Riverside Cafe in Maldon

We came here to celebrate a big birthday and we were not disappointed. The food was so delicious and fresh and very good portion sizes. We were well looked after by waiting staff and by arriving early we didn’t have any trouble getting a table. Can’t wait to go back!

This is a place you won't stumble across, you will think you have taken a wrong turn when getting there, it's a gem. A place with no frills but great food, all the benefits with no fuss, simple menu but the ingredients are the best. The view is amazing and in the sunshine you feel you could be anywhere, don't forget to take your own booze.

Had a lovely lunch today, seafood platter was lovely, shared this between two and had some side dishes. Setting was beautiful, staff were very friendly. A wonderful afternoon by the water .

Had lovely lunch with my dad celebrating what would have been my mum's 80th birthday 😪 will be back soon 😊

Nice but...........Arrived just after it opened and had to wait a few moments to be acknowledged. I chose to sit in one of their many seating areas with a river view. The venue is perfect for that. Lots of choices for seating.I chose scallop and prawn in butter with a tomato and red onion salad. Initially I was served the small bottle of diet coke not cheap at £3. With it an innovative "sealed" bag of pieces of brown bread., ready for mopping up the cooking liquor. The main arrived, both were well cooked and presented, as with an authentic seafood venue the prawns were cooked in shells. Sadly it took two requests to get a bowl and wipes for the shells, one would have hoped it would be automatic. As regards the scallops, as this is a specialist seafood venue one would have hoped that they would have been cleaned of grit (sadly not).The food tasted good the grit was a disappointment. The bread was a nice touch and welcome, but didn't feel that fresh, which was also a disappointment.Generally a positive experience but needs tweaking.Not sure if the waitress was new or just lacking training, a couple of unachieved expectations.

Down from the North for family weekend. 2nd visit for us. Brilliant food and great staff. Well done.

Amazing meal at this fabulous place today. The meal was exactly what I hoped it would be, and excelled that. Beautiful fresh fish, wonderful smoked meats and cheese and lovely bread. Service was excellent - can’t fault it at all.

Very tasty fresh fishfood. Veggies got also one menu which we really can recommend. important! If you want to drink wine or other alcoholic drinks, you have to bring them by yourself. The staff is great and very friendly.

Fantastic hidden gem, serving incredible food with lovely service. The scallops were soft in the middle with lovely seared off ends, and came with a hearty pesto sauce, the ribs were meaty and succulent with an incredibly richly smoked sauce. The platter had everything we wants, and again the prawns had that delightful smoked flavour and the salt n pepper squid was perfect. You also bring your own alcohol which is great, makes for a cheaper meal and you get drinks immediately. The staff give you glasses. There's two outside shacks/dining areas out the back overlooking the river, and further seating outside, plus lots of seating inside, and lots of home made/cooked food. It's a really lovely place and we will certainly be going back.

BYO joint right on the river and while the food might seem expensive for the area, it's worth every penny. If the forecast is hot, take an outdoor parasol to stick in the table as there's limited shade. Lovely service.