Gelateria Beppino named Bridport News Café of the Year

Gelateria Beppino in West Street, Bridport, has won the title for the first time amid tough competition from across Bridport and Lyme Regis.

We asked readers to vote for their favourite and then choose a winner from the shortlist.

The café is run by husband and wife Giuseppe and Suzanne Boni who opened the doors for the first time six years ago.

They serve homemade pastries, cakes and gelato alongside a range of hot drinks and barista-style coffees.

The café sells homemade Italian-inspired pastries and cakes (Image: Tom Lawrence)Menu at Gelateria Beppino (Image: Tom Lawrence)

Suzanne said: "It makes me feel very proud, we have never won anything before so this is the first time for us."

The couple moved to Bridport in 2014 and took over a former restaurant in the town centre, using Giuseppe's Italian roots as the inspiration for a unique café.

Giuseppe said: "I was born in England but my parents were from Italy.

"We moved here in August 2014, I worked for a friend of mine running cafes and delis and I was a manager in one.

"We live here, we have an apartment in the back, I also make the gelato in the back.

"Suzanne makes the cakes and I make the gelato, we make it all in-house.

"In the summer the big part is the gelato, but even in the winter, we sell a lot of it.

"We also use local milk from Langdon Manor, just past Beaminster."

Gelateria Beppino on West Street (Image: Tom Lawrence)

Asked what makes their cafe so special, Giuseppe said: "No idea, maybe because it is just myself and my wife working here. We have a lot of regular customers and regular tourists. We have seen some children grow up over the last six years."

Suzanne said: "I think we offer something different to everywhere else. My husband's family is Italian so we offer Italian pastries and he makes the gelato himself, I make all the cakes.

"We also do requests, we do a lot of gluten-free, vegan and we do celebration cakes.

"People ask if we can make something to serve the next day and if they want certain flavours of gelato my husband will make it for them.

Giuseppe said: "I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who voted for us, whenever they do come in we do try and look after them."