Driftwood Coffee House in Maldon

If you want to find a Gem with a twist on your Xmas Meal - This is the place! Excellent service, staff were very attentive to all of our table of 15! Food was amazing & plentiful Support your local businesses! Many Thanks MALDON NETBALL CLUB

Fantastic food, and reasonably priced. The owner/manager was great and looked after us. Although a hour away from where we live we will definitely return. Support your local (or not so local) independent businesses!

We were looking for a cafe for breakfast for around 20 people after our wedding the day before. Mario kindly gave us exclusive use and even a personalised menu! The food was outstanding, we loved the decor and it was a fantastic way to round off our wedding celebrations.

What an amazing little find. Friendly staff, clean venue and setting outside. Some lovely touches like blankets for outdoor seating, lovely beach feel and nice chilled music. Not too loud. If you get a chance definitely pop in and support this independent business! Thanks guys, the coffee was superb.

We always go to the driftwood when we visit maldon if its only for a coffee, the light lunches are always top quality and staff very friendly and the decor is great. The driftwood is still very good as ever still 5 star

Came here with friends one evening- tasty food and great service. Had most of the tapas dishes on offer- plenty of tasty food. Pleasant background music- not too loud

Friendly service excellent tapas just like eating in Spain Nice decor and quiet outside eating area we will be eating here again

Really wonderful time, great service, such yummy amazing food! Loved our meal out and will definitely return with others

We took part on the Tapas and Quiz evening and really glad we did. It was a fun relaxed evening. Food and service great. Did not go home hungry and will definitely return.

Great little bistro / tapas tucked away from high street. Really good food and service. Gluten free and dog friendly. Can’t wait to go back

Lovely place to go for breakfast, rain or shine. Food fresh, coffee great and fab dirty chai. Always lovely, friendly service too.

What a lovely find. Booked table through website for Saturday night. Staff were welcoming from the start. Great atmosphere and even though they were busy did not feel cramped. We were recommended the tapas to share for four and was plenty. All dishes were excellent. Reasonably priced. If I lived locally this would definitely be a regular place for me to visit. I hope they have all the success they deserve for trying something different in Maldon.

Great evening with friends. Food was great and service was friendly and efficient. It was a bit chilly in the restaurant though !

Breakfast pre cooked and re heated.

Just been to this valentine evening of tapas. Not enough food for one person let alone two. Very expensive for what we had. Will not be rushing back.

Warm, friendly, delicious food. Made me an off the menu salad for my dieter restrictions, which was delicious. My husband had delicious Thai chicken skewers with rice. Hot chocolate with soya milk. £28 - excellent value. Looking forward to our return visit 🌸

An excellent evening, good service, superb food, great atmosphere , good price, thank you to all the crew, will be back 👍👍

Booked in for an evening tapas meal. Service was very good, drinks of water topped up for us also. We selected six different tapas dishes then once eaten chose three more. All the dishes were really well cooked, decent sized portions and all were tasty. Overall a great evening in a relaxed environment on our first visit, will definitely be back !

Superb little cafe, amazing food and atmosphere.

Delicious tapas! Great atmosphere so cosy and the server was amazing 🤩

2nd visit 8/9/23 Had a very nice couple of Cumberland sausage with onion chutney sandwiches /small green side salad, americano and tea a, £21 Tapas available. 1st visit: Our usual place was busy and we noticed this lovely coffee shop down a lane off (Wenlock way) the high St, offering shaded and sun area's (1.45pm)our two large American coffee's were pipeing hot👍and very tasty, service was good. Cost was just under £5 would use again.

First visit, won't be the last. A great variety of really interesting, delicious food, especially the padron peppers and the chorizo dish.

Breakfast was great and service was super lovely and friendly! Definitely coming back!

What a wonderful and relaxing time sitting under a shade in the welcoming and sunny courtyard - a little gem tucked away down one of the 'walks' off of the high street. Food was wonderful, staff were welcoming - all in all a lovely way to spend a relaxing hour and we will definitely be back

Really enjoyed the small plates tapas evening menu. If there's one thing Maldon has been missing up until now it's a tapas bar. I think this may have solved that problem. Food all really tasty and there's an open kitchen so you can see it all being cooked fresh.

The whole evening was totally disappointing. We are not big eaters, but the portion sizes were ridiculously small. The waitress was friendly, but the chef and owner/manager? spent most of the time whilst we were there cleaning out the dishwasher and discussing the disgusting state of the filters. As this was an open kitchen, it was rather off-putting to witness this whole procedure whist eating. Surely this should have been done before serving customers! We were going to mention our concerns on leaving, but the staff were still involved with the dishwasher!

Coffee is amazing here. Sam certainly made my coffee as I wanted it. My friends ate delicious food. Friendly staff. Lovely place. Lily was a very lovely waitress. Thank you x

Food was lovely, great service and great atmosphere! Good location with a nice outdoor seating area

Amazing food, each tapas we ordered was very tasty!!! The staff and chef were friendly and all around a great evening dining experience!

Sitting in the Courtyard in the sunshine, eating delicious small plates of great food and drinking a rather nice Prosecco, it felt like I could have been on holiday. Just lovely. This was not my first visit and won't be my last. The food, the service, the location, it's all spot on. What a great place!

Visited yesterday with two colleagues and loved the service, the cleanliness the friendly staff and above all the food. The chefs great, no hidden secrets here you can see him working with passion for his work. Top job team, will be back soon!

Visited with friends for the evening Tapas menu. Opted for the £25 selection menu, it was all superbly cooked by a talented young chef, we loved everything! The Red Mullet with pea puree and Saffron Risotto was outstanding as were the chicken skewers and beautifully tender squid. Our waitress Frankie was lovely, being attentive and looking after us really well. Overall 10/10, great value for great food in a local bistro run with passion and care.

This lovely little Bistro, tucked away down a side street in Maldon is a real gem! I believe it’s open during the day for breakfast and lunches but only in the evenings at the end of the week. Went on a Thursday evening with girlfriends. We were given a friendly welcome and the menu of Mediterranean tapas dishes was explained to us. The host advised that he could bring out a selection of dishes that he felt complimented each other and we could then add to them as extra if we wished. As there were 5 of us this was the favoured option. We were not disappointed. The dishes were delicious, freshly prepared and a good variety. Plates cleared! The host very kindly shared the recipe for Bang Bang Cauliflower which was incredible ( several extra portions of that were ordered). There were plenty of other dishes that we didn’t get to try as we were comfortably full! I feel another visit is necessary. The staff were attentive but not intrusive, the decor was simple but tasteful, the music was a good level (hate it when you have to shout to make yourself heard) and the whole evening was a great success. Am looking forward to a return visit.

My husbands burger looked and tasted good, however my kofte were very disappointing. The portion size was very small, equivalent to a starter at the turkish restaurant Sark just across the road! I won't be returning

My husbands burger looked and tasted good, however my kofte were very disappointing. The portion size was very small, equivalent to a starter at the turkish restaurant Sark just across the road! I won't be returning

Cute location, however a bit pricey for what they offer. My partner had a sandwich, which was average, I had the lamb kofte, which was disgusting. I noticed people around us leaving the food on their plates as well, and looking very dissatisfied. Long waiting times, although they only had a few outside tables, so not busy at all. In fact, I went to the bar, cancelled the dessert ans asked to pay, as we had been waiting for over 20-30 minutes for someone to pay us some attention although at that point there were only 3 tables with customers, unfortunately the teenagers working there were busy chatting and laughing. Absolutely not going back, what a waste of money and soo disappointing.

We had a varied selection of small plates. Each dish was fresh and full of flavour. The final dish we had was the red mullet with risotto and pea puree - so tasty. We will certainly return!

We visited here on Thursday to try out the new small plates menu they do in the evenings. We will DEFINITELY be going back. Firstly service was excellent but most importantly the food was really good! We had almost everything on the menu and nothing...

We were a fairly sizeable group (10 of us) and we had a table at another restaurant cancelled last minute. Mario and the team were able to squeeze us in and we enjoyed the new small plates menu - I had the lamb kofte, patatas...

Super menu and excellent service!

We were blown away by the food and service as this cafe. Staff were attentive and accommodating to our needs and the food was exceptional. Great value for money and super flavours and recipes. I had the Thai prawn curry which was delicious as was the sea bass. Beautifully presented you can tell a lot of love and care is taken into the selection of the food and flavours. The coffee was delicious, everything was such high quality that the prices felt like a steal. Thank you so much for making us have such a wonderful weekend visiting.

Great food! Lovely staff but a little on the pricey side for example my OJ was £3!. For this price I was expecting a nice tall glass but recieved a glass I would expect to give a small child. I would visit again but will not be ordering any fruit juice in future.

Under new management since I was last here. Excellent local produce used. Received a warm welcome, with great service whilst there.

I am so incredibly upset that i have to leave this place a bad review. I have been many times as the coffee is great and food is lovely as well as friendly staff. My last visit (probably my 10th) was not so nice. The person who served me (think it was the manager or owner) was moody, short and although I asked twice for the same thing, the order came through wrong. The person mentioned was walking to and fro between the opposite property and seemed stressed. Dear Driftwood cafe, it costs nothing to smile be polite and listen to your customers needs :-) Hopefully others don’t experience this.

Nothing was too much trouble. Mum in a wheelchair and I'm grateful for her actually being helped inside. Teapots are really generous. Teacakes (toasted) are amazing. Soya milk readily available. I LOVE dogs being allowed inside, I can appreciate that's not too everyone's taste but...

lovely food and friendly staff who are very accommodating

Visited with a party of 10 (all men) food was excellent, beautifully presented and served by very attentive staff. Will definitely visit again and perhaps next time I might even take the wife!

Went for dinner Saturday night. Food was delicious. Lovely restaurant. Great service. Will definitely be going back. One of best meals had in Maldon for a long while.

Superb meal and great service. Thoroughly recommend. Whilst a small menu, each dish we had was lovely with amendments due to allergies. The team were happy to amend, wine and coffee was reasonably priced along with a good selection.

Lovely food and great atmosphere. Service was spot on too. Had a set menu for Valentines day and every course was good. Will definitely be coming back

My wife and I called in here today for an impromptu lunch. Wow - what a great experience. A warm welcome, great service and food. Didn't want much, so we had a bottle of chianti, my wife had a jacket potato with chilli and cheese...

All was good...service ...food but just a bit cold...could do with some heating but apart from that great.

Visited on a busy Saturday. 2 dogs,4 adults and one child. The food was delicious, coffee and drinks really good and the staff were attentive and so helpful to our needs - water provided for our dogs, Would definitely recommend and return Well done 🙂.

Went on a busy Saturday with 4 adults, 1 child under 2 and 2 dogs. The staff couldn’t have been kinder we had a perfect table for our needs and the staff provided water for our dogs. The food was excellent, well cooked and a...

Excellent food and service, great for hosting large parties! I would highly recommend this establishment.

Fantastic food on Burns Night 25 Jan. Cullen Skink (smoked fish soup) was really tasty and just right, followed by haggis, neaps and tatties (potatoes and turnip) and a whiskey sauce which was lovely and all topped with a caramelised roasted parsnip. Dessert was of...

Visited last night for the first night they were launching their bistro evening menu. Fab service and great food - mezze was delicious and gammon with fried egg, hasselback potato and spicy pineapple salsa was so tasty. Followed by apple crumble and icecream. Portions great...

A wonderful place with delicious food and coffee. The atmosphere is very welcoming and the staff are great.

Lovely meal in a relaxed setting for our annual mums’ Christmas dinner! The salmon starter was my highlight. Intimate setting meant we could all see and hear each other, the food was lovely and service was attentive without being overbearing. Thank you!

Lovely place, great food, good service. Perfect poached eggs!

Has gone downhill since being taken over. No atmosphere. Lovely plants taken away. Prices up, value down. What a shame!!

Driftwood Bistro Wenlock Way in Maldon. Lovely place, frequently eat here. Good food, friendly service would recommend.

Very pleasant comfortable little Bistro lovely atmosphere good service nice simple menue

First time of going, place looks nice, fancied drink and cake. Wrong place, cake selection not that good also don't these places think to offer anything other than choc brownie, no imagination, I had what was classed as carrot cake, it was nice and moist but a bit small, sorry. Coffee was hot but I found it a bit bitter, at least we have tried it

Really friendly and modern setting. Food was nicely done and, good portion size and very tasty. Vegan options are available. Very knowledgeable and attentive staff, also the latte was the best!

Never been before but I'll certainly be back. Fantastic food, lovely kind and friendly staff and a really lovely atmosphere ❤️

Gone downhill since new management has taken over. Food and menu has gone downhill. Decor and atmosphere has also gone in the wrong direction. Stopped going.

The coffee was delicious, the service excellent and the toasted cheese and ham toastie was perfect. Driftwood has a really chilled vibe, lots of seating outside in the sunshine and cool music playing inside, in the white wooden panelled interior. It was like being abroad...

Been coming here for a couple of years but the last two visit's have not been great and this one was terrible, I am not sure if they have been taken over recently. We waited almost half an hour for food, when you are in...

Good coffee and good food. Not a bad place to meet friends or family and we have often taken colleagues who are visiting for a light lunch and a chat. Outside seating is great in good weather but they have awnings, parasols and blankets to cover a range of weathers outside. The staff were excellent.

Very underwhelmed with feta salad - was a bowl of sliced peppers pretty much, pitta was actually a flatbread …. Small in size for a whopping £8.50 …. No salad leaves or balsamic dressing in sight! And small bottle of coke £3.30!! Family on table next to us actually verbalised how small their portion sizes were … food was fresh but not what I expected …. Will not recommend or return unfortunately 🙁

I’m being generous with the 2. Popped here for first try, made it easy and chose the jacket with cheese and salad stated on menu with salad. Leaves only arrived so I politely requested some tomatoes but truly I would have liked onion and cucumbers...

We have visited this Coffee House, many times before & have always received excellent service, freshly prepared food in a friendly & relaxed setting & all for a very reasonable price. We have just visited again to find that it has changed hands & is...

New management, higher prices grotty food. Sad.

Only had a coffee which was good, friendly staff

Called in for a coffee while up the high street with our dogs, notice the sandwiches coming out and they like Ike’s good so stayed for food as well. Food and service good nice little spot to sit out in the sun and they are...

Waitresses were unfriendly, clearly talking about my family and me under their breath and glancing sideways at us while all hanging around the till. Despite being quiet there was still a wait for our drinks which were all brought out at different times by different members of staff. A very hostile vibe, will not be returning

My mum had a terrible experience. My daughter heard staff talking about my mum in a very negative way. Will not be returning. Trying to complain to owner. No response. Surprise surprise

Really good meal, great coffee, reasonably prices, great service. What more could you want? It was starting to rain when we discovered this gem of a place off the high street in Maldon. Coffee House, yes they know their coffee but the food was very...

First time of going there, meeting friends for coffee. The name suits the decor perfectly and the coffee was very good. Will definitely be going back.

Really pleasant place to enjoy good coffee and food

Find the cafe along Wenlock Way and you will be delighted and spoilt for choice. We popped by for breakfast whilst in Maldon for an impromptu visit. The decor and ambiance are lovely and I could have happily eaten my way through quite a few...

Great coffee and snack cafe. Good quality and reasonable price. Bacon, brie and red onion chutney pannini, coronation chicken sandwich and two Cappuccino

Great place to eat and meet up with family and friends. Service excellent and relaxing.

Friendly staff and very good food

Little gem of a cafe tucked away from the High St. Very popular with locals, tasty fresh food served with a smile by really nice people.

Brilliant place to eat and chat. Stopped here whilst visiting Maldon and found it to be an amazing place, had American salad Which was fabulous. Good atmosphere and quite to chat. Service was great. Highly recommended

Found up a small side street and well worth a visit. I think the locals are keeping this hidden. I had a chicken salad (American) and it was fabulous. Quit-et enough to chat but great atmosphere. Service was quick and friendly. Menu looked great with...

Excellent.. friendly staff.. dog lovers.

Excellent, always a pleasure, my weekly treat

Great value, great service and lovely food.

Had a late breakfast here. I’m coeliac so an understanding of gluten free needs is important and these were met. Scrambled egg and tomatoes was so tasty and fresh. Pot of tea for one produced at least 3 good sized cups. Husband said his breakfast...

Very nice coffe Awesome cake Generous and welcoming staff Thanks

An excellent find in Maldon,tucked away but worth seeking out. The food is delicious and very well presented it’s lovely to see it cooked in a spacious unit opposite not in some cramped hot space like many coffee places Thank you and we will visit...

We found this place by accident. But what a find! Great food. The service by friendly lady's is fantastic. The venue is full of rustic charm. I really like it here.

Great coffee great service and great food

Lovely little coddee house tucked away in Maldon high street. First time visiting and had great service and food. Will definitely revisit

Great place to stop off for a cuppa, breakfast or lunch. Lovely food in a great setting with friendly, polite staff. 5 star!

Good food, served by friendly staff.

Had a delicious Sunday breakfast. Coffee and hot chocolate really good. Will make this a regular treat!