I had never visited Café 709, 709 Southchurch Road, Southend (see here for their Facebook page) before yesterday or even was aware of it despite not being far from where I live and neither had my friend who I meet with for breakfast from time to time to chew the cud and put the world to rights. Based on another friend’s recommendation and favourable online reviews, we agreed to check out what was on offer over the next size up traditional English breakfast.

The décor wasn’t anything special but it was warm and cosy and ideal for two old codgers to chat unhurriedly over our favourite meal of the day. Service was pleasant and the breakfast, along with a pot of tea and two toasts was especially nice and decent size – I liked the sausages (top notch) and their tomato offering (cherries on a vine) especially. We were also able to swap items at no extra cost or fuss.

As for the food, I can say it was very nice and could not be faulted. I noted for future reference they do some tempting lunches too. I did feel though the tea could be hotter (we both had two pots) and while it was table service it would have been nice if people were around to ask if everything was ok etc. rather than me going up to the counter to order more. It was a little pricier than the standard Joe’s café offering that I am used to but the cheerful service and pleasant ambience, along with the quality of the products used, probably justified it. While it was not over full there was a good number of customers (likely regulars) in our time there – always a good sign.

Overall, it was a pleasant experience and one that I would care to repeat. I would be happy to recommend Cafe 709 to others.