The Raft at Wild & Free in Christchurch

We were in Christchurch for a weekend, a week or so ago, and had breakfast here on the Saturday morning. We have a dog and she was warmly welcomed, as were we. Felt at home. The Raft was empty when we first came in, which can be a bad sign, but within a few minutes it was bursting (so good timing on our part). The breakfast was really good, although if I was being slightly critical and the sausages weren't quite as good as everything else on the plate, and the coffees were great (funny how so many coffee places get coffee very wrong - not here!). They accommodated our requests for slight changes to the breakfast (another thing some places don't do which puts me off a restaurant) and they even cooked us up some scrambled eggs for our dog, who doesn't like to miss out!! We were very happy with the service. We liked it so much that we had breakfast there on the Sunday morning as well. If we're ever in Christchurch again we will definitely be in for breakfast and a lovely coffee.

Great coffee. Food a little overpriced sadly but very friendly.

Lovely eclectic coffee shop with lots of lovely cakes and food options, decaf coffee was great & loved my carot cake. Quirky with good service and reasonable prices.

A quirky style cafe into recycling and upcycling. Food was fabulous. Many locals visit frequently. Highly recommend a visit.

Great service and friendly staff!

Beautiful little place with amazing atmospheric small garden at the rear. Dogs welcome. Food and service great. Worth a visit.

The raft is now our first choice in Christchurch for a coffee/pot of tea and spot of lunch or a cooked breakfast. We go there not only for the excellent food but because Bez the owner is welcoming and gives a friendly polite service . The atmosphere is relaxing and Bez recognizes his regular customers and is always pleased to see them. No 1 place in Christchurch for service .

Gorgeous food. Love Kofta wrap. Yum. Thanks Claire

Love the vibe here, lovely atmosphere, all smiles and friendly! Food is delish too and really nice variations.

Lovely secret garden out back. A real suntrap. Cake was delicious and excellent decaf latte. Highly recommended in Christchurch.

We had the Grilled Halloumi with Fig Chutney and the Falafel with Chilli Jam Wraps. Both were delicious. We had chips too and a Flat White Coffee with Oat-milk. Lovely atmosphere and decor inside and outdoor seating too in the back. Excellent service and pricing.

Great food, friendly service, little gem of a place!

We love The Raft - always a very good coffee! Our favourite food there is the frying pan breakfast; delicious and great quality. Lovely chilled vibe and super cute garden if it's sunny. Always a great welcome and lots of smiles too, lovely people.

Pleasant "cafe" just of main street. Different seating with small outdoor garden. Wraps and toastie, coffee. Quite quiet Monday 2.00sh. Good service, upstairs toilets.

First visit to The Raft on 31st December with friends and my little rescue dog and we were not disappointed. I had the small English breakfast which was the perfect size for me and my friends both had the avocado wraps which were also very good. We all had a hot drink and my dog also had a sausage (which went down very well)! Our bill was £32, which we questioned as we thought they’d undercharged us, but they have an offer of food and drink for £10! Excellent value! Service was great and the atmosphere inside this little cafe was warm & cozy on such a blustery day. This place is a great, dog friendly find and I will be back!

Lovely quirky place. Delicious simple food and excellent service. Well worth a visit.

Beautiful little café, lovely, interesting and imaginative home made cakes. Tastey wraps as well.

Very good place, relaxing atmosphere Amazing coffee, delicious food and cakes Very friendly owner and staff Recommended to everyone

The best breakfast I can remember eating, the coffee & tea were equally fab as is the presentation of the dishes. Even had a couple of doggy sausages for the hounds to

Wanted just a quick take-away lunch to eat at nearby bowling green in the sun - 2 x hot-dogs took 5 mins to prepare and were yummy - very friendly staff

Wonderful place we found . Took my daughter and little dog in yesterday. Lovely people. Delicious cake and coffee 🤗

Yummy food and such friendly and helpful staff. The owner Bez found pens and colour in papers for my friends children so kind. Also to add the flat white coffee is a good strength. See you all again soon !

The coffee is delicious with a nice amount of foamy crema. The lemon drizzle cake was sweet and tangy, would recommend!

My favourite place to go, 100% recommend to anyone. Great food, great cakes, and drinks. Lovely staff

Been a few times now and enjoyed every time. Lattes (hot and cold) are lovely and everything I’ve had on the menu has been great. Always met with a smile too, not been to a better place in Christchurch 👍

Great Quirky little place. Very nice food and friendly staff. One of best places in Christchurch for breakfast lunch

Lovely food, super friendly service, great value!

This is a great little cafe. The toasties and wraps were delicious and well presented. I'd recommend a visit.

Limited menu, but very good food.

Has to be the best independent coffee shop and eatery in Christchurch - check it out for the great coffee and ambience and very welcoming staff. Absolute favourite place to call in and catch up with friends and experience great coffee and customer service a joy.

A very nice place in Christchurch. Friendly owner Bez and sweet staff, delicious food, fantastic coffee and a nice atmosphere. Spanish cheese cake is particularly extraordinary. A must-visit place when you come to Christchurch. 100% recommended.

Such an excellent service. Very relaxing and nice atmosphere. Food - very simple but definitely one of the best, so fresh and tasty !!!

Visited today and lovely food and service . Highly recommend.

Great small cafe. Lovely food and great service.

Excellent breakfast and great service from the owner

Great place to chill and enjoy the cool vibes 😎

What an amazing place. Fantastic music, lovely staff, great food and brilliant value for money. 😃

Really lovely cafe, excellent food, great staff and friendly service, would recommend.

Amazing cakes, wonderful food and great service. A hidden gem. Highly recommended by myself and my two best friends on a day out. Thank you so much Bez. See you again soon :-)

Lovely place for coffee and cake. Very welcoming.

Food was excellent and the guys that run it are very friendly. Dogs allowed which is good. Highly recommend

Had a wonderful evening last night for a private function. Amazing food and service. Staff are lovely too. Big thank you to Bez! Really good night. Highly recommended 👌

I’ve enjoyed two private evening events here and I can but recommend this lovely authentic restaurant. The food is delicious and generously served with plenty of vegetarian/vegan options too! The staff are super friendly and accommodating. I’ll definitely be back! Thank you 🙏

Absolutely the best Bloody Mary ever...and I've had a few! Lovely place and staff.

What a nice little treasure find. We are local to the area, just popping in for coffee and tea. Found The Raft to be Lovely, friendly, well presented and reasonably priced. Service is kind and friendly. I like my coffee, and was not disappointed, great tasting. Can recommend a slice of the Spanish cheesecake.

Small owner run cafe. Small range of excellent wraps. Great coffee and cakes. Garden at the rear on fine days. Friendly staff.

A great atmosphere with the very best coffee in town…and beyond. Lovely owner for whom nothing is too much trouble. Simple but tasty menu at reasonable prices. Unobtrusive but good music playlist. A ‘must visit’ place in Christchurch, in a good central position off the main drag.

Bez goes the extra mile to care for customers. Food is always freshly cooked with a smile.

We had the lamb kofta wrap, and it was delicious. Polite, attentive staff, and a lovely relaxed atmosphere. Will certainly come again when we next visit Christchurch.

A lovely friendly cafe which does some lovely toasted sandwiches and wraps and good coffee.

Friendly cafe, great food and drink. And importantly dog friendly.

Always lovely food, customer service is so friendly!

Lovely family lunch at the raft. Friendly and efficient service. Food excellent. Bacon was perfect (crispy but not overdone), chips superb. Halloumi & fig wrap was also delicious. Highly recommend.

Loved the simplicity of the menu, the pricing and the service. Nice vibe and busy too. Food tastes great. We were able to adapt the menu a little to our individual tastes too 😃

A super place friendly warm and welcoming dog friendly to.

Excellent. Carrot cake best i have had. Will definitely go back.

This is a lovely place to eat. So friendly and delicious food too.

Best cake and coffee in Christchurch

Best place in Christchurch for a snack and drink

Really Great food, lovely setting and friendly staff!

A little gem in a dull town, worth going to Christchurch just for the welcome, great coffee and cake .

A cozy pub with a lovely little garden in a fantastic location, right next to Norman House. The place has a nice and warm atmosphere thanks to the staff who are very nice and helpful. The lovely waitress prepared a delicious iced coffee for me exactly as I expected. Add a piece of cake with walnuts and I was in heaven. I will definitely visit to try one of their dishes someday.

Love this, how it looks and feels are very welcoming. Service was excellent, the staff are relaxed, friendly and super efficient. And, the food was delicious and well presented. Will definitely come back again and highly recommend it to others. 🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆

Great Hallumi wrap & sweet potatoe chips enjoyed in a beautiful bijou garden.

Excellent coffee! Nice setting and great service. Would be good if it offered more breakfast / brunch choices as it would become such a great spot if it did that. But coffee really is great here.

VERY DELICIOUS Lamb kofta wrap for breakfast ! PERFECTION flavour mixture and moist meat. Treated mum to breakfast she ordered a teacake with cappuccino and was grinning with her generous portion. Garden out the back overlooking the ruins and the amazing food, makes this our go to spot in Christchurch

We had a great relaxing time ,great place excellent food ,nice atmosphere and service ,highly recommended

Great coffee and yummy wraps and toasties

Beautiful place, best coffee!! Love the atmosphere, fresh food, Lovely garden looking towards the ruins 10/10 highly recommend

We visited this restaurant for a quick lunch and had Persian tea, a halloumi, hummus and fig jam wrap and a falafel, hummus and chilli jam wrap. All very tasty and freshly prepared. Very friendly welcome as you'd expect from a family run place. The little garden at the rear is fun and colourful with a view of Christchurch castle. They also do Persian themed evening dinners and with Persian heritage I would expect it to be good.

Amazing drinks and food. Great service and a lovely little garden, will definitely be back again. Thank you!

Lovely coffe amazing food highly recommend!! x

Really friendly relaxed vibe. The food, coffee & cake was all lovely. Highly recommend!

Very nice coffee and T cake good friendly staff

Love the atmosphere. Love their small vintage style garden looking towards the ruins of Christchurch. Beautiful place to have a coffee.

Amazing food and coffee - lovely atmosphere too! Couldn’t recommend more.

Fabulous coffee, delicious cakes and a lovely friendly atmosphere. 😊❤

Basic but pleassant surroundinģs Nice atmosphere. Dog friendly. Very people friendly, lovely welcoming people and great service. Food and drinks really nice.

Gorgeous cafe, super friendly owner! The courtyard at the back is lovely, and they have vegan cake!

Only had coffee but it was really nice. Cakes looked fantastic. Very friendly staff.

Incredibly friendly atmos. Had the vegan falafel wrap and it was fantastic. Certainly a new contender for the best coffee in Bournemouth too. What a wonderful find! Ooooh also there was vegan mango cake which was so good!! 🍰💚

Great coffee, food and atmosphere.

Dog friendly and delicious coffee and kofta wraps! Friendly service and lovely but small garden out back

Lovely carrot cake hand made yum!

Friendly service good coffee and banana cake

Just bought two oat milk flat whites and will not be coming back, coffee was burnt and bitter and the oak milk was from aldi. So bad we didn't drink and threw in the bin.

Awesome little find. Great staff. Good food. Reasonably priced

Hi am a little confused as I assume this is the same place that the lovely perfumery coffee shop was at? , as far as I was aware it closed suddenly after exhausting Avenues to try and find out why I couldn’t find out it was a smashing little coffee shop, the reviews show it was operating under a different name 2 years ago !🤔 I’m sure it was still closed then, so is this the same place? And is it open under the name wild & free ? Rgds Murray

Love this place, great coffee, lovely food & fab atmosphere & staff are super friendly 👌

Nice alternative to a pub lunch - we had the lamb kofta and falafel wrap (lamb was the favourite) and they served decent coffee. Sit outdoors in their back garden and bask in the afternoon sun with views of the old ruin.

Good lamb kofta and yogurt wrap, great customer service and a very relaxing outdoor space.. at a very reasonable price 👍🏾

Friendly staff, great food and lovely coffee. #lovelocal

Staff is very friendly and good food at a reasonable price too :)

This an amazing place, friendly, good quality food and coffee, reasonable prices, great locations. I love good coffee and this is the best coffee in town for me. They make their won cakes, I tried carrot and coffee + walnut cakes, they were delicious. Highly recommended

Iranian lamb stew with aubergines, split peas & saffron rice. Takeaway only at moment. Lamb melted & aromatic spices made it really good.

The halloumi roti and almond chocolate cupcake brownie were incredible!

The Raft is unquestionably THE place to go in Christchurch for a perfect flat white and yummy cakes. Enjoy the garden with its view of an ancient castle, and stay for a chat with the friendly staff.

Popped in at lunch and we had a falafel roti wrap which was very tasty. Was expecting simple, and got simple and delicious. Also was covid conscious and friendly

Excellent location right under the ruins. The food is excellent and unique and the prices are fair. Bez, the owner, is kind and hospitable. I will definitely be back!

Wonderful place in a great location. Bez is an amazing host. The food is delicious and the price is reasonable. Will be back for sure!