The Novel Coffee Shop in Southend-on-Sea

My disabled daughter came today , with her friend , to study her university work , was totally shocked and embarrassed by staff , who push her forced her out of her seat , so others could take her place , and the table had shown no sighs of being book , it's absolutely disgusting the way she was treated , I definitely won't be going there in the future, so will not my friends.

A nice place for coffee and cake and to purchase a book and help others

This is a great little cafe and a book lovers dream. Lovely staff and a very friendly atmosphere

browse the shelves of many donated books, cd's and DVD's as you enjoy a selection of coffee and teas, always plenty of cakes on display too. lovely place to relax.

Lovely place to go for a coffee and chat or a lunch or Afternoon tea. Relaxed and friendly and inclusive. Also sell second hand books and dvds

Nice friendly little Café, well worth visit

Always good food, service and caring atmosphere.

Very interesting place.Loads of books 📚 Helpful staff.. Will Go back again.

Dean not bullying me know not commplits keep everyone

Popped in for lunch and was pleasantly surprised, nice friendly atmosphere, books were added touch and waiter was fantastic.

What a lovely place for a cup of coffee and the best toastie I’ve had in a long time.

The food and coffee was delicious and reasonably priced. There is a good selection of sandwiches / toasties available, with vegetarian options too! And the staff were very friendly :)

We visited The Novel Coffee shop for lunch. Out of the extensive menu we chose tuna and cheese toasties which comes with salad garnish and crisps. Norma said her lunch was an absolute delight. The tea was just as I like it and the lemon & Carrott cake (separately) was out of this world, Best I've ever tasted. Love Norma xx Louise says it's the best cafe for lunch, friendly staff, tastiest food, yummiest cake and best roasted coffee beans in town. Xx

A really nice place, great food and friendly service, and to make things even better, a second bookshop.

Lovely friendly coffee shop, also sells used books and dvd. Some of my sons friends work in their, helps people with special needs. Very good value for money on the food. Definitely be going back.

The best independent coffee shop in southend - great staff, service and importantly coffee ☕️☕️ As a social business run by Southend Mencap, it’s supports work experience and volunteering and the profit goes to the community projects. The staff are absolutely amazing. It’s got a great relaxed vibe and lovely place to spend time. Regulars are happy and very chatty and it’s like a home from home. Inside is spacious, light and comfy & a second hand bookstore, CDs and vinyl too. How a coffee shop should be

I only brought takeaway coffee so can't comment on the complete service

Simple furniture combined with book shop - novels whence name. Friendly reception. Coffee better than big chains

Love it, sandwiches, cakes great coffee and the staff are a delight. Very small but comfortable.

Great place lovely staff and books. Well maintained and laid out. The cake and coffee are fresh and well made.

Lovely coffee shop. Staff were welcoming and they sell previously enjoyed books for Mencap wonderful. Also the cakes are homemade and looked delicious.

Fantastic Mencap coffee shop with books, some vinyl, DVDs & CDs. A nice place to take children, because they'll be entertained by browsing/reading the kids books😉

Very friendly and relaxed atmosphere... well worth a visit.

Authentic place. Nice people. Beautiful music. Coffee is great. A decent place to chill with your friends on the weekends :) or you can come alone and read a book.

Lovely homemade cakes and freindly staff

Really nice people - bear in mind their link with MENCAP - but extremely friendly and helpful. Plus a truly wonderful collection of second-hand books, including a nicely bound leather version of some of Shakespeare's plays!! WOW!!

Had tea and cake, delicious. Lovely, helpful staff.

A lovely place to meet friends for a coffee and gossip 😊

The food was delicious and the staff was excellent

Great Coffee, wonderful cakes and tasty filled jacket potatoes.

Food was delicious, the books were really vast, classic literature to Patterson Crime Novels… and the staff are so chatty, sweet and attentive. Recommend a stop here for a nice bit to eat and some good company.

Had a lovely afternoon here! Was waited on by superb staff that were warm and friendly and had a lovely conversation with a member of staff about their huge selection of books. Very hard to find a personable cafe like this anymore. Thoroughly recommend !!

Love the coffee shop. You get to browse and buy second hand books, both fiction and non fiction. They even sell dvds and vinyl (second hand). What better way than to get a little time to yourself to drink a latte (or even raspberry tea) and delve into a book 😀

Lovely reception and cake's are home made.

Lovely space to enjoy a tea, coffee and a chance to purchase some second hand books, records, CD's, DVD's. Reasonable prices, lovely service. They have a couple of food items for veggies and vegans which is cool.

Coffee's nice, lots of cheap books and DVD's to buy and all for a good cause.

This is the friendliest cafe in Southend. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff and I really enjoy dropping in for a chat. The cakes are to die for as well. If you go there, please make sure that you leave some coffee and walnut cake for me 😎

Such a lovely place to relax a short walk from Sainsbury’s and Victoria plaza , coffee is in my opinion some of the best in the area , the cakes are all made locally and again are excellent , the light lunches(beigels) are simple , healthy and very nicely prepared and presented , never had poor service which is why I felt the need to give my first ever review in response to the unusually poor previous review. (I am retired and have no other link other than a passing customer) A genuine 5 stars from me.PS it’s a second hand book shop too, with a very nice loo too.

The novel coffee shop in Southend on sea HD a coffee morning

Rude staff. Totally ignored because chatting away was more important than serving a customer. Laughing as I leave to show their contempt for the idea that people waiting might think it's polite to be acknowledged.

What a lovely find. Very quaint little cafe, reasonably priced. Really nice staff, polite and helpful, and if you want a used book, DVD, CD, etc, there is a fine selection to suit all tastes. Also well priced. Highly recommended for that short stop and rest.

we met at the novel coffee shop when covid restrictions had been lifted a little, The service was great and the cake was excellent! We found it very difficult to choose from the selection available. the walls are lined with books, you can read while you have coffee (good if you're on your own) or you can buy the books while you're there!! all books have been donated and proceeds go directly to Mencap. Some of the staff have learning difficulties or disabilities but all are helpful and working hard Well done all staff!!

This is one of my favourite cafe. The staff are very friendly and helpful. I do recommend the cafe to everyone. Just visit the Novel cafe shop in Southend

Good range of beverages and cakes etc. Great value Community coffee shop supporting Mencap, plus lots of lovely books to browse.

What a lovely special occasion afternoon tea we have just had. Greeted by friendly staff and wonderful food. It all looked so appetising and tasted just as good. Recommend for coffees lunches also. Browse the many books too and grab a bargain.

Where else can you enjoy a coffee with excellent fresh snacks and food served bu, pleasant helpful staff, The Nover Cofee shop hold a pleasant surprise an In house Library and book shop where you can borrow a book to read with your coffee or make a purchase. They also have a range of CD's &DVD,s Great value all profits support MENCAP

Lovely cake and book selection! All helps a fantastic local charity.

Today my Wife was coming from child development place with our 3 year old Hannah. Passing by this Caffe she asked if child can use toilet as she is 3 just had a moment.. one of the staff refused her to use toilet!?! She wet her self 5 min later... Like

My favourite cafe in all of Southend. Staff are incredibly friendly, I especially recommend the coffee and walnut cake if you're eating there. I could spend hours perusing the bookshelves, I always leave with something!

A lovely shop for coffee and a pleasant atmosphere. It's great when you can feel the staff enjoy being there too. Polite and friendly

A lovely book shop/cafe which they have kind and nice staffs, big lunch with decent price as well as various kinds of cakes! I don't usually read but still manage to find a book that I like and spend the time reading it.

Have been to this Tea Rooms several times. It has a marvellous atmosphere. The service is second to none. It is so pleasant to see young people enjoying their roles. It is Mencap run shop. Please go. The food is excellent and such good value for money. I go there whenever I spend the weekend in Southend. It is never a disappointment.

Came for lunch with a friend who comes here regularly - I had never been before but will definitely be coming in when visiting Southend. Lovely lunch served by friendly staff.

A coffee shop with hundreds of second hand books for sale.

Really good place to meet. Earliest person gets to browse extensive and we'll organized books for sale. Great cakes and coffee. Lots of different teas. And really friendly staff.

Tasty sandwich and helpful pleasant staff

Amazing place , snacks , cakes & drinks. Shelves of donated books , all categories , cd & dvd. All very cheap in aid of Mencap. You don’t want to rush this visit , I spent ages browsing books , then enjoyed mocca & panini. Food named after authors , clever idea , adds to the uniqueness

Cafe situated on the London Road very near High St in Southend and a lovely place to rest up and enjoy this space lots of Books to browse through Cafe is light, bright and airy and staff uniformly excellent Go and enjoy!

I popped in as this is across not far from Sainsbury's. I was greeted with a warm welcome, which is a good start. Helpful, pleasant staff. Nice enough atmosphere and good refreshments. Not sure how much seating there is.

Visited The Novel Coffee Shop for the first time today, staff were very welcoming and friendly. Lots more books than expected! Lovely place, would definitely recommend.

Friendly staff and a lovely calm atmosphere surrounded by all of the second hand books. We come here for the excellent preschool book group and I’m impressed by how toddler friendly it is.

I absolutely love visiting The Novel Coffee Shop, not only the best latte and for me gluten free cakes around, but always such friendly staff. The books are an added bonus!!!

Wonderful coffee shop in Southend, which raises money for charity. The tea and cakes are very reasonably priced and great quality. The staff are so friendly and have created a lovely atmosphere. There is no background music which is great for the hard of hearing. There is plenty of room for a wheelchair & there is an accessible toilet. The range of books is fantastic & they are in good condition. I visit every fortnight & am never disappointed.

Beautiful coffee and delicious cakes. Also a huge selection of secondhand books to browse through. Highly recommended.

This coffee shop had lovely service and staff, the book selection is amazing and the cakes were cute. The coffee was delicious and I will definitely be back!

Visited on a Sunday afternoon. Super friendly staff, too many home-made cakes to choose from! Opted for Victoria sponge for his lordship and I had the vegan coffee and walnut sponge - it was delicious. Tasty coffee too. Hats off Mencap, a great venture. And we couldn't leave without browsing the bookshelves and buying something

Brand new coffee shop come bookstore.