The Canteen in Waveney

Called in today for breakfast with a friend I had full English minus beans, my friend had homemade waffle We both ordered coffee We both agreed this was the best venue to enjoy breakfast in Southwold, being locals we have tried all the cafes in the area. Staff were very pleasant and professional We will definitely return and looking forward to having lunch in this delightful cafe.

Waited an hour for our food which was very mediocre and overpriced. Small menu and they had run out of one of the four choices .

Such a nice cafe, we sat out in the sun, the breakfasts were delicious and looked so appetising as well, 10/10 will definitely return. Staff were accommodating and polite

I read about this cafe and decided to.give it a try. The cafe was not busy and I decided to order soup and sourdough. I had to wait so long for my food, that another minute I would of walked out! The soup when it came was delicious as was the sourdough but they will have to.up their game before the busy summer season gets going. Thought it was a little overprice.d, probably better to stick to coffee and cake

Food and general ambience still good thank goodness BUT service severely lacking when it used to be sooo good - now a miserable and hands-off bunch. What a shame the experience is mo longer 100%

A really lovely spot that really ticks thd boxes. Great food and z community asset.

We saw this delightful place on Rick Stein’s recent tv series and while staying close by we had to pay it a visit. We just fancied a drink each and a small snack to share….. one cheese scone with chutney and curd and a blueberry muffin later we have just one word….. IMMENSE!! A lovely delicious menu served by great people who have a smile on their faces and clearly love what they do!! Very reasonably priced. Highly recommended if you are visiting this lovely town.

Great coffee and lovely staff, sat outside in the sun and it was lovely

Sunday 2nd March 25. Frist time users. Ordered 2 cappuccinos £3.40 each sat outside for 10/15 minutes had to go and ask. When they came out what a joke and the taste was not like a cappuccino. Sorry will not return.

Nice cafe/restaurant with good service. Like most things in Southwold poor value for money for example a simple soup and bread over £10. Overpriced for what it was hence an average marking.

Delicious, imaginative food served in a peaceful atmosphere by friendly staff.

Had seen this place while having a wander around Southwold so decided to come back to try it out. We enjoyed our choices of lentil dhal and potato & leek soup although considered them a tad expensive.

Staff were warm and welcoming. They took the time to explain how the pay it forward scheme and the community lunch works. We had lovely coffee and a beautiful cookie each, too. Thank you so much :)

Great for just a coffee or a meal. The food is exceptional! I enjoy the puddings. Family friendly and dogs welcomed

Had the most wonderful lunch here 2023 so we booked again but sadly the food was more school dinners than sublime. Overcooked veg, not very nice turkey, just not up to the standard of a year ago. We both left most of our main courses. Please return to the lovely imaginative food you had before

really nice spot lovely people and amazing food .close to town and amazing spot.fantastic atmosphere and idea . love it

Really good food, friendly service and dog friendly. Well worth a visit here.

The Canteen used to be fabulous with locally sourced ingredients and adventurous recipes. It appears to be under new management and is now very disappointing. My friend and I had a Christmas meal with none of the good cooking and attention to detail of last year’s experience. The restaurant was also very quiet and without a Christmas atmosphere. Please get back to how it used to be!!

5 stars immediately for a proper non-sweet rich chocolate mocha. Milk from Fen Farm dairy. Gorgeous fresh food, prepared & served with loving care by warm-hearted, visible people in a well thought out environment. Home-made garlic mayonnaise with my roasties? Don't mind if I do! This place is a joyous, uplifting, quality experience. It's a treat to support their project. Well done, The Canteen. :)

Love this place. Service with a smile, beautiful latte and amazing, prepared on site, freshly cooked and baked food. Can deffinately recommend.

This is the best cooked breakfast I have eaten in a very long time. Fresh, locally sourced produce, beautifully cooked and very friendly service, The Canteen definitely deserves 5 stars for our experience today.

The Canteen was the perfect spot for a late lunch during our short stay in Southwold. Great oatmeal and pancakes. Casual atmosphere and fun community center vibe. The food was so good we asked for a recipe and they emailed it the next day. Thanks again.

We were a group of 11 and everyone rhapsodised over their choices (mains and desserts). Everything was delicious. The service was very good despite it being very busy. The atmosphere is lovely and relaxed. A perfect lunch

Great place. Lovely coffee. Great service.

Really lovely vibes and great interior. The food looked great if you’re a meat eater and have no intolerances, like it seriously looked and sounded amazing… but as a pescatarian and lactose intolerant, there was literally nothing to eat. But good coffee.

Nice little community cafe restaurant 👌

We absolutely love The Canteen. The food, the vibe, the lovely staff and the ethos. The menu is interesting, the food locally produced where possible, with a balance of vegetarian and meat choices.

A wonderful lunch in a delightful place. Barbara’s chicken soup was certainly food for the soul. The meringue with whipped cream and plenty of berries was delicious and my partner devoured the melt in your mouth berry frangipani slice. Everything tasted fresh, full of flavour. This place knocks the socks off a number of places on the high street and the service was friendly and faultless. I can’t recommend this place enough .

Fantastic place with a great story! Staff very friendly and on it - lovely , well priced food - my tart was delicious and freshly made. Great coffee too.

First time visit to this lovely place which is part of the community space in the old hospital. Breakfast was amazing - sausages and bacon really tasty. My husband enjoyed his coffee. It is expensive but worth it for a first day of holiday treat

The food here really is locally sourced, seasonal and absolutely delicious.

Loved this place The ambiance and the concept Went for early breakfast on our first morning in Southwold Great friendly service ; gorgeous coffee , granola to die for and great scrambled eggs , bacon sausage in brioche Our best food stop of our suffolk stay !

Went for breakfast, on holiday. Clean,good food, very friendly staff and well looked after.

When finally we deciding to go to Southwold for our wedding anniversary we passed a sign advertising ‘The Canteen’ and then remembered that Rick Stein visited it earlier in the year, well it was fantastic. You can tell the food is homemade and the flavours, so tasty. The cafe has a lovely vibe and staff are friendly. We will of course be spreading the word.

Americano coffee luke warm and tasted bitter.

We were keen to visit The Canteen, so booked for lunch on the first day of our trip to Southwold. What a little treasure it is. Friendly and efficient service, nothing seemed too much. The food was a total revelation, so so tasty and fresh - they have an open kitchen and you can see your food being prepared. The selection was good, something to please most palates, with nearly everything produced In-House including cordial, or locally & ethically sourced. We love the ethos and values of The Canteen and will return next year.

Slightly overpriced for what you get but fantastic service and lovely venue.

We had delicious meal Saturday Fabulous Sunday Brunch various coffee and cake during week lunch today was amazing. Every thing fresh and vibrant. Food exceeded only by the personal charm and beauty of the staff!

Great vegetarian options and really delicious cakes and very helpful staff. You may need to book if you want a table inside.

Great cafe with community feel. Ingredients, presentation and service all top.

A lovely location and worth making an effort to go. The inside area is bright and spacious, the outside is surrounded by raised flower beds. A great place to visit for both coffee and food. The food was very enjoyable and the coffee very good. We visited twice during our stay in the area and would happily return again

Great food and service. Peaceful environment. Creative menu, fresh and healthy dishes, good selection.

A really welcoming place. Lovely staff, great chef with delicious food. Good outside seating area fir sunny days.

Everything about this restaurant is perfect. Visited yesterday and tried the savoury tart and it was so good returned today to sample more of the menu. I would highly recommend.

We had the most fantastic time here!! The food was incredible and so nice to try some different things! That porchetta sandwich 👌🏻👌🏻

Had both lunch and breakfast at this lovely place in Southwold. The outdoor raised beds are a delight - filled with flowers, herbs and veg. Wish we'd had warm enough weather to sit outside. It has a charming mix of painted furniture in a bright airy room. The staff are very pleasant and friendly. Not a vroad menu but plenty to deliberate over! We had tge porchetta and the barley orzotto. Absolutely delicious! Gorgeous herbs in the barley meal, very flavoursome. The porchetta just fell apart. Perfect! The tea was excellent 👌 we followed with house made desserts of lemon tart with roasted rhubarb and meringue with cherries and cream. Wanted to lick the plate. Meringue was perfect combo of crispy & chewy. Yummy! Decided to return for breakfast on the day we were leaving. Good decision 👏 smoked salmon with scrambled egg 🥚 😋 so tasty. I'd recommend those place but book as it gets busy especially at lunch. Good value too!

The Porchetta with braised white beans, sprouting broccoli & salsa verde. Was fantastic, fabulous. Amazing

Stunning community cafe. Pay what you can afford, full prices are very reasonable. Lots of charm, great service and the food was absolutely delicious

Great food and service, nice little find in southwold

Always a short but pleasing menu to suit most tastes. Bursting with fresh local ingredients in exciting flavour combinations as well as doing the more traditional dishes exceptionally well. A happy, relaxed atmosphere and the library just next door - who could ask for more? How about great cakes and coffee? Yup those too!

Excellent breakfast , big portions Light and airy space , charming service Will return … 👍

The service is friendly and good and the food delicious and plentiful. Recommend highly

Visited this cafe with my wife today.First time we have been there.The coffee and cakes were excellent as was the service.Very clean and tidy,very well decorated. Staff excellent, very professional. We booked a table for five to go back next week with some of our family. If you are visiting Southwold, this place is a must,you will not be disappointed.

Attracted by the recent publicity and also because we don’t need much of an excuse to visit Southwold, we approached The Canteen with a sense of eager anticipation and curiosity. A very pleasant and enjoyable surprise. The food that we had was without excessive embellishment and all the better for it; enormously tasteful. There’s also the knowledge that the people there care about what they do and - as it were – value their values. Service was low key and like the food – all the better for it. Coffee very nice as well. Looking at the cost and comparing it with the volume of food, it might not seem great value. But what we had was quite delicious and for that I was more than happy. Would I go again? Yes I most certainly would were I to be wanting delicate flavours in a most pleasant atmosphere.

What a wonderful find. Beautifully cooked food, great coffee, interesting menu. Service was friendly and attentive, lovely atmosphere.

Lovely community cafe, excellent service, delicious food and lovely ambience. Well done for creating this fantastic place.

Very friendly and the best lunch in Southwold.

I took the “Gnudi”, a kind of gnocchi in a tomato sauce which was excellent. Great service and friendly staff. Highly recommended.

Had the most amazing lunch on Tuesday Feb 6th. My wife gave the Homity Pie 10/10 and my Lamb Scouse was the best I ever had. All the staff are brilliant and the attention to detail and service is first class. This was our third visit and I can't wait to visit again in a month's time, when we are next in Southwold.

Been coming to Southwold for years and only just discovered The Canteen. Why didn’t someone tell us earlier! The food’s incredible. And at lunch the sun streams through its old school windows. Shutting up now and letting the pictures do the talking.

Excellent 3 course lunch was provided with veggie option for a Sunday bookable community lunch . It was a pay as much as you feel is right . I'll definitely go back

We came across this community cafe when exploring the streets away from the traditional centre of Southwold. Being very much ‘out of season’ on a cold and wet January day, the menu was understandably limited. However, all the choices were interesting and different from the usual cafe or seaside fare. We both had a main meal together with coffee and cake for dessert. Everything was superb, well presented and bursting with flavours. We would not describe ourselves as adventurous diners, but we will certainly be returning on our next visit to the area. Everything was spotlessly clean and the staff very friendly. This certainly counts as a hidden treasure, very well worth seeking out, behind St Edmunds Church.

We enjoyed a beautiful family lunch. Called ahead to book a table for 5 adults, a 3yo and 6 month old. The staff and chef couldn’t have been more accommodating and attentive to us. Not only this, we arrived to a handwritten bespoke menu for our gluten free, garlic and onion intolerant party member which was so kind! Delicious food (vegetarian and meat) and welcome setting, a must visit!

Fantastic coffee and breakfast, I hope to come back for lunch or dinner pronto

We had a lovely brunch at The Canteen, thanks!

We came with great expectations around the special Christmas lunch menu and were not disappointed. I have just had the best Christmas lunch of my life. I kid you not. The flavours and quality of the meal were outstanding. Thank you so much. Happy Christmas to everyone at the Canteen. Rachel xx

Lovely cafe near the church in one of the back streets. Converted old hospital with other areas used by the community plus a library. Very nice food and good friendly service.

Warm, friendly and the locally-sourced food is consistently and absolutely delicious. Will be back soon!

Excellent on all levels! This morning’s breakfast of slow roasted tomatoes and curd on toasted sourdough was fantastic - what a great place.

Really great friendly service. We had the smoked salmon and the mushroom tart. Quality ingredients and delicious, recommend for foodies.

Everything is absolutely delicious.

Our first visit to the Canteen since the arrival of new head Chef Lyndsay Wright and what a lunchtime revelation it was. We started with the fresh and so very tasty cinnamon spiced squash hummus which took this humble dish to a whole new level of sophistication. Then we chose mains of a beautifully light and exceptionally tasty tomato and cheese tart (the special of the day ) plus a beetroot curry with lemon pickle so refined and flavoursome it would bring countless joy to the most jaded of palates. Desserts followed of brown sugar meringue with quince and hazelnuts and a blackberry frangipane tart which were both were astoundingly good. This could actually be some of the best and most interesting food to be served anywhere in Suffolk at this time. Even the coffee was quite excellent. Modestly priced and nicely served with fresh menu ideas, I can’t think of a better destination for the visiting or local food lover.

Popped in for lunch as we'd not visited before and how pleased we were we did:)! We each had the 'special' which was a vegetable tart and it was delicious - so incredibly tasty. We also had the plum & frangipane tart for dessert which was also beautiful. Staff were really friendly, the interior is very light and airy, nicely decorated and very clean. We will definitely visit again!

We visited Saturday morning and had a fantastic breakfast of scrambled eggs and salmon. Great coffee also. Was busy but the service was spot on.

A really delicious Americano. Truly great cakes; honestly, they are exceptionally well balanced in terms of flavour, texture and sweetness. Also shares a building with a library and remarkably clean and comfortable toilets. What's not to like?

Offers Pump Street hot chocolate! Lovely service and atmosphere.

Delicious cooking! Attention to high quality ingredients, the smoked salmon was heavenly, as was the apple and buckwheat tart. Very friendly service.

Wonderful food and friendly service. Very much recommend and a great place for brunch in Southwold

A great location and delicious food. Friendly service and beautiful gardens. The old hospital has been transformed into a cafe, library and community hub.

We were delighted with our welcome sat outside under vibrant orange umbrellas enjoyed wine bread and olives whilst we chose lunch. On being shown inside best canteen ever been in!Decided on the award winning stew and can confirm it deserved First prize ! Also is worthy of reputation for Best coffee in Southwold .

I've just re booked for next week after a truly tasty breakfast. Good value, great flavours. My best start to the weekend. Sensational.

Practically frogmarched here after someone saw it in the "i newspaper ". Short seasonal menu prepared with care and attractively plated. Service was good with obvious interest and pride in the dishes from both waitress (very knowledgeable) and brigade in the kitchen. Mezze plate was generously portioned and was served with bread, oil and Zatar. My pork belly tostada was meltingly soft with a zingy lentils and pickled veg. Overall not the twee experience I was expecting, rather a diverting gastronomic event and as it's a community cafe (one of the only things not owned by Adnams), well worth supporting. Will look forward to another visit (returned Sept) with a great menu again -the Maldon smoked salmon was paired with a beet & horseradish sauce and rocket potato salad. It's great to enjoy the seasons bounty with local ingredients. Consider paying in cash as 3-4% will go to the card company and that's just not fair on a community project.

We sat under huge orange umbrellas on the terrace with the sun shining and a gentle breeze. We ordered lots of dishes and shared and we then ordered even more they were just delicious. Everything seemed really fresh and seasonal - the slow cooked pork melted like butter - too full for puddings but they will be priority for next time. Service very friendly and patient. Perfect summer lunch.

Following several very pleasant visits to Darsham Cafe, we we really looking forward to the Canteen. But we were severely disappointed. The food was uninspired with little imagination and indeed a need for any culinary skills. There was little choice. Our “smoked salmon salad” had no dressing. The bread was dry and cloying - no butter,which would have made a difference. When asked if we would like to see the dessert menu, and were shown the main menu with one choice of dessert. The whole experience was emperor’s new clothes and very poor value and no comparison with the inspirational meals we had at Darsham.

The food was very good, bit expensive but everything is in Southwold. I asked for a white wine spritzer with soda. I was served a white wine and an opened bottle of sparkling water and told they do not have soda, so slightly disappointed.

Always sceptical when I read "best coffee in" etc, but this truly was the best coffee I've had in Suffolk, loose leaf tea was very nice, Lovely outdoor seating area. Off the beaten track but well worth the walk, attentive staff and the food looked appetising.

Fantastic place great food, service and ambience 😀we have been been here many times since it opened and the continue to excel in every way john Hudson

We have been four times now to this delightful, off-the-beaten-track hideaway, with its arts and craft inspired architecture in the new community hub that inhabits the old NHS hospital, and we shall be back there for more! Only a year old, and deserving of all...

Best coffee in Southwold. Lovely staff and delicious healthy fresh food. Our new favorite place to go.

Lovely cafe and garden area. We went for breakfast - they serve bacon rolls as well as healthy options such as home made granola with yogurt and fruit. Delicious dark hot chocolate. Would have preferred some other breakfast options such as eggs and avocado on...

A fabulous cafe/restaurant tucked quietly away behind St Edmunds church. Delicious fresh healthy food, with a twist. Not your normal fish and chips menu. Highly recommended, have eaten here a few times and it never disappoints.

The Canteen offers an exciting and healthy menu, great coffee, and friendly service. With ample seating in pleasant surroundings inside and out. A unique and quiet place to relax and recuperate, offering a refreshing sense of calm. Situated adjacent to St Edmunds Church Green in...

This is the place to eat in Southwold if you tire of fish & chips. Sparkling fresh dishes with the same dna of Darsham Nurseries (RIP). It’s a social enterprise too, so you can feel extra delight as you eat your smorgasbord of deliciousness. Veg...

Fantastic spot - really delicious food, lovely atmosphere and friendly service. Love the community work they do too for Southwold

Very disappointed. We were told that they were not serving any more lunches on Sat, due to a backlog. It was 1.00pm and the restaurant was only half full. The menu did not seem to have any dishes on it that warrented much cooking. This...

We were pleased to have discovered this charming cafe/restaurant in a quiet part of Southwold. We understand that the cafe was founded recently by the proprietor of the now-closed Darsham Nursery, which was itself a very successful enterprise. We greatly enjoyed the food - mushroom...

Lovely outside terrace with big tables, very welcoming place with truly fantastic food, highly recommend you visit.

Great coffee and tea, really nice cakes and very friendly service. Amazing seating area outside surrounded by edible flower filled raised beds.

Another lovely visit to The Canteen today for lunch; great service and excellent food. The menu offers something different to explore and enjoy; today we had the mediterranean pickled vegetables and the lovage soup, followed by Torte Verde - all delicious and we were welcomed...

Went for lunch yesterday, had the leek, asparagus and spelt salad - absolutely delicious combination. Always a carefully selected menu made using the finest ingredients. Great service, highly recommended.