The Paddle in The Forest — Restaurant in New Forest

This was our first visit to The Paddle in the Forest, having been to the Milford on Sea Paddle cafe a few times before. We were greeted by smiling faces and one of the staff (Gabi) very kindly arranged for a suitable table for us. Another friendly member of staff (Violet) took our food and drinks order, confirming our choices before taking them to the kitchen. The atmosphere was fine, although there was a bit of noise when two dogs had a falling out! The dining area was clean and well presented, and the staff were attentive enough. The coffees were great (Bad Hand) and the food was excellent!! The prices were reasonable and we were happy to leave a tip when we left. We will definitely be back in the future and would recommend a visit if you’re in the...

I rarely leave bad reviews, but this was shockingly bad. The food was completely underwhelming — the shakshuka was watery, bland, and lacked any flavor whatsoever. It honestly felt like someone poured tomato soup over eggs and called it a day.

To make things worse, they served margarine instead of butter — seriously? In 2025? That alone should’ve been a red flag.

The only redeeming part of the whole visit was the coffee, which was actually quite good. But trust me, it’s not worth enduring the rest just to get to that.

Do yourself a favor and skip this place — your taste buds...

A lovely little coffee shop, but it was fairly small inside, the tables nearest the front have seats pretty much on the windowsill. Lots of drink options but not as many for the very small kids (never confident they will finish anything we get them!) I think I paid about £20 for two adult drinks, two juices and a couple of slices of cake to share - not sure if that's good, I don't go to coffee shops enough to know the going rate! The cake was nice, a piece of caramel slice and a blueberry and lemon coconut cake. It was a nice stop to slow us down a bit whilst...