Tom Foolery Coffee Company in Adur

Friendly staff. Been a few times and coffee usually good but on this occasion wasn't so but would go again. Yummy cakes.

We had a delicious lunch today in the sunshine. The staff are friendly and were really kind when I stupidly dropped a glass. My wife had the avocado and tomatoes on sourdough bread. She said it was the best she has ever had. I had the fish finger toasted sandwich which was excellent. Highly recommended.

Delicious Reuben served warmed next to nice coffee. I loved this dog friendly, clean, artsy cafe.

Decaf black Americano was undrinkable . Wouldn't return .

Friendly staff lovely food nicely presented beautiful views of the river

Have been to the River Cafe & Bistro in Shoreham a few times in the past and always found it pleasant for a coffee and cake / pastry or sausage roll. Today we had full on breakfasts of varying sorts and all were spot on. Now my favourite cafe in Shoreham by far.

Hurrah that the relatively new owners have continued to make this a fab place. Decent vegan options, lovely staff and a great location. I feel very comfortable in there. I only have one request - the hand driers are the noisiest things ever and hard to hear over them if you are sat on the tables nearer the toilets. Please change them.

Great food at very reasonable prices.

Lovely americano and delicious cake.

This was our first visit since under new ownership and won't be our last. The staff were great, the food was delicious and the ambience and facilities were great. We had the vegan hash and were only disappointed we didn't have room left for cake!

I had 25 minutes to have lunch on 10th January at The River so ordered a 'quick' mushroom soup - my mistake! In spite asking how my order was getting on (three times) it never arrived! So, with five minutes to spare I requested a refund & walked out. The worst 'lunch' experience ever - don't ever waste your time going there, the new owners should be ashamed of themselves.

Would love to put zero stars!! Aggressive and rude staff who quite literally assault members of the public for no reason! Foul people and wouldn't recommend to my worse enemy!!

We have been here few of times it’s absolutely amazing the service is great as always I would love to have my coffee in the this place

We've eaten in here a couple of times and the food has been very tasy with good service. Unfortunately on both occasions the coffee has been terrible, extremely weak with no flavour. Would highly recommend eating here but maybe grab a coffee from somewhere else.

Friendly and welcoming team. The food is well worth the cost. Great freshly made tasty meals. Dog friendly 🐶

Great little place which was open when most were closed. Lovely lady served us too.

I was so looking forward to the followers of the irreplacable Tom Foolery. Sadly, however, this is the "Great Shoreham Secret": the service is absolutely appalling. If you enjoy being served by scowlers, powters, the ever so bored, dismissive and rude - do go. But the UK is full of young people who actually smile and don't take their jobs for granted. Tom Foolery, River is not. Time for us locals to take our money elsewhere.

Table was reserved for us. Friendly staff. Good healthy cafe style food plus pastries and cakes.

It was Beautiful Atmosphere. It was Amazing performance congratulations to all team members well done keep up all hard work from Alex

Great lunch with professional friendly service, excellent quality food

The waitress service was excellent the young ladies were very good at their job also I thought Laura was very good at her job and helpful and cheerful

A really delicious afternoon tea. Including a vegan option. A lovely experience . Scrumptious sandwiches, delicious sausage rolls, perfectly baked scones and yummy cakes. Very friendly and helpful staff. A great place. We will certainly be back.

We love the River cafe… lovely staff, great service and always perfect coffee!

Update: another excellent full English breakfast! Looking forward to our Bistro Christmas meal just before Christmas! Friendly service and music, and a lovely vibe. Really good coffees and excellent savoury snack, cakes, Buddha bowls and breakfasts to. Looking forward to their new Saturday evening bistro 3-course menu.

Making this review more specific. I had brunch here on 4th November. I ordered eggs florentine and the waitress brought pancakes with hollandaise and eggs on top. I'd waited for so long (almost an hour) that I didn't complain because I didn't feel I could and I didn't have time to wait for it to be remade, so I ate as much of the strange combination as I could stomach and left. I also had an americano that arrived luke warm and very weak. I won't be emailing the personal email address of the owner as that, in itself, worries me. Original review: Really poor. My order took forever to arrive and was incorrect when it did arrive, and the coffee was watery. Avoid.

Stopped by for a spot of lunch, very nice indeed. Friendly staff and food was healthy, tasty and well presented. Can't wait to visit again.

I never thought a coffee could take so long to make, I ordered a cappuccino and it took 30 minutes for it to arrive, the staff were polite and nothing against them whatsoever, was very expensive for that coffee too, such a shame

58 minutes. This is the time that it took for River Cafe & Bistro to serve my porridge… …and when the porridge did finally arrive, it didn’t even contain the banana that was promised on the menu. It’s been two days now and I’m still trying to wrap my head around how this could have happened. It’s porridge. One of the simplest, most efficient items on the menu. There is simply no excuse for this level of incompetence. The porridge itself was overpriced, bland and underwhelming. I will not be returning. Shame. EDIT: I have since learned that this business is dishonestly including the reviews of the previous establishment, Tom Foolery. This is not only misleading but a violation of Google guidelines, which state that if you change ownership/name of a business, you should mark the old business as closed and create a new business. I have reported this.

Very disappointing experience. I had to wait over an hour for my food to arrive and when it did I was not satisfied with its' quality considering the price! The staff were friendly and were clearly trying their best; however I've never had to wait for lunch this long in my life and because of this I won't be returning. Understandably places get busy, but a 70 minute wait for 2 eggs and toast is simply unacceptable. Conclusion: Extremely long waiting time Heavily Overpriced Nothing against the staff, just poor management and perhaps the lack of facilities causing this to happen.

My experience was ultimately a negative one. Whilst the staff themselves seemed lovely, this unfortunately was overshadowed by a wait time of just over an hour for my food which by the time of arrival was cold. I am uncertain of the reason for such a lengthy wait, I appreciate when things get busy but to wait such a time for some toast and a couple eggs, just for it to be served cold is very disappointing to say the least. Very underwhelmed and not likely to revisit. Such a shame.

We enjoyed our meals. Service was quick.

Food served on a chipped plate, also smear of food on side as though someone had wiped knife on it, long wait for a soup which was not as said. Over not good and we will not be back.

I came to visit my Mum in Shoreham-by-Sea and we both had a nice cup of coffee and a pastry here. The venue has a great view over the River Adur, so it was certainly busy on a Saturday morning but we still managed to get a table for two inside.

This place is an absolute rip-off, and the staff treat the customers diabolically do not bother coming here

We stopped by chance at this bistro cafe and ordered 2 veggie breakfasts..we couldn't fault it..I'm a bit fussy with my poached eggs but they were cooked perfectly ..we will definitely be back!

Visited for a Friday supper. We chose 2 courses (£26- 3 courses £32). Short french inspired menu- 3 starters , 4 main courses , 2 desserts or cheese. Every dish was impeccable- absolutely delicious. I had a bouillabaisse which was packed with fish and scallops. Wine list is well priced. Exactly what Shoreham needed. Only negatives- on booking there’s only 6pm or 8pm options. Understand that must be to help service but as a result there were only 8 diners at 8pm.. not much atmosphere. It’s too bright. Needs more ambient lighting. Overall highly recommend & we will definitely be going back. Hope more people support this offer as it’s great.

Me and my husband came here today, he is a very fussy eater, they happily took off what he didn’t want with no issues and it came as he ordered (full English) he said it was the best breakfast he has ever had. The sausages were absolutely amazing and he tried the hash browns which usually he won’t eat and enjoyed all of them. I had the eggs Benedict and it was perfect. Fantastic chef and great friendly staff overall will definitely be returning

Me and my husband came here today, he is a very fussy eater, they happily took off what he didn’t want with no issues and it came as he ordered (full English) he said it was the best breakfast he has ever had. The sausages were absolutely amazing and he tried the hash browns which usually he won’t eat and enjoyed all of them. I had the eggs Benedict and it was perfect. Fantastic chef and great friendly staff overall will definitely be returning

Excellent service in which I had the best coffee and sausage roll I've had in ages! Well recommended

Excellent service in which I had the best coffee and sausage roll I've had in ages! Well recommended

Amazing cafe, in a fabulous position With wonderful view Lots of choice on the menu And food was well presented and delicious Will definitely return. Just what Shoreham needed Well done

i really like this place, it’s very chilled out and nice vibes, the food if abit over priced but it makes up for the fact it’s really nice staff are really nice

Often, go here for drinks, and it is spot on. Went for food once with friends, and it was very busy. The tables weren't cleared, and the service was slow because there was a mix-up with a lost order, which we had to chase up twice. Everything was nice enough but I'd recommend just getting the drinks and cakes at busy times.

First time and will definitely go back great value for the set menu and generous portion size. Friendly and efficient staff A great location overlooking the river too

We came for breakfast at 11.10 am. The menu is very uninspiring and very expensive. I was after a simple scrambled eggs on toast and specified my father has no teeth so could bread be very lightly toasted . It came with a confusing amount of red chillies, pickled red onions and a bunch of vine tomatoes . Sadly this did not make the astronomical price worthy ! The scrambled eggs were enjoyed once I’d taken off all the garnishing! I had a croissant an oat flat white - the smallest cup I’ve ever been served in other places . A strawberry milkshake for my dad - Total cost £ 22.95 !!! There is a good selection of pastries however if you’re sweet toothed . I’m sorry to say I won’t be re-visiting though

Well appointed cafe with river view and pavement tables. Good for coffee and snacks. Sells ice creams

The menu options looked great but we waited over 30 mins for our breakfast to arrive and the poached eggs were barely cooked. It’s also quite expensive. We won’t return.

Lovely place, a surprising amount of vegan options! My food was delicious, will definitely be back. I was also very impressed after ordering a mocha that they came out to inform us that the chocolate powder had milk in it. It showed they pay attention to the importance of allergy awareness, a huge positive!

Went for breakfast here with my husband and we were disappointed with the entire experience. The coffee was weak, not very flavourful, and only warm, not hot. We both ordered the American pancakes with crème fraiche and berry compote. When the pancakes arrived they were tiny and flat, with far too much cream and compote slathered all over them to the point I had to scrape a significant amount off. When we asked for the maple syrup it was meant to come with, we were given a tiny cup that contained barely a tablespoon of syrup so had to go up and ask for more. The service was okay but not friendly, no smiles or checking how we found the food. The pancakes were also cold by the time we sorted the syrup so were not enjoyable at all. I had to get a snack from elsewhere afterwards. At £29 for two lots of pancakes and two coffees, I would expect far more and better than what we got. A shame because the atmosphere is great, with nice tables outside overlooking the river.

Great place for coffee and cake. Great views too.

A few other reviews here about the café feeling overwhelmed and that was our experience as well. There were lots of lovely and apologetic serving staff out front, but maybe some of them could be relocated to the kitchen as two cooked breakfasts took 45 minutes to arrive and even then seemed rushed (the tomatoes weren't cooked through, there was no butter/spread for the toast, the baked beans were cold). Also if you aren't going to season your food then I'd welcome at least some salt & pepper on the table - but (e.g) a bit of lime or chilli on the avocado or a bit of garlic on the mushrooms would have elevated things a lot and started to justify the £12.50 price tag. It's a lovely location with lots of possibility, so I really hope they're able to iron out the teething difficulties soon - but I'm not sure I'll be visiting again for a while.

Toast & Jam was good, full portions this time/ coffee was very weak.

I had a lovely full English breakfast at the cafe today. First time customer and I can’t fault the service or the quality of the food. Everything was cooked perfectly and the food was lovely and hot when it arrived at the table. One tiny bit of feedback for the staff - I take 2 sugars with my tea and only one sachet came with the teapot. It would be great to have a couple of sugars so I can refill my cup :)

Came in early Sunday morning, the coffee was lovely! The staff were brilliant, I cant remember the name of the lady who served me (she was blonde) but she was absolutely brilliant, really accommodating and friendly and told me a nice local walk to take my dog - would definitely recommend, and please let her know how nice the river walk was with our coffee! :)

Buzzy, great location, coffee and snacks

Nice coffee and atmosphere. Good service also.

Arrived at 10:55am today and asked for a table for 4 indoors, we were told that they couldn't accommodate us as the empty table for 4 was reserved for 12pm. We went round the corner to Drift whom were very accommodating, we all ate very nice breakfasts and left by 11:45am. I'll keep spending my money there in future.

The new owners have made a lovely job of refurbishing the cafe, it looks much more up to date and well decorated. But the food was very disappointing. I ordered a crayfish sandwich. The crayfish and the salad were fine, but the bread had gone quite hard where it had been in the display cabinet for a few hours.The underside was ok but the exposed side was just, well, almost stale. The manager asked if everything was ok, and when I told him it wasn't, he just said that "it's sourdough"! Sourdough shouldn't be hard! Not sure I'll go back, in spite of the nice decor.

Lovely location, great food and drink, very pleasant staff. Very dog friendly.

Been in a couple of times and the lady at the till is super friendly and kind, great place!

Visiting Shoreham by chance went to River Cafe, really glad we did. Delicious quiche and salad plus blue light discount

Food was ok but £16 for a black americano and avo/eggs on toast is very expensive. Especially considering I only got one egg. Probably won’t come back.

amazing vegan food and super friendly and knowledgable staff!

Visited this cafe this morning and was slightly disappointed. Not only was it quite pricey, it took 40 minutes for our food only for it to come separately (5 mins apart) and cold. although the lady working behind the till was a gem and a lovely lady which made the experience a bit better! also found egg shells in my poached eggs (?) but didn’t consume them so wasn’t too fussed. Overall, would maybe come back again when it’s a bit more established and smooth running, great potential 💓

A lovely cafe for lunch and some drinks. Welcoming and modern. A new little gem for Shoreham

Have visited the new venue twice now and have found it disappointing unfortunately. The coffee is poor compared to Tomfoolery and the whole place just feels soulless. Although the outside space is still a nice place to sit, I’ll be going elsewhere for a decent coffee.

Stopped for a cup of breakfast tea and a long black coffee

I feel sorry for the people tasked with ripping out the lovely arty quirky Tomfoolery and replacing it with the bland, corporate, soulless River Cafe! What a disappointment. It has all been done on the cheap - wobbly tables & fake greenery - but the prices are massively inflated... Even a plate of scrambled eggs will set you back about £13. Food is ok but underwhelming and certainly not worth the price tag.

Beware, the reviews below are for the previous cafe Tom Foolery. This is dishonest. Please close this record and create a new listing for River bistro to avoid misleading people as many reviews mention a menu that no longer exists. Also, £2 per item more than other cafes. And not worth it.

Sadly this new cafe has lost everything that Tomfoolery had. It is devoid of the warm, friendly atmosphere that the previous cafe had. Waited ages for a coffee that really was not great at all. Feeling a bit sad as I had high hopes.

Firstly, River Cafe & Bistro only opened this month - so any reviews before 8th May (500+) are from the previous coffee shop Tom Foolery. I’m sat in the new place right now. My first - and probably last visit. I ordered a flat white which they charge £3.30 for. For that money you expect a well made flat white with quality coffee. I sat down at a table and waited for my coffee. I had to move as the table top was dangerously wobbly. The slightest touch and a drink would slide. It wasn’t just a question of altering the position of the table legs - it was where the pole goes into the legs. After I moved a member of staff put a reserved sign on it to stop anyone else sitting there. My flat white then turned up - with loads of froth on top looking more like a cappuccino. I asked if it was supposed to be a flat white. Member of staff offered to get it remade - but not very enthusiastically. The replacement had less froth but it was really just a milky coffee. And the coffee was just standard coffee beans from tasting it. They should perhaps go and check ‘Drift’ around the corner to see what a flat white should look and taste like. Places should not offer specific drinks like flat white if they don’t have well trained baristas to make them - especially when they charge top prices. It’s not just a milky coffee. Very disappointing.

Cool cafe, chilled atmosphere with a quirky / arty vibe and decoration. Lovely cake and coffee.

This is a real gem of Shoreham, great food and coffee, very friendly and welcoming staff - what more do you want? Accommodating for babies too, two highchairs are available. Was very taken with this place and heartily recommend.

Very unassuming cafe/restaurant. Was almost full when dropped in for lunch. Interesting menu, very well prepared food. Absolutely delicious! Would recommend this establishment to anyone who is fortunate to be passing at meal times. Very dog friendly.

Loved the place, quirky. Made mistake with order but corrected it with full refund. Good decaff coffee

Mixed up order but did fully refund the cost. Staff were lovely and very dog friendly

Came here just for ice cream. I got bubblegum -under the sea and birthday cake ice cream. i got them in a cup as two scoops, were VERY small, like - half the size of normal, also freezer burnt, random chunks o stuff in the birthday cake. The awful thing about it was that is was 7.00$. Prices were not displayed beforehand. 3.50 per scoop. The person who rang us up smelled of body Oder.

Nice cool 😎place overlooking the river

The falafel wrap is delicious and great coffee!

Amazing menu choice great for breakfast and brunch always go here when in shoreham

Best coffee shop in Shoreham by far. Food is pretty good too... Brilliant service and wonderful location.

Great service , nice space to catch up with friends and fab cakes . Even though we were there at end of day they weren’t trying to get us to leave like a lot of cafes do- appreciated that !

Delicious and extremely generous!

Great food, drink and atmosphere

Staff member Charlie went above & beyond in taking care of my booking for myself, my son & my mum.

I’m Not local but found on a walk and very pleased. Shakshouka breakfast was delicious. Great atmosphere and layout and very friendly staff. Highly recommend!

Lovely food, service with care and a smile

Food is lovely although a bit expensive and has gone up a bit since I came in Feb. Drinks are nice also. Staff friendly. I had the Welsh rarebit, good amount of cheese. Hubby had the falafel wrap, very tasty.

I had the buddha bowl with gluten free bread and loved it!

Very pleasant, sat outside overlooking the footbridge. Coffee and cake very nice along with the staff.

Great service and they make a great cappuccino.

Lovely ice cream and cup of tea

By far the best coffee in Shoreham-by-Sea and surrounds! It's my go-to coffee shop, perfect for catching up with friends and family or just having a quiet coffee on your own. It has a lovely vibe and the music selection is excellent (check their playlists out on Spotify). The owners and staff are always friendly and helpful, and my kids always feel welcome. If you're in Shoreham definitely pop around here and grab a great coffee!

Lovely cafe with great coffee and lovely cakes.

I don't often have time to pop into Tom Foolery, but when I do I am treated like family and it feels like an extension of my own home. Customer service and staff are of an incredibly high standard. Highly recommend

Excellent coffee and food looked good.

- cafe/restaurant was very busy - a good sign - all the outside tables taken : staff friendly and helpful : had veggie breakfast - well cooked and filling - set me up for the day ! staff said "good-bye" as I was leaving and I said "see you soon" . . . !! lovely place / Anne

Great food, service and excellent coffee.

Really good atmosphere. I quite like this place, but wish the hot drinks were actually hot!

brownies are amazing! lovely place