The Cafe on the Pier in Tendring

Friendly staff. Good position but Not good value. Baguette stale. Prawns without any sauce. Paper plates and cups with wooden knives

nice looking place, smart staff. No sandwiches at all baguettes and paninis are premade by the staff earlier. .so i had a baguette b l t .where some cafes cut off the ends mine were still on making it small and not soft very crunchy wife had a panini filling not very nice tasted like cardboard. Would have loved a bacon sandwich or even a cheese sandwich.

Very disappointing ,have used this cafe in past years and been happy with food and service, however since it has changed hands menu is limited and is dished up on Cardboard plates with flimsy wooden cutlery and paper cups if I wanted a takeaway there is burger van by the pier. I don’t expect that when sitting in at a table what ever happened to a pot of tea and china plates and cutlery. Very wasteful as all this cardboard is thrown away in rubbish bin. Will not be visiting this cafe again

I ordered a BLT baguette for £8.95 and to my horror it had two small pieces of tomato and two small lettuce leaves with a cold fatty piece of bacon in with a smidgen of mayonnaise. The baguette did not seem fresh Unfortunately I had paid before hand and too polite to moan but I won’t be going back.

We stopped there yesterday, for lunch. We had a beautiful Pizza to share and coffee. The pizza was freshly made to order, never had a pizza with fennel on before tasted absolutely wonderful.

Poor experience generally! We only wanted hot drinks. My tea arrived in a paper cup, with not much water, so had to ask for it to be filled! Server was hopeless! The cost of the tea, and equally unsatisfactory hot chocolate ( NOT HOT) and again, in a paper cup was seriously overpriced at over £7!!! Beware, no toilets onsite, so facilities are across the road at the Pier Hotel. This cafe is part of their establishment. Staff were most probably 6th Formers, very amateur and not very interested in the customers! For a great hot drink experience, cross the road to the opposite corner and discover Patricia’s excellent cafe where tea comes in large pots with extra hot water, proper china cups and saucers, and the chocolate is excellent and HOT!!!! Prices are very reasonable too! All cakes are homemade and the pies etc looked lovely. Really kind and helpful staff! Sorry to read about Barry’s experience at the Pier Cafe. Patricia’s is dog friendly and welcoming. It’s also a shop selling interesting things! Have a look round, it’s lovely! Would definitely not return to the Pier Cafe!

Coffee excellent, but all the usual things to eat - tea cakes, crumpets etc were unavailable and the scones with butter at £6 were over priced. Change of ownership has not gone well.

Very disappointing client service. Ignored on arrival, pushed past to take refreshments to the only other 2 people who needed service, then told to wait and then served someone behind me who was waiting to pay and finally without even looking at me, said 'what do you want?'. What I wanted was the following 'I'm so sorry for the delay in serving you and please let me know what you would like?' Such an astonishing lack of polite service is not going to get this family going there again.

Whilst this cafe has never offered very good value for money it has got worse recently. Approx £6 used to get you (for example) a thick Tuna sandwich with trimmings such as crisps, a side salad with onions and other bits. That certainly was pretty poor value but now a Tuna sandwich costs £7.49 (as do all the other sandwiches, including surely the cheapest to make - egg mayo) yet comes with just a few crisps on the side, no salad any more despite the higher price. Very disappinting - higher prices, lower quality andt still the same slow service.

Had a trip across from Felixstowe on the ferry from Landguard fort to show a friend how nice Harwich is for a trip out. Had a lovely late lunch in the sunshine outside . Tastiest halloumi burger I have ever had . Moist filling and so tasty with some great French fries and a tasty flat white coffee . All served with a smile and politeness

Visited as we were holidaying nearby. Good for lunch with a varied menu and decent service. We had the sausage and onion sandwiches which were very tasty.

Great location, friendly staff and good food. The outdoor seating is great for kids, dogs and generally watching the world go by.

We visited twice this week with the dogs for breakfast and coffee. The ingredients are top quality and the service is excellent. Good value for money and we will call again next time we visit harwich.

We enjoyed an excellent coffee (and a scone!) at our midway break on our walk. Lovely views of the river Orwell if you use the outside seating. Friendly staff.

Absolutely delicious breakfast serviced in a spotless cafe by two friendly people. Who could want more?

Went for lunch, only wanted a sandwich ordered the “fish finger” sandwich. Absolutely terrible not sure where the fish was as a horrible grey mush that tasted awful. If you advertise fish finger then at least serve proper fish fingers

Good service, good coffee. Food looked good too. Inside seating area for a rainy day. Great place to sit and watch the boats.

We had drinks before our trip and a meal afterwards. Despite the coffee machine not working we all enjoyed our drinks and meals.

but not really that special. Service outside was limited, or so it seemed. Inside, much quicker. Food average, and a tad pricey.

Visited with my 3 grandchildren. They had haloumi burger at nearly £10 each. Two didn’t want salad so got a plain brioche bun with a slice of haloumi. Nothing else. No chips. I had a crab sandwich. It was ok came with no salad and a few crisps. £8.95. All n all with drinks ( my coffee was only warm) cost me over 40 quid. Had to listen for half hour to the pump wailing as they filled up the boat with petrol. Feel totally ripped off.

Four of us went to the cafe on the Pier for lunch and sat at a table inside. No one acknowledged us and after 20 minutes we decided to leave. We complained to the guy taking orders that nobody had come to see us or even say we will be with you shortly. He didn't even want to talk to us and didn't care about not seeing us We are residents of Harwich and thought we would use the local café for lunch. Not any more.

Mmm what can I say came off the last seal watching trip of the day was told the place was open for the next half hour or so ok a quick bite and a coffee. Will not quick one bit sat down about 5 minutes...

It was a beautiful day so after spending some time on the little pier, we decided to have something to eat. We sat at an empty, but uncleared, table. There was a menu on the table so we made our choices and waited. There are...

We can honestly say that the coffees we had yesterday at the Cafe on the Pier were the worst we have ever had. Tasteless coloured water. Asked for payment when ordered!!! The location was the only nice thing going for it.

Having used the cafe many times my wife and I were very dissapointed with the quality and price. The coffee was tasteless and in a paper cup. The cheese-cake was bland and didn't seem fresh. And at £15.30 way over priced.More than we pay in...

Terrible experience. Could not get the simple order right. Wrong drinks brought to table, wrong food brought to table and the wine £22 was a cheap bottle of Pinot at only 8%. That went straight back! The crab was good though.

Visited today (24th June) and had a really tasty lunch at the Cafe on the Pier! Myself, my partner and our dog went for a wander into Harwich and fancied having lunch out and we found that the Cafe on the Pier was one of...

What a shame - looks good, but disappointed. Pay upfront, scones dry, coffee arrived 20 mins later. Lovely location though.

Sorry but this visit was terrible. We sat down at an outside table and were ignored for 15 minutes. Then when we attempted to order a Crab Sandwich at 16.04, told by young man with no customer skills whatever that they stopped serving food at...

Not impressed Having traveled from Brighton to Harwich for a nostalgic day out we arrived early and hungry - ordered 2 bacon rolls and 2 cappuccinos at a cost of £12 the order came not in a roll but in cheap white bread and the...

Cafe on the pear was nice little place good food and good service a bit expensive but all round good experience would recommend a visit

Had fish finger sandwich, fish was grey and a bit tasteless….soute potatoes ok but not as good a good old chips. Tea was ok. Had this last year and it was nice so quality has slipped. A bit pricey considering ….

Lovely food with great views overlooking the river stour, Love sitting down here on a summers day! Lovely food at reasonable prices. Lots of history around the town too and new owners

Good, down to earth fare that won't break the bank. Kids loved it after a boat trip from the pier. Friendly staff. Reasonable prices.

Have been visiting for years , was rather disappointed this time, very overpriced for what you get , £3 for a milkshake which was powder(1 scoop) and semi skimmed milked puffed up with air and very small, 3 hot drinks , and a tiny cup...

Great location, lovely seating indoors and out, but has a disappointingly basic menu and pretty big prices.

Popped here for breakfast and again later on for a cuppa and cake. Lovely friendly welcome and great cake - breakfast was bacon and egg sandwich which was was equally as nice though bread was a bit hard - not stale but possibly been in...

Visited Saturday morning for a breakfast which was superb with top quality ingredients . Staff were extremely polite. Highly recommended. Will definitely be visiting again.

Went for an all day breakfast. No sausages available so was told extra bacon would be added. One pieces of bacon added mushrooms were cold fried egg was unrecognisable, tomatoes were like warm and hard hash brown was soggy and oniony. The plate was half...

This place used to be really good for both quality of food and service, but it looks like new owners have taken over. Today we waited one hour for our meals which were not at all very good ond one dish never turned up. The...

Went there with my family, great service and wonderful selection of home cooked food with a really good selection of vegetarian and vegan options. Genuinely dog friendly with food and drink options for four footed family members… Service was with a smile despite them being...

5 Stars!!!! Very very friendly place. I recommend the Potato Waffle Stack - quality sausage, bacon and egg stacked between waffles and accompanied by baked beans. Fantastic

Tiny cafe in a tiny but perfectly formed old town. Limited range of food as they do everything fresh and are avoiding waste in the cold season, but everything we ordered was excellent, from the really fresh and tasty crab sandwiches and deeply satisfying carrot...

Had coffee and cake , it was the most wonderful cake I have had in a long time, lovely staff and cozy surrounding, Friendly and kind, what's with the bad reviews? Some people are never happy ! Go to Macdonald's if you want cheap and...

This cafe is a favourite of mine. I am really surprised at the negative reviews, and wonder if we all have to be a bit more patiient under current circumstances, as hospitality venues struggle with finding staff and often with sourcing the food. On my...

Came here with my 5 year old. Couple of things on the menu unavailable. macaroni cheese, tiny pot of tea, juice and cheese cake. Was shocked when it came to £27! Had already heard the staff miscalculate the cost of a ladies ice cream whilst...

We stopped at The Cafe on the Penny Pier for a coffee &cake. ( not a lot of choice ) where we have visited before . Ordered 2 coffees scone & a tea cake . Admitted the chef seemed busy with breakfasts but we had...

Very slow service. Some items unavailable. Food, when it arrived, was poor quality, particularly for the price. Good coffee though.

I came here with family last week after a trip on the foot ferry. We all had the full English breakfast and it was great. Decent portions, good quality, quick service, fair prices. The coffee was excellent. We sat outside and took in the view...

I don’t like complaining about things but feel on this occasion I don’t have a choice. I use to sail from Titchmarsh Marina to halfpenny pier just to relax on the pier and have a breakfast. The owners of this cafe have ovusly sold up...

My first time visiting since the new owners took over. Very disappointed. Service was very slow. Prices were high and portions were small. My friend ordered Mackerel pate with white bread toasted. What arrived was granary bread and flaked mackerel which was full of bones....

Called in for breakfast and sat outside overlooking the docks. Staff friendly, food and prices good. Even had the town cryer stop by!

Had breakfast before getting the ferry. Really enjoyable breakfast, but missing beans as they had run out. Disappointing at 10.30am. Good we did get was good. Hot and plenty of it. Also got lots of dog sausage for the £1 we paid. Didn’t wait long...

One of my favourite places for food when I’m on the area. Went today at 2.30 after a meeting with a colleague for a sandwich and coffee. We were queuing with about six other people when a man came round and shouted ‘we are not...

Whilst this cafe has always been busy, under the previous owners the food prep staff worked very fast and efficiently meaning delays were minimised. It looked hectic and it was, it had to be, it worked. Nowadays it is in slow motion. From the girl...

We have visited this cafe on numerous occasions, can only describe the food and staff as EXCELLENT. Plus lovely views across the Harbour. .

I have always been very satisfied with the service and highly satisfied with the food at the Cafe on the Pier. However, last Tuesday I ordered a coffee and bacon sandwich to enjoy on the pier whilst watching the port activity. After waiting about twenty...

Great views over the harbour with good coffee and cake. Good outdoor seating on the pier. Unfortunately the coffee machine was broken when I visited.

Really tasty brekkie (with bubble and squeak as an extra). Decent cup of tea too. Friendly chappie and served very quickly, although it was quiet. Well worth a visit.

Our entire family loved this cafe! Great choice of food and coffee was excellent. It is dog friendly and our little pup loved his sausage. We shall certainly visit again when we are next in the area.

Popped in for a hot drink and a snack on a midweek afternoon as autumn loomed, space is at a premium inside given post-lockdown restrictions but apparently on sunnier days there's plenty of seating outside. There's not much competition in this part of town for...

A late summer visit on a day out. Stopped off for light lunch. Lovely to sit outside, food good but think perhaps a bit over priced.

Excellent for a cuppa of even a light bite after a boat ride to see the seals. Good service and decent grub.

Always pop in for coffee and usually a bit of lunch when visiting family in the area always good food and great service

Lovely quaint little cafe on the pier next to the docks. Large outdoor seating area and cute indoor space. Theirs quite a large amount of menu options, from Jacket Potatoes, All day Breakfasts (Veg options too), Sandwiches, burgers and seafood. It’s a Dog friendly Cafe...

We went for coffee . The Staff are more than helpful . The coffee & tea was very nice as was the toast & scone with jam & cream . They are following the rules to the letter .. To be thoroughly recommended .

Fantastic crew, lovely food.Everyone working there is great they all work great as a team and it was nice to see them laughing. Wish they could use a small part of the cafe to sell some gifts, nautical ornaments ect. I think this is a way of bringing some of those extra people in, who may have come off boat trips and kids would love it too.Thanks to the boss and staff for making us so welcome xxx

A nice selection of meals and delicious ice cream can be purchased here and you can either sit in or eat at the tables on the pier. LOVELY on a nice day!

Lovely cafe with good selection of food, especially if you like seafood. Nice to sit out on the pier and eat and drink alfresco.

We only stopped for a Latte. Best tasting latte I’ve had in a long time! Rain cut short our visit, but thoroughly enjoyed sitting on the pier taking in the views of the boats.

Nice location good menus. Helpful friendly staff. Nice place to sit and watch and view the passing folks

My wife and I were visiting this area for the first time. We arrived at Harwich and before going for a walk we decided we needed a pit stop.We initially parked by the parking bays near to the pier. There is a charge for parking in these car parking bays. We later moved the car around the corner and parked on the road where there was no charge.We then went into The Cafe on the Pier. There are not that many seats inside; however there are plenty of seats outside if the weather is good enough.On entering the cafe we were met by a very friendly member of staff. We sat at the far end of the cafe. There are blankets on the chairs if you needed an extra bit of warmth; however it was nice an warm inside.We looked at the menu. There was a good and varied choice of food. My wife had the cheese scone with butter and I had a Fish Finger sandwich (not had one for years). We also had a coffee and tea.When the food arrived my sandwich looked great - it came with salad and coleslaw. My wife’s scone tasted nice; however, the one thing that was wrong is that it had been reheated in the microwave and it had gone soggy. My wife enjoyed the coffee and the tea was great, I only wish that the tea pot had been filled to the top as I could then have had a top up.We noticed other dishes being delivered to other tables and it everything looked good - very well presented. When it comes to cost I would say that the food was similar to other seaside cafes - not overly expensive, but not cheap either.When we were leaving the member of staff took the time to speak with us about our day, he seemed genuinely interested. The customer service was very good and this is why I would give a score of 4 overall.In summary this is a nice cafe in a good location and the customer service was very good. I would imagine that it would be nice in summer when you can sit outside and watch the boats also. We would visit again if in the area.

10 of us descended on the cafe for breakfast on a sunday .staff were excellent food was good and set us up for a days marauding in Harwich.

We had a delightful lunch with hot drinks on a windy, chilly January day - the welcome from the owners and regular customers was amazing-lots of laughs. We will definitely call in again when we return...!!! Our dog just curled up and enjoyed all the fussing he received...

Worse breakfast ever - bacon 80% fat, tasteless sausages - very overpriced for poor quality food. 2 stars for nice location

At event last night was frozen I thought a nice tea would warm me up. Gutted I forgot my reusable mug as was given tea in a polystyrene cup with a plastic lid. It's easy to switch to paper cups please talk to your supplier. Thanks.

Visited this cafe with my partner whilst in Harwich for the "Mayflower 400 Illumination Festival" and had an enjoyable experience. It was a bitterly cold day on our visit in November, but we found the cafe to be very warm and cosy. The staff were very welcoming and although we only stopped off for a quick coffee, the menu looked enticing and quite extensive for a small cafe.We will be visiting again and look forward to sampling the menu when next in Harwich.

Four of us had lunch - a main course and a pudding plus drinks for £40.00. We had cottage pie, chilli con carne, sausage casserole, spotted dick, syrup pudding - all piping hot and tasty.A view of the pier and friendly people and good service.Not fancy but great value!!

Blooming brilliant venue for seafood, great beer and the most accommodating staff you will ever meet. Beyond helpful, friendly, and just the loveliest place ever.

This is a lovely little cafe and even has blankets at the ready for chilly days. A good range for such a small place

Had lunch following a seal tour. Damp cold day so was quiet. Food was well priced and freshly prepared. The couple working their were very friendly and helpful. Also have a fresh fish stand by cafe which sold lots of different things all looked great although because of our journey ahead we were unable to purchase

We sang on The Ha'penny Pier on Sunday as part of the Shantys on The Pier programme in the run up to the Shanty Festival.

Simple ice cream - very nice and coffee - quite good. In a good locataion on the pier with a few seats outside to watch the world and ships go by - nice and very pleasant guy served us.

We stopped here today and ordered two crab salads which we both enjoyed sitting on the pier outside which had a lovely setting to see the world go by .

An excellent breakfast and service from this cafe great views and friendly efficient staff. We will be back

A lovely cafe which was doing a roaring trade on this sunny August day. They have a few indoor tables and more outside, overlooking the LV18 lightship, sadly closed due to extreme temperatures below decks on the day we visited. Quaint historic pier with views over the Stour estuary.

If in Harwich a must. The fish pie was to die for well recommended. Also the crab sandwiches were fantastic according to my friends.

Was in my lunch hour and only ordered sandwiches thinking it would be quick. But due to it being a sunny day and busy, it was a while to wait. I had to eat and run.

Half a pint of shell-on prawns from the counter at the end is £4.50.

We chanced upon this cafe whilst on our first visit to Harwich. Lunchtime, the sun shining, the harbour views fascinating. The menu had pint of shell-on prawns (my favourite seaside dish) so that was ordered. My wife had home made mackerel pate. Both were reasonably priced and well presented with a helpful waitress. Had to ask for butter for the bread and a finger bowl would have been helpful for the prawns. Also a more generous & tasty dip would have been nice. Drinks were expensive. However the food was good and the service fine. I would visit again. A lack of sunshades saw them lose some customers who wanted to sit out. Free or inexpensive parking nearby was a bonus. Toilets were public and opposite the pier and clean.

Visited because of the favourable reviews of the crab sandwiches. Our sandwiches only contained Brown meat and appeared more like fish paste. They were also very expensive at £7 each. The bread was also indifferent.

Have used cafe on the pier on quite a few occasions. Fantastic views in a nice location. Ordered a BLT and a breakfast and a couple of drinks. Prices appear to have gone up since my last visit. For what we got for the price I will not be returning. Also for some strange reason they don't sell chips.

Omdat onze boordvoorraad redelijk eentonig werd, hebben we ontbeten bij dit gezellige kleine cafeetje op de pier! Lekker gegeten! Aanrader voor een snack, ontbijt, coffee of lunch!

12 of us arrived at The Cafe on the Pier Harwich on a cloudy Sunday morning.

Some years ago, having been turned down by the Pier restaurant as it was lunch closing time, we lucked into a 'shack round the back' - now a hairdresser's.

Lovely place to sit and watch boats on the decking.

Reasonable portions and prices considering it's a 'tourist spot'. Great service. Relaxed seating outside on the pier, or sit inside. Seems to be a popular and busy place.

Delicious local sausages and eggs with our breakfast, very friendly staff, great location. Need to come back to try the crab sandwiches!

Visiting from Australia I took a walk along Harwich quay with an old friend. We stopped for a hot drink and the lovely lady here was wonderfully accommodating and my friends little dog was permitted to come in with us. We ordered tea and my friend had some almond cake made with lavender she declared delicious. I browsed the menu.... awesome! I must tell my husband they have black pudding and bubble and squeak!! Prompt friendly service and great choices! Well done

Had a visit to see family in Harwich what a lovely town and stumbled across the cafe on the pier we decided to give it a try and what a great decision. I had the crab salad which was very enjoyable and fresh. My wife had the fish cakes which she enjoyed. The weather was sunny and clear but a bit of a strong breeze. Would highly recommend you pay a visit to this perfectly located cafe. Will certainly be coming back.