Malabar Coffee House in Sevenoaks

Excellent for meeting friends, for a business get together, or with family. Chai latte is amazing - whether hot or iced - and the cakes and sandwiches are delicious! All available take away or have in. Support local!

I went to the Riverhead store most of the ladies working were lovely but the coffee is over priced and tasted burnt. Not worth the money.

Just returned from Malabar Riverhead. Ordered a coffee then a snack that needed warming up, and went and sat down with my coffee. After about 5 mins I saw my snack arrive on thr counter, where it sat for the next 10 mins at which point the waitress bellowed out the name of the snack. As the restaurant was virtually empty I assumed she'd bring it over to me as I was drinking.....no chance. It continued to sit there until another customer turned up and brought it over to me. Bone idle.. Shouldnt be employed.

What a rude man the owner is. I know I’m not the first customer to have experienced his attitude! He has no customer service skills and speaks rudely to customers.

I visited Malabar Riverhead on a Thursday mid-morning for some Earl Grey, toast & a session on my laptop. What lovely service from the 3 friendly, knowledgeable and helpful young women working there. And clean, comfortable, spacious airy premises. I was particularly pleased to see v little plastic in use (though none would be eve better : ), pet & children friendly service and music there in the background but not too loud; (loved music coming through to the loo too, fun touch). Finally, also great to see or rather not smell the fact that there is no longer a rather acrid smell emanating from the oven, which had led to quite stingy eyes by the end of previous visits. So a great place to go all round, I can thoroughly recommend, and thanks again tothe 3 lovely members of staff for excellent service : )

I would give this place five out of five anytime I went there. Called in yesterday with my partner and my eldest daughter. Served very quickly and there's so much to choose from which all looked excellent. I had one of the nicest Bakewell tarts in a long while and without question the nicest coffee I've ever drunk in any coffee shop and I don't jest. I'm a bit fussy when I drink coffee out as I grind my own at home but this surpassed all other coffee shops. We also asked for two strong teas and we were served Belfast tea and they used t leaves and not bags which makes it even nicer.

The coffee snd food here is always good but I dislike it being served in paper bags and disposable cups for eating in, particularly now that we are able to eat indoors. Other places manage to serve with proper crockery so I think Malabar should too; they certainly don't charge less for these picnic packages! Come on, Malabar, get your act together and you will once again have my custom and that of my friends. Meanwhile we’ll go elsewhere.

Beautiful little coffee house, plenty of room, amazing food and the best milkshakes you'll ever have (there's plenty of other delicious drinks to choose from as well I've tried it All!)

Waste of time and money.Only using take away cups and bags for food, even though your eating/drinking inside. I have been to enough other places that still use cups, saucers and plates.You have to stand and wait while they toast your food and make your drink. The tray was differcult to get out, with food/drink on, due to the plastic protector. I had to ask for milk to be added to tea and then it was poured too much so was almost undrinkable.The food was bland, doing only panini's,toasted sw or filled croissants. All fatty stuff, nothing fresh. Service slow. Definitely won't be back.

Malabar has been a mainstay of the Sevenoaks Coffee scene for many years. It’s formula for success sadly hasn’t ever changed. And thats the problem. It’s become boring and tired. The service is understaffed and the Wifi terrible. Also the prices for food are outrageous and on today’s evidence very poor. Dont avoid but be careful. It’s lost it’s mojo.

We only popped in for a quick coffee/herbal tea to break up the walk we were having. We were both impressed with the cosy atmosphere with a nice looking variety of cakes/snacks available. We resisted (just) as we had lunch less than an hour before but would certainly pop back in again if in the area.

This has the potential to be a great little cafe in Riverhead but sadly the young staff are both untrained and entirely uninterested in the customers. Service took forever and the staff behind the counter managed to avoid eye contact at all times - frankly I felt like I was a being a nuisance by interrupting their chat. Tables were cleared but not cleaned and generally there was a lack of attention to detail.That said the coffee was good and there was a wide range of appetising snacks including various vegan and gluten free options.

I went with my son at 12 midday for a light lunch. Having never been here I was attracted by their outdoor seating as the weather was warm. I queued for a good 15 minutes and as I queued I decided upon a brie and tomato croissant. By the time it got to me and I made my request the sour faced woman looked at me and said " We dont have any left." This at 12am, clearly not even their busiest time.No sorry,or we will make you one. Just a blank stare. I asked if she could put some brie and tomato in the croissants on display. She curtly replied no. As there was among queue behind me and she was offering no solution, I said I will just have a croissant then...She rudely threw the change at me and my cold croissant. Another more polite waitress asked if I would like it warmed up and took it away to do so. This woman's lack of charm, sour expression and disregard for customer satisfaction could win prizes. The coffee was great but the kids lunchbox appaling compared to a similar lunchbox at Sainsbury's cafe or Lullingstone visitors centre. The rocky road was nothing more than a lump of welded chocolate with a marshmallow stuck on top for which they charged nearly £3! And the astonishing rudeness of their staff ensures that I will never go there again. Fancy healthy looking chalk boards and upmarket sounding smoothies dont disguise the fact that this is a shoddily run tatty little cafe.

I don't like having to go to the counter to order drinks/food AND then have to stand there waiting for it to be cooked/made. I am paying to be served. Cleaning used tables is slow and it lacks atmosphere. Most of the savoury food is high fat. Unfortunately most of the staff are young and really don't know how to clean properly or engage with customers.

I visit Malabar regularly. The coffee is so good!! Lovely selection of sweet and savoury foods too. I love that they are dog friendly so whenever I’m working from home I walk my little pup to them, have a coffee with my laptop and he has a great time just watching the world go by. The staff are very lovely too. I highly recommend :)

Having spent a couple of hours walking around Knole park we were looking forward to a cuppa and something to eat but unfortunately the weekend visitor numbers exceeded the number of places to sit so we decided to stop somewhere en-route .We came across the Malabar coffee house quite by chance and were pleased that we had.Bearing in mind that this was a Sunday where most other similar establishments are closed we were very pleased with the wide variety of food and drinks available at reasonable prices.This has now been added to of our places to stop for lunch whenever in that area.

A warm and positive venue with good coffee and a place in the sun at the back of the house. Uses up a bit of Sevenoaks that ids often forgotten.

Very pleasant coffee bar. Used a lot by mothers and babies which adds to the atmosphere but accommodates all visitors and their coffee is great along with great selection of food.

Malabar has a great coffee aroma as you walk in the door. The seating is a little cosy but comfortable nonetheless. The coffee is good - the only issue was slow service at a not particularly busy time of day, due to staff getting orders wrong. Otherwise it's fine for a coffee and a chat with friends. Good WiFi too.

I just love Malabar. If I could give it 6 stars I would. They blend their own coffee and it is just so perfect. I always have a cappuccino but I am sure that their other hot drinks are just as good.

it has been over a year since I last visited Dunton Green branch, and what a disappointment. Stale almond croissant, waitress offered to change it for another stale one! so decided to go for a pain au raisin which was also stale as well as my friends cinnamon bun, we were then told that they had had a problem with the pastries which were delivered the day before!!. no offer for refund or something else.

Malabar is a super coffee house. Lots of space, super coffees/teas and naughty cakes. They also provide a lovely snack for lunch - my favourite - a muffin with bacon and tomato toasted!

I love going in this coffee house as it is friendly and they serve tasty treats. I would feel comfortable dining here alone. They do toasted sandwiches, paninnis, filled croissants and fresh cakes. Coffees are yum. my only request would be more veggie choices in toasties please (they have one).

I come here frequently with my family. I enjoy coming here.

At the counter, the staff were so busy chatting to each other that I actually had to ask whether I could order anything. There were only 2 of us standing up at the counter. Once drinks and sandwiches are ready, they just yell the order across the cafe instead of bringing it to your table, even when there are only a couple of tables of customers in the whole place. Sandwich was very dry. Plus for an independent, family run business, it feels curiously like a large chain coffee shop. Really won't rush back.

I popped in for a quick coffee as had some time to kill between appointments.

This new addition is great for the area, lots of mums go for a cuppa after school drop offs and I've personally never been disappointed.

- nice and tasty gluten free cake (there's usually only one gf option, but it's really good)

Been here a few times now and always a friendly welcome and a good selection of coffee and teas, The cakes and tiffins are very good as well.

Popped in for a quiet coffee and was pleasantly surprised by the nice selection of cakes and treats and delicious coffee. All very reasonable. Will visit again soon

Most of the ghastly coffee shop chains have come to the commuter belt town Sevenoaks, and I never use them. You will usually find me at Malabar instead, which is family owned and a totally different value proposition.

One of my favourite cafes, both in Sevenoaks and Riverhead. Good coffee, yummy cakes, yummy paninis. Nice atmosphere and friendly staff.

This is my third visit with my newborn. The coffee shop is baby friendly which is great as it means I have somewhere to go with the baby when I need to get out of the house for a bit. They have a big selection of hot drinks, sandwiches and pastries. There are also plenty of seating even if it is a little bit squashed. The free wifi is a bit temperamental though.

Driving from Hever castle to Maidstone and stopped for lunch at Malabar. Great coffee. Toasties really delicious. We really enjoyed our lunch at Malabar.

Had a flat white and a slice of walnut and coffee cake, not sure I even had a hello from the team. More busy talking to each other and the cake was, I am afraid dry and not very flavoursome.

polite, friendly staff, found a quite corner to have a business meeting, good lunch with coffee and pastry's. can get busy with mum's and young babies at certain times, but will visit again.

Just popped in for a quick tea while waiting for Franks barbers to be free.

There has been a Malabar up in the centre of Sevenoaks for some years now but they have recently opened another one on the London Rd in Riverhead. This area of Sevenoaks has been a bit short of a decent spot to sit and have a morning coffee - I don't really count the Costa branch inside Tescos! - and I hope that Malabar can make a success of it. Quite large premises with plenty of room for lots of tables and chairs. Good coffee too. And the sort of place where you feel you can linger and drink your coffee at a leisurely pace because there are not loads of people looking for a seat. Drawback is only limited street parking outside and maybe they just won't get enough foot traffic to sustain the business over the longer term.

Nice morning spent catching up with friends - had no complaints at all ! Clean & comfortable - always busy which I am glad to see .

I visited a few months ago with relatives and I cannot see what all the fuss is about. The service is ok, but is not brilliant. The staff did not deliver service with a smile and seemed quite rude, which ultimately set the mood of the visit. It took quite a while to prepare an order which contained only four cakes and cups of tea, however the cakes were very nice and were quite reasonably priced for the size of each slice. Parking outside is extremely limited, which is not ideal if visiting with a person who cannot walk far.

Lovely little coffee shop. Great that dogs are allowed too (as I did email and ask the owner)only problem is, it would be very helpful to have some large signs about the shop to say dogs are welcome. I have had a number of people give me dirty looks and shaking their heads at me. I find this very intimidating and it's putting me off going. Apart from that, it's great

Called into Malabar this morning when it opened to be told it did not open for another 5 minutes. Waited at table then a big que formed and lad behind the counter then proceeded to serve everyone else first. He has no customer skills, which is a shame because the coffee is really good. Had a similar problem with him in the past, obviously needs most customer service skills or should not be put front of house, as he really is quite rude.

I've seen the Malabar coffee shop on the High Street, Sevenoaks but never been in. I was delighted to see they've opened a shop at Riverhead. Just popped in yesterday. Although parking outside is limited and its on a main road, its less than five minutes from Tesco car park! Plenty of seating.