Modern Life Cafe in Norwich

Love this cafe with its modernist atmosphere. Fits the outstanding Sainsbury Centre collection of modern art brilliantly. Food delicious and service welcoming and helpful. We’ll done guys!

The hot chocolate is amazing and the staff are very friendly :)

Lovely unusual food and great recommendations too. Thank you. Oh and superb building!

Had a couple of really nice lunches here, food is of a great quality and tastes great. Definitely the nicest place to eat in UEA and probably one of the nicest in Norwich!

We opted for the large salad bowls which were tasty and had a good selection. Unfortunately neither of us could taste the dressings that were supposed to be on them. The biggest issue was how cold it was in the cafe.

Get's better every time. Love the space and the sandwiches are delicious.

Delicious food, we had the pollock and mixed salad. Friendly and helpful service - thank you!

Lovely helpful staff, excellent toasted sandwiches, not just your boring old ham and cheese type stuff- we had falafel, pepper, spinach and chilli jam. Came with a nice salad. Yum! Sourdough bread delish, can sometimes be too crunchy when toasted but perfect in this instance

Fabulous place for our Mother’s Day outing. Wonderful food and great atmosphere at a very reasonable price. Highly recommended.

I love this space and visit whenever I can. Agata and her team do a great job! Someone clearly cares about the food which is always creative, full of flavour & well executed.

We had delicious salads and cakes. We all had a lovely time.

Booked a table and it was all ready. Delicious choice of food with good size portions. Nice peaceful atmosphere and friendly and helpful staff.

Wonderful experience - lovely service, absolutely delicious food (we had 1 quiche and 1 hake) and beautiful setting! Look forward to coming back soon!

We had a great party for 60+ people organised expertly by Laszlo with the delicious gourmet dining menu. Thank you for a very memorable evening.

I’m a regular visitor and I’m always happy with my experience. Excellent food and wonderful outlook from the enormous window. One minor quibble, I have noticed that people are allowed to sit overlong at tables after a very small meal, working on laptops, when others are queuing. This is a restaurant not a study facility.

Had a fabulous Mediterranean style salad here today - very tasty and efficient, friendly service.

The choice for children is woeful (such a contrast to the exhibitions, which are usually great for children). There is also very little accommodation for children with allergies, the staff member I asked about nuts was really rude to me. He suggested that I thought he was lying when I asked him to double check that a cake didn't have nuts in. I didn't think he was lying, I just like to be sure because anaphylaxis is serious and I know its close to the hospital but we shouldn't be made to feel bad when some ingredients could kill our child. Believe me, sainsbury centre cafe, if someone dies because your staff are rude to customers asking what's in what, then the hassle and inconvenience will vastly overshadow getting a folder out and checking ingredients and allergens. I probably won't come for lunch again, which is a shame. Get better choice for children, try to provide something for the kids with allergies - there's more of them than you'd think! Stop being rude when people ask, we're not asking for the fun of it. My son could DIE. I will ask what ingredients are in things, if staff don't like answering such simple questions then perhaps they are in the wrong job.

Visiting my nephew at the university we wandered through the lovely gallery to the restaurant and decided on a hot lunch. Delicious whole marinaded chicken breast with Caesar salad plus glass of wine. Fruit flapjacks to take away for later! Really tasty and good value. Beautiful setting overlooking greenery and so light and airy. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. A great place.

My family ate here twice and the experience in both occasions did not disappoint. Good food and efficient, courteous staff. We highly recommend this place to those visiting the University of East Anglia.

We had our wedding reception at the modern life cafe in April. First of all- Agata was incredible from the start. We had quite a few meetings and exchanged numerous emails to organise our party and she thought of everything! The menu she helped us devise was fabulous and met the needs of many different guests. Even now our guests (150?) are still talking about the food “best we’ve ever had at a wedding!!” Is the general theme! The venue she transformed, even creating a little space for children to play so they could feel at ease. On the actual day, Agata and her lovely team were brilliant. We had full confidence in them and that meant we could enjoy ourselves. This space, including the gallery and the outside is so underused and incredible for a wedding or similar event and they absolutely deserve to do well. We had the best day and the most awesome party and that is thanks to Agata and the whole team at the Modern life cafe, so thank you!

Usually quiet, which is good if you want to chat or read a book.

In December 2022 we had a reservation for a Christmas Lunch for four people in the Modern Life Café in the SCVA. They had discontinued the table service for their Christmas lunch which had previously made the experience rather special and although they had accepted our reservation for 1.30 they encouraged us to hurry as they would be closing in an hour at 2.30pm due to a private event at 3.00pm. Unfortunately, other issues arose which completely ruined the experience for us. Firstly, while we were eating what turned out to be our mediocre standard lunch (under seasoned stodgy soup and re-heated, tired mains) there was very loud noise of drilling and banging emanating from the display area situated adjacent to and above the cafe. We could barely hear each other speak at times. I cannot emphasise enough how loud and sustained the noise was throughout our meal. We were told by staff that there was nothing at all that they could or would do about it. They were not even prepared to ask if the noise could be kept down a bit. Secondly, although we had been told on arrival that meal service would end at 2.30pm you can imagine our further upset and dismay when at just after 2pm, while we were still eating our lunch, the Cafe staff began noisily stacking and clearing away many tables and chairs around us and other diners, completely disrupting our meal. We raised the issue of the total disruption of our meal with staff but their response was completely unacceptable and outrageous. There was a complete refusal to accept that any of our comments were valid and constant push back to our complaints. There was no apology for the inconvenience and disruption we had suffered to our meal. When we emphasised that they should not be prioritising the needs of other clients future events over our current experience a member of staff walked off and summoned security!. We have never ever experienced a situation in a restaurant for security to be called just because we were making a wholly justifiable complaint. We subsequently raised these issues with the head of UEA catering management and the Chief Resource Officer of the University but never received what we would consider an appropriate response.

I have regularly taken my daughter here for lunch in the summer holidays. No complaints about the food, service and atmosphere, which have all been great - however, and this is a big "however", on a recent visit, I ordered my food and drinks, but when I attempted to pay with legal tender (aka cash), I was told that the cafe was no longer taking cash and their only acceptable method of payment was by card or electronically. Having no card on me, but plenty of cash, I had to leave, which completely spoilt our lunch. I am very disappointed that the Sainsbury Centre have given in to pressure to go along with the very worrying Government cashless society agenda - which in my mind, signifies a giant step for Britain towards the social credit system much-loved by the Chinese dictatorship. Not impressed at all Sainsbury Centre! You have lost, what I hope will be one of many, once-valued customers.

This restaurant has the best view. The room is huge with one entire wall made of glass. Makes the place feel even more spacious than it already is. There are loads of tables all still socially distanced I would say. We got there first thing in the morning on Saturday for coffee and I treated myself to a scone too which was delicious. The staff were very friendly and polite. There were some amazing looking cakes.

Really lovely bright space with friendly staff and a good selection of food and drink

Great food, great prices, great ambience and excellent views. Certainly come back next time I'm in town.

I was walking, and then I saw the Sainsbury Centre and found a cafe there by accident. Lunch time is about 12pm - 3pm, but it was already 3:30pm when I arrived. Therefore, there are not many options to choose from in the menu, only patisserie and drinks. I ordered a coffee & walnut cake (£3) and a cup of flat white (£1.90). Food and drinks were good.

Very much enjoyed our soup and sour bread sandwich. Lovely location too

We visit The Sainsbury Centre regularly and primarily to have a meal or coffee in The Modern Life Cafe. We could go anywhere in Norwich but we choose to come here. Great atmosphere....The Sainsbury Centre is an experience in itself Courteous attentive service excellent and imaginative menu Great quality And most of all it is spacious, safe, very clean with kind staff who are well managed and thoughtful It knocks spots off our recent experience with The National Trust who could learn a lot from the organisation at Modern Life Cafe. We recommend The Modern Life Cafe and The Sainsbury Centre constantly to friends.

It's such a convenient place with a great view of sculptures, but the service is unengaged. At a not very busy time, we waited ages to get seated and had to ask repeatedly to order. There weren't that many vegan options, so we didn't order much. It took about 20 minutes before we even got our coffee. Again, it wasn't busy, and there were plenty of staff standing around. Then when it was time to pay, they tried to charge us FOUR TIMES what the bill actually was and couldn't seem to figure it out. What an unpleasant experience. I've been there other times and it's been okay, but never great, but after this I'm not sure I'd go again.

Enjoyed coffee in this spacious, stylish café at the north west end of the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, with a glass wall looking out at trees and a couple of sculptures. Staff pleasant and helpful. We returned for lunch, having found an interesting vegan dish on the menu. Worth seeking out if visiting the Centre or UEA campus.

Came at a busy time. Ordered from table after 10-15 mins. Drinks 5 mins later. Food another 5. Apology for wait. Attentive service. Food stuffed chicken with spices lentil sauce with broccoli very good although stuffed breast a bit dry. Cod loin and chips. Crispy. Above average food. Will come again.

Wouldn’t come back. We waited a while to be seated, it was a Saturday so understand they were busy but there was enough staff on. When we sat down a rude woman came over to take our order and walked away before we’d even finished our order so just had a coffee, paid and left straight away. Must say the rest of the staff seemed very friendly but this one woman (who appeared to be a manager by how she was dressed) ruined the experience.

Our experience here definitely took the sheen off our trip to the Sainsbury Centre. The service was poor with staff totally disinterested in anyone other than a few regulars and each other, and we couldn’t order breakfast even though the time on the menu wasn’t up. The options for dietary requirements were really poor (one vegan and one gluten free) it didn’t help that there were also things available not marked on the menu. The food we did get was nice enough but definitely wouldn’t go again or recommend. It’s a shame the menu at the Terrace was so narrow as we would have preferred going there.

First class lunch in this bright, airy and spacious cafe. Very reasonably priced and interesting food. Try their arancini or heirloom tomato salad. Very friendly and efficient staff. This is one not to miss.

Delicious food, fantastic salads and light lunch and the kids menu was absolutely superb - appealing but great quality. Really impressed by the great service and very nice atmosphere - light bright and modern. A hidden gem and worth a visit to UEA on its own but should definitely be part of any trip to the Sainsbury centre.

Great day out, nice place to bring people

Has gone more "upmarket" since Covid with a new menu and table service only. This is a definite improvement. The front of house staff and manager were friendly and went the extra mile to accommodate my friend's dietary needs. A well thought out, concise menu...

The setting is excellent but the food was very average. The sourdough sandwich was poor and overpriced. We did not buy any drink after this disappointing experience. I was also concerned that although asking customers to wear masks only some staff were wearing them. They may have the choice whether to wear them but customers don't get the choice as to who serves them and potentially puts them at risk.

Was taken here to do the sculpture trail, wasn't sure what to expect, only that the Avengers movies were filmed here, so interest piqued! Trail was really good, weather helped! Didn't know the UEA broad was so pretty, sculptures were almost hidden in some places,...

After such a long time begin closed, we are able to visit the Modern Life Cafe again. The staff have done a great job in ensuring social distancing during this troublesome time. It has its benefits in other ways too. The service is at table...

I always enjoy coming here. Staff are friendly and service is good. Lovely and spacious with a huge window onto the green and trees outside.

I have visited that place with family on the first week opening after third lockdown. What a great surprise to see transformation from the counter service cafe to the full table service with a new a la carte menu restaurant. Food was delicious and very...

Great place with delicious food and friendly, professional staff. I would recommend this place. Nice for luch and dinner

Rude staff - when asking for a granola flapjack i felt like i was an inconvenience for them. its a shame, art here is truly impressive. This could be a lovely day out - the cafe lets it down. I would recommend walking an extra...

Inspired by a visit a few days earlier for coffee and cake we revisited for something more substantial at early lunchtime (1120). We had rung ahead to comfirm they were open and had food. Unfortunately the jacket option offered (along with most of the prefered...

Just awful Stood there for nearly fifteen minutes while THREE members of staff served the customer in front of me which took an inordinate of amount of time. When I was served staff seemed hesitant, unsure and awkward; whilst the others just stood there and did nothing to help - plain lazy. Food took ages to arrive and when it did was only OKish. Not worth it for the highly irritating service.

After a lovely visit to an art exhibition I visited the modern life cafe at the Sainsbury’s centre. I ordered a hot chocolate and a cinnamon swirl. A guy behind the counter asked me under his breath if I wanted marshmallows with my hot chocolate....

Not sure what happened with food, the fish was terrible and overcooked, vegan sandwich 🥪 had no taste whatsoever.

Good restaurant and cafe located at one end of the Visual Arts Centre. We enjoyed a wholesome light lunch and then latter a very good piece of chocolate orange cake. Range of meals on offer from sandwiches to hot meals and you can reserve a...

After having a bad experience on our initial visit, am pleased to say our second visit was very good and we thoroughly enjoyed our brunch

Overpriced and pretentious. Same food is available at other campus outlets for much less. Shame really as nice setting. £6 for a roll is just ridiculous!

Stopped at the Modern Life Café for lunch: Food was OK, but a bit pricey. Coffee was excellent and so was the location and views. The café takes up the whole width of the end of the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts. The floor to...

Excellent Easter Sunday Lunch...thank you Chef and Staff!

Whenever we we visit the SCVA, we time it to mesh with lunch. They cater for healthy diets at a fair price and the view out of the huge window is stunning. Sadly the seats next to the window are always reserved but never in...

Wow! Stunning views of woodland from the tallest windows I've ever seen. Vegan food gorgeous. Everyone smiled and the man in the cafe knew all about vegan food.

A lovely setting with personable staff and a good menu but .... the bacon roll felt like it had been kept warm under the heater for too long so that the roll was more like toast, the eggs Benedict was well presented and tasty but...

Not bad...soup .....and pastries...and coffee...but prices a bit stiff compared to other Art centres or museums...for example the Hepworth Wakefield or Salts Mill Bradford.

It is the setting that makes this cafe so special. If you are at the Sainsbury Centre it is worth stopping by and enjoying what makes the building such a gem. Nice range of food. Helpful staff. It's a place you can happily sit and...

A bit pricey however the food was well presented, staff pleasant the seating arrangements almost suggest canteen but it doesn't feel like one. The glass wall is a lovely feature.

Architecturally this is one of the most interesting cafe/restaurants in Norwich - but it's very open with a poor echoing atmosphere. The food is overpriced and the service is poor.

The Modern Life Cafe, where we went for lunch, was a disaster. At the peak time for lunch, the queue goes into the corridor so the first thing you see is the back of a line of people. What are they queuing for? Not particularly inspired food (please don't use cold pasta for anything - it loses its taste and feels nasty in the mouth). There were no trays available at the beginning of the food counter, and no forks in the cutlery rack.We wanted a coffee to end the meal, but as there isn't a separate coffee station, it would have meant going to the back of the queue again! Thankfully, the smaller cafe at the Centre serves some of the best coffee I've tasted - a real find. It is also integrated into the art centre, unlike the Modern Life Cafe which is relentlessly dreary.The staff try fairly hard, and the prices are reasonable, but the overall experience is dreary and annoying.

Ordered the Adnams cod with chips and peas. Food had obviously been laying therefor a while as it was lukewarm, dry and chewy. The chips were also lukewarm and there wasn't many of them. The peas were also cold. Atrocious and I won't go back.

I've eaten lunch here quite a few times recently and my experience has been generally positive. The staff are friendly, the food (salads, soup, cake) has all been excellent, and the surroundings are good if a little noisy due to the open space. As others have said, the food is quite expensive but it is good quality and fresh. The downside for me is the coffee, which is without doubt the foullest I've ever tasted. Like muddy water with a hint of gravy browning. A friend said to me that she had switched to tea whenever she visits, so I'm afraid it's not just me!

What a wonderful start to a Sunday. Fantastic breakfast, £7 for avocado and poached eggs, genuinely one of the best breakfasts I've had in such a long time.

Very nice, special self service cafe in the Sainsbury Center, in Norwich. Appetising food in a nice restaurant with lovely views. Value good, selection available quite adequate. However our lunch was made special, by the attention and the performance of, Laszlo their, manager I presume. He was doing, and we have watched, the work of 3 at least. He was on the till, taken orders, served, cleaned a table next to us. Never seen anything like this. Wonder how much is he earning? Management! Hold on to him!

My husband and I recently held our wedding reception at the Modern Life Cafe. From start to finish we had amazing service. The food was absolutely superb, and all the staff were extremely efficient and friendly. They also catered to all of our special dietary needs. The staff were keen to take our details on board when preparing the room for the reception, setting up the tables perfectly and helping to load the car when we came back the next day to collect everything. It couldn't have gone better. When we have visited the cafe as normal visitors, we've always found the food to be of very high quality and with plenty of gluten free options.

Excellent space with decent food - peaceful site with a great Henry Moore sculpture to view while relaxing.

Beautiful space overlooking parkland and a Henry Moore sculpture - fantastic. Lovely staff and food excellent vfm. Take time out and have a coffee and cake - great stuff.

Lovely venue in the Sainsbury Centre on the UEA campus which is a calm and quiet place to be. Freshly made food tasted very good - rarebit with bacon and tomato - but was expensive (over £8 each). Equally the children's lunchbox at over £5 was expensive for a tiny sandwich, a bag of min cheddars, some fresh orange and a piece of fruit. Over £30 for two adults and two children for lunch was unexpected.

I enjoyed the food, there was nothing wrong with it but nothing particularly special and more expensive than what they are offering. There is not a very good range of different foods available, would be nice to have more light snacks available, like a wider range of sandwiches and lunch food.

This is an amazing venue designed by Norman Forster. The cafe/restaurant used to be ran by the University as was one of the best venues in the city. Since the services have been outsourced it is over priced, poorly staffed and has lost its busy, bustling ambience. Shame. Real shame!!!

Sunday lunch options were roast beef or nut loaf. We opted for the nut loaf which was tasty. Lots of accompanying vegetables, so much so that we did not finish our meals. Overall it was a little lukewarm which did not help.The staff were pleasant and the venue light and airy.Not bad, convenient for the Art Centre if you are a visitor.

As a family after a long drive we always stop here for breakfast, as it's quiet, relaxing, great food and fantastic surroundings. Great to unwind before travelling on into the city The staff are always superb and friendly. Never disappointed.Only downside , parking has become restricted, but don't be put off. You can always visit the attractions and exhibits in the Sainsbury's arts centre at the same time, or take a walk around the UEA lake.

Took us a while to get parked. Changed the layout since last time. Nice coffees but a bit limited for 3 fourteen years olds. Nice setting overlooking the park. Third time here and enjoyed all of them.

I visited with my mother as we were looking for somewhere different for afternoon tea. We were not disappointed as they had a good selection of cakes, and food in general.Mother decided to have tea with scones, jam and cream with tea. I opted for the " healthy option" of all of the above except for the cream! It was delicious. We had a great table with excellent views to the Henry Moore sculpture. Afterwards we visited the exhibition on the mezzanine floor. A very enjoyable afternoon.

Reasonably priced, smallish but adequate choice of salads and hot dishes (I ate a hot dish) smallish (but adequate unless you are feeling very hungry) portions. The glass wall of the dining room is especially nice to look out through on a summers day. I have eaten worse dishes more expensively often - I would not rate it 'very good' but certainly above 'average' for 'canteen style' catering. Friendly professional service.

Self service, pleasant atmosphere, not too expensive. At 14:30 the baked potatoes were not very hot.

We live nearby and often walk round the university broad taking the path by the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts. The cafe is located within the centre. Go. There by yourself, with your companion, with your family. Have tea and scones, try their lunch menu. Whatever you have you will not be disappointed. The staff are very helpful. The view from the vast window is fabulous. Where else can you have coffee whilst gazing at a Henry Moore statue? Wifi comes free. When you have finished visit the fabulous art display. Another terrific experience.

Definitely not like it used to be. (Plus the cafe at the other end of the gallery has shrunk)2 hot main dishes with veg were available aswell as jacket potatoes. Other options along the counter we noted were nice looking sandwiches, lots of burnt potato wedges and tiny portions of nice looking flapjack.A polite lady attempted to serve us hot food directly from the counter but was first interrupted by a young man asking if we wanted hot drinks, then the older guy on the till asking for payment (making the assumption we would be paying together and my partner would be paying it!). My partner did pay while we were still having our food served up even though it was my turn. We felt hurried along and obliged to pay before we'd even got our food and drinks on our trays! We hadn't even contemplated if we wanted a flapjack/cake, which on hindsight we were glad we hadn't handed any more money over. My partner opted for a lamb hotpot which he requested with chips instead of cauliflower cheese. The woman had to get permission from the manager across on the till, who gave the resigned nod of agreement but was lacking in customer service skills by saying to the woman there are potatoes already on the hotpot so it isn't normally an option. I opted for the root veg and pearl barley cottage pie with all the veg.The young man took our drinks to the till. So realistically we could have paid then, as normal places do. Terrible first impression from the older guy. We sat down with our food.My cottage pie was good, it had chunks of parsnip, carrot and celery. I would have preferred more pearl barley, the potato top was nice. It could have been heated up for longer as it turned cool quickly. I had the cauliflower cheese which was good and a mix of petit pois, with carrots and thin slices of cabbage. The onion gravy was a bit too thin for my liking.My partner's hot pot had nicely cooked lamb but lacked potato, with only mega thin slices on top. Undercooked veg and some sauce in two parts, one orange water and the other orange oil, add to that a thin onion gravy he had a plate of water. It didn't look pleasant and lacked in flavour. Swapping the cauliflower cheese for a few chips was allowed even though it was accompanied by a scornful look and a comment of "there's potato in the hot pot."This experience made us look around at other tables, more people were drinking rather than eating. Some eating were leaving food on plates. In our opinion, this place lacks soul.

This cafe is set up in cafeteria style but had freshly cooked food and a variety of drinks incl. good tea by the pot. The views are great and it was busy enough not to be empty but not that full to spoil a peaceful and enjoyable lunch on Sunday.

Relocated this year from within the previously rather nondescript central location of the Sainsbury Centre, to the complete Northern elevation with a fantastic vista that has been re-branded and totally revamped, the "Modern Life Café" is definitely worth a visit. Whether you want to simply enjoy the vast space afforded by the location, the floor to ceiling vista through the outside glass wall or in our case the delicious bacon rolls and coffee on offer on a Sunday morning, it’s worth seeking this facility out as it is set in a fine part of the city.The Centre is a high-end arts facility that has been in Norwich for many years now, but remains a most contemporary and striking building in its own right. The splendidly futuristic, clean lines of the toilet facilities are worthy of note too and compliments the setting very well. Although fairly staple diet this time, the cakes looked very tempting, so we’ll be back to savour what else is on offer soon…

Myself and my wife visited the cafe last Friday.we both had the salmon fish cakes which were very tasty well worth a look