If you’ve spent any time in Essex foodie circles over the past couple of years (or have read Grace Dent’s review), chances are you’ve already heard the buzz around the Tin Roof Café. Since opening its doors in March 2024, this stylish spot tucked beside Claremont Garden Centre in Woodham Mortimer, just outside Maldon, has built a seriously loyal following and garnered a significant number of posts on social media. We decided to see what the fuss was all about.
We visited during a weekday in the Easter holidays, optimistically assuming we might avoid the regular “ladies who lunch” crowd and enjoy a quieter experience. Oh, how wrong we were.
The car park was almost completely full on arrival, always a telling sign, and stepping inside confirmed our fears. Tin Roof Café is clearly prepared for its popularity though, with a dedicated waiting area (yes, really), which was already packed. We added our names to the list and were quoted a 20-minute wait, which actually worked out perfectly, as it gave us time to mooch around the neighbouring garden centre.
Before long, our names were called, and we were taken through to the conservatory at the back. While perfectly comfortable, with sunlight streaming through the plastic-sheeted windows, it did feel like we missed out slightly, as the main dining area is beautifully styled with lush greenery and décor that reflects its garden centre setting. Our view through the window, unfortunately, leaned more towards “construction site chic”, but we were grateful to even get a table.
One detail we loved straight away was the ordering system. Before you head up to the counter (where there are various other items for sale to take home – including honey from the Tin Roof Café’s own bees) to order, you can jot everything down first using the small branded notepad and pencil on your table. It’s a small but genuinely helpful touch, especially when dining as a group. Of course, heading to the counter also means walking past the cake display…but more on that later.
The Tin Roof Café menu itself is impressive. Alongside a solid selection of main meals, burgers, cakes and drinks, there’s also a notably extensive specials board. Tin Roof Café also proudly lists its suppliers and even grows its own organic vegetables on-site.
Despite how busy things were, our drinks arrived quickly, followed not long after by the food.
Our son opted for the Tin Roof Café’s sausage roll (£6), which turned out to be a bit of a beast (in a good way). Packed with beautifully seasoned meat and wrapped in golden, flaky pastry, it was easily large enough for an adult. We ended up boxing up half of it to take home.
The rest of us couldn’t resist the burger section, where everything comes served with chips. The Tin Roof Signature Burger (£17) featured double patties, pickled shallots, melted cheese, ketchup and mayo in a brioche bun. The flavours were spot on, but the patties themselves were thicker than expected (more “traditional” than “smashed”) and could have done with being thinner, especially given there were two of them.
The fish finger bap (£16) was another generously-sized dish, the brioche bun filled with chunky breaded haddock strips, fresh lettuce and a zingy homemade tartare sauce.
The standout, though, was my Korean-style chicken burger (£16). This was delicious: crispy buttermilk chicken thighs, twice-fried for added crunch, paired with homemade kimchi, sweet chilli sauce and sriracha mayo, all tucked into a soft brioche bun.
The chips themselves deserve their own moment in the spotlight: golden, crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, they were some of the best café chips we’ve had in a long time.
We were far too full to tackle dessert while we were there, but I refused to leave without sampling something from that cake counter. I grabbed a chocolate chip cookie (£4) to take away, and it turned out to be an solid decision. Chewy, generously studded with chocolate and finished with a sprinkle of sea salt flakes to balance the sweetness and bring out the flavour of the chocolate, it’s fair to say that was this was one of the best cookies I’ve eaten in a while.
With its focus on provenance, its garden centre setting and its varied (if a little pricey in places) menu, it’s easy to see why Maldon’s Tin Roof Café is so popular. Next time, I’d love to return to try the breakfast menu…and obviously to give that cake counter some more attention…