a good place for a cup of tea and a think

cafe miscellania

from Kieran
i used to work as a dispatch rider in london and went to hundreds of cafes and i've seen some of my old faves on your website. i wonder if you can help me find a real gem.... it was a small cafe run by an ex-boxer in his late 50's and had old b&w photos of boxers/fights/promo posters all over the place and i mean from skirting boards to ceilings. the food was good but the character of the place and the people there was awesome. all i can remember is that it was in it's own small building in the greenwich area on a desolate industrial estate. it'd be great to re-visit or see a review cheers and thanks for all that dedicated eating
from Clare
It may be too far out of the west end for you, but I have a haven of greasy spooned-ness at the end of my road. YORK CAFE on Woolwich Road is clean, friendly and with proper chips. It is even licensed I think. Give it a go!
from Lambros
TJ's Cafe in mortlake sw14 open seven days a weeks, big portions!! cheap. you should definatley visit this place won the "best greasy spoon" in london award 2003
from The Shropshire Cafe
Russell how come we have not seen you at our cafe you are missing a treat. We serve the best all day breakfast in the North West We cater for everyone also we are in the process of taking on the title of the Ace Cafe of the Midlands Regards Lynn & Pete.
from Dave
May I heartily recommend Sues Cafe in Gillingham Road, Gillingham, Kent (almost opposite the Arriva Bus Depot). Great food, great tea............very good prices for such good quality breakfasts and dinners.
from Abby
The mess in Hackney is much nicer (and admittedly middle classer) than it's local counterparts (nice sausage rather than pig's bum). Some say it's better than Mario's... Alt for a good proper greasy spoon Dilari's on the corner of Mare Street is pretty good. Packed out every lunchtime and they have a non-smoking side of the room. Finally, if you live near Ealing and you've never been to Starvin' Marvins you're missing out. I was cautiously eating my breakfast with the pancake and maple syrup on one side and the bacon and eggs and hash brown on the other. Then absentmindedly I stabbed a bit of bacon onto the end of my syrupy pancaked-up fork… It's manna from lardarse heaven.
from Emma
I love yr book and website. I have never commented on one or a blog before as I dont know how to. My son got this space for me. I am trying to get info on my favourite old cafe, The Blue Sky, by corner of Westbourne Grove and Chepstow Rd,London W2, between PAddington and Portobello Rd, which was my home from home from 1974-80.I lived in various squats and flats nearby and hung out with various groovy people in those days.... It closed down a few years ago. I wld love to get photos and the name/address of the lovely Irish waitress and Italian boss.... I have tried the Archives at Westminster City Library but no luck. I am doing a Ceramics degree as a v mature student and want to do an installation recreating a table at it, the light coming thru steamy bright plateglass windows, the smells, food, china,plastic menus, etc etc. I have assembled a load of stuff (tables, chairs etc),but they are not perfect. I wonder if you have any ideas on where I cld borrow/hire perfect stuff in one fell swoop, for a few days in early Jan 07? Most of all I want to get hold of a tape/CD of cafe background noises. Any ideas? Many thanks, Emma

DeeGee's Diner, 20 Chancery Lane, Cardigan

I think DeeGee's was our first post-pandemic fry-up opportunity. (I say 'post', fingers crossed...). What a magnificent place to get back into the swing of things.

It's just off the main drag in Cardigan so a selection of signs lure you towards its culinary treasures.

And then - there it is!

Bright, clean and lovely inside. Friendly welcome. A magnificent 'small breakfast' (a phenomenon we first encountered in Cardigan many years ago, basically seems to mean one of everything).

Excellently iconoclastic condiment cluster. Much rounder and broader than the usual assortment of vertiginous shapes.

Tea delivery is textbook. A little bottle so you can self-dose your milk. Bag left in, for obvious reasons. And there's a little dish for the bags. Perfect. See in use below.

See? You can't fault that arrangement.

What an optimistic and thoughtful place to re-enter cafe life. Thanks DeeGee's.

August 24, 2021 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Happy Cafe, Downham Road, De Beauvoir Town, London, N1

I was on my way somewhere else and I ended up here. So then I was on my way here. Because this is the place to end up.

A very respectable cup of tea. Thick. Delicious. Gloopy.

Lots of blue. You don't see lovely blue seats like these in a cafe very often. Almost Klein blue. Splendid choice.

Nice to see a well-equipped condiment basket too.

A lovely place. I could spend hours here.

September 03, 2019 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Daisy Cafe, Pearson Street, Hoxton

This is a lovely little place. A simple, proper cafe amongst the fanciness of Shoreditch. Scrambled egg on toast and a cuppa for £3.20.

Scrambled eggs on toast not shown.

That lovely floor suggest there's been something here for a while. Probably a cafe?

It's a proper modern cafe now though. All mod condiments.

Everything you could imagine wanting to eat. Nothing else.

Sitting and having a chat - encouraged. Or sitting and having a think.

A brilliant place. Get yourself along there.

August 07, 2018 | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Regent Restaurant and Coffee Lounge - Weston-super-Mare

Well, this is a magnificent place.

The basics are all in place. Textbook condiment cluster.

Thick brown tea, just on the border between liquid and building material.

But it's the interior that really grabs you.

Look how gorgeous that is. The bench seats, the signs, the variations on brown.

Those signs! Very general to very specific.

Remember when 'self service' was a thing you'd promote? Democratic, speedy, modern.

Excellent grub too. Really good chips.

August 07, 2018 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Arthur's, 495 Kingsland Rd, Dalston, London E8 4AU

Arthurs never closed during the Blitz, apparently. I wonder if it will close due to rents and landlords. I hope not, it's lasted this long. This video captures the atmosphere splendidly.

A very respectable cup of tea. A cup with saucer, not a mug, but still big enough to quench a thirst and leave enough for subsequent lingering.

Sensible, bolted in tables and chairs, none of that re-arranging hear, no scraping around and re-configuring to suit your party. Sit where the chairs are. Sit next to strangers. You're here to eat not invent existentialism.

Textbook condimentalism.The basics, neatly arranged, properly contained, all verticals and cylinders with just that rakish hint to the serviettes.

But it's not just utilitarian. There are stained glass windows and lovely snow-white tiles. This is a gorgeous place. Gorgeous and delicious. You should go.

October 07, 2017 | Permalink | Comments (1)