The View Smokehouse in Suffolk Coastal

I had high hopes: it was a sunny lunchtime and we were warmly welcomed by friendly staff on arrival. Unfortunately, that was the high point. There were four draft beers on the bar; none were available. We waited over 45 mins for the food. Unlike the descriptions it has not been smoked or barbecued. It was hugely disappointing and came with cheap mass catering sachets of sauce and some bad coleslaw. The waitress dropped two drinks on our table. I would not recommend.

Friendly staff and delicious food beautiful view next to the beach, great place to fill your tummy and relax in the afternoon

Sadly my one and what will be my only visit to the view smokehouse was abysmal, there was 1 table dining when we arrived we ordered drinks (no draught beers and a very limited selection of lagers avaliable) ordered out meals with options as limited as the drinks selection as they had sold out of all starters and some mains bearing in mind this was at 6pm on a Friday ordered the short rib and the burnt ends belly pork (how you're getting burnt ends from belly pork is beyond me as that should be beef) the food was dry, overcooked, under seasoned and for a venue with the word smokehous in the title hadn't seen a smoker let alone actually put in one the short rib was as tough as old boot leather, not fall off the bone tender as it should be, the brown water that was served with the short rib was just that, brown water. No depth of flavour or flavour of any kind for that matter, no body in any sense and the burnt ends weren't glazed in anyway just over cooked pork with a bland parsnip puree and over cooked fondant potatoes that looked more like rushed roasties. Myself and my wife refused to eat it and the chef somehow thought to ask if we wanted something different. Something needs to change drastically if this place is going to survive.

We arrived on Sunday evening 6:45 pm, it had been a beautiful sunny September day 28oC. we were greeted by a elderly lady (60+)near the restaurant entrance to be told food has finished, kitchen is closed. but you can have a drink. So we sat near the clear glass viewing out to the big wheel and the low sun shimmering on the sea waiting for the same front of house to take our drinks order. She went to the couple sitting on the table next to us and said what would you like to order, they ordered there food, I said to my partner she told is the kitchen is closed, I'm not giving them my cash even for a drink, we promptly left after telling the couple who had just ordered food, they couldn't believe what the woman had said to us but did the opposite to them.

Visited tonight with friends for a few drinks what an amazing view of the sea and the ferris wheel. Such a relaxed atmosphere made to feel extremely welcome nothing was too much cant wait to return and maybe try the food. Which looked amazing. If I had to make 1 criticism it would be that they should stay open later because we didn't want to leave....

Over priced. £48 for 2 mains and drinks. Wouldn't have minded but the food itself was terrible. Mac and cheese had no sauce and was dry and burnt. Was literally burnt pasta with cheese on top. Pork belly was bland. Poor quality food.

Avoid like the plague! Rude staff, got up to leave as had been waiting over 20 mins for a cup of tea, it wasn't busy! 2 other customers had gripes as well, food hadn't come out as ordered after a long wait, also, a complete drink had been tipped over one customer

Disappointed! The view is lovely, and so was my salmon salad, but the service was terrible, there was no welcome we was aggressively told it’s table service only when going up to the bar upon arrival, we was then charged £6 for a san Miguel when the menu said it was £4, this san Miguel also came out of a can which we was not told about before ordering draft, we felt very uncomfortable and anxious asking to pay as the pair that were working kept arguing. We won’t be returning. Such a shame as the view is so lovely, but management was not.

Tried to order a San Miguel and a pink gin and there was none of either. Tried to then order a Koppaberg and didn't have those either! When it came to ordering food, I ordered a salt beef sandwich on white bread (said this multiple times as the waiter kept trying to walk off assuming what I wanted), and my partner had chicken wings. My sandwich came out and was on malted bread which I said was wrong so they took it back for the original waiter to come out and say "I did put it through as white bread but didn't have any so do you want it" - just totally assumed what I'd want! The chicken wings were average and definitely not worth the price. We asked for the bill and had to ask again as clearly just being ignored despite the lack of people in there! The people behind us walked out after waiting 15 minutes just to be served but to no avail. The same waiter who served us (and spilt some of my partners beer) then proceeded to spill a beer all over another customer and could barely be bothered to go clean it up! Upon now double checking the bill, I can see we were still charged £6 for a San Miguel when we had a Stella instead! Just an absolute shambles from start to finish and wouldn't return.

Best fish and chips good atmosphere.

Don't recommend. Perhaps it was the tail end of the bank holiday weekend or a new chef. Not good. £8.99 kids meals burnt, shortrib dry, chicken supreme (£17.50, see pic) overcooked and dry. £6 cans of lager! Charged for the kids drinks that should have been part of the £9 burnt burger meal. Tried to add a few pound to the card reader when paying twice. Nice view though.

Very poor experience. We had to wait for menus very long time when staff were just walking around with nothing to do. When we got a menu we only received drinks menu, doesn’t matter that when we arrived we advised that we are here for food. Couple of minutes later we were ready yo place our however no one came to take the order till we called someone over and then we were advised that someone will be with us in a minute, this happened twice. When waitress brought our drinks she advised that they ran out of ice so cocktails are without ice. Surely this need to be advised before drinks are already on the table. When we were waiting for our food waitress came over and asked if we need a bill, we told him that we are still waiting for our food so he went to the kitchen and came back almost attacking us that we are only waiting for 15mins. Not a problem for us, but please do not offer us a bill at this stage. Once we had our food waitress came over and offered us a bill again, instead of offering some drinks we felt that we aren’t welcome and they just wanted for us to leave ASAP.

Table umbrellas needed. A lovely, relaxing place, with great food and the best view in Felixstowe(from a restaurant).

Wouldn't recommend this at all, arrived ordered drinks, only 1 of the 5 drinks we ordered was available, then charged £4 for a can of beer as the pumps were not working either. ordered the seafood platter, most of which didn't taste fresh at all, pretty sure the crab & salmon had already gone off, we left most of this. left with a bill for over £50 and some disappointed and still hungry children, so had to go to another place to actually feed the family.

How this place can charge £12 for the Mac n cheese they serve I don’t know. The most uninspiring meal I have ever had the displeasure of eating. Would have been better off going to McDonald’s

Great little find. Amazing menu with friendly prompt service. Fabulous view with even better food. Will definitely be going back and ordering takeaway. Thanks guys 😁

Really great restaurant, delicious bbq meat with a great view and relaxed vibe

The beef brisket is to die for !! Highly recommended venue.

Visited on a Thursday evening. A nice feel to the place with a lovely view but the small limited dinner menu was disappointing. We had the beef brisket and the short rib of beef. Both were very expensive for what they were, neither of the meats tasted particularly special. Very bland meat tasted more like catering type stuff rather than home cooked/smoked produce. A pint of shandy cost £6 too. Probably won’t go back.

Really bad experience, we order the food and after 5 minutes they just said to us the chef gone in break and we are ot going to receive any food

We had the meat sharer for dinner and it was worth every penny! 😍😍😍

Have always enjoyed visiting the View, however the drink prices have increased so much that we won’t be visiting again. Overcharged by £2 and refunded £1.50. Beer increased by more than £1 per pint, many cheaper places in Felixstowe, such a shame.

Went here over the bank holiday weekend, knew it had been taken over since our last visit. so thought we would give it a try utterly disappointed. Front of house had no idea what they were doing. Ordered a sandwich, that was meant to come with coleslaw and chips. A kids meal, and a bowl of chips. Waited 45 minutes for it to arrive. Should of listened to the table next to us that had warned us they had been waiting an hour for there food. Definitely wasn't worth the wait, food was disappointing quality and overpriced. No coleslaw, when I asked I was told that they had run out. Food service only starts at 12 and we ordered at half 1. Was hardly any other tables in there. If they cant get it right on a bank holiday weekend, not sure how they will manage in summer. Even my 4 year old was asking to leave.

Came to the restaurant expecting a great meal given the reviews and first impressions The menu was tiny and pricey.. There were no ribs left #1 problem. I asked what the Brisket was served with I received a shrug ,and ,"I dunno!" I ordered the 12 hour slow cooked brisket. This was not home cooked and was stone cold. The coleslaw was not fresh. Fries were premium but still catering Fries. Nothing else served not even a salad garnish! My partner ordered a pulled pork burger. same deal old coleslaw. pulled pork in the bun nothing else!, no onion rings as stated on the menu. Ali very poor quality, and no check back when served. There was no opportunity to make a complaint. Could and should be an incredible place, but, such an overpriced let down. Will nit be going back.

Absolutely the nicest food I've had in a while. Delicious..n

Family of five and dog dined at the Smokehouse. Food, service, all the staff, and view were amazing. We will definitely return and highly recommend.

Nice place eat with great views. Very friendly staff and some great music in the background. The meal we ordered was delicious.

Had a take away Two of us had shell on prawns and shared Ribs, the veggie had Mac and cheese. Beautifully packaged. Delicious. Something Different , we WILL be back for more. Thank you.

Just traveled to Felixstowe specifically to start with lunch at this place. Checked ahead for their opening hours on Google and found they're open every day... Except they're actually closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. I've suggested new opening hours on Google but that doesn't feed me today. Oh well, one day I'll enjoy a lovely smoked meat meal, I'm sure.

Worked here for a trial shift last year, wasn’t given much help, they then lost my number so never worked there again.

Amazing breakfast well worth the money friendly staff

No food consumed only a few beers, food smelled lovely though. It felt like we were abroad sitting on the rooftop bar area, beautiful views of the sea. Great music playing in the background, very relaxing enjoyable experience, highly recommended

People must remember this a smoke House. Food different from the norm making it special. The brisket we had was unbelievable melt in the mouth. Unfortunately much of the menu was out of stock and unavailable. Staff friendly, but first time we went great, big choice , quiet ,good service idealic . Second time busy noisy slow to serve. Eatery upmany steps but they also have a lift Good seating with good views. We would definitely go again but maybe wait for main season to be over

Great place and Great Food. Highly recommended.

Admittedly they has been busy and explained it as soon as well walked in. The service was fine but the food wasn't great, our three burgers came out on white bread with coleslaw, plus more coleslaw on the side and the meat was cold inside. They didn't offer any apology or take anything off the bill so I was disappointed by this. If you don't have the items for the menu item then tell the customers what it will be or take the item off the the menu entirely surely? I'm sure on a normal day it's great judging by the other reviews but this meal wasn't great

Very disappointed went here today waited to be served obviously untrained staff ! Walked out & went to the kitchen which was very nice

I don't usually review as it is what it is...What a shame....But we went on Sunday afternoon and the pumps had stopped working so no beer only Guinness in cans. this had been reported to an engineer at 10.00am but you would have thought they would have gone to the cash & carry and got some emergency beer. In any case the waitress was not attentive at all, kept forgetting things, Ashtray, Spare Plate for bones, Finger Bowl & we watched her on her mobile rather than attending to other customers and the bar man was not very good either. Anyway after being recommended and actually enjoying the food on a previous visit. This was absolute rubbish after a wait of at least 40 minutes when the food finally arrived the Ribs were stone cold and were sent back, the waitress took these and came back saying it would be 3 minutes (Ding Ding)so I gave the rest of my plate to re do again. No apology, my partner then had hers on her own. when mine did come back it was dry no sauce on top and certainly didn't taste smokey. A table of 12 came in and a 2 and a 3 and they certainly could not cope, whilst the Owner, who was nice on our previous visit just sat there and watched. We finished and then went to pay the bill but were told we had to sit back down as it was table service.... What a joke, Young lad with Bitten and chipped Black nail polish..and a young girl who clearly needs some training... as do the rest of the staff. We will not be going there again and would not recommend this place to anyone. If they have a 5 rating I would seriously be reporting this to the EHO as any pork products, as well as any other meat products need to be re heated to the correct temp or people will get ill. Just saying the above in case any one else would like to try it. As a professional Chef & EX-Licensee this is not what you would want. I hope the owners read this and take note of the comments made. Regards

5 times my just eat order was declined won't be bothering again

Terrible! Practically everything sold out. What was left was dried up like a bit of old leather, no taste. The prawns were all full of eggs so didn't eat. Very very dissapointed. Wasn't cheap either

The view is great and the food was ok but not as good as we'd hoped sadly.

Extremely slow chef took 45 minutes to sort out a sandwich and chips when it was very very quiet I would not recommend this place to eat there are far better along the sea front 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

Myself and my daughter's visited last night for the first time. The food was absolutely amazing and the FoH lady were the most welcoming and extremely funny! We had the best time. Food with a view. We will most certainly be back again very soon.

Went here for a late afternoon lunch and were greeted by friendly staff. Ordered the pulled pork burger and it was amazingly good. Will definitely order this again. All throughout our meal the staff and the new chef would ask how our meals were.. my companions also had great experiences on their food. So will recommend this place for sure!

Lovely staff & great food. The breakfast was really nice. Highly recommend The View for drinks & food. Jonny was exceptional 🙂

Excellent food, 3 of us had the hallumi, the smoked salt beef sandwich and the dirty nachos. Two blood orange gins with fever tree tonic and a large diet coke. Combined with the views across sea, good value for a total of £40. Will return soon.

Lovely range of tasty, well presented and good value food.

One of my favourite place for fresh delishes Sea food Love it

Visited around 5pm, one of party using a mobility scooter was assisted to use lift by kind female staff member who then finished her shift, I had to get up to ask for cutlery after our food was served, but service was attentive after this. Enjoyed smoked prawns&sprats in seafood platter, oysters were advertised as on the menu but they had run out, drat ! I was advised by the manager if you phone him the day before you visit he will order in some in.Lovely view,over the sea with sunshades & heaters to use.

Wonderful view and lovely friendly staff. The meal we had was delicious and well priced andwill definitely visit again when we are in Felixstowe

My wife called the View yesterday (24/5) to book a place for us to celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary. She was told she didn’t need to book and they would be serving till 9pm. I was well looking forward to our evening out but when we turned up at 7.10 the place was locked. Well done guys👏👏👏

Went up today for a drink but numerous tables dirty and it wasn't busy as only 2 tables occupied staff were just standing around not clearing tables and we sat and sat nobody asked if we would like a menu or drink so after being ignored for 15 minutes left and went elsewhere, will not be returning and such a shame as so different from when we have visited before and it is local for us

It's such a lovely cafe/bar which doesn't even feel like your in Felixstowe. Also the staff are super nice and helpful 👍

Absolutely delicious food and the lady that served us was perfect, super friendly and approachable! Definately be coming back!

Enjoyed a fabulous experience at the Smoke House today. Every staff member friendly and helpful even gave the dogs bowl of water as soon as we came in. Our table of four had 1/2 pints of smoked prawns, bbq smked ribs, hot salt beef sandwiches all of which had a deliciously smoky flavour! Apart from a little confusion which caused a delay on one part of the order, (which they rectified and didn't charge us for) everything was perfect! we will be back soon 🙂

Pleasant staff & great view & facility.

Fantastic Ribs!! Well worth a visit.

Welcoming and the food is outstanding, top chef.

Had the Sunday roast dinner…. Absolutely lovely. Staff friendly and helpful. The chef….. well I wouldn’t kick him out of bed…… very talented. Highly recommend x

Great little smoke house. Lovely staff Great food with amazing views

Lovely authentic smoke house. Need to try it if you are visiting Felixstowe.

Friendly and good customer service. Fantastic food. Also like the music selection 🙃

Great selection on the menu, friendly staff and hefty portions! Highly recommended!

Had a couple of visits here during our brief stay and the owner and chef couldn't have been more helpful and friendly. Will be back.

Food was lovely and very welcoming the owner personally made my dumplings. Was lovely. The ribbs are unbelievable I would strongly recommend it beautiful food 😍

Ordered 3 Flat Whites which were actually full mugs of latte & barely tasted of coffee We queried but they were adamant that they were flat whites, but last year on two occasions at the same place flat whites were in a cup and strong cups of coffee as flat whites should be in our experience. Will not be returning!

Great food and friendly atmosphere

just popped in during my break for a cuppa…nice view …however was a tad taken aback when my bill for a latte and small coke came to £9…most I’ve ever paid for similar and that includes London…

Lovely coffee & cake with a view, the owner and staff were very welcoming and friendly, my new favourite place! Just what Felixstowe needs!

WE CAME ACROSS THIS LITTLE GEM WHEN WE WAS IN FELIXSTOWE FOR THE WEEKEND . THE FOOD WAS GREAT AND STAFF VERY FRIENDLY .WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND ,THANKS TO ALL THE STAFF WE WILL VISIT AGAIN .

Very nice coffee, friendly service great views over looking the sea. Great find will be back

Nice place for something to eat or drink. With view over the sea

Superb service and awesome food, highly recommended

Delicious well cooked n presented food very good value friendly atmosphere n well trained staff well worth eating there

Didn't know they had seating inside too brilliant place staff first class

Awesome view, excellent food and friendly staff. Highly recommended 😄

Love this place-as least a friendly welcome from happy people.

Visiting family enjoying nice Seaview and drink or 2.

Great location with wide open sea views, good food and drink, served to you by a very friendly, helpful amd happy team.

What a lovely chilled dining experience on Sunday with delicious food, a superlative view and a saxophonist playing some great music.

excellent food and service. I had the delicious salmon cheesecake, yummy, apparently first to have, definitely recommend. Friends had pankoed halloumi, delicious, very positive for vegetarian option. Fab music and view too

We popped in a few weeks ago to see what it was like and have a quick coffee. We've been back so many times since. The foods really lovely and not expensive. The smoked cheese is amazing. The staff are so attentive especially little Tessa. This is our now go to place. All this and a superb sea view. The boss also has time to chat to you as well. Really lovely man.

I apologise for giving a low score after a few high scores but we visited on a Monday (6 September) lunch time hoping for a nice lunch. I can't fault the staff as they explained that over half the menu was not available which is no fault of any establishment (let alone the FOH).... may have had a busy weekend. We decided to support them anyway and ordered a plate of chips (which were nice) and a 'deep filled' baguette. I myself would not have served that baguette. It was stale and had 2 pieces of torn up ham inside and a small garnish. Completely inedible. Tried to smother with ketchup, but left behind and it cost £6.50???. A great location, a great opportunity to be fabulous, really nice staff to be let down by something as simple as a sandwich. Easy to get right especially when you have such a limited menu.

This is a fab place. Not only is the food delicious, the staff are supper friendly and very attentive to your every need. They also welcomed our dog with water and treats. Will certainly recommend this place to our friends., and will be returning very soon.

Just popped by to get a drink while waiting for the fish and chip queue to die down. Ended up having a couple of delicious pints, 2 fantastic rump steak dinners and ‘shots with the boss!’ The service here is impeccable-very attentive and so friendly and welcoming. The steaks were cooked to perfection and absolutely delicious. Steve is a most welcoming and hospitable host! Highly recommend-will definitely be back!!

Hubby and I celebrated our wedding anniversary here on Friday night and what a brilliant night we had! We started off with an absolutely delicious meal, Sea Bass for him and Mushroom & Pepper Stroganoff for me. Beautifully presented and honestly it was the best we have ever tasted (and we have eaten a fair few places in our 20 year's together!!) All the staff were so polite and courteous and made us feel so welcomed that we will remember the night for year's to come. They even played our wedding song which was so special to us :). So thank's to Steve, chef Paul and all of his amazing team on duty Friday night. We recommend you try this absolute gem in Felixstowe for the breathtaking view's, amazing food and welcoming friendly staff. Can't wait to go back! Give them a try you won't regret it :).

Wonderful breakfast roll; great quality ingredients! Friendly staff also. Will come again!

Lovely place, the view is amazing the staff were adorable and so helpful, best place in the area

This place was a huge surprise. To start, the setting is great, lovely views and excellent decor. The wife and I order the salt beef sandwich, we both agreed that it was 100% the best sandwich we had ever had. Service was spot on and even the owner popped over for a small chat. Overall a really great spot and won’t break the bank either. Well done!

Me and my boyfriend came here finally after saying we wanted to try it, and honestly was one of the best experiences we’ve ever had! The food was amazing and the staff were awesome and so lovely ❤️ It was great to meet the boss as well. We will definitely be recommending to our friends and family and will DEFINITELY be coming back soon.

Best evening ever! so welcoming and friendly. The food was incredible and the paddy & scotts coffee was so tasty! Steve and Lynne were wonderful hosts. We will definitely be returning <3

Lovely atmosphere and delicious food. Would highly recommend the homemade scotch egg. Thank you!

The View is exactly what it’s all about here 💝 Lovely place to drink and eat above the Amusement Arcades and looking out over the Promenade to the Sea. We will be returning 👍🏽