Message from Tripadvisor • Temporarily closed
+44 1304 448259+ Add websiteImprove this listing
Hours
Sun
8:00 - 15:00
Tue
8:00 - 15:00
Wed
8:00 - 15:00
Thu
8:00 - 15:00
Fri
8:00 - 15:00
Sat
8:00 - 15:00
Details
Someone from this business manages this listing.
Learn More
PRICE RANGE
£8.00 – £13.00
CUISINES
Cafe, British
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
meals, features
Is this restaurant good for large groups?
Details
PRICE RANGE
£8.00 – £13.00
CUISINES
Cafe, British
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch
FEATURES
Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Street Parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Wine and Beer, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Digital Payments, Free Wifi, Accepts Discover, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service
Contribute
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
260 reviews
Excellent
203
Very good
38
Average
9
Poor
8
Terrible
2
Maria
2 contributions
Dec 2021 • couples
We stayed in Dover for a night and had a delicious breakfast in Happy Chef. We decided to come here after reading so positive reviews. The service was excellent by a really nice staff and the breakfast was cooked to perfection with very fresh products.
Written 31 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JohnRC46
Oldham20 contributions
Aug 2022 • none
If you like a lovely, freshly cooked breakfast this is the cafe to be in!
The drinks were hot (some places serve so called hot drinks & seem warm when they arrive).
The breakfast my hubby had ordered looked (& tasted very nice), I had sausage on a barm & it was delicious.
The food wasn’t cooked in fats/steeped in any oils, it was grilled because I asked how it had been cooked as I left.
Cannot fault this place, the staff were polite & the place was spotless. 10/10
Written 21 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
schoslak
Newmarket3 contributions
Sept 2022 • none
Went here based on the reviews and were not disappointed. As well as the standard breakfast, we ordered a small and a vegetarian. All delicious! As well as great food the service was fabulous. There were a few things that weren’t our preference on our respective breakfasts, and alternatives were immediately offered, without prompting. So many places these days don’t allow you to deviate from the menu so this was a delightful change. The cafe itself was clean,bright and a lovely place to eat. We ordered the smoothies which were a nice touch and they were great. The only thing I would change, and this is my complete personal preference, is that the veggie sausages were quorn based and I prefer a vegetable based sausage. Having said that, it was definitely one of the nicer quorn available. Other than that, the veggie breakfast was excellent, well thought out and not a poor relation to the standard breakfast, which it so often is. Thank you!
Written 4 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lou
9 contributions
Jan 2020 • couples
I’m giving a low rating because although We love this place but we have only managed to visit 2 or 3 times because the other 5 times we have come it’s been closed . It’s simply never open at the advertised time . Please update your opening times if you can’t manage getting up in the morning . 🙏. Good food and coffee is great but I’m giving a low review because it takes us 20 mins to drive here for breakfast before work so it’s pretty dissapointing to have found it closed so many times . It’s unlikely we will bother coming any more because of that
Written 27 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DOVER_HC
Dear Lou, we are sorry to hear that you have been dissapointed so many times from us being closed.
In the last few months we have changed our operating hours from the usual opening of 6am everyday.
For the last few months now we have been open at the following times/days.
MON: CLOSED
TUES-SAT 7AM- 3PM
SUN 8AM- 3PM
We had made the appropriate adjustments of our opening hours on our Main 3 social pages i.e. Facebook, Google and Tripadvisor. We can only assume that this information may have been overlooked by yourself since we were operating for many years at 6am.
Hopefully this may offer some clarification as to why you have found us closed on occasions and again apologies for the inconvenience
Thank you
Happy Chef
Written 28 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Majid
1 contribution
Mar 2020 • business
I just had breakfast,total pay was 6.10
When I wanted pay I got noticed I have 5 pence short. I said sorry I go to car bring 5 pence..young lady asked me leave it something such a driving licence..I said my car is here front of your coffee. She continued say you need leave something to make sure you runway ( I write true that exactly she said) I am not writing anymore I leave it you judge..I am not embarrassed front of others customer.i believe that is serious insulting. It was only 5 pence. Do I runway for 5 pence. I am full time worker and family man .pay mortgage and and other bills. They let me down..
Written 15 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robin M
United Kingdom63 contributions
Jun 2022 • family
A brilliant wee cafe hidden at the front of Dover. Staff were extremely friendly, approachable and helpful throughout. I went with my family and my parents before a day on the seafront we had the English breakfast and it was extremely enjoyable the food was all cooked to a high standard and tasted amazing. The beans on toast for my 3 year old son were equally good and he seemed to thoroughly enjoy them. I would definitely return next time I’m in Dover.
Written 12 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tyrone H
1 contribution
Apr 2023 • solo
Great ingredients, well cooked, nice environment and good customer service. Best breakfast in the area imo. (I had small breakfast with beans + 2 hash browns and fried bread, 1x Americano 1x sparkling water) really enjoyable and will be returning with family members..
Written 21 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kent Frequent Flyer
Kent198 contributions
Aug 2022 • solo
Amazing food and great welcome here. Food is so tasty and the chef has real ability in creating exciting appetising breakfasts and brunches. Chips (fries) to die for here and omelettes par excellence! Meat products such as sausages, burgers, ham etc are top quality. The most beautifully presented and super fresh salads. Drinks variety good Ruth home made smoothies on offer. Coffee experts can rely on well roasted coffee beans and authentic full flavoured espressos. It really is a treat to come here time after time. Great management and servers.
Written 7 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Francesca s
Dover5 contributions
Jun 2023 • couples
We've been coming here for years. All the food is very well presented & good quality too. Breakfast is absolutely wonderful, really well cooked to exactly what we request. Rest of the food is great too but breakfast is our thing! The smoothies are the best I've had locally. Staff are all really friendly, it's very clean with a surprisingly interesting view considering the road it's on. There are outside tables so you can sit in the sun.
Written 3 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JulesLeGarcon
London98 contributions
Oct 2021 • none
On arrival to Dover we were desperately looking for a breakfast place. According to a quick online surfing it was suggested as one of the best café around. We were delighted with the service, friendly and kind. Food was nicely seasoned big portion for one person, my kind of breakfast. We barely believed how cheap it was at the end. Tables are socially distanced and Covid safety 100% is on spot. It seems like it's very popular among the locals too.
Written 17 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jonny D
Bishops Stortford548 contributions
Feb 2022 • couples
First time here. What a great place. Lovely service, decent coffees and best of all an excellent full English breakfast. I’d describe it a a clean breakfast (not greasy) with decent quality ingredients. Excellent strong espresso and a bright and clean environment.
This is not a high end gourmet experience type place but a really good and likeable cafe serving decent cafe food that is at the top of its game. For this type of establishment it’s one of the best. Highly recommended. And what helpful and friendly service. Will make this a regular stop as best breakfast in Dover.
Written 18 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shaun S
United Kingdom6 contributions
Feb 2020 • couples
We have driven past this place many times but didn't realise it had been updated. Its a good sized cafe with some free parking in the road otside. Simply but nicely furnished. Toilets were clean. Kitchen is open, so they aren't hiding anything. 5 star hygiene rating. Very polite staff and the food was excellent. Probably the tastiest veggie burger I have had for a long time. My partner had a full English which she said was as good as any she had enjoyed in Dover. Probably a pound per meal more expensive than most other cafes in the area but definitely worth it.
Written 22 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JMBB12345
Esher3050 contributions
Oct 2021 • business
Highly enjoyable early breakfast due to a sojourn down to Dover.
Place clean and tidy - staff very decent along with service.
My breakfast which included - scrambled egg, tomatoes, mushrooms, beans, and hash browns - lovely stuff!!!!
Colleagues’ two Full English were, and indeed, looked superb.
Ten on ten 👍👍
Written 8 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Charlie N
9 contributions
Mar 2023 • solo
Mixed thoughts about this cafe. Food was great and worth five stars. A star down as a couple of issues: Slip up with no bacon when bacon was ordered (soon rectified). It took a little longer than it really should have done to plate up considering that it wasn't busy. However, the quality of the food when it did arrive made up for everything. The golden eggs, butchers sausages etc that you wouldn't find in your standard greasy spoon. I would definitely like to come back (and most likely will) but not if I was in any sort of rush afterwards.
Written 4 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Didge
5 contributions
Feb 2023 • none
It was our first visit to The Happy Chef and we thoroughly enjoyed our breakfasts and coffee's. Very tasty food, nice and hot too. Have to say, it's the best breakfast we've had anywhere for a long time and definitely the best in Dover. The service was excellent and the staff very friendly. Hope to visit again soon.
Written 17 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
…
Showing results 1-15 of 241
As Featured In
Best cheap eats
See all 
Best nearby
We rank these hotels, restaurants, and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Best nearby hotels
See all 
Best nearby restaurants
See all 
Is This Your Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Free Listing