Cafés are the thing Lyndhurst does best. Within a few minutes’ walk of each other on the High Street you’ll find a coffee roastery, a French-style café with a garden, a bike shop that makes serious coffee, a café that turns into a restaurant after dark and several places that will bring you a big warm scone and a pot of tea. This guide to the cafés and tea rooms in Lyndhurst covers each one, plus the best spots for a cream tea or a proper afternoon tea a short drive out.
Everything below was trading when we checked in autumn 2026. Hours change with the seasons, and some places shut earlier in winter, so check before you make a special trip.
Cafés on Lyndhurst High Street
Peggy May’s
A family-run café at 49 High Street, open every day from eight in the morning. Scones come out of the oven each morning, the cakes are made by hand, the bread is from a local bakery and the milkshakes are made with real ice cream. The menu runs from cooked breakfasts and brunch through to lunch, and reviewers tend to mention two things: the size of the breakfast baps and the cake counter. It calls itself a dog friendly café, and there are a couple of tables outside on dry days.
The Greenwood Tree
At 65 High Street, towards the eastern end of the village. It’s bright, clean and spacious, with well-spaced tables and a calm feel even when it’s busy. The big draw is choice. There are separate gluten-free, vegan and children’s menus, and the scones come in flavours well beyond plain and fruit, so it’s the sensible pick for a group where everyone eats differently. You can also take a cream tea away with you.
The Lyndhurst Tea House
Next door to the Thai restaurant at 26 High Street, with a handful of tables out on the pavement. The menu is classic tea room: full breakfasts, toasties, croque monsieur, Welsh rarebit, smoothies and afternoon tea. Inside is air-conditioned, which you’ll appreciate on a sticky August afternoon. It fills up quickly on bank holiday mornings, so go early or after lunch.
The Forage
The Forage at 39 High Street opens early, handy if you want feeding before a forest walk, and keeps going into the evening as a restaurant. It has a pizza oven, a long menu with vegan dishes, and a small seating area at the back that catches the sun.
Café Parisien
At 64 High Street, Café Parisien feels more like a neighbourhood café somewhere in France than an English tea room. Think baguettes, croque monsieur, pastries and strong coffee, with generous portions at fair prices. The shaded garden is where dogs are allowed, which makes it a good stop after a muddy morning on the heath.
Forest Edge Roasting Co
The one for coffee lovers. Forest Edge roasts its own beans at 11 High Street, so on roast days you can see the beans being done and buy a bag to take home. Food is limited to a few pastries and a couple of hot things, but that’s not really why you come. Dogs are welcome, and the roastery’s own two dogs, Bear and Bagel, act as supervisors on roast days.
The Woods Cyclery
A bike shop at 56 High Street, near the eastern end of the village, that also hires bikes and runs a café it calls Bikes & Brews. The coffee is made by people who clearly care about it, and there are sandwiches, cakes and small bites to go with it, plus seats inside and out. It’s the obvious stop before or after a ride on the forest gravel tracks; our cycling guide has routes.
Bakehouse 24
Not a café as such. Bakehouse 24 at 53 High Street is a tiny bakery with no tables, selling sourdough, croissants and other pastries, sandwiches and takeaway coffee. It’s ideal for a picnic, but go early because it sells out. At the time of writing it’s closed on Mondays.
Where to get a cream tea or afternoon tea near Lyndhurst
Two hotels close to the village take afternoon tea bookings. Lime Wood, just over a mile out on the Beaulieu road, serves finger sandwiches, scones and seasonal sweet things in a country house setting; book well ahead. The Crown Manor House Hotel, at the western end of the High Street, also lists afternoon tea among its table bookings. It’s worth ringing either one first.
Out in the forest, the tearoom at Furzey Gardens in Minstead, a couple of miles north-west, opens daily from spring to autumn. Some of the people serving are gardeners with neuro disabilities supported by the Minstead Trust, and a cream tea after a wander round the gardens makes a gentle afternoon. Only assistance dogs are allowed from April to October, though dogs can come into the gardens from November to March.
South of Brockenhurst, about fifteen minutes’ drive away, the Daisy Tea Garden at Setley Ridge serves breakfasts, lunches and afternoon tea next to a farm shop and garden centre. Hot drinks arrive in quirky cups and saucers, and there are seats outside on a fine day, though the outdoor chairs are on the small side.
The New Forest Heritage Centre café
The New Forest Heritage Centre, in the main car park behind the High Street, has a small café alongside its museum, gallery and gift shop. It’s a good rainy-day plan: wander round the museum (entry is free, with a suggested donation), watch the short film about the Forest, then sit down with coffee and cake. At the time of writing the centre opens daily from 10am to 5pm between April and October, and 10am to 4pm from November to March. Our Heritage Centre guide has more, and the rainy day itinerary builds a whole day around it.
Cafés for dogs, children and special diets
If you’ve got the dog, Peggy May’s and Forest Edge Roasting Co both welcome dogs, and Café Parisien lets them join you in its garden. For the full list across cafés and pubs, see where to eat with your dog.
With children, the Greenwood Tree is the safest bet thanks to its children’s menu and the space between tables, and Peggy May’s milkshakes rarely meet resistance. For coeliacs and vegans, the Greenwood Tree’s separate menus are the most thorough in the village. Whatever your needs, say so when you order. These are small kitchens and they would much rather know.
Tips for visiting Lyndhurst’s cafés
The cafés do most of their trade between late morning and mid-afternoon. On summer weekends that’s when you’ll queue, so have breakfast early or come for tea after three. Most close somewhere between four and half past five, and some close earlier in winter, so don’t count on a cuppa after a long afternoon walk. Parking is easiest in the main car park; see our parking guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which cafés in Lyndhurst are dog friendly?
Peggy May’s and Forest Edge Roasting Co both welcome dogs, and Café Parisien allows dogs in its garden. Policies can change, so ask before you go in.
Where can I have afternoon tea in Lyndhurst?
Lime Wood and the Crown Manor House Hotel both take afternoon tea bookings, and the Lyndhurst Tea House serves afternoon tea without the formality. For a simple cream tea, almost every café on the High Street will oblige.
Are Lyndhurst cafés open on Sundays?
Most are. At the time of writing Peggy May’s, the Greenwood Tree, the Lyndhurst Tea House, the Forage, Café Parisien, Forest Edge and the Woods Cyclery all open on Sundays, though some for shorter hours.
Is there a café near the main car park with toilets?
Yes. The New Forest Heritage Centre café is in the main car park, where the public toilets are too. Our facilities page has the details.
