Whitecliffs in Brighton and Hove

Has so much potential… and yet… Great outdoor sitting!

Great place to chill and what the sea with your dog on the sofa

Well, just got charged £3.00 for this small cup of tea, so there’s that…. Edited to add 12/04/24. In response to the manager's doubling down on his disingenuous excuse that it was "due to staff costs", when I had the temerity to question him about the £3 cup of tea on the day, I have been sort of unconsciously logging the cost of a cup of tea from various other places for the past couple of months. From the literal buckets full in a motorway Starbucks to the regular good ol' proper mugs, to the cups with a pot to refill from 2 or 3 times. From on trend la-la's in Brighton, to railway stations to National Trust tea rooms, none have come close to being as small, and not one single one has been Three Whole Pounds. The closest was £2.99 in central London, and even that was a full size take away cup.

Excellent staff who were very attentive and accommodating to us. My granddaughter had an 18th birthday here yesterday and it was a brilliant experience. Food was lovely, and great atmosphere. Thank you to all staff who were in attendance.

Friendly local cafe with the best view in Saltdean

It was sunny and a great place to eat, the food was delicious and good service

What a great location plus the food and staff where incredible, highly recommend it

Lovely place - the staff are really friendly, the coffee tastes great and the food smells good, although I'm yet to try anything from the menu . I like the decor and the views are amazing . They seem to have regular events and live music too so I'll be back 😎

Went twice in February after walking from the Marina (once morning coffee & snack, once for lunch), both times a disappointment. Incredibly limited menu. SUCH a shame, this place could be SO much more. Indifferent staff, all very happily chatting to each other and ignoring customers. Very expensive food options, whioch are also extremely limited. Real pity - this place could be awesome!

Great bar staff, great food, 10/10 setting. Would 100% recommend

Attended a private event at Whitecliffs Saltdean and had a lovely evening! It was so organised, the three staff members - Robbie, Sharna and John, were so polite and accommodating! There were many guests, but the three of them ensured the night went smoothly - amazing customer service! I don’t live locally but would definitely visit again when I’m next in the area

Very disappointed. Having rung few weeks before we were coming and discussed there would be a 10plus of us, and booked, we arrived to be told no food, kitchen shut, shown to a table outside no heaters, strong smell of gas, asked about the smell of gas told not to worry. Over priced cake that wasnt the best. Great locations such a shame would have been a regular place for many of us to come weekly and would have been promoted to a large amount of people..

Nice place nice views serving staff average, cook needs to do better. discretion on menu was poor, food mainly over cooked, looking at other people tables and plates and also having other friends in cafe a lot of people leaving there food half eaten.

been here many times, normally pretty good. Yesterday, walked in to find three young women behind the counter, two talking to each other, one absorbed in her phone. Completely ignored me. I waited for about a minute, then left and went to Molly's in Rottingdean instead. Beautiful place, but the staff need training.

Interesting place to take a walk by the sea, you can see how glamorous this place became in the 30s.

Awful coffee, dreadful service, music too loud and we were served paper cups in the main cafe.

Lovely cafe. Cordial and warm atmosphere. Courteous service. Heart-warming view of the sea through the long glazed storefront. Nice for a relaxing coffee or tea on a sunny day.

We called in post walk to try this cafe as we already use a couple of others in the area. No menu available for drinks,vno price list visible either. Two coffees ordered, asked if we were inside or out we decided to sit in despite the sunshine as we hate paper cups. No other customers waiting but the man was holding an impromptu staff meeting while doing the drinks. He then walked off to the bar leaving our drinks to cool on the counter. Finally we collected our own drinks! The coffee has cooled and was dire. Worst coffee I've had out. The place looks nice but the staff incompetent. He had made the drinks in paper cups too.

The one star is for the lovely location and view from this cafe but what a great disappointment after hoping for an enjoyable lunch with a friend. Dreadful food and coffee. The large coffee only had extra water added so was watery and tasteless and required an extra espresso. The 'chefs special' ( couldn't have been a chef!) was a portion of scampi and frozen chips with a few spinach leaves. The roasted veg ciabatta was full of greasy butter and mushed, reheated veg. The advertised coleslaw was missing and the 'salad'was a few spinach leaves. Overpriced at £35 and without any form of quality to it. Top Tip..... Just keep on walking along the beautiful underclff path instead

Nice position above seafront. Very poor, overpriced food. Just turned out frozen or previously cooked and reheated sladash food. Clearly not a trained cook on the premises. Some cakes covered but others open to the air.....uuurgh! Coffee weak and tasteless despite a decent machine. Couldn't care less service. Will walk right past next time

Historic Saltdean cafe with a boho vibe, & good coffee. Sadly, the pastries are no longer made in house. Use the new outside stall for drinks, snacks and ice creams, or dine in, (private parties by arrangement) and enjoy great views. Nice helpful staff too! Highly Recommended. Update -Still everything as before & what a staff! Some places just have it; this one certainly does. Update: A wonderful warm welcome for my walking group with two long tables found & excellent friendly service. We all decided to go to one of the events there as a group we were so impressed

Awful low grade food! Eggs not properly cooked . Small chipolata sausages not nice pork or beef ? Bacon wasn’t good either 2 cherry tomatoes cold not even cut ? The list is endless . For £12 we would have expected some nice wholesome food so will not recommend or be having a breakfast there again . One plus the coffee was good - £3.50 ? The chef came out and asked how our meal was - so I told him not good ! I suggest this place has a rethink on how to make a proper English breakfast?

Great location and very cool building with sea views

Had a great roast dinner with family, service was fantastic

Always a good coffee today had cheese and tomato straw heated up and Victoria sponge. Both excellent!

Quieter beach than the one in Brighton. Lovely view of the sea More activities like sky gliding take place here

Thought we would look local , and surprised they where doing Sunday dinner as always looked in and only a very small menu sandwiches , sausage rolls , cakes but we saw they had a Sunday roast menu and thought we give a go , tried booking on line but it didn’t seem to register my request , so I thought I’ll pop in whilst going pass , met by a lady manager who did say the roasts where very good and the yorkshires puddings where amazing and cakes , I booked but one the male members of staff requested I pay £20 for deposit , ok I thought but seemed a lot , we arrived the following my wife is pregnant , first of all the sitting was on top of another table with a dog just by the chair leg , close call , so we moved more spacious, we ordered starters soup for me potato & leek , no finesse soup right up to the rim of bowl , and bland , my wife’s was in a tall glass goblet about 6 small prawns and a good head of lettuce , thought we waited as looking forward to the roasts but had beef £15.95 going rate these days , yorkie looked good & crispy , veg carrots and peas I’ll say frozen broccoli was fresh on the menu my mistake as thought it be roast potato’s but it was , what menu said roasted new potato’s in rosemary & garlic but bland and tasteless for me the best experience was the view out to sea , but if you can’t sell it just on the view if the food isn’t up to scratch , it’s probably the worst roast I’ve had , even my wife said I wish I cooked it was that bad , it was worth £10 at tops even the starters where £6.50 not even worth half the price , I never write a review but this was embarrassing if your serving food like this and making a business , hopefully you can learn and improve

Lovely roast dinner at Whitecliffs today celebrating Mum's Birthday. Slight problem with one of the roast beef's but was all sorted with a smile. Great atmosphere and a pianist and the place is very welcoming on a windy winters day. Nice to see it so busy as well. Thank you. See you there for the open mic on Feb 7th!

Beautiful views and fantastic food. A great location

A really lovely cafe. Great coffee and cake.

Super friendly and welcoming staff. Amazing views / location. Had a perfect poached egg on toast with tomato and bacon.

Very cool inside with amazing view and friendly staff. We had the roast dinners. Very nice food. Gravy on my pork was perfect and my friends had the chicken which looked good too.

Stumbled upon this place on a Sunday walk and so glad we did! Sunday roast was an absolute treat. Service and food were spot on. Gorgeous venue.

Whilst ordering at the till the manager/owner just started talking to the girl serving us no excuse me just butted in Waited half an hr for our food They were busy but had to remind them of our order all in all waited 40 minutes for a ciabatta &scrambled egg on toast. No apology Paid over £20 for the order & the scrambled egg was grey (what there was if it) & had 1 slice of toast & was dished up in polystyrene take away dish - impossible to cut the toast Definitely won’t be returning Awful presentation of food no customer care Hot chocolate was shame it was so small Don’t waste your money

We came for a sandwich and some nachos. Front of house staff were nice enough but the sandwich and portion sizes were very small for £12. The loaded nachos just came with sour cream so they offered guacamole on the side as well. When we got the nachos they only came with guacamole so I asked for the sour cream, to which a tiny portion appeared. The chef came out and interrupted us mid meal and said we are lucky to have guacamole for that price. He also said that we have to appreciate the sour cream because he rarely has it even though it’s on the menu, mind you the menu also listed chilli which it didn’t have. It made us feel uncomfortable, awkward and disturbed and ruined our whole meal- when you pay for something you shouldn’t be told how lucky you are to have it. Would not recommend this place.

Food was cold and hard very dsatisfied New Years Eve my Birthday as well some of the meat was very rare

Just a catch up over Coffee ☕️ but was pretty pleasant! The New Manager very nice & committed 👌

Terrific situation, views over sea

Brilliant views and a lovely setting very popular and Staff attentive when dealing with our enquiry. We will be back

“We’ll definitely come again” “this Sunday roast is great” “yes I’m definitely having a pudding” - comments from our table today. The roast Sunday lunch with breathtaking views of the sea in fabulous deco surroundings is now a weekly favourite with us. They’ve cracked it!

Beautiful place to go views amazing and there coffee is so good

Whitecliffs arranged a fantastic buffet (their 'Sunrise' option) for 30 people for a family wake. From the start of the booking process to the wake itself, they couldn't have been more helpful and pleasant to liaise with. The food was all superb and plentiful - and covered every dietary requirement. Everyone also commented on the beautiful cafe itself and the stunning location - in fact, several guests plan to visit Saltdean (and Whitecliffs) again soon! Thank you to Steve, Julieanne, Debbie, Whitecliff's ultra-talented chef - and all the staff for a truly memorable occasion.

Oh my !!food, service, view ! 100% thank you xx The roast is to die for !

Love this place. Foods really good. Views are wonderful. I particularly love it during a storm

THE PERFECT NIGHT🎉🥳 I booked the venue for my mums 50th, and I couldn’t be happier. Debbie was great and getting everything booked in, and answered all the questions I asked to make sure everything was how I wanted. The team on the night were so lovely and really made the guest feel welcomed and looked after. Christian, went above and beyond with the food, I asked for Greek meze, but my expectations were exceeded. Chicken has been ruined for me now, as whatever Christian did with the chicken marinade, oh my, delicious! The PA system is set up so well, so my friend who DJs could just plug in and it was good to go! I would really recommend Whitecliffs if you are planning an event and would like a really hands on team who will make it come to life. Big thanks to Whitecliffs for making my mum’s birthday so special!

Met family here this evening for fish and chips on the beach. Lovely and quiet, great beach with a bar nearby, overlooking the sea. Will definitely revisit.

Been coming here for years and watched it grow from a squat cafe to the shiny place it is now. Food is great if there's any left. The bar and hot drinks are cool. Service has always been ropey but its mostly done with a smile, and that's what counts for me! 🥳

Went to another brilliant Scallywags gig. Great performers 👍

Popped in for a coffee after a wet and windy walk along the sea front Coffee and cheese straw was great. Staff were very friendly and made a point of fussing our dog. Will visit again!

5 stars: The cafe is under new management & it shows! We visited for Sunday Roast, we were able to secure a table for 5 at very short notice, the service was great: nothing was too much trouble: very courteous, attentive & polite & the food was delicious with generous portions. We enjoyed the superb seaviews to the sounds of gentle soothing piano music We'll be back again soon! x We have been visiting Whitecliffs Cafe for many years, a favourite of my late mother's: we call it 'Nanny's cafe,' or 'Mum's cafe' (3 local households plus cousins & relatives!) but since the Pandemic we have (occasionally) been disappointed by inconsistent opening hours/service/range of food offered. (Difficult times I know) but cafe seems to be back on track now

Amazing location with lots of free parking not to far away. I felt the food options were disappointing and I didn't have a coffe so I can't comment. Awesome location and view but I feel they could do more with this place.

Fantastic place to enjoy the sunset

Second time a wedding and a party this place has so much potential but toilet (One) and outside furniture old leather settes let it down..... staff friendly location amazing it coud be cafe de mar of the south coast!

What a lovely place…👍👍👍🙏🙏thanks

Amazing views. The Sunday roast was huge. I had the chicken and it came with pigs in blankets, Yorkie and stuffing. Service was good, bill took a bit of time coming but they were fully booked up

Amazing location. Mega people & beautiful decor. Popped in for a quick drink whilst on our motorbike trip & we stayed all day !!! Epic guys - keep it up . Thanks you :) …

We had a wedding party there last night.It’s a fantastic venue and all our guests were blown away by the venue.The management and staff were exceptional.When we have another party we would definitely have it there.

Superb location and beautifully restored deco interior. Brilliant place to enjoy a coffee and watch the waves whether it’s a sunny day or a stormy one. The food we ordered was freshly prepared and generously portioned and I felt there was a real commitment to creating a great experience. It’s a real social hub with a very quirky vibe that I like. The perfect antidote to the big soulless chains.

Apparently under new management, so need to settle into their operations.

Its lovely here a nice cafe looking over the sea

We just wanted to have a coffee on the beach. This place provides both AND frenetic atmosphere with the live DJ show, breathtaking view and real chillout. Do not miss!!!

If you want topl pay £2,- for a small plastic cup of water with a slice of lime, £32,- for a bottle of wine which is £8,- for the same thing in tesco where they are available or £2,- for an imitation Fruit Shoot, this is the place to be!! Extortionate prices!! I had an OK time here on 18th August 2023 because the view of the beach looks immense. But the prices are just what you can hear almost everyone complaining about in the background conversations. Good music from the DJ is a plus but it couldn't drown out the negative complaining about the ridiculous prices charged here......

Beautiful views, friendly staff members

Arriving as a first time visitor there was a private function on. I ordered drinks from the outside bar and was not informed of the process. Heard my name getting shouted from what seemed the private function area, which is where I picked my drinks up from. Ordered a drink with Ameretto in it, they had none but served me my drink with out it. Did not offer an alternative or a partial refund. So then as the customer I had to go back to the original bar to correct it. A bit of a faff for a customer. Great view

We just stopped for coffee whilst out on a bike ride. Staff were friendly, but service was slow, and it was even necessary to ring the 'bell' to get the attention of a member of staff. Coffee only took a few minutes, and it is served by calling you name to the hatch. We sat outside over looking the sea/beach, which was nice (actual restaurantarea wasnt open yet). Vibe is quite rustic. Seating is mix & match in styles.

Instead of going to Seven Sisters, I somehow found myself on the white cliffs of Saltdean on a sunny afternoon. Absolutely gorgeous place, and the scenary is breathtaking!

When I last wrote my review this place had just been taken over by new management. It had teething problems to start with but I have to say that they are now doing a wonderful job ;-) They have created a warm atmosphere, serve yummy baked goods, great coffee & have a personable service. The couple who own it truly care about what they are doing & respect their community. Whitecliffs is our local Saltdean hang out come rain or shine! And we always bring our visitors here. Thank you

Nice stop along the undercliff walk. Live music some weekends.

Quaint little cafe on the seafront

Great place to eat or just have a coffee . Fantastic views of the sea and cliffs . Great on a windy day ! Staff have always been friendly and helpful . You can also book private parties here . Looking forward to trying their Sunday lunches .

Good view food poor & expensive

Absolutely a great place to go. All the staff were pleasant and we were made to feel welcome from the start. Jen was a particular member of the staff that stood out though, she was fantastic at her job, very professional and polite. It was also great to meet the owner Steven who was also very patient and welcoming. We wish you all the best and thank you all for a lovely afternoon. We wouldn't hesitate to return xxxx

50th wedding anniversary. Excellent food and service.

I always enjoy my walks there with my dogs. It's very relaxing and fresh air.

Under the current manager John the place has really gone downhill. The food is awful and with drinks, very overpriced. A pity because when it first opened, after a few opening glitches, it offered a great if pricey ambience, al fresco dining and a warm welcome. Not quite the Greek Islands but the nearest to that vibe on the South Coast. The business is understaffed and the management too arrogant to appreciate the opportunity the location offers.

Saltdean Beach water quality needs to be improved (On July 2023)

Called in for a coffee and a glass of wine one afternoon. Sat INSIDE as it was very windy outside. Coffee was served in a paper cup ( even though we were INSIDE) and the wine was served in a plastic glass. We requested a glass for the wine but were refused, even though we were looking at about 100 glasses behind the counter. We were told they could only be used at an event. At £7.50 for a small glass of wine, and sitting inside, we didn’t find this satisfactory. We were offered a refund for the wine ( rather than a glass!) which we accepted, drank the coffee and promptly left.

Went for a breakfast .no chef .Nice views

Good Views and I like the vibe they have going on with all the old sofas. Staff were friendly enough. The coffee however was really poor.

Used to be one of my favourites, but sadly now more a function venue than a busy bustling café with great food...on the plus side plenty of space available nowadays even if there's a lack of choice of food...it appears I'm not the only one to find somewhere better.

Shambolic ordering system and general set up, which is illogical. Poor service, particulalrly useless if you want any form of drink or warm food. Dated and dirty external furniture. An utter waste to a brilliant location, this place could be so much better and so much more. Have tried to give this place the benefit of the doubt on a number of occasions buts it getting worse not better. Am pretty gutted to be honest being a local resident would always use this place if it was good, will now walk the extra distance in future to use much better places in Rottingdean instead.

Fantastic location. The only positive thing that can be said about this place. Atrocious service. Ridiculous system of ordering food and drink from the kiosk. Uninterested staff. Crazy long waiting times regardless of whether you order a can of drink or a pasty, even when no other customers. We’re trying to support a local business but it’s been woefully bad for too long. Sadly will not be going back.

Went into bar 6.30 Friday evening in glorious sunshine. They told us to go outside to order drinks. Went outside the grumpy bar person said they only had a can or cider or alcohol free beer. I asked ‘no draft or bottles’? Nope! I mean…….?.

Paisaje excepcional al amanecer y al atarecer. Lugar ideal para dar un largo y agradable paseo desde Brighton Marina hasta Saltdean. Recomendable alquilar una bicicleta y hacer el recorrido de ida y vuelta.

Great food, great views, great staff, comfy sofa!

Great food, great views, nice staff, comfy sofa, I had the breakfast pasty, was epic, tiny bit more than I'd usually pay but great views made up for that, will defo go again

A lovley cafe with a great outlook. We had a vegetarian pasty which was home made and superb

We arrived at the cafe wanting some lunch and drink after a bike ride. Lovely couple and position for a tasty snack. Thank you for your kindness and generosity.

Visited with my niece and wanted to buy a small bottle of water, a rocky road and an ice pole, somehow that totalled £12! Needless to say I walked out without any of it. Day light robbery and you should be ashamed.

Not the cleanest service and staff struggling with keeping up with that orders. Outside terrace - furnished very cheaply with some random furniture not always well maintained. On a plus size - good views.

Lovely sea view, great gluten free buffet for a friend's 60th. Shame about the toilet arrangements. Will visit again.

Managers are lovely nice staff and lovely food, great view and doggy friendly.

A very cozy place with a stunning panoramic view of the sea. Delicious cocktails, polite waiters, great music. The best place to spend it with loved ones and enjoy the sunset.

Доброго вечора, ми з України . Дуже класне місце для завершення дня . Приємна атмосфера , смачні коктейлі . Особливо обожнюю приходити ввечері на заході сонця - кафешка сяє вогниками і звучить приємною музикою .

Gorgeous 💕 Place Outdoor Sofa's It's Jumbo Wicked

Just had the most amazing Sunday Roast with the best, direct view of the sea… the staff couldn’t have been more accommodating, helpful, kind and went out of their way to make sure our fussy table of 8 we’re spoiled rotten. It’s my new favourite place in the universe 💫

Great coffee and a mean vegan sausage roll friendly staff

Lovely place with nice and polite staff!

Beautiful bit of coastline, just watch out for the sunny day's you can easily get a sun tan.

Kate E (1 review) Brighton, United Kingdom Terrible service. The staff had no idea what they were doing. The 'manager' (owner?) was unapproachable and surly. Coffee was weak and they refused to use the china cups, saying they had none, whilst standing in front of...