Cafe Cinco in Basildon

I have known about the existence of this place for years, but it had never crossed my mind to visit it. That changed the day my friend suggested we meet there with our families—his wife and mine—since he knows the owner of the café. Of course, I couldn’t say no to free treats, so we agreed to meet at this café for the first time, after knowing about it for so long. The café is located within the town centre, making it convenient to access. It also offers an open-aired seating area for smokers, which adds an extra option for those who prefer to sit outdoors. Things started off really well. The place looked interesting, and I was hungry for breakfast, so I was eager to give it a try. However, the first thing that caught my attention was the seating area—it was quite tight, especially for someone chunky like me. It’s obvious that having a meal comfortably requires not just a decent seat, but also enough space for free movement. Unfortunately, this was disappointing. The issue wasn’t just the limited space between the seat and the table, but also how cramped it was sitting side by side with others. It made the experience a bit uncomfortable. Nevertheless, we managed to settle in and made the best of it. Once we got seated, we asked for the menu. I must say, the menu had plenty of options, which was a pleasant surprise. After taking our time to browse, we decided to go with a Mediterranean/Turkish breakfast, a cheese omelette, and a cup of tea for each of us. These have now become my go-to orders whenever I visit a café—as long as they’re available. One of the first things I noticed was the cleanliness, which was satisfactory and met my expectations. It’s always reassuring when a place feels clean and well-maintained. When our food arrived, I was impressed by the portion sizes—they were quite generous, which is something I always appreciate. The Mediterranean breakfast spread had a variety of items that were fresh and well-prepared, while the cheese omelette was fluffy and flavorful. As for the tea, it was served in mugs rather than a teapot. While the mugs weren’t necessarily bad, I would have much preferred if they served the tea in a pot. There’s just something about tea served in a pot that makes the experience more enjoyable, especially since you get the added benefit of a little extra hot water for refills. I think it’s a small touch that places like this could implement to make their service more desirable. Overall, the experience had its ups and downs. The café offers an interesting atmosphere, and the food was satisfying in terms of quality and portion size. However, the tight seating arrangement and the lack of a teapot for tea are things I believe could be improved. At the end of the day, it’s about creating a comfortable and enjoyable environment for customers, and a few adjustments could go a long way in elevating the experience. I’m glad we finally visited this place, and while it’s not perfect, it’s a spot worth checking out for a hearty breakfast—as long as you don’t mind squeezing into your seat!

Nice place to go with good food

Good service and food always plentiful. Good coffee !

best food, and service, prices are very good, if you come out of here hungry you are not trying, chicken shish with rice and salad, outstanding

Our favourite place to eat in Basildon. Fantastic food at very reasonable prices. My wife loves the Falafel salad, and my choice is the chicken kebab. All freshly prepared and with very generous portions. Cafe Cinco is more than just a café....Its a real gem.

We go to Cinco nearly every Saturday and they remember all our drinks and meal choices. Very friendly staff, great prices and possibly the best breakfasts around. Lots of other great meal choices as well.

Have been many times with my parents. The menu choices is amazing. Which ever meal you choose your plate will be full. You get your money's worth Nice smoothies also.

over priced is a ABSOLUTE UNDERSTATEMENT is basildon town centre for god sake costa coffee is cheaper the price is day light robbery

Food was good. You get your money's worth and more only asked for an omelette see photo friend had burger.l Nice and clean staff friendly.

Absolutely amazing cafe. My husband and I live in southend and we travel there just for cafe cinco.

We are regulars at this cafe. Food plentiful, delicious and fresh. Staff great too !!

My mum and dad have always liked this place and when we visit them it's somewhere we normally go for a bit of lunch with my kids. The staff are all very friendly, the food cooked fresh and good sized portions. The coffee is very good for a "Cafe". Well worth a visit if you happen to be in the town.

Food is good value well presented, but service was a little slow on a Saturday brunch.

Best breakfast in town for breakfast dinner or for any time you go always welcomed when you walk in

Nice place to eat hard working cheffs

Love this place, food is excellent and the staff are very nice highly recommend this place..

We are regulars here, they have great food and an amazing cappuccino , would recomand and go there with a friend

Nice sunny lunchtime, so sat outside, trouble was it appeared that most of the other tables were occupied by smokers. Not nice. Food took it's time to arrive, cheese omelette and mash, chicken wrap and chips, toasted tea cake. Meals were not visually appealing, no garnish or salad just omelette and mash etc. Taste - Bland. The meals were not finished. Teacake was nice though. Looking around, the floor was badly littered too. Must be better available in Basildon?

Good coffee at a reasonable price. The staff were friendly and welcoming and the toilets were very clean. Would recommend visiting.

Trying to support the 'Little Guy' by not using the numerous chain coffee shops across town. My only gripe was the use of cheap sliced bread for the sandwiches, which does not enhance the interesting fillings

Very friendly place to meet and have a meal .Very clean also

Always good quality home made food and good value too

Very busy felt like a nice place to have your lunch good quality and service prices were very reasonable would definitely go back thank you.

Really good food best for a hangover and amazing service

Great place for a lite lunch or breakfast!

Great for a salad or jacket potato. Good value and friendly service. Very popular.

First visit and certainly won't be the last. Food was delicious hot and freshly cooked and a good size potion. Coffee was piping hot and had a creamy flavour. Good value for the money.

Haben dort gefrühstückt Super freundlich Die Service Kraft meinte beim vanilla latte die sein keine gute Service Kraft, sehr sympathisch 🤗 Der Mann hinter der Theke auch. Weiß nicht ob es der Besitzer war. Das Essen sehr lecker, mit Liebe gemacht Der Preis ist auch total ok. Die Portionen sind sehr sehr üppig Fast schon zu viel. Gerne weniger, und günstiger machen Damit uU nicht so viel weggeschmissenem werden muss. Gerne wieder.

Good food, reasonable priced, pleasant experience

Good service, good food and friendly staff. Only been coming here for about 6 weeks, but never had an issue with any of the above. Would recommend over any cafe in Basildon.

Waste of time... you advertise open till 5.30pm but are closed at 4.50pm when I arrive...

Very good food and service thank you

Discovered this hidden gem in Basildon town centre, who would have thought that. I have been here for breakfast with my lady partner several times now on a Sunday morning and I have had quality food. Cinco breakfast, eggs Benedict, you name it it's cooked fresh and good quality and nice portion sizes.

Amazing breakfast, my son loved it! 👍👍👍

First time here for lunch. Very large portions, great price Tasty food

Brilliant little cafe with a vast array of different foods.Very reasonably priced and with first class waitress service.Very clean .

This cafe makes the best vanilla latte ever, really!!!! And the food is excellent

Great place, super efficient staff and service, at very reasonable prices for portion sizes. Good selection of breakfast dishes and combos, well done. Tasty! I will recommend the place. Trouble is, though, that the entrance door was open and the smoke from (selfish!!!) smokers on the terrace rushed in which somewhat spoiled the experience.

It's was not too busy okay then at least with me loving the biggest restaurant of all time favourite that's i am going back to soon again.

Food is awesome and the staff are lovely. Very polite they actually give you time to read the menu instead of pouncing on you as soon as you sit down. Will definitely eat here regularly.

When ever I'm in town, this is the only cafe I go to 😊

Good food, consistently good sevice

Lovely breakfast coffee is awesome

Excellent, recommend this establishment.

Just had a great meal here. The mixed kebab and chicken casserole are delicious and the meat very tender. Staff attentive and friendly. You should definitely try this place.

Nice food reasonably priced pleasant staff and it's clean which is good

Visited this cafe for the 1st time today Amazing food outstanding portion sizes We as a family would highly recommend to all Lovely staff all round and outstanding food THANKYOU

Nice, busy cafe with large inexpensive menu for main meals/ snacks /sandwiches. Just one thing- PLEASE, waitresses SMILE at your customers!! It makes all the difference. Service slow on busy days. We went on a Saturday. So allow plenty of time.

Good cafe friendly people but a bit pricey

Great cup of coffee with oat milk.

This lively little cafe had a lovely meal in there

Cordon bleu it's not but if you want some good quality scrum for lunch then here's good. Often have an omelette as amazing value but most of menus good

Lovely and clean Staff are very friendly lovely food what more can i say....... give it a try if you haven't already its excellent service all round

Lovely friendly staff great food

Nice place, clean, friendly staff, plenty of vegetarian options

Lovely and polite staff and the breakfast Was made to perfection. Presentation was amazing. When I'm in the area again wouldn't go anywhere else .

This is a little gem of a cafe. Returned many times. Had the chicken kebab was very nice and a generous portion. Got food envy my husband had Carbonara was delicious! I like their breakfasts too. Cash only. Worth a visit.

Nice breakfast, big mug of tea.

Lovely staff. I go for coffee every week there.

Good food and value as always. Crowded though.

Absolutely good value for money! Enjoyed our food after a good Christmas shop! Thank you 😊

We popped jn for a quick bite to eat, the food was fresh and tasty, clean environment and the coffee was better than Costa! Would definitely return.

1st time here today and wont be the last . Delicious brunch and lovely coffee

Amazing breakfast here. Went with my husband and customer service was amazing thank you

If you want to have the best jacket potato you will find it at Cafe Cinco ( all dishes are very tasty as well 😋). The staff is very friendly and the dishes are amazing.

Staff helpful and Great place to eat

Tried the poached eggs on toast, but the eggs were undercooked and "snotty"

Very friendly staff, good food and prices

Excellent!! The best value cafe in Basildon

Food absolutely disgusting , not recommended

Always been greeted and treated well here. Always enjoyed the food. Good value for money.

Came here several times over the years and always had a great meal, very quick service and always polite staff!

Stopped at this cafe as lots of people outside. Glad I did ordered breakfast with coffee £7.45, worth every penny and more all the food was cooked perfectly, coffee was freshly ground. Service was quick and friendly. The only down side is cash only so please take note

We always got to this place, good food, good value for money. Service is realy good too.

Just had a lovely burger , great service to

Beautifully clean, staff ever so friendly and helpful, food was perfectly cooked, well presented and tasted great, a lovely experience.

I love this cafe .. good food great coffee and friendly service

Love this place - fantastic food, friendly service. The omelettes are delicious; always generous portions, too.

Very friendly makes you feel welcome very good cafe and prices

One of my favourite brunch places. We brought our grandson here on Sunday for breakfast; my other half had a full English breakfast, huge portions which he really enjoyed. I had the Mediterranean breakfast...scrambled egg, feta, halloumi, olives, tomato, cucumber and toast-amazing! Our grandson had cheese on toast which he devoured. Good food, generous portions, fair prices, clean, welcoming environment and friendly staff

This is my favourite cafe in Essex, the food is excellent, the staff is ultra nice, the owners are also very friendly, they have avocado which is great! The place is super clean, they don’t accept cards tough, but there are two ATM conveniently in front.

Perfect food as always, took my son in there for the first time and in his words "the best omelette I have ever had"

Good food, good portions, quick service.

Food was very good enjoyed it it was clean friendly and not to expensive I would go back again Ty

Great service and great tasty food

Just ok. Nothing special, going by the reviews I was expecting it to be much better. The food was just average and not cheap. The menu was sticky and dirty.

Nice food at a really good price and nice staff!

So friendly. Unlike other places to eat in Basildon where you're greeted with a grunt!!

Staff fantastic food not so good

This place does the most amazing breakfast in town. Huge portions Delicious food Fresh and cooked to order Lovely, friendly staff Reasonable prices

Good food, good service and always immaculately clean

I come to Cafe Cinco for breakfast with my family fairly regularly. The food is tasty and reasonably priced. There is a very good selection too. The staff are friendly and always very patient with my son, who is very young and quite excitable.

Finally nice cafe in Basildon, clean and modern. Good size portions, really impressed that something Like this can be in town centre of basildon. Maybe would like a little bit bigger portions🙂

One of my favourite cafes in the area. Friendly staff, great food at honest prices, good menu variety and a free lollipop for the kids! Be warned though, it was cash only on my last visit!

Only time for a quick lunchtime snack, tho, the crushed avocado on wholemeal toast, topped with a poached egg, accompanied by a steaming black coffee...

Clean and tidy in entering but The food was really bland / tasteless and coldThe guy behind counter making up sandwiches / food etc in the 45 mins I was in there never once washed his hands just kept touching the food with his hands like eggs / bread /rolls etc Poor hygiene from him I must say when dealing with the public. Would not go back again.

Nice place, friendly staff and lovely food

Nice food with reasonable prices and a toilet!

As always service first class food good but the politeness from the staff is 1st class

this has a lovely atmosphere a posh version of the greasy spoon with elegance friendly staff great tasting food