great selection of other dishes available and a few specials on the board which we were tempted by. We enjoyed a beautiful bottle of Gavi de Gavi white wine - highly recommended. We enjoyed the atmosphere so much we went back for coffee and brioche the next day. Again the food was fresh and tasty. Overall, you can’t go wrong with this place, all age groups seem to be the clientele which is good to see. 10/10 for the toilets too.

We are lucky that this is our local restaurant and local bar. The staff at what makes this restaurant outstanding. Always welcoming, always friendly, nothing is too much trouble. Excellent wine list, even better menu. Bencotto we adore you. Thankyou xx

The food is always excellent. The staff are very friendly and the ambience is wonderful. I am never disappointed eating there.

Been here quite a few times and always good. Tonight we had a vegetarian pizza ,and farfalle pasta that had broad beans, peas, mint, lemon, and cashew cream- as a vegan option. A side dish of sauteed potatoes and a small green salad finished things off. Pizza was stacked with peppers/courgette red onion oregano and fresh basil and the chiil oil provided was a very nice addition. Both mains served nice and hot - the 1 litre bottled water on site is very good and very cheap compared to named water. Staff, as always, polite and professional.

Not been for some time but we saw that pork loin was on the menu. I started with calamari, which was very oily and my wife had the blue cheese bruschetta, very tasty. We were both disappointed with the pork loin as it was bland and had a band of unchewable fat on the edge. The accompanying blue cheese sauce had no taste at all but the veggie was cooked well. We had a bottle of 'house' vino blanco, which was ok but vastly overpriced at £22 - I can buy this quality wine for £4 a bottle at Lidl. We decided to cut our losses and skip the desserts and just have coffee. Service was very good by a young lady but the total cost of £70 is not something we will be repeating.

Lovely decoration and clean restaurant. Staff very friendly, food fresh and delicious. 5 stars! The seafood linguine was a real show stopper!

A bit disappointing to be honest. Visited with family friends on a Monday night. Admittedly not the best night usually for a restaurant visit. There werw 6 of us, we bought a bottle of Prosecco for aperitif. Decided against starters. My main, Lebanese chicken breast was tasty. Others were not so thrilled. A seafood pasta had a few mussels and a couple of shrimps. Another had a tough old pork Chop. Never mind, we all looked forward to affogato deserts. Waitress took our order, then came back to the table to say the freezer was broken so none of our deserts available. We paid the bill and left. By the way our Prosecco was a tad over £32 for the bottle. A bit of a pricey surprise. Our fault though, we should have asked the price first before ordering.

Had a lovely meal. Crab cakes delicious.

Very welcoming,drinks first followed by a lovely tasty meal fresh ingredients.cafe spotless Tom looked after us very well .definitely recommend

Very delicious food, fast service

When in Felixstowe I generally gave lunch here. I had not been for a couple of months and the waiting staff were friendly. Not a big point but I dropped my fork and before k knew it the Waitress was handing me a new one. As for the food excellent as usual. Very nice hone made soup and the mains I had was well cooked and tasty. A pleasant lunch.

There,s no pre booking available so you just turn up to see if a table is available. On arrival we were told there was a forty minute wait for food but we were lucky as our main arrived in about 20 mins. One couple on one side waited over an hour for their mains while on the other side another couple had been waiting well over an hour and was then told their food order had been lost and would the like to reorder. We will not be back.

Dried sauce on fork, hair in water glass, poor service, food took ages. Wont be returning

I met with family for lunch. Food was really good. We all enjoyed it

Looked inviting from outside and nice inside. I have been served quickly. Only because of that 2stars. Otherwise food was bland and tasteless. No flavour at all. Near me people have been eating meat balls and said the same. Not only it’s not worth the money but also if it would be half price I would not come back for a meal. Definitely need to improve dishes.

I went here with my wife and not only was the food impeccable, the service was excellent! We were served by a handsome young man who was very attentive and extremely friendly, it felt like we’d known him for years! 10/10, will definitely be visiting again.

Been going for year's, lovely place. Staff are friendly and on the ball

The food was uninspiring to be honest, I had toasted Focaccia with chicken and pancetta, the bread was way too oily. I had a panzanella side salad, which was just a bit average, which h is a shame as both of these dish can be lovely if done right. On a more positive note, the setting was nice, and the service fine.

Excellent quality food at reasonable price but restaurant was very noisy

Really lovely staff, food was good and it's really lovely inside, very pretty. Good value for money, and the wine selection was great, I had two very delicious glasses

Lovely fresh food.. Friendly and speedy service. Will be back soon!

Stopped by with some friends who are new to the area. Previously my visits to Bencotto was for lunch meals. On this occasion just a coffee and snack was required. Perfect latte, that two of us had another cup. Ordered hummus and aloli. Both delicious, but not enough bread. Did ask for more and this quickly arrived. We also ordered garlic stuffed olives. For some reason we had to ask for these three times. Staff standing around chatting. The olives eventually turned up but most of the other foods had been eaten. I did grumble to the waitress with limited response. However on the whole staff were friendly. Just service a bit iffy on this occasion. I do love this place and this has certainly not put me off going again.

We went at midday on Sunday and were surprised how few people were there, within 20 minutes there was an influx, moral, go early. We had a wonderful waitress, Beth, she was so engaging and helpful, she made the meal an experience for us. Excellent place to eat.

Very busy, but this didn't detract from excellent, attentive service and equally excellent tasty, well cooked food. Bencotto's is always our to go to place for treats and celebrations and as always they didn't disappoint. If I do have a grumble it was a service...

Enjoyed a nice lunch with a sea view great service, would visit again

Amazing go to places for brunch. In love with their shaksuka and bread. Furthermore their decorations and the place itself is luxurious. Price is affordable and quick service as well.

I did enjoy my lonely visits very much and I'm going to bring my friends to let them try lovely tagliatelle, nice service and pleasant atmosphere.

Have been here several times, normally cannot fault anything with this restaurant. The waitress looked like she couldn't be bothered to work. Walked around very slowly & as the place got busier she looked less & less motivated. We had been waiting for our drinks...

We used the 2 for 1 offer you receive if you subscribe to their newsletter entitling you to 2 for 1 main meals at their three restaurants at certain times. Two pizzas- one wild mushroom with truffle oil and another with a vegan butternut squash...

My first visit last night. Really busy but staff attentive, food lovely, look forward to going back.

Very good Mediterranean restaurant. Good food with excellent plant based menu. Excellent service and lovely surroundings. Highly recommended

Food amazing, lovely friendly staff.

Only had great cup coffee and lemoncelo affogato but...perfect, plus some pouring cream, sitting outside in the sunshine....feels like the med...sublime, lovely efficient friendly staff

Fantastic staff, service and beautiful venue

Fantastic food and lovely vibe too. Definitely a place to visit.

Very rude service was rushed and made to feel a burden when taking my order. I would not recommend this place

Well what a find... Can honestly say no grumbles at all.... Warm welcome by barman on arrival....waiter equally as lovely... Food was great... Good choices.... Lemon sorbet devine.... Great character building.. Very inviting and comfy.... Wish i lived nearer i would be in every night!!!

We had a lovely meal here on a Friday Eve. The staff were all really friendly & helpful, the food was delicious & there was a lovely atmosphere - lovely but not too loud. Would definitely recommend.

I visited this beautiful café/restaurant at lunchtime. The place is absolutely stunning and the staff are really pleasant and helpful. I had a lovely Spaghetti Bolognese and enjoyed watching the world go by as I ate. The atmosphere is relaxed and it was not too...

Arrived early evening on a Friday, and there was an office party at the front, but we were seated in a quieter area towards the back. Very attentive service and the food was excellent.

great spot and nice staff, unfortunately another chain that has taken away my choice of how i pay, as someone that gets paid cash I find it so annoying. card only is so restrictive, let people use it, it will disappear eventually on its own.

Only stopped for coffee but tried the Basbousa which was delicious. Would consider for dinner another time.

Quick but bit pricey. Visited again in the evening, good atmosphere but still a bit pricey.

Ideal for meeting work friends.

Fun place to go with a great vibe, interesting menu and good service.

Went for a good meal & drink. Super happy with what I got 😊

Always good food lovely menu and friendly service. A great place to eat.

Popped in for some brunch and had the sweetcorn fritters which were delicious. Staff were friendly and provided good, quick service. Food was very well priced and good portion sizes. Highly recommended.

Delicious food, relaxing atmosphere and professional and cheerful staff. Perfect. I highly recommend Bencotto because it’s very good value and always feels like a special occasion. Warm, inviting atmosphere.

Lovely ambiance and excellent service.

A really great place to eat, not too formal, not too casual. We had Mother's Day lunch here and everyone enjoyed it. The children were catered for well with smaller versions of the large mains. We really couldn't fault the choices on offer. The plant based menu was comprehensive too, it's rare to see so many options. I would highly recommend having the torte di formaggi dessert, all the flavours of a Bakewell tart but so much better! Service was a bit slow, but it was very busy. Nothing major, it just meant that we went over the two hour allotted slot for our table through no fault of our own.

Called in for lunch and was really surprised at how big it was. They do not have a gluten free menu but if you pick out what you want, they will adapt it for you. Food, service etc all brilliant. Would recommend 👌

Food, drinks and service were all very good, plenty of choice from lighter bites to a full meal. Amaretti cheesecake with cherry ice cream is to die for (if you like a good bakewell tart)

Delighted with service and delicious pizza. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff. Will be back in warmer weather when I can sit outside with my dog Maggie

Great food & service. Didn't wait long for food, busy for a Tuesday which was good to see

Really nice place to eat, varied menu including veggie options. Popularity is no surprise but feels a shame that you can't book for smaller tables

Best restaurant in town ... say no more!

We have been to Bencotto alot, but its definitely not as good as it has been in the past. We had stifado it was tasteless no herbs or seasoning just tasted of tomatoes served with just mashed potatoes, my friend had the pork steak very...

There were ten of us but still found us one table. Great service noted. Good time had by all but majority of us found the food nice but just too bland.

This is the second time here . Not impressed with the service or the food. Very average and not value for money. The pasta was average and I the Greek stew was like a starter with 3 pieces of meat. Very disappointed.

Ottimo ristorante con ottimo servizio

My wife is Italian and she thought that the pasta was too dry.

Best food I've had in years !! I eat out often,, as do my guests. We all thought the choice, quality and flavours were excellent. Every ingredient was fresh and cooked to perfection. Fantastic!!! Please don't drop your standards.

Good food. Good service. Ideal for family!

Advised wait for food was going to be long and therefore encouraged to order a cold starter whilst waiting! 🤨 Waitress attentive to the extent waiting for my partner to finish his wine to take glass and then tried to take dinner plates when we obviously hadn't finished! It was a busy evening and perhaps they wanted our table or need more staff as I could only see three plus barman and maitre d having to help out!

Always enjoyed the few visits I've had to bencotto. Morning coffee, lunch and evening meal. All good. Relaxed atmosphere, friendly staff.

Very noisy and service was indifferent. We intended to stay for a meal but the din was so great that we went elsewhere.

Can get really busy which adds to the atmosphere. Lovely food and surroundings. Staff are lovely, welcoming and helpful. I will definitely be going back soon. If you eat and drink here you won't be disappointed.

We only went for coffee but Café Bencotto was lovely. Very homely and our waitress was very sweet. Good atmosphere.

Lovely lunch with the family...would recommend the risotto....was really lovely 😍

Nicely cooked lunchtime menu at a reasonable £89 for three.

Great food and lively shame about the waiter saying do you want to leave a tip how rude! So out of principle I didn't bother although I would usually. It's not the done thing to ask for a tip!