The Waterfront in Waveney

Paella night on a Thursday is definitely an experience. We arrived early and was seated almost immediately. And the Paella.....go and try it for yourself....best I have had since Fuerteventura last year. Good food at a fair price. Staff are lovely too. Update: Back after 5 years for our 4th Anniversary , still fantastic food ,pictures speak for themselves. Deliciousness in the making. Staff are as lovely as they have always been. Wont leave it 5 years before returning. 😜💞. Update : Thursday night is Paella night. Lovely food in a relaxed atmosphere. Perfect.😊

Very disappointed to find you can only sit outside with your dog, especially in October. Luckily the fish and chip shop was open and we got a takeout.

Brilliant food and Brilliant staff 👏

lovely little restaurant and good food, booking essential

The staff were friendly and the food was outstanding, a great evening out.

We are so lucky to The Waterfront in our village, the food and hospitality are of a very high standard. On this occasion I had the Steak Dianne and my wife had the chicken with prawns both of which were amazing. Thank you to everyone associated with this place.

Great restaurant! Food is excellent and not overpriced!

Simply couldn’t fault it … superb

We had a wonderful lunch..Prawn sandwiches Tuna mayonaise. The best chips ever. On the seafront in Kessingland Suffolk. This is must stop in and relax. Highly recommend.

5 star place, food brill, service out standing, price good, a lot for you money, back again Booked again Aug 3rd table for 4

Fantastic food lovely ladies serving great chef

We were recommended to book for paella night. Sadly, booked up for weeks to come. However, the food tonight brought tears of joy. Wow! I even had to take pictures to send our children and friends. Made a further reservation. Now replete, smiling inanely and burping gently.

Fantastic meal at the Waterside. Managed to get in at the last minute due to a cancellation. Was really impressed with the quality of food and so reasonably priced.

Fantastic meal at the Waterside. Managed to get in at the last minute due to a cancellation. We were really impressed with the quality of food and so reasonably priced. Steve had Steak Diane, the steak was one of the best he had, he said it was really tasty and tender and that you could taste the quality and cooked to perfection. The Diane sauce was stunning! It was served with lovely crispy potatoes and vegetables, all cooked beautifully. I had sea bass, and again, it was beautifully cooked with the skin crisped and presented on top of the food, served with sliced new potatoes, green beans, and vine tomatoes.Both meals were generous portions. We had a bottle of the house white wine, which went well with both our meals. I finished with an expresso Martini. The service was excellent and the staff was really friendly.All in all It was a really lovely evening.

A really fantastic find. The food was delicious. The ambience is truly ‘seaside-y’ with a lovely decor. We were really looked after by friendly and professional staff. Will definitely return.

Highly recommend tasty beautifully cooked and presented meals. This holiday I booked myself in for 4 meals. We have had lunch and dinner here.

Not the cheapest, but the choice and quality are superb. Excellent friendly service. Wish we lived nearer! Note. For lunch you have to eat on the patio. The lunch menu has interesting choices and the portion sizes are good.

Despite sign on fence advertising patio dining, we showed up and was told, no food service on patio. Then we noticed people ordering and eating food on the patio. We then asked why this was happening when we were told we could not be served outside. Reason given, was those eating on the patio had booked tables inside, but wanted to eat outside. ??? We then watched people being turned away and were told there were no tables available inside. Now I may have not been great in school, but I do believe there must me at least two tables unused inside as those who booked them, are now outside. ?? Then the next evening we passed and there was a paella night with all eating outside. Unbelievable.

Told can’t order food at 1:30 as restaurant closes at 2:00 - even though cooked food was being served as I stood there. Manner of the individual explaining this was not customer focused and quite blunt. Saving grace is having eaten here before I can attest to the quality of the food which is very good.

Great little restaurant with tables inside and out. Recommended to book in advance (inside table only). We went for paella night on a Thursday which was great value and lovely food.

This place has a weird set of rules:- They don't allow dogs inside They don't serve food outside They stop serving food really early.

Highly recommend The waterfront. Wish we’d gone there earlier in our break as I think we’d have eaten there every day! Very dog friendly. Fabulous food. I recommend the calamari. Service very efficient and friendly staff. Lovely atmosphere in a beautiful village.

Lovely setting for a reasonably priced delicious meal

This is a lovely place right on the seafront. It has a lovely outside seating area which is great and important as we have a dog which is not allowed inside. The real shame is that we found we had to book a table in advance to be able to eat dinner (inside only), and apart from lunchtime and paella night on a Thursday you cannot eat outside!?? Really don’t understand the rationale as we wanted to eat (menu looked lovely) but had to settle for a drink only. In the time we sat there, there were 7 empty outside tables at 6:15pm (only 2 tables occupied) on a sunny Friday evening and 5 inside. There was us (2), a party of 4 and another 2 in that time that wanted to eat but was told no because they wouldn’t do food outside. The pub next door (was really busy inside and out) - both food and drink. Really think The Waterfront is missing a trick here and could be doing so much more which is a real shame as it could be a real gem.

What a lovely find...relaxed place to eat..nice friendly staff...fabulous choice&quality food...thankyou for lovely lunch...definitely one of best places to eat around here

Best meal I had for a long time. Beautiful place. Staff wonderful I had the chicken and prawns. Portions big took some home

A great meal and service as always.The amazing lemon meringue cheesecake is absolutely amazing too.Cant wait for our next visit.By far the best restaurant around

This place is and always was a fantastic food experience 😋, really enjoyed the cuisine and selection of drinks 🍸great service and the only reason my wife and I come to kessingland! Awesome service too, and you owe it to yourself to have cocktail or two!

Presentation excellent , service excellent , cannot find fault with anything , we’ve been many times & it always excels . Well done guys you & thank you so much for a wonderful meal

On holiday and went to this restaurant. Staff and atmosphere excellent. We enjoyed the food but unfortunately the frozen chips that came with the dish were awful. Please Chief don't use frozen chips.

Rude and stroppy staff who are far from welcoming and Instuggle to see how they ever get any return business being so rude

Had a fantastic lunch , food and service excellent. Very friendly staff and fair price. Will definitely be coming back 👍

Had a fantastic lunch today at the waterfront restaurant in Kessingland. Compliments to the chef and staff as this by far was the best meal I have ever had.

Wonderful tasty huge paella to share between 2, and loved the cockle hunt lots were found

Superb paella night, extremely well laden with shell and sea fish , superb huge superbly flavoured rice base and a cockle hunt!! Found plenty …to. The staff were attentive polite and also had a giggle top stars all round

Great cake, nice coffee and friendly staff.l would come here again

Had a lovely hot chocolate. Sat outside with the dog and enjoyed the view and fresh sea air! We were given a complimentary puppycino which went down very well!! Highly recommend.

Just had a fantastic meal, both had starters which we shared. And then the husband had the smoked haddock and prawn pasta... Just the best I've had as after demolition my fish skewers I almost finished his pasta. Lol. Just fab food. But you must book, we were lucky to get in.

As usual we weren’t disappointed, the food is excellent here! Staff are friendly and polite. I had the Steak Dianne for my main course and it was cooked to perfection, each mouthful was full of flavour. My husband had the lamb which was equally delicious. Sammy suggested the Chocolate and Salted Caramel Pot for dessert, after a little convincing, I said I would try it, well….. Yummy!! I will certainly be ordering that again!! Book yourself a table here and try out this lovely little family run place, you won’t regret it. Oh, and great value for money too 😊 in the words of Arnie.. ‘I will be back’ xx

Great to eat fabulous 👌 freshly cooked food that tastes 😋 as it should. Warm atmosphere, fabulous staff, reasonably priced for top quality ingredients.

A disappointing experience today when we went for lunch and I assume the same would be the case for dinner given how it went. I booked yesterday and asked about closing time which I was informed meant the whole restaurant at 1400 hrs, not the kitchen. My fish gougon's were on the menu as " Strips of breaded fish" but were in fact frozen re-formed minced fish in batter which could have come from Iceland ( The supermarket). Absolutely dire and made worse when I was asked if I wanted them in a sandwich or baguette. My OH enjoyed her Ploughman's which was great value and the saving grace of the visit, we had not been for a while. What really annoyed me was being told card payments must be for £10 min when ordering our drinks at the outset. Not having the drinks delivered until we ordered our food was diabolical and set the tone for this review. Others were arriving at 1330 hrs and having food orders taken but not informed they would have to finish by 1400 hrs despite the prep time and delivery to their table. I should have heeded the first warning when the menu said Calamary, will never return which is a shame living on the doorstep.

Great food, great service at reasonable price

Quality food great location attentive and friendly

Absolutely stunning. This restaurant is amazing. It overlooks the beach. It is beautifully decorated and plays great music. It was like we were abroad. We even had a jug of sangria. Great ambience. The food was amazing very flavoursome (compliments to the chef). The staff were very attentive and helpful. Five star food & five star service thank you.

We went for the thursday paella night, it was delicious, plenty of seafood, calamari, prawns, crayfish, mussels, shrimps, plus chicken & chorizo. Very hot, couldn't fault the meal. (Only thing missing was the spanish sun!!) The staff were very efficient and friendly. The resturant was very nicely decorated, modern. Look forward to going back again.

We visited as a large group of 11 and a baby. This is a lovely little coffee shop/restaurant on the beach front near Kessingland Parkdean resort. The coffee was very nice and came with a complementary biscuit. It was a very quaint but modernistic setting. We didn't eat, but the food looked amazing that came out.

We visited on paella night (Thursdays). Absolutely wonderful food at an incredible price served by friendly staff in really lovely surroundings. Don't eat anything for lunch. You'll need the space because you won't want to leave any of the enormous paella platter (minimum 2 people). We had the mixed meat and seafood version. Stunning place!

Best paella in the universe ✨️ 🙌 👌 ❤️

Absolutely amazing meal and lovely staff. Thank you

What’s not to like. By the sea. Great service. Great food. Menu not huge, so what they do is top notch. Superb Irish Coffee….. seriously 10/10. And we love an Irish Coffee!

Miserable experience. My second time of visiting this venue (always worth giving places a second chance), but the dismissive welcome and bizarre set up means I won't go back. This extends to the timings - advertising closing time of 2pm when in fact it's 1.30pm! At lunchtime, at the weekend! You'll be much better off at the "Beach fish and chip" shop on Church Rd.

Great food and service. Amazing tasting food, our fourth visit this year and every dish has been well cooked, good portions and price.

We went here on a Saturday evening, and the food was first class. Really good portion sizes, perfectly cooked, and the front of house girls are really lovely and friendly.

Superb food, lovely location and very friendly staff with very substantial portions. Definitely recommended. As the terminator said ‘I’ll be back’.

Excellent food. Nice staff. Place is clean with a good atmosphere. Apart from having to wait for a 'Kitchen Slot" we really enjoyed it.

Had the most amazing evening, food is definitely 10/10 the paella is top notch and very cheap. Had a cheeky jug of sangria to wash it down 🤟🏼

Superb food and great service very busy it took three attempts to get booked in but it was worth it.

Brilliant. Very impressed. Food lovely. Well thought out atmosphere too

Freshly cooked chips from real potatoes, yummy. Not quite as good as chips from the old Yarmouth Market but close. Don't go to Yarmouth Market for chips anymore. The new Market (shed) is naff, no shops, expensive parking and what chip stalls are left aren't as good as these. So stay in Gorleston, park for free outside (limited spaces) or on Marine Parade (short walk) and enjoy yummy food. The place is pretty clean and the staff friendly and helpful. I've only tried the chips but spying on other tables food it all looks good. Enjoy 👍

The Waterfront is a fantastic restaurant great service and great food. Highly recommended if you are in the area. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Paella night … the taste was ok … but lacking seafood , a couple of langoustines in the shell, by the time we tackled the shell , empty… a few mussels which were very small … overall very disappointing….

My friends took me to The Waterfront for lunch as a birthday treat and I couldn't have wished for anything better. Delightful staff and lovely fresh produce. Although I don't eat deserts my friend said the Tiramisu was to die for and it certainly looked fantastic. We're extremely lucky to have such a gem in our village. Can't wait to go again.

Excellent service delicious food wonderful atmosphere

A wonderful trip to the waterfront, this restaurant never fails to amaze me. I've been a few times over the past couple of years and each time I go the menu is plentiful, food is fresh a taste explosion in every mouthful and served by friendly and attentive waitresses. Each time I've been I feel comfortable, not rushed and I have to say it's always spotlessly clean. I really can't recommend the little gem enough. If you want proper home cooked, fresh and delicious food you need to get booked .... you won't be disappointed!! Thank you to you all

Highly recommended by friends but what a letdown. Menu minimal. Pork dish tasteless, shut your eyes and you wouldn’t know what you were eating. Wine like vinegar. Lemonade and sparkling water £3 each - what!! Desserts 5/5. - the 2 stars are for the homemade desserts. Then a visit to the toilet - OMG - old urine stains on the underside seats. We’ve been to many establishments but this one never again.

Unpleasant rude staff and awful food. Shocking and upsetting experience

Paella night at the Waterfront. We have tasted a few paellas at home and abroad. All I can say about the Waterfront is exquisite. It's a very quaint peaceful restaurant with attentive but not overbearing service. Thankyou for an amazing evening will be back for seconds 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

A very nice Cafe/restaurant to sit and relax with sea views and superb walking right in front. The food was excellent (try the goats cheese bruschetta, it's really good). Service was friendly and efficient. There is dining space inside and outside, the outside is also partly covered which is nice on a drizzly day! There are loos on the premises and also a disabled loo facility just next door which you may need a key for. Dogs are allowed outside and the waitress treated our little one with a tub of whipped cream and dog biscuit on top. The beach car park is set back a little into the village a few minutes walk away. Magic🙂🐶

We always eat here when we're on holiday and had both the a la carte food on Tuesday and paella on Thursday. Both come highly recommended, everything is freshly cooked, and cooked to perfection. A word to the wise, always book at least a few weeks before going.

Met a couple of friends here for a meal on Saturday evening. We have eaten here previously and were not disappointed this time. The Pork Saltimbocca is fantastic, very tasty and served with perfectly done vegetables and potato. Overall it was a great evening, excellent staff and superb food. Don't forget to finish with Tiramisu.

We have eaten in this lovely, friendly restaurant many times and our meals last week were still excellent. We look forward to the Steak Diane which we both love. The fish dishes, Sunday lunch, Paella evening and desserts were so tasty and enjoyable. We can't wait to go back.

Excellent food in a great atmosphere. Good prices ,excellent service with a smile.good selection of reasonable priced wine and drinks. A great experience all round !

During a recent trip to the area, my wife and I dined on two occasions at the Waterfront and the food was outstanding. On our first visit I had the Pork Saltimbocca whilst the other half had Chicken and Prawns. We were both so impressed with the standard of the food and the restaurant, that we returned a few days later for the Paella night. This was equally delicious and at £24 for the two of us was tremendous value. Paella night is on Thursdays and can be fully booked up weeks in advance, so get your order in early. Very friendly and attentive staff helped create a good ambience in a smart looking restaurant. Would recommend and return again if ever in the area. Top notch.

Not sure I visited here, if I did, didn't stick in my mind.

We went twice last week food was excellent and service was excellent we have booked again for September

Called in for lunch on a Sunday. My wife had the Waterfront Salad and I had the Greek feta salad. We were both impressed with the size of portions. Food was tasty with fresh ingredients...even looked colourful and healthy. Had a bowl of chip, too, nice and chunky. The fish and chips looked awesome...I would have chosen that, had the weather been cooler.

Dog friendly, courteous and friendly staff great service and reasonably priced.

Whatever happened to customer service? My wife and I visited Keesingland today and saw this very smart restaurant overlooking the beach and thought that would be a nice place for lunch. Looks are not everything! I walked into the restaurant at 11.45 and asked if I may book a table for lunch outside on the terrace. I was told that we do not take bookings for outside on the terrace. Fair enough a lot restaurants do not reserve outside tables. However I was also told that the restaurant closes at two which I presumed that meant last orders, but no the restaurant shuts the doors and the staff go home. We were also told that if we came at 1.00pm and the restaurant was busy we would not be able to order off the main menu , but you could have a sandwich if the chef was not too busy. I mentioned this was rather an unusual approach to customer service and the reply was “it works for us” so we had lunch in Walberswick.

I can't explain in words just how good The Waterfront is, from the friendly staff to the amazing food, it is a delight from start to finish. I had the chicken and prawns and my wife had the pork dish, both served with a lovely selection of vegetables. The views from the restaurant are sensational overlooking Kessingland Beach. You will need to book so don't leave bad reviews if you can't get in as it is always very busy.

A lovely little restaurant with a beautiful view, we always enjoy our visits to the waterfront, this time I went along for lunch by myself as the other half was working, and still enjoyed my experience just as much. I had a ploughman’s lunch, so good, a glass of wine and took in my surroundings, Look forward to coming back again and hopefully having space for some of the lovely looking cheesecake next time!

We managed to book a table at this very popular restaurant and were no disappointed. They are right on the sea front so the views from all the windows are over the most beautiful coast-line. The food was excellent and not too expensive. Highly recommend.

Very expensive drinks & food menu. Rude staff who made you feel very uncomfortable. I ordered a drink and looked through the menu. When I returned to the bar to order my meal I was told they were fully booked. It was nearly empty, & I was on my own. Wouldn't advise a visit.

I've been eating here for over 10 years and the food is incredible. There is literally nothing else in the whole area that even compares. I see alot of people waffling about the fact they can't get tables, and saying the waterfront isn't as good as they think they are 🤣 the reason you can't get a table is because everyone who preplanned and booked early has all the tables. I advise you to book very much in advance to be able to experience the wonderful food this little gem produces. The staff at this restaurant work incredibly hard and always do everything they can to make your meal a brilliant one. Do not listen to the negative Nelly's that haven't even eaten at the waterfront and still feel like leaving a personal attack on the staff and restaurant 👍

A really nice place, luckily there was parking spaces in their own car park, but if that is full I can see parking being a real problem as all the roads surrounding have double yellow lines.

Amazing Sunday Roast, fresh seasonal veg served on hot plates Lovely decor with sea view Sunday Roast £10.95 !! Highly Recommended venue for quality and speedy excellent service

A very well priced and delicious roast for everyone is my group except me. Being a vegetarian there was no sunday dinner option and just one option in total from main menu which was £5 more expensive and was not really something I would pick but I had to. Really need to up your game for vegetarian choices.

Amazing Sunday Roast on the Coast! Cooked to perfection, fresh seasonal vegetables served on hot plates. Low prices considering the quality, service and location Will return, definitely recommended 5*****

Have previously visited The Waterfront when staying locally and was looking forward to visiting again. We were not disappointed. Once again our meals were really good, lovely presentation, quality food and overall a wonderful restaurant. If you are staying close by make sure you try...

We are staying at Heathland Beach campsite in Kessingland, and we walked down into the village. As we wandered down by the gorgeous beach, we stumbled across The Waterfront. What a fabulous place!! So pleased we stopped by. Our lunch consisted of a massive prawn baquette, tortilla chips and a salad. I didn't anticipate how massive the delicious baguette would be!! Fortunately, we managed to munch our way through them. Stuffed!! Nice toilets and lovely staff. When we return to Kessingland (we don't live far away), we'll definitely come back for lunch!! Thank you so much for a lovely experience.

Food was nice but a shame we were greeted by someone who was rude and abrupt when we asked for a table. They said they were fully booked, but then said "you can sit there if you want" pointing to a table. So you were not fully booked? Clearly just didn't want children in there. Disappointed considering a family of 6 ordering food and drinks would earn the business a few quid. Maybe they were having an off day but front of house soft skills need a bit of work.

This place thinks it’s better than it actually is . Don’t bother trying to book , they’ll ask you “ how many for? “ “ 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 8,9… people” . Doesn’t matter , they’ve nothing available ! Which begs the question ,why ask how many for ? It seems they’re very “ in-to-bread “ and don’t want “ foreign folk “ there . Foreign folk being all people not from Kessingland .

The quality of food was simply outstanding. Absolutely delicious and cooked to perfection - compliments to the Chef. Staff were very helpful and incredibly friendly - we’ll certainly be back for more great food sometime soon. Highly recommended

Absolutely brilliant good food good service lovely atmosphere

we really love The Waterfront. The paella is exceptional, very tasty and very good value. we are usually unable to finish the paella and usually have what is left the next nght as a complete meal. We have also eaten here evenings and for sunday...

Food was excellent. The service was faultless. Thoroughly recommend a visit. Must book.

We had dinner here twice last week whilst staying in the area. It is spotlessly clean with attractive decor and a "beach hut" vibe, but very comfortable and modern with views of the sea. All the food was delicious, there was a lovely varied menu,...

Been today and we both had a Sunday Roast….. absolutely delicious, good home cooking, served piping hot, and a very generous helping, can’t think of anywhere better! We were both going to have a dessert but we’re full, but we managed to share one (Bakewell cherry cheesecake 😋) as looked too good to miss! And it was .

Excellent place, everything was amazing, first visit, will definitely not be the last. Food was delicious, staff were such lovely people, setting, perfect, thank you all

Sadly we missed out on Thurs eve paella due to our mistake of leaving it too late to book...be warned...but instead enjoyed a Saturday evening drink overlooking a breezy Kessingland beach. The staff were somewhat underwhelming but that didn't detract from the comfy seating and...

Sitting outside eating their food with the views you could think you were abroad. We eat here on a regular basis and would recommend it without hesitation. The home made desserts are insanely good!