‘Triumph of a visit’ to Vanessa’s
12:37, 14 Aug 2026
Vanessa’s in Saturday Market, Beverley(Image: Deborah Hall/Hull Live)
The declaration on the website is “all for the love of food” and if you like your grub as much as Vanessa’s does, you’re not going to go far wrong. We only recently discovered this delicatessen and café in Saturday Market, Beverley, where the footfall speaks for itself.
It has been busy each time we have ventured to the upstairs café (there are tables arranged outside too if you fancy eating al fresco) but even so we have never had to wait more than a couple of minutes or so to be shown to a table.
On this visit, Vanessa’s proved a cooling haven on a day that had cranked itself up into heatwave territory, something that has happened quite a lot, lately. Some were obviously enjoying the sunshine in the outdoor area, right beside the picturesque Market Cross of Beverley, but we were drawn by the some-degrees-cooler atmosphere that the spacious and airy interior offered.
Even bustling about in their branded khaki aprons, echoing the soft shades of the decor, the staff seemed fresh, energetic and welcoming. Where before it has been a brunch or a mid-afternoon visit for us, this time we were bang-on lunchtime service.
People around us were variously tucking into all-day breakfasts, jacket potatoes, meat pies and fish cakes, or just enjoying drinks. A trio of ladies were valiantly tackling two three-tiered servings of afternoon tea that looked delicious – they needed take-out boxes; I guessed they would.
We felt spoilt for choice, as usual, with the large and varied regular menu and daily specials on the board to pick from. My other half was torn between a breakfast with all the trimmings and the dressed Bridlington crab, served with salad and crusty bread.
Last time we were in, they were out of crab; on this occasion the shellfish was newly delivered from Brid so my partner plumped for that, vocalising his ponderings whether a pal of his, a local shellfisherman, might even have landed his crustacean that morning.
I was juggling choices of an “award-winning” chicken, leek and bacon pie and homemade quiche before I settled on The Vanessa Trio – a cup of homemade soup of the day (it was mushroom and tarragon); half a sandwich from the regular list (I chose Wensleydale with fresh tomato and chutney) and a basket of chips.
No matter that the place was buzzing and there were lots of people ordering, we weren’t waiting long at all for our meals, accompanied by a bottle of “Posh Pop” each, ginger beer with chilli for my partner, and elderflower for me. Both plates looked really appealing and we both tucked in with relish, sampling a little of each other’s meals and mmm-ing a lot.
We enjoyed every morsel and really didn’t need anything else – but need and want are different things and I’d seen the cake counter on the way in. After a rest and a think, my partner said he fancied an ice cream sundae (you get to choose three scoops, with a wafer and a flake) and I asked for a rundown of the sweet treats on display.
A sundae of coconut, caramel & honeycomb, and vanilla was duly served and I had a moreish tart made of rhubarb and pistachio frangipane, housed in the most delicate pastry casing, with a decaf cappuccino to accompany it. Again we cleaned up every scrap.
It was another triumph of a visit to Vanessa’s and somewhere we will keep returning to if they stick with their formula of really good, seasonal food (it’s local if not made in-house) and pleasant and efficient staff for whom nothing is too much trouble.
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