The Ferry Cafe in Suffolk Coastal

We were a party of 7 with a dog and were able to bring the dog in with us, so long as he was out of the way and well behaved, which he was. Lots of choice on the menu and all clean plates! If you are in a rush, this is not the place for you. Plenty portion size, freshly made and no complaints over the quality.

There was only one young lady serving, making coffees, taking food orders and working on the till. The queue was long and it was hot and uncomfortable waiting for our take out coffees. I did return later with my 3 grandaughters for ice creams, again had to queue for ages with ice creams in hands waiting to get to the till. In the end I asked if there was anyone else that could just take for the ice creams before they melted completely. Surely one person needs to be making the coffees while another takes the payments? I saw three other staff in the kitchen or wiping tables but surely the priorty in a business must be to attend to waiting customers

We had Haddock & Chips and mushy peas with tea. Yes it was slow to arrive, but freshly cooked food does take time and it was worth the wait. Light batter, freshly made tartar sauce. Lovely and the interior was charming. Friendly staff. We paid £36 which is reasonable for a restaurant offering spanking fresh fish!

Complete rip off , over priced £5.40 for a tea and espresso! coffee not that great either with bitter taste, trading off the location but much better places in town at a fraction of the price. Needless to say won't be going back!! this opinion is reflected on numerous reviews

Family of 6 + 1 dog. We parked up in the pay and display car park, we had no change. I thought I'd go to the cafe to purchase a drink, so I'd have change for the pay and display machine. Asked for a can of diet coke......£2.90!!!!!! Just for one can of diet coke, I understand paying a premium for certain locations, but that is a blatant rip off! We we're going to have lunch there after our walk, obviously we decided to go elsewhere.

Not as good as it used to be. We had 2 x fish and chips at a reasonsble price BUT the chips were nothing special and the fish was very disappointing - small portion, bland batter and soggy flesh. They obviously don't care about the numerous poor reviews.

Firstly greeted by a very patronising member of staff. I ordered a tea and coffee and was served with ‘two bitter tasting coffees’! We ordered a bacon baguette and was told there was no brown only white! It arrived 25 minutes after I ordered it with a plate of chips that appeared to have been refried. Very disappointed and will certainly not be returning.

Incredibly expensive, incredibly slow service and incredibly rude staff!! I had a hangry teenager so it was desperate times but I’m pretty angry that I’ve just allowed myself to be ripped off. A smile would have made the world of difference!

Nice looking place to eat, plenty picnic benches outside on a lovely sunny day. Unfortunately the service was incredibly slow (my friends thought I’d been kidnapped as we went in separately as we had dogs with us). Then mine & my friend’s coffee was so bad (odd unpleasant bitter after taste), we both sent it back straight away, which I’ve never done before. We asked for hot chocolates instead and the food runner was very friendly and made this no problem at all. However they never turned up. We chased once & was told they were serving customers first. They still didn’t appear so we had to ask again, if we could be bumped up the queue, as we’d finished our food by this point and still not had a drink. Such a shame.

A small or child fish and chips cost over £8.In Aldeburgh two childs fish and chips cost just over £6,Having paid £2 to park for an hour, I had a standard F&Cs, poor quality. Small amount of batter and batter not cooked through !

Went for a coffee and decided to have some chips too. I was appalled to be charged 50p for a small sachet of sauce, it must make a whole bottle of sauce worth more than a top French perfume. It’s not the money, it’s the principle and you can only wonder at the marketing skills of those that thought this was ok. I hope they come to their senses and reconsider. Everything else was fine, the chips were great!

Cheerful service, safety screen and masks worn by serving staff. Bit of a wait, but food freshly prepared, batter crisp, good chips. Menu maybe reduced, but then we went there for fish'n'chips.

Popped into the Ferry Cafe whilst in the area.I ordered cod and chips to take away and was extremely disappointed when I opened the box. The piece of fish was extremely small and the chips looked like they were thrice fried. Paid £10.95 for the privilege. To be fair the fish tasted ok but it was miniscule and to add insult to injury it came complete with a couple of bonesI left half of the chips simply not freshly friedThe proprietors need to take a mystery shopper visit to Aldeburgh and Southwold chippies and compare themselves honestly on both quality price and portion size.I don't mind paying a bit extra for a quality product but not an additional £2.50 extra per portion for a sub standard meal.My advice swerve this one to avoid disappointment.

Visited here for the 1st time yesterday, as fancied fish and chips.....The cafe was open but wanted a takeaway.Even though there was no one waiting to be served stood and waited at the hatch 10 minutes before the 2 waitresses playing on their phone bothered to acknowledge me, and then they had to be prompted to serve me by the waitress making a coffee, no bother I wasn't in a rush.Anyhow ordered cod/chips no sauce £10.95. Only had to wait 10 minutes... came in a nice box containing wooden knife/fork and sachets of salt, sachets of vinegar available on the table outside.This has to be the smallest portion of fish and chips I've ever had and have to admit the worse, the fish resembled a long fishfinger, batter was pale and soggy and the chips were inedible, bright orange and just oozing fat, no white potato visible inside, just lots of oil think they must have been refried a good few times the lot went in the bin.Such a shame as had high hopes for them.For those planning on visiting lots of outdoor tables with a view of the public toilets which can't be helped but you can just walk 10 yards and sit by the river...the cafe itself looked pretty, had a ramp for disabled access, bottle of hand gel on table outside.Disappointed and definitely won't be returning

I have visited this diner in previous years, sadly 2020 has not been its finest year. In an effort to support the hospitality industry we went for lunch there this week. The menu is completely limited to deep fried everything with chips. The seating is only outside ( completely understandable) however because the staff have bolted them selves inside the diner it was really untidy with litter under the tables, the tables themselves were really dirty and with no facility to clean them we went to the public loo to get some water to clean the top of ours, only one small bottle is sanitizer was available and that was on the food collection table, but just that one bottle there were no paper towels or serviettes at all. They did not offer track and trace. 2 of our 4 meals were really poor and considering they only contained 2 components to get one wrong is poor and added to that the fact there was only another couple in the garden they were hardly rushed off their feet. The chips were completely stone cold and a hot piece of fish had been placed on the top, when I took them back I was met with a blank stare and told I could not take the food back, I asked for new hot freshly cooked chips, which I got begrudgingly tossed on our less than clean table with out a word of apology. They really do need to get their act together big time if they are to survive, the world has changed massively since March 2020 and they clearly either can’t be bothered or do not understand the importance of being on top of their game. They may get a lot of passing trade but going on this Experience I will not be going back again. A great shame as it has the potential to be a little gold mine with a bit of passion and foresight which at the moment it is sadly lacking

We visited the cafe in July so Covid restrictions were in place . These were set out very well by the cafe (despite some people still choosing not adhering to them!) we ordered take away fresh fish and chips from the hatch. Despite being a little on the expensive side they were the best fish n chips we have ever had- so fresh and well worth the extra money! The service was can sit at tables placed apart to adhere to socially distance rule. We however chose to sit on the beach to enjoy our food. I cannot recommend this cafe more if you want to experience the local fish and chips and enjoy Felixstowe ferry . Great for kids!

Great Cafe and superb service and food. Lots of parking and I rate it very highly. The American 1950s theme is something you don't see much around which adds to its uniqueness.

Lovely walk to the ferry and birthday meal of fish and chips was perfect. Fish so fresh! Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Advised to go early to beat the NYDay rush which was good advice.

It wasn’t very good - but, wasn’t bad enough to complain about.Mug of tea was fine, scone was stale, but was exchanged for something else without a fuss. My wife thought it was average, my dog did enjoy the bowl of water near the door, and has asked me to convey his thanks to the owner for being so thoughtful.

Downhill in a few ways, actually.I requested a latte and a green tea after a wait at the counter. I suggested that the latte the young woman made was very pale (it looked like hot milk) and requested extra coffee be added. She snapped "It's had one shot" and was clearly in quite a huff. With a scowl, she reluctantly added more.Our table was dirty and the drinks expensive.Such a shame as it used to be a lovely place.

A straightforward no nonsense cafe with no fri[lls but producing reasonably prices well cooked hot food to order.If you dont want alcohol or a long sit down, this is the place to come. The moans about the parking charge should not really be an issue - the owners do have to maintain it, after all!

Old style American themed cafe. Good, friendly service but not the place to go if you're counting calories.

My two children - now grown up- visit our Great Aunt who lives in Felixstowe a few times a year and we have always come here for lunch. We've never been disappointed. Friendly, great service, reasonable prices and fantastic fish and chips. In fact, not just the fish and chips, everything we have tried has been delicious. It can get busy in the summer but there is plenty of room to sit outside . Couldn't recommend enough.

As other reviewers have said, great fish and chips. Love to sit outside behind the low white picket fence and watch the world go by! We really enjoy calling in after a long walk from Walton, over the fields and along the Fleet and Sea wall to Felixstowe Ferry..

We had been walking along the coast path and we came across this cafe at lunchtime. Decided to stop for fish and chips. Delicious. Choice of large or small portions so some of us chose the smaller portions. Still sufficient for lunch. We sat outside in the garden and the meal arrived after about 10 minutes. Service very good.

Good value for money.We ordered a fruit scone and a farmhouse slice which were both nice. This cafe is in a lovely spot. We sat outside as we have 2 dogs and were able to watch the boats on the river from our seats in the sunshine. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. There were however, quite a few tables outside that needed clearing. We arrived at 3pm and so it was not very busy, and during our half hour stay, the tables were still not cleared. There were quite a few plates left with food on them which limited the choice of tables to sit at.

We visited to walk around the quay and the car park is owned by this cafe.

We had soya hot chocolate and americano coffee plus two pecan slices. Lovely surroundings and good service. Nice nautical shop - sells all sorts especially “Old Guys Rule”.

For sentimental reasons I took my 7 month old daughter to the ferry cafe last Tuesday. I used to go there with my grandma when I was a child. From the outside it looked exactly the same. The inside looked great, very nicely decorated. The food was lovely, the service very friendly. We sat outside on the balcony. We returned later in the week for breakfast and sat inside. I love the Ferry Cafe. Quiet, not too touristy, nice atmosphere, good menu, good background music. I'd recommend to anyone.

Arrived at cafe in pouring rain earlier this week. Spent 5 minutes removing coats to hang in porch. Quite a thing with two elderly parents in their 80s. Upon entering cafe my daughter and partner went to sit down with grandparents following. I was approached but a young lady who informed me there was no food being served. I replied, not a problem (it was about 3.30pm) we would like coffee and drinks. She responded oh! The machine has been clean but I suppose we can do them! Without much conviction. I duly thanked her and said it doesn’t look like you want to do them and I gathered my party to leave. There were guests in the cafe who had just started their meal, we would certainly have finished before them. As a party of five I would have thought they would have liked the business, obviously not!

Loved this place. A quirky American Diner type place with a Suffolk twist. Good quality English Breakfast. Nice walk along seafront and can get foot ferry across the river

Went here for breakfast today. We started with a dirty glass and cup which wasn't great. It was over £26 for 2 veggie breakfasts with tea and orange juice which is rather steep and then we discovered that the milk was UHT!!! so I couldn't drink my tea as UHT is disgusting, what on earth is that about??

Visited with my family for breakfast, service was quick and friendly.

Had wonderful breakfast here with my family. I had a great omelette and delicious milkshake.This cafe has lovely atmosphere and my parents loved the music.The staff are friendly and helpful.This was my second visit with my best friend and would definitely come again when I’m in Felixstowe.

Enjoyed an excellent fish and chips at the restaurant. It was a Sunday lunchtime and the weather was good, so naturally it was busy. We were able to get a table outside and ordered (there was a bit of a queue) and the food arrived very quickly. The menu is extensive (based around chips) and there are quite a few inside tables. We took our took dog and there were other dogs in the outside seating area.

Worth popping in for lunch, as long as you like chips.... Not an extensive menu but they do what they do quite well.

I can relate to all of the previous reviews but was so angry when I found out that the car park is owned by this cafe. £3.50 for two hours parking with a £1.00 refund if you visit the cafe is extortionate. I tried to pay by card as I didn’t have the right change but to no avail as a code was not available from the owners and enquiries were closed.

A Gem of a place that you need to praise, but a part of you wants to keep to yourself... a truly tranquil spot that never seems overcrowded; and all human life is here.

Despite my previous glowing reviews of the Ferry Cafe, I have downgraded it to one star because of the blatant disregard the owner appears to have for the needs of disabled people regarding parking.

Never been here before so was a bit apprehensive. They was no need to worry though, the staff were friendly and there was plenty of patrons. The fish and chips were good. The only negative I would make is the decor, the place seems to stuck in a time warp. This must be a profitable business but they do not invest in the establishment.

Happy enough to walk all the way here from the town because we know the tea served tastes lovely, and the cakes are worth the walk! Clean inside and quaint with a hint of retro Ness, big outside seating area to enjoy the surrounds while enjoying the tea and cake. No problems here, defo a must try for anyone who hasn't (or has) been before. Cute, decent, clean and tasty are my words.

Well,been here before and this is an ok place for a bog standard breakfast and a cuppa,I do like the decor,clean and usually busy but today when we arrived,only two tables occupied,never seen that before!We came here as our second choice for the area....ordered home made steak burger.....now I’m a fan of gourmet burgers when I go out and I’ve sampled a fair few to be able to know the difference between a home made minced steak burger(I make them myself!)and a packet one!!First giveaway was the fact there were two thin ones in the brioche bun,on the menu I think it stated a homemade steak BURGER....singular!so was expecting a fat,rustic looking,meaty misshaped tasty lump,but no,perfectly round,slightly slushy,not meaty and fake oniony....not being disrespectful to a burger you could have bought on the front at Felixstowe but it was like one of those!actually two of them because if you had put only one then it would have got lost,anyway,if you’ve had one of those ones before then you will know where I’m coming from!i did go up and ask but was told by a gentleman leaning on the counter looking like possibly an owner that it could have been the frozen batch,blaming the fact on them being home made then frozen.....I really don’t think so....apart from that while we were eating he stood there watching on,as we were one of two tables eating that felt quite intimidating...also when we ordered we were asked if we would like cheese and bacon on them and I said is that extra??and the girl said,no they come with that I said oh ok yes then,wasn’t fussed but why not?!!good job as they would have tasted extra bad...anyway,I hadn’t noticed the option which is why I asked if they were extra...anyway they were,so misinformed,usually we have cake and more tea but this was definitely not a good experience so was not going to waste another penny,anyway,stupid frozen explanation,we all knew they weren’t home made,will be repeating on us for dayswill not be returning!

Having finished our visit at Bawdsey Radar Museum (really interesting by the way) we hopped on the ferry over to Old Felixstowe. Something I have never done before although I am a Suffolk girl and have been in this area many times. What a treat! We usually go to the very famous pub just a few minutes walk away (any locals will know to which one I refer) but decided to give The Ferry Cafe a try. The service was a bit unprofessional ( I don't know why cafes and restaurants staff themselves with untrained young people as this does not show the place in it's best light) so were we pleasantly surprised to find that the fish and chips were excellent, freshly cooked in a light and crispy batter. And a cup of tea, a British classic. A good local find. We will return.

My wife and I visited this cafe some years ago and re-paid a visit very recently. The retro ambience and location is good, although situated next to a public car park which charges a minimum of £1.90 for one hour's parking. We found an alternative arrangement within a short walking distance!

Take a step back in time to this unique 1950's themed cafe. It is well worth a visit. Excellent fish with the lightest, crispiest batter, chips and peas served with a smile. All this plus lovely scenery and walks close by.

We visited The Ferry Cafe for breakfast at the weekend. We had a decent breakfast, the full English with lovely cubed potatoes, however both our drinks were served warm and needed to be hotter but I have deducted a point as they do not offer alternatives. I don't eat tomatoes or mushrooms and they do not allow items to be swapped unlike most other cafes, notably Cafe On The Corner who will swap any items for others on the menu. This refusal to allow changes to the breakfast would preclude us from visiting again.

Wonderfully warm on a cold March day. Friendly helpful staff. Nostalgic 50's pop music. Superb fish and chips. Pensioners portion with bottomless coffee - all for about £16 What could be better?

Went in today for a delicious fish and chip lunch after freezing on the walk to the Martello tower.

Fish & Chips and a bacon roll, freshly prepared and enjoyed outside with good views to the small ferry and across to Bawdsey. They offer "smaller" portions on the fish and chips and "pensioner deals" as well. Good coffees, even ice cream (in Feb!). All for a reasonable sum.

The Ferry Cafe sits on the shingle where the Deben and The North Sea collide. A boatyard, a pub, a fresh fish stall and a few other unplanned, disorganised wooden buildings share the same half mile of windy coastline. It is an easy place to miss being out on a limb.

Expensive sandwiches. Have to queue for service. Had a cheese and chutney sandwich with a few crisps. Crust was dry. Ignored by staff when went into cafe to order a piece of cake. With one waitress watching another laying out a tray. The total of our order cost £21.50. Prices shown do not include V. A.T.

Three is us came in for a late breakfast. The place was quite full but managed to get a table. You order at the counter and take your drinks and they then deliver to food to your table. We had 2 portions of Sausage, eggs and chips and one of ham, eggs and chips and enjoyed that very much. Lots of seafood dishes were valuable but it was only breakfast that we wanted.

We go there occasionally with the grandchildren for lunch - they love it.

Quick coffee and cake in cafe - 2 coffees and 2 small cakes >£10 so tourist prices for ‘OK’ food and average service. The real niggle though was £1.90 for 1 hours parking in December ! So 2 coffees and 2 small cakes. £13!!! Really - if Suffolk wants to attract tourists it needs to stop ripping them off !

Small café with excellent menu, freshly cooked so you have to wait a little longer but it's worth it! Outside is a large area with picnic benches and water for dog's to drink. The coffee is excellent, not your average french ground coffee much better than chain coffee shop. Their fish & chips come with the option in half sized if you can't manage a full size portion cod or want a lighter lunch.

Good food and great location if you like watching the boats. Only downside is certain times of the day and weekends are extremely busy and you can queue for a table, I would advice against going on a Sunday

So after posting my last review of this cafe we have returned - once. Late september we were told that the cafe now had a notice outside advrertising Fish, Chips & Peas @ £9-95. We went to the Ferry Cafe as another Cafe was full on the day. So to report - yest the cost of F&C;'s has returned to less than £10 buit the menu price hasn't. We expect the price to revert to the higher price shortly. Same good quality food, same portion sizes, same staff - including, presumably the owner. Regulars who we saw on a Friday not there and the place never became more than half full in the hour & half we were there.

It had been several years since visiting here my memory had not let me down. Fish and chips were superb, very well presented ,hot and generous in its portions. Menu was very good with emphasis on seafood couldn't be better for us.

We had bought sandwiches with us but could resist fish and chips and we were pleased we did. The batter was light and the fish meaty, a real treat. Would highly recommend.

Since my last review of Felixstowe Ferry Cafe and Diner I have probably eaten here more than any other cafe or restaurant in Suffolk because the food, service and prices are consistently so good.

Been a patron of this Cafe for many years as previously had mooring for the boat in the River but this was a first visit for a family member. He was totally captivated by the place and declared that it was the best Fish and Chips he had had for a lont time.

I’ve been here many times for brunch and lunch. Staff have always been friendly and appears very clean. The menu is basic, prices very reasonable and I’ve always been pleased with the food I’ve had.

Through visiting Felixstowe Ferry for the first time today , finding this little cafe was perfect. After a long walk with the dog, we sat and had a late breakfast and fantastic milkshakes. Some have said it’s expensive , however the portions I had justified the price . It’s just by the car park and near the sea front , all in all , perfect place :) we are returning for breakfast again before we go home later this week.

Popped in while visiting Felixstowe ferry. The staff were really friendly and helpful. They made lovely little hot chocolates for my children. Lovely slices of cake and the latte was so nice. The atmosphere was great and I loved the music. Thank you!

We've been coming to this place for ~15yrs because of the great fish and chips but the food we recevied today was appalling. I have never had fished cooked so badly, both the haddock and cod we had had either been stood, reheated or simply terribly cooked....and served with oven chips. 3 x fish and chips cost £36!!! We heard the place had been taken over and the owners focus is on how much he can make from fining people. A very dissapointing and expensive experience. Avoid at all costs!

Came here with friends for lunch, after crabbing near by. I ordered a Tuna Mayo sandwich, I had to have white bread as they had run out of granary and have to say when it arrived, I was shocked at how paltry it looked when I consider that it cost me £7.50- literally two slices of bread made with Tuna mayo and a few crisps chucked on the plate. I don’t think that is justified at all to be honest - five or six pounds would be much more reasonable. The sandwich was nice (I should point out on menu it has cucumber in it but I asked for none) but there was nothing memorable about it. I thought the kids menu at£6.95 was way over priced too. It’s really

This place has been great! Good Memorable food, Probably the best Fish & Chips in Suffolk. Great staff. But the prices have gone up Nearly 40% in the last four months! Fish and chips that was under £9 is now £13!!! That is the same as the nearby FBI pub.

Only had coffee here as it was our first time at Felixstowe Ferry. We will be back though , the décor is American Diner and the music suited us 'oldies'. Will be back very soon to sample the food or at least the cake!

The price at this cafe has suddenly jumped up, fish and chips were on the small size and service slow ,

I popped in to get a cold bottled drink and after waiting for at least 5 minutes whilst another couple were being served , i asked the young lady what bottled cold drinks they offered and she gave a list of drinks the first one i asked for was met with sorry we dont do that in bottles as it comes from a dispenser so listen to the question .

Niente di ché....ambiente un po' trasandato, organizzazione del personale che lascia a desiderare. Al.eno sai pochi tavoli all'esterno si può godere di una bella vista.

Went in here because the other cafe was full,this one was empty, now I know why! charged a fortune for a very basic snack i.e bacon sandwich and a drink

Having spent the morning wandering around Felixstowe we decided on a drive to old Felixstowe, somewhere I used to go crabbing as a child. Looking for somewhere to eat and came across this little place. Sat outside as it was a beautiful hot day and was served fairly quickly considering it was very busy. Both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our meals of vegi burger and chips and the huge burger meal my husband had. Lots of bowls of water out for the dogs to enjoy. Only negative point is that you get quite a bit of dust coming from the cars going in and out of rough car park. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed

This is an ODD place, and will not suit everyone, but it definitely suits us. On the 'minus' side, it's not silver service or fine dining and the absence of in-house toilets might be seen as a disadvantage (public W.Cs across the road)

Love this place! Close to the beach it serves simple and tasty breakfast and lunch in a 'diner' setting. Staff are always friendly and efficient. A lovely stop-off on a walk or cycle ride (to shift some of the calories!)

Fish and chips were very good, if a little expensive. Nice smart cafe inside. We sat outside on a lovely day. Service was good and staff were friendly and polite. Had to pay full amount for car park although I had a disabled person with me. Car Park was not tarmacked, which made it difficult to push wheelchair. The car park is not run by the cafe.

The batter on the cod was tremendous. Like a tempura. Not heavy. Cod is line caught succulent and freshest. Chips great. Lovely atmosphere. Another gem to have fish and chips. Ferry takes you to Bawdsey and the radar station there. Great location. Bank holiday crowd but easy to find an outside table.

Great place . Food cooked to fresh to order . Prices great . Veiws of docks are great . Outside seating in summer mths a bonus . Great place alone with friends and family . Popular cafe always people there .

We were directed here by The Ferry Boat inn who stop serving food at 2pm - well it is England after all.

Visited this area on an eyewateringly cold Sunday with my lovely wife. After a short walk, we decided a cuppa was needed. There are a couple of options and knowing none of them, we plumped for the Ferry Cafe.

The staff are very polite and helpful. The breakfast was yummy! No bells or whistles, just good honest happy food and a great location.

Walked along the cliff tops beside the golf course and to the ferry jetty on Sun afternoon. Before setting off on the return leg we ventured into the cafe for a snack and coffee/tea. Although there was seating inside we along with others sat outside and enjoyed our food/drinks, sausage & egg and bacon sandwiches, delicious. As it was mid/late afternoon the choice of cakes was pretty non-existent so if you have a sweet tooth then would suggest an earlier visit. Other than that a very enjoyable experience.

Stopped for lunch. Quick service and good food, excellent fish and chips and a pint of shrimp, mugs of tea. Nice period atmosphere (1940s). Little unexpected gem.

A pair of the most excellent egg and bacon sandwiches and two mugs of tea for less than £15... Very busy nice ambience and superb background music from the 50's and 60's

Called in on a wet and windy Saturday morning. The place was warm and spotlessly clean. We only had a coffee but it was very good. The walls were covered with old photos of the ferry area. Having been a regular there as a young lad it was an interesting visit. The background music from the sixties just made it perfect.

Popped in on a cold Saturday morning after walking along the front from Landguard point. Had the vegetarian breakfast which...

We have been going to the ferry cafe for a number of years and the breakfast is the best in...

Had the big breakfast. Decent portion. Sausages were good quality. Yummy potato cubes. It was busy but still got our...

Went for breakfast and had the famous ferry cooked breakfast. There were only two other people in the cafe who had there food, unyet the breakfast came out barely warm, egg white still runny, and tasteless mushrooms. Husband had scrambled eggs and they were like rubber.

Went there at lunchtime today with friends to celebrate my husbands birthday with his favourite fish & chips. It was warm, clean & comfortable inside, as we have come to expect. The four of us had the fish & chips which was perfectly cooked & served. My husband was a little bit disappointed to be told they weren't doing desserts today, but had a selection of cakes to chose from. After a discussion amongst ourselves, we decided to go home for cake & a cup of tea. At that moment, the ladies all came out from behind the counter, singing "Happy Birthday", and brought with them a rocky road choc cake, had written Happy Birthday around the plate with choc sauce, and a fancy little crepe paper decoration. It made his day! What a lovely thing to do. The car park next to the Café, is run by Suffolk Coastal District Council & fairly reasonably priced.

We had 2 burger meals,a milkshake and a cappuccino. The burgers were Luke warm and in untoasted brioche buns,the chips were piping hot,served in a small pot and were of poor quality. The portions have shrunk,the prices have gone up and you have to pay to park! Won't be visiting again.

Took my 84 year old mother for a Sunday afternoon trip out. Parked next to the Ferry Cafe, the pay and display machine was out of order and a notice instructed us to go into the cafe to obtain a ticket. There was a young lad seated within the cafe for this purpose who provided us with a hand written ticket for 1 hour. After our walk we decided to have a coffee so needed to extend our parking. We went into the cafe but the young lad had disappeared, so went and ordered our drinks and food and sat outside. Meanwhile we were given a parking ticket with a £60 fine. We have spent several weeks trying to appeal this as it was not our fault that the machine was out of order and on our return the lad was missing from his post. All our appeals have been ignored and we have just received a string of threats of the fine being increased to £100 and being taken to court.

This is the second time We have visited and I must say I was very disappointed!.On our first visit we only had a coffee and there was no problem apart from finding a place to sit.On our second visit my wife and I decided to have cod and chips,the food was good but the amount we were served for the money was beyond a joke!.To say the portions were small were an understatement!.We have eaten in many Felixstowe restaurants and eaten our favourite meal of fish and chips,and I must say this was the least value for money and left us feeling hungry!!!!!.I wouldn't mind but it does not cost much to fill your plate with chips......my meal had the smallest portion of chips and fish one has ever seen!!!!!!!.I would only say tat the position of the cafe and its interior make up for the lack of expensive food they sell!.We will not be returning!!!!.

A large group of us ate here at lunchtime and the staff coped well with the numbers and managed to produce our food quickly and to a good standard. I opted for the fish and chips which I have had here before and I wasn't disappointed. The food was hot and there's loads of it.The interior of the restaurant is in the style of an American diner which gives it loads of character. Definitely worth another visit.

Stopped for a light lunch and decided on sandwiches after looking at the menu. You have to order at the bar but as it wasn't very busy this didn't seem to be a problem. Food was served fairly quickly and sandwiches had a good amount of filling. Tasty and reasonable value.

Whenever we are in the area we always visit the Ferry Cafe. We just love the interior dressed as an American diner and 50/60 s music being played. It's always popular but there are tables outside if the weather allows. Plenty of choice on the menu - my husband always has the fish and chips, very fresh, beautiful. There are no toilets onsite but there are some across the road. Car park opposite the cafe for a charge but we always park up on the cliff by the golf club and walk along the coast and golfing area...takes about 30 minutes. Lovely walk watching the birds, boats and the strong tide. Great place to buy fresh fish and seafood from the local fishmonger too.

It could be we arrived just after opening on a Sunday. It could be there was some kind of mini marathon going on along the road leading to the cafe. It could be that the machine in the car park was out of order (personally I think having to pay to park there is out of order but that's not down to the cafe). It could have been that we still had to pay to park by getting a ticket from the cafe (so maybe it is down to the cafe). However although it may have been all or any of those things it wasn't. It was actually the quality of the breakfast. An egg more snotty than eggy, mushrooms swimming in water and sausages with lumps of gristle. Granted you do get a BIG breakfast but it still needs to be edible. Sorry but won't be going back.

Wowsers of a breakfast all very fresh and perfectly cooked and what a place, it's not your average dinner style. This American dinner style place has lots of authentic style, very tastefully done. There I also a very appealing dinner & lunch menu with a good selection of fish choices.

We love this cafe. The breakfast is definately on par with the farm cafe. All the ingrediants locally sourced and tastes wonderful. I would definately recommend this cafe. Service is great too

I just love eating at this American style diner with its musical theme, nautical elements and touch of nostalgia all slung together, because bizarrely as it may sound, this quirky, hotchpotch of internal décor actually works, perfectly! From the outside, the diner has the look of a spruced up, rustic, old ramshackle of a shack you'd find say, in Arkansas or Nebraska complete with its outside veranda/porch. I can just imagine a couple of old cowboy dudes sitting outside on their rockin' chairs playing their geetars. Yeehaw!But of course I'm exaggerating because this lovely diner with its unusual interior design is actually very appealing and hugely popular, especially amongst the over 60s, which includes yours truly!Inside, all the dining tables have attractive pale blue and white polka-dot table cloths. Some tables have glass tops under which there's a an assortment of interesting documents which include sheet music of the 40s and 50s and old theatre and boxing programs amongst others. Super!The red and cream coloured plastic seats with their shiny silver-chrome frames compliment the tables perfectly adding that kind of American Diner atmosphere and feel to the place. Just brilliant!Displayed around the walls are lots of photos of local places of interest,old “sailor” types, amongst other dodgy looking characters as well as old advertisements and a collection of 78 RPM records from the 40s and 50s.In addition, there's a fisherman's net hanging up complete with a plastic lobster and three starfish. Now that's quirky!In a recessed corner there's even an old piano, on top of which sits two violin cases inscribed “Charlie Drays Jazz Band” and “The Lyrical Five.”Intriguing! Any takers?A b flat trumpet is also displayed behind the counter!Food at the diner is really first class. It's always well cooked, hot and tasty,( a bit like me really ) ok, ok, I'm only kidding! - and presented beautifully by two lovely waitresses, Michelle and Sandra who, despite very often being run off their feet, always find time to quickly pass the time of day with a smile. Boy, that makes so much difference!Undoubtedly, fish and chips is the most popular lunchtime meal and I'm not surprised. It looks so fresh and tasty and the batter so crispy! What with the generous portions, no wonder it's so popular.Me? I normally go for chicken caesar salad which is superb! With generous amounts of chicken and croutons I rate this as good as I've ever tasted – and that includes West End Restaurants and hotels abroad.Superb!But I've got to say without a doubt, my favourite meal here has to be seafood chowder! God, I'm salivating just thinking about it!Made with prawns, smoked haddock, cod, salmon and crab, and a base of mire poix ( pronounced meer pwar ) a combo of chopped carrots, celery and onions ( aromatics ) cooked for a long time on a gentle heat usually with butter or fat provides flavour and aroma to the dish. It also enhancesstocks, sauces and soups. Now there's a bit of culinary info for you!But seriously, served with fresh, thickly cut bread this dish is utterly sensational!Sadly however, this wonderful food is defined as being a winter dish so won't be available until the shorter days and longer nights start appearing.Throughout the day music from the 50s, 60s and 70s is softly played including that of rock n' roll, doowop and pop.It feels so good enjoying your meal ( especially if it's seafood chowder! ) whilst listening to the sounds of Buddy Holly and the Crickets, The Everley Brothers, Ricky Nelson, The Ronettes, Chuck Berry, The Supremes, The Ponytails and a host of other artists from my teens.Always reminds me of listening to the same music whilst sitting in a coffee bar hoping someone would feed money into the Juke-box to play my favourite music. I was always skint...On the counter there is always a good selection of freshly baked scones,biscuits, gateaux and other lovely cakes for those who prefer a snack rather than a meal from the diner's extensive menu and of course there is also the wine list in addition to beers and other alcoholic beverages to choose from.The diner also has an outside dining area on its veranda as well as outdoor terraced seating which is enclosed.During the hot weather, it's really nice to sit outside enjoying the fresh air watching the nearby boating activities.Attached to the diner is a car park but charges are reasonable.Directly opposite the diner is a seafood shop which sells fresh fish caught daily. Depending on what time of day it is, you may be lucky enough to see the fishing boats returning with their catches. To pop into the seafood shop to buy some freshly caught fish is a must.Behind the diner's car park is a footpath which extends along the River Deben passing mud banks where houseboats are tied up and other craft, having seen better days are stranded, gradually falling apart.Nevertheless, its still a really nice walk because deteriorating or not, these crafts have all got character.To the other side of the diner, alongside the River Deben there is a boatyard and nearby there is a slipway, where throughout the day you'll see boats being launched.In sight of the diner is a small jetty where the ferry boat will take you across the river to Boardsey. During the summer months you can take a 35 minute boat trip from here along the river Deben, around the harbour and back. A great trip on a summer's day!During weekends and in the school holidays, you'll see lots of excited children with their families sitting on the side of the jetty with their nets, crabbing.So, just to sum up; The Ferry Diner is superbly located in a lovely rustic part of Felixstowe which is almost adjacent to the River Deben. There are many delightful walks along the river or back to Felixstowe town along the beach.Undoubtedly the diner serves very good food at reasonable prices, especially with the generous portions that are served. The service is generally excellent however, around lunchtime when the diner gets very busy understandably, it can become a tad slower. My advice? Be patient, the girls work really hard, and the dining experience will definitely be worth the wait. I promise!Another tip? Arrive around 11am and you'll be served straight away without having to wait.The diner is bright, cheerful, clean and efficiently run and the staff are friendly and welcoming. Brilliant!Well folks, as I said from the beginning, I just love eating here.... and I'm sure you will too!Happy dining! Lee A.