Saltwater Beach Cafe — Restaurant in England

This is just a rewrite from my one on TripAdvisor as I could not copy and paste as they must scan the internet for duplication. However i can update with a second visit here in the meantime.

My first experience I went in for a dish that they had since stopped serving but was kindly advised of suitable vegan substitute of a avocado on sourdough toast, which I ordered. I also purchased a soy latte.

I am a miser by nature being on benefits and also a critic of poor service, over priced food and lack of attention to the paying customer. The avocado on sourdough toast was excellent, well presented and the salad dressing was tasty and wholesome, Yes I could get a replicate of this from other places but the quality and service would be well below par.

Then there was the coffee, a great flavour and nice tasting coffee, as more often the coffee can be lost in the soy milk. This was just about right.

The staff were helpful and polite which they should be and would automatically demand a two reduction in my right ratings if this were the case. Great staff are essential in all businesses.

Now after this I went back about a week later and just wanted a repeat of the coffee experience. So I went in and as I was about to order, I noticed some fine looking cakes and pastries. I asked the server if any were vegan and once again, boom, great service with a smile and she went over which was vegan and when she pointed to the last wholemeal, blueberry croissant being vegan I just said yea, that's for me.

Once again the coffee was excellent, the croissant was divine (hat off to the chef), the service immaculate. The lady also brought my croissant and coffee out to me and on the side was a little gingerbread type biscuit which she kindly told me was vegan.

That's how all shops should run, that's how you get repeat business and that's why I went back and now I am going to be a regular customer. Yes you may pay a little more for your food but wow, it is well worth it. I can't see the other well know high street chains offering a wholemeal, blueberry vegan croissant with the same detail to presentation and service.

Saltwater, thanks, I will...

I have been wanting to visit for weeks and finally did last Saturday. Such a shame as we had a very disappointing visit food/customer service wise and wont worry about going again or recommending! We ordered 3 Xmas sandwiches and 1 ploughmans and drinks. The xmas sandwiches were Turkey with stuffing and some other food bits. Turkey was fine but the stuffing was hard and crumbly, like eating pellets! It was like eating little bits of grit as you couldn't chew the 'bobbles' of stuffing in our sandwiches, it was rock hard. They were quie dry and didnt really have much taste. The ploughmans which we had to ask for twice after we had our sandwiches placed in front of us for about 5 minutes and then watch two other customers being served with their food was finally served to my husband, but only because we got out of our seat twice to ask where the ladt remaining order for our table was! Why they couldn't have bern served all together is a puzzlement especially as all of our order was 'cold' food!! Ploughmans caused us all to laugh/grimmace. It eas badicslly 4 chunks of triangular pieces of cheddar, some lettuce, relish and some other salad bits spread out on the plate! It was the WORST specimen of a ploughmans we have ever come across, a complete waste of money and nothing like it's menu description! Why did we not complain - i have not been out in weeks due to being poorly, my first time out with two dear friends, just felt that seeing each other was more important and we didn't have the energy!! Interior furniture was quite basic. The cafe wasn't how i envisaged it to be. I feel the instagram posts are misleading and on our vist Saltwater Beach Cafe it definitely didn't live upto the expectations they...

Friendly, nice coffee, had a bacon baguette and ice cream (Cherry Bakewell, that was new). They have tables inside and out and were friendly to my dogs: water and a chopped up sausage, always appreciated! Edit: they also do vegan food and cater for people with food allergies. A bit tricky for those of us with disabilities if you want to go inside, but outside is easy and there is plenty of parking nearby. Oh, it is now the new Saltwater Beach Cafe, though there has been a cafe here for over 100 years. They do Paddleboarding lessons too! Ps Sandbanks was the previous name.

UPDATE: They've adapted well to COVID-19. I've even come here with my wife who is in the high-risk category and we sat outside and ordered at the window. Tables are welll spread out and people don't cluster too close. So felt safe. As well as enjoying the pancakes and ice coffee.

It is always good to frequent local independent businesses. They are a part of the community as much as you are. It's a place to say a friendly hello, exchange some news and just have a chat. So much more needed in these more socially isolated days thanks to the global pandemic. This is the new normal now, so while you can order stuff online, don't forget to keep your local businesses alive. You'd really miss them when they're gone. Not just for the convenience, but for the quality and as I mentioned social aspect.

The internet means you can get almost anything online, but you can't do the people watching or browse a counter and try something new. Or get the smell of something good you want to try. Let's hope these businesses survive. It is us to us...