The Boating Lake and Tea Room is the epitome of quaint…read more Walking past the pier and (sadly) through a car park, the boating lake is a lovely area - a tea room at one end and, when we visited, a vintage fair at the other. In the middle of all this is, shockingly, a boating lake; little hand paddle boats are available for children to splash around in, so when you're enjoying your cup of tea you can watch children race about and get mad when they end up going around in circles. There aren't any menus on the tables, presumably in case they get blown away, so the initial ordering process was quite stressful; cakes are on display, but nothing else. We sat quite far away from the actual team room, surrounded by planters, and took in the unusual amount of sunshine. This meant that, when our food and drinks were ready, we had to heard the cries of "Queen of Spades" (the playing card we were given) numerous times before they noticed us flapping our hands around to get their attention. Perhaps a new system should be put in place? Or they just need to pay a touch more attention, as we did tell them which table we were at. We tucked into toasties and sandwiches, and one shared sausage roll. Everything was served up with pringles and a bowl of side salad. I shared cheese & onion and ham, tomato & cheese toastie with the other half, both of which were tasty - simple, but effective. There's nothing outstanding about the food, but it's a nice spot away from the centre to try out if you fancy something new.

From the owner: This traditional seaside boating lake has children's paddleboats for hire. A 1940s-style tea hut…read moreserves light lunches, cream teas, ice cream and made-to-order sandwiches. Fresh flowers, Lloyd Loom Chairs and plenty of magazines to read also feature. Other facilities Cream Tea island where you can view an amazing selection of wild life, and a model boat pond, which is full of fascinating boats on regatta days. A 9 hole crazy golf course, well behaved Dogs on leads are welcome.

Visiting Southwold over the weekend and did the brewery tour. Kate, our tour guide, did a great…read morejob, taking us on the tour. It was fun to learn the fascinating history, and the great ties to the community, And definitely gave me a new appreciation for the brewing process! The tasting room at the end was really fun and gave me a (non-committal) chance to try a lot of their offerings. (From the US and not so familiar with cask ales). Lazy Sipa and Ghostship were highlights for me.

Another year, another trip to Adnams! Sadly, there was no tour for me this year as I've been on…read moreboth the beer and distillery tour, but I heard good things from those who did. The shop is one of the most standout things in Southwold; glass and light wood make up the exterior, and inside it's vast and full of light. Here you can buy everything Adnams makes, and more - gin, oak aged vodka, sloe gin, broadside whiskey, a range of beers, glasses, tshirts, tea towels and more. You can take part in some tasting towards the back of the shop, or have a coffee and piece of cake in the cafe at the back. New products available include ginger beer and Fat Sprat beer. If you take part in the tour, you're presented with a 10% discount, leading to us walking away with some sloe gin. Apparentley it's great with prosecco - who knew? The checkout staff were lovely, even giving us some baking tips, and you always walk away with a smile on your face. A must do in Southwold!

Just on the pier, it's a light, bright, colourful, cheery, clean cafe serving snacks, meals and…read moredrinks from 8:30am every day except Christmas day. Teas and coffees are great the food looks good too. Recommended if you're in Southwold.

This is a really fun place to have breakfast in or a coffee. Brilliant colourful tables and chairs,…read morea couple of members of staff were a bit too serious for such a fun place. I have got to say though £5 for a bacon roll is rather steep when a full breakfast is just over £6

This is more a review of the Cafe/coffee shop which is at cellar level below the gallery, though I…read morehave been in the Galleries on previous visits. Mrs and I popped in for a quick lunch last Saturday - we got in at noon which was as well because by half past all the dozen or so tables were occupied. The decor and atmosphere is rather better than some other in Southwold but its probably the most expensive but not prohibitingly so. We had already rejected the cafe in Adnams Kitchen and Wine shop as it had the atmosphere of a railway station cafe. My wife ordered a Tuna/Mayo sandwich and I had the same but in a baguette. The baguette was excellent - crisp and light, and well filled. We also both had a cappuccino. My wife's turned out to be a problem as the waitress had slopped a bit into the saucer which then over a period of a few minutes soaked into the 'lacy' doily mat. That then stuck to the bottom of the cup when she lifted it. We asked for a new saucer, but some mat was still stuck on the underside of the cup ! All rather messy ! The waiting staff however were very friendly (Three attractive young ladies and a handsome young man). Service was reasonably prompt and efficient. We ended our lunch sharing an excellent iced Danish pastry, complete with glace cherry (I lost the argument for the cherry). The bill came to £16.45 Later edit - Visited again last Sunday. We both had some excellent Stilton and Broccolli Soup - it came with a large soft roll and three of those infernal pats of butter that cannot be opened without messing your fingers. I had a tuna baguette as before, Mrs just settled for a Danish pastry (as I shared with her before). Capuccinos again, but once more avery tiny spillage causes the doily mat to stick to the cup ! Service brilliant, food brilliant - just some attention to detail needed.