Crust and Cream café welcomed its first customers in Clacton town centre on May 12, opening a new spot that mixes a deli-style eatery, dessert parlour and cocktail bar under one roof.

The independent business is run by a husband-and-wife team, who said the venue has been a long-term project and is meant to offer something different for the area. Their menu features Greek and Turkish-inspired desserts, deli-style food such as sandwiches, and drinks including milkshakes and cocktails, with everything served made at the café.

The opening gives Clacton on sea a business built around a single idea: one place for lunch, dessert and evening drinks. That combination matters because the owners are not trying to copy a standard café model. They are aiming for something broader, and they have staked the launch on food and drink they say is homemade from start to finish.

The question now is whether that promise can turn a long-term project into a lasting fixture in the town centre. For the couple behind Crust and Cream, the first service was the milestone they had been building toward. For customers, it was the first chance to see whether the new format delivers what the owners say the area has been missing.