The Lookout — Restaurant in North Norfolk

Welcome to The Lookout – where common sense, basic hygiene, and human decency have all been put on a permanent holiday!

The show starts early: a clearly pregnant woman waiting patiently in line for the toilet, probably hoping someone – anyone – might show a flicker of decency. But nope! Not here. Guests stare ahead like hypnotized sheep, and staff? Oh, they must be practicing their “emotionless NPC” roles for a video game. Spoiler: they're nailing it.

Queue etiquette? Revolutionary. It's not first come, first served – it’s whoever knows someone near the front wins. Watch as people casually wave in their friends while everyone else just... accepts it. Including staff, who treat this social chaos with the same urgency as a sunbathing sloth.

But the real cherry on top? The toilets. A modern marvel – if we were still in 1842. No toilet paper, no soap, no dignity. Just a sad little room where hope goes to die and bacteria throw raves.

And then – plot twist! – people start using the bushes. Oh no! Shock! Horror! “How could this happen?!” “Why is there human waste in the hedges?!” Well, when the actual toilets are a war crime and your queue management is a joke, congratulations – you’ve just opened Nature’s En Suite.

So next time you want to feel like a character in a dystopian novel with zero rights and a full bladder, come on down to The Lookout. Bring hand sanitiser. And...

I am updating this review to reflect the fact that their customer service team have been in touch to put things right. We will be visiting again this year and appreciate their offer.

Original review text follows…

Currently sitting outside for our 3rd visit in a week. It’s a convenient location between wells beach and the Holkham hall estate and it’s appreciated they have gluten free cake options for my wife and child who are coeliac.

My feelings towards this place were drastically altered during our last visit. Just as soon as we got to our seat our 5yo reached and knocked her hot chocolate drink over. We cleaned up after ourselves completely and I took the tray inside to pour away the spill.

I get it they aren’t there to give out free drinks. But I’d have thought given the volume of custom they get in a day and the prices for basic filter coffee and refreshments that they’d perhaps have offered to replace the HC free of charge. But sadly not I had to get another using our loyalty card (which shows we’ve been here many times).

7 cakes 2 bacon baps 3 coffees 2 hot chocolates and a can of pop in one week but couldn’t offer a replacement drink…

Can’t help but feel...

The Lookout Cafe is a great place to stop for a bite to eat and a drink while visiting Holkham Beach. It has a simple offering of cakes, pasties, filter coffee, and soups, but the food is all of high quality.

The cafe is located in a beautiful spot overlooking the nature reserve, and it has plenty of outdoor seating, making it the perfect place to enjoy a sunny day. There is also a limited amount of indoor seating, which is ideal for colder or wet days.

The staff at The Lookout Cafe are very friendly and helpful, pointing out where to get trays, or quickly opening a second till when one was slowed down by a husband checking something with his wife.

The cafe also sells dog treats and has a central water fountain with inbuilt dog bowls, making it a great place to visit with your furry friend.

The only downside to The Lookout Cafe is that it is quite expensive. However, the prices are reflective of the convenient location. This remoteness possibly also is the reason for limited food selection.

Overall, I would highly recommend The Lookout Cafe to anyone visiting Holkham Beach. It is a great place to stop for a bite to eat and a drink, and the staff are always friendly...