Café No.11 — Restaurant in Rochford

This is a lovely spot that has recently been established by some friends we've known for quite some time. We had been meaning to visit them at their new workplace, and finally, we got the opportunity to do so. The first impression was a bit tricky—there wasn't any parking directly next to the café. I later discovered that there is a local pay-and-display parking area, but the café offers a refund by deducting the fee from your bill if you provide the parking receipt, which was a nice touch.

As we approached, I noticed a charming outdoor seating area at the front of the shop. It looks perfect for enjoying a summer day or any time the weather allows. The covered seating also provides the option to sit outside even when it rains, which would be especially appealing to smokers.

Walking in, we were greeted warmly by the staff, which immediately made us feel at home. The atmosphere had a unique vibe—something between a cosy café for hardworking folks and a touch of luxury. The décor had an authentic charm, and while the ambiance was quite relaxed, the service felt very refined—almost to the point of being a bit posh.

While I was expecting to see a couple of friends running the place together, sharing the cooking in the kitchen and serving, I found out that they have a professional team in the kitchen with long-term experience serving both locals and passers-by.

We took a glance at the menu, but were gently persuaded to try some of the specialties recommended by the staff. We ended up ordering a freshly made omelette with cheese and fresh peppers, prepared in a style I hadn't seen before. It was almost pizza-like, less of a typical omelette and more of a creative twist. Though I personally wasn't a fan of the peppers, the dish was quite good overall, and I'd definitely order it again—just without the peppers next time.

We also tried the avocado toast with poached eggs, which looked beautifully presented. The only thing I wasn't quite keen on was the slightly sour taste of the avocado. Perhaps it was just a preference, as I don't usually enjoy sour flavors, but it might be exactly what some people look for in avocado toast.

The chips were delightful—thick and hearty, almost like they were oven-baked rather than deep-fried. I loved the chunky texture, which made them feel rustic and comforting.

Our tea was served in a proper teapot, adding a classic touch to the experience. However, there were a few too many tea bags, making it a bit stronger than we would have preferred—but again, this might just be a matter of taste.

As a final word about the place, as I mentioned, it feels authentic, but I still think something is missing. It could have been much better. For example, the serving bar area takes up too much space, and the best spot in the shop is occupied by the serving bar—it takes up almost half of the entire place.

Overall, we really enjoyed the visit. The warmth of the staff, the unique style of the dishes, and the cozy-yet-classy atmosphere left a lasting impression. We'll definitely be back—with a couple of tweaks...

Amazing takeaway, really admire Cafe No. 11’s lockdown pivot the last 12 months. Great menu selection, ready for collection for the time I ordered, good value for money, and the quality, flavour and portions are bang on. Vegan hot dog amazing, as was the Bangkok burger and loaded fries are huge!

Only feedback was the SFC piece was slightly overdone, but still good. I also miss the deserts/cakes being on display when you collect as I probably would’ve bought when I collected.

All round, absolutely recommend, it’s a must-check-out.

EDIT - Returned in Feb 2023 for a dine-in bottomless dinner experience.

A brilliant bottomlomless dinner evening - value for money with excellent service and food quality.

Typically any bottomless experience you wait ages for drinks - certainly not the case here, great service meant as we finished a round, the next order was being taken. The quality of the food was outstanding - in keeping with any takeaway a Cafe No 11 customer may have experienced during the in-high-demand meals they served during lockdown (like us!). Starters, mains and sides were all on top form - with most dishes on the menu sampled. I only wish we had room for desert. Special shout out for the espresso martini cocktails (aforgattos on the menu).

Finally a lot of thanks goes to our two hosts/waitresses tonight. We were the last table out, looked after until the last minute, with a great playlist and atmosphere to compliment our experience. We’ll certainly be back - this is one of the best places to eat on Rayleigh. We hope our servers enjoyed their own meals when they got home… a hotly talked about topic in itself. Thank you Cafe No 11 - you’re a credit to Rayleigh. (PS we had one vegetarian diner in our party who continues to swear by Cafe No 11 - and we can clearly see why). We look forward to...

I have been a regular of this place since it opened, always loved it & always opt for local, small buisnesses (haven't been in a little while) & I am a full time cafe worker myself but today was an experience I have never witnessed before! Coffee was nice however I ordered the avocado on toast and I couldn't believe it was allowed to have come out the kitchen at all. Extremely small & thin piece of toast with burnt edges, the thinnest layer of avocado which came with no chilli flakes (says it does) the presentation was awful considering I have ordered this dish in the past & it came as a bigger & thicker slice of toast loaded with avocado & was delicious! I am a food blogger and always post your food! Cannot believe you guys charge £9.5 for this! My friends pancakes were black and as the waitress put the meal down she said if they're too burnt I can take them back! They shouldn't have been served to us then! My friend got new pancakes & I ordered pancakes instead of avo so we didn't eat together. My pancakes came out and were nice to start but by the 2nd pancake I cut into it and it was just raw batter, completely uncooked! I told the waitress and said I wouldn't be paying for it so she took it away from me but also said how i wasn't having much luck today... weird thing to say to an already disappointed customer. We weren't offered any drinks and went up to pay where she took off our meals, rightfully so! This place really seems to have gone down hill & it's such a shame. i understand things are expensive & prices have to be ajusted but I can't see how you expect people to be paying the same price for a much lower & smaller quality. I won't risk coming back unfortunately and it's a shame. I also wish I got images to back up my review but it didn't even cross my mind whilst we...