Deben Cafe Bar on HMS Vale, Melton Boatyard — Restaurant in East Suffolk

Visited the cafe today after being once before, knowing it wasn’t the cheapest but worth it for the nice views.. had 2 jacket potatoes, a tea and a bottle of water.. over £25.. Struggled to enjoy the view whilst overhearing who I presume to be management (lady with hat and glasses) speaking to her younger female member of staff HORRIBLY, ordering her around, telling her off for really minimal seeming things in front of customers which must have been embarrassing.. really horrible to watch and listen to - this lady showed ZERO respect to her staff, the chef didn’t seem too much nicer either.

The older lady seemingly in charge then proceeded to joke (after telling the younger girl off) with other customers at the expense of her staff and how cold they are whilst working.. not nice.

I really hope the young girl gets the apology she deserves and I hope that whoever the lady was ordering her around today has a good think about how to speak to her staff in the future.

I hope the younger member of staff is able to find a new job, somewhere warmer, with respectful management sometime very soon.

I certainly won’t be spending £25+ on a substandard...

You really pay for the view here! Lovely setting and quirky boat. Staff were friendly and service was pretty quick.

But we paid £47, which was £20 for a mezze ‘sharer’ (which was half a bag of tortilla chips, some feta cheese, a pot of hummus, some olives and pitta bread) which was shocking - especially when served on a polystyrene takeaway tray.

Also had nachos with chilli beef (but they had put it through as plain, so had to go back up to correct it before it had been made - luckily they then didn’t charge the additional £7 for the chilli, which would have made the whole bill £54). The chilli was good, but again the presentation made it feel like poor value for money.

The last dish we ordered was hummus and pitta - basically one cut up pitta bread and a pot of hummus for £6.

The coffee wasn’t the best either, and considering the price was on par with a Starbucks….

We would go back for drinks at sunset, or perhaps a cake, but I don’t think the food is worth the price...

A nice place to visit which isn't just like another pub or restaurant. Great views, they also provide binoculars. Lots of different drinks and food, both hot and cold to enjoy. We visited while the water was out, the views would have been even more spectacular if the water was in. The staff were very friendly and three was a good choice of Ale, beer etc to complement the soft drinks on offer. Cakes as well as hot food was available. You eat on the boat or on dry land with tables provided, the staff bring the food to you. We parked in a free car park about one mile from the ship, we walked down a well walked path along the water frount and past a number of working dockyards. Don't know if you can park closer but there doesn't seem to be a designated carpark...