Welcoming service brilliant nothing is too much trouble food is great and the cakes divine so many to choose from so yummy

We choose this cafe as it very close to the Maldon Escape Rooms… and what a find! I booked a table for 11 girls (and a few adults) to have a birthday lunch after the escape room activity and the staff were so accommodating. Mike...and his team (especially Emily who took the booking and was so helpful while we were there) were really welcoming and nothing was too much trouble. They even played birthday music for us as we brought out a cake. The food/drinks were delicious and quick to arrive. The little outdoor courtyard is lovely and very well looked after. The cafe gave us use of one of the wooden gazebos which was perfect for the private birthday group to dine in. A big thank you to the staff. They are lovely and very happy to serve! Would recommend a visit! Big thumbs up!More

We had a lovely lunch at the Continental Café today. The staff are excellent and unusual to see happy and courteous staff. The food was excellent, well presented and delicious. Particularly like that the serve loose tea in a proper tea pot ! I would...highly recommend anyone visiting Maldon to go there.More

Lovely welcome and wonderful setting. Lunch was delicious - Morroccan Vegetable Salad and a Chicken Ceaser jacket potato. Big negative for me… when we ordered the waitress asked ‘do you want butter on your jacket potato?’ To which i replied yes.. as i normally would...in a cafe. My potato arrived, toppings on top with a HUGGGEEE pot of butter, an amount no-one would put on a potato, the crux, £1.00 charge on our bill, i complained and was told it was on the menu. It was, right at the bottom, but the waitress didn’t ask if i wanted ‘a pot of butter’ she specifically said ‘butter on my potato’, which, in my experience, is standard practice in a cafe, for free! Weird!More

Really disappointed by our visit, we arrived and were seated (waitress pointed to the table across the room) and waited around around 30 minutes, expecting someone to come over to take our drinks order. When no one arrived, my partner had to go up and...asked a waitress if we could make our order and she said she'd be with us soon. Around 15 minutes passed and the same waitress we asked to take our order wandered aimlessly around the room, scanning the room a few times but ignoring us and not coming to take our order. We found the staff completely unattentive and finally had our order taken by a waiter who came to clear the table next to us. Drinks arrived and the iced coffee and milkshake were lovely but we had finished our drinks long before our food came and we were looked straight through when trying to get their attention for more, they just walked away. The food arrived just shy of an hour after we arrived and we only ordered 2 paninis, a baguette and some chips. On arrival we were offered sauces, we asked for mayo and it never arrived but the table next to us did! Really disappointing as the food was good, but we won't be back. It was pricy for what it was, and we had planned to order 3 slices of cake to take away but the service was honestly so bad that I didn't want to give them anymore of my money. Such a shame. I found the staff very rude, the older woman especially.More

I visited this cafe whilst visiting Maldon with friends. There was lots of places to sit, inside snd outside. We got a table straight away, we all had a hot drink and a cake. Their cakes are wonderful and so tasty. You have a hard...time choosing what one you want! We all enjoyed our cakes, the service was quick, the staff were very friendly and even though it was quite packed in there the service was very good. This is a great place to go if you are visiting Maldon High Street.More

What a fantastic cafe. The food is absolutely tasty and the portions are a nice size. The prices are very reasonable. I would definitely go back there. Want to try the desserts

I visited here with my mum who comes here once a fortnight with my sister, after hearing their very mixed reviews mostly about how it’s such a shame that the food has gone so downhill because the staff are lovely and it’s so local I...decided to go with my mum and give it the benefit of the doubt. Really wishing we chose to spend our money somewhere else instead. On arrival the young lady who greeted us was lovely pointed us to a table so we went and sat down. Another friendly face took our drinks order. A breakfast tea for me and a coffee and cream for mum, my tea was served properly with loose leaves and a strainer it was lovely. Mum said her cream didn’t taste right and was a poor quality coffee. We ordered a prawn sandwich and the lettuce was at least two days old, with lots of brown bits. I obviously took it out and ate half of my sandwich, the slaw was also at least a few days old there is no way it was made fresh that morning it actually smelt and tasted off. We shared a portion of chips which I can only describe as the cheapest frozen chips around. The tomato ketchup was vinegary and again, cheap. From reading the previous negative reviews I have no doubt the manager will respond with something along the lines of “this doesn’t ring true” which is a shame because I’ve been in this industry for over 20 years and constructive criticism should be listened to. Very local, lovely setting and lovely FOH staff. Cakes are out of this world but there is room for a LOT of improvement elsewhere. We won’t be retuning until things change. Cutting costs is one thing which we all understand but charging nearly £10 for a sandwich with old brown lettuce and off coleslaw is not acceptable. Please sort these things continental and don’t lose your customers to rivals down the high street. Kind regards.More

What a lovely cafe. The service, kindness and responsiveness of the staff was a stand out. Good prices! Good food! I loved the curly fries.

Have used this venue before and was pleasantly surprised- today we had a lunch of jacket spuds olives wine water and what a super simple lunch - just wish I had room for a slice of the fantastic cakes - sat outdoors and chatted with...owner Mike - he has been there 6 years and has developed a perfect formula - there are lots of places to eat in Maldon but this is the best 👍👍More

Amazing food and service It’s beautiful sitting in the forecourt in beautiful historic surroundings Lovely town in Essex and highly recommend visiting this place for a great breakfast or lunch 😎

The Continental must be THE place for breakfast in Maldon. Mike and his staff are friendly, attentive and courteous. Our breakfasts were well-presented and good value for money. Try to get a seat in the front window which overlooks the lovely old All-Saints church.