Find the Best Waffles in Devon
The Community Waffle House in Axminster
Anyone local to Axminster will have watched with great local admiration as the Community Waffle House has gone from strength to strength. This year has also seen the transformation of a town centre landmark, Trinity House. The marriage of these two developments, both with the community at their heart has been fantastic to see. If you are searching for the best waffles in Devon, or even just a friendly chat, then this is the place to go.
Waffle On
The trademark dish of The Community Waffle House is a delicious Belgium style waffle, but the name has a double meaning. It’s a place for people to meet and where you are encouraged to strike up a conversation even if you are on your own.
Chatting to one of the team on my recent visit, it is clear that this place is more about the community than the waffles. For starters any excess profits go back straight into projects within the town.
The vision
“to create and serve the highest quality, fresh liege waffles along with local and freshly-made coffee, cakes and juices. We also want to use ‘waffle’ as a community hub to forge unlikely friendships across the community of Axminster and help to combat loneliness and isolation through the intentional and creative use of waffle”.
The Waffle House has now relocated to the top floor of Trinity House (don’t worry there is a lift). It’s fantastic refurbishment that has created a light, welcoming café overlooking Trinity Square and the Church.
The menu has been expanded to include locally made cakes as well as the huge choice of waffles. Choose from all manner of tasty sweet and savoury toppings, or just keep it simple with the Naked One!
I love the little touches like a place to park pushchairs and a help yourself to water tap. There is free WiFi and the cafe is dog friendly.
Shared Work Space
As well as creating a lovely café, the team behind the Waffle House have also included a dedicated Work Space. With so many people isolated working from home as well as local students looking for a place to study, this is such a great idea and a first for Axminster.
There is even tech support and free tuition on hand if you need it, provided by Luke Lawson Computer Repair who is located in the Work Waffle.
Community Meeting Place
Once we get back to the old ways (pre-Covid) the Waffle House will again be place where community groups can get together to meet and education workshops will run. With the community at it’s heart it is somewhere that anyone can go who needs a bit of company – you don’t even need to buy anything. Board games nights and quizzes will feature as well as a repair cafe.
The Main Event – The Best Waffles in Devon
Breakfast waffles are served until 11 o’clock. Who can resist bacon and maple syrup or Biscoff spread and banana. There are also healthier options such as fruit with yogurt, smoothies and toast.
From 11 o’clock onwards you can dig into the vast range of waffles. The new menu includes savoury waffles such as pulled pork and cheese, smoked salmon or bean burger. If you have a craving for something sweet then you will not be disappointed with the delicious choice of ice creams, sauces and toppings. Great news is that gluten free and vegan options are also available as part of the main menu and not as an after thought.
Opening Hours
Open Tuesday -Saturday 9 am to 9 pm to eat in the cafe. The work space is open Monday to Friday 9 pm -6 pm (the kitchen closed on Mon).
Booking is not essential but you can call to secure a table to be on the safe side. Call 01297 34694.
More details on menus are available online here at waffle.org.uk . Also keep an eye on Facebook and Instagram for up to date happenings.
Community Support
The Waffle House acts as an OLIO food distribution hub where short dated local supermarket food can be stored and distributed to those in need. Last year the team helped refurbish a local play area and they are keen to support community gardening projects in the future.
You can support the Waffle House by buying gift vouchers or pay forward a coffee for someone in need. There are also Waffle On t-shirts available “Everyday I’m Wafflin” or “Keep Calm and Waffle On!” This year they produced advent calendars sharing daily acts of kindness that all sold out.
What a great place and a fantastic team who have made this happen. What are you waiting for, the best waffles in Devon can be found in Axminster.
Explore Axminster
Why not take the time to explore Axminster and learn more about the history of this lovely East Devon town. Have a look at this previous blog post I have written about the Axminster Heritage Town Trail.
Finally a huge thank you to Suzanne McFadzean who has allowed me to use her superb photos throughout this blog post. You can find out more about her work on her website here.
Hi! I am Clare and I live in glorious East Devon with my family.
I love finding new places to explore in the West Country as well as further afield.
I hope you enjoy reading and taking inspiration from my blog.
