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
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
This is a good place. Nothing fancy. No historically significant design. Just a good cafe, a good business, good people. Refreshing to find somewhere like this so close to lower Upper Street.
A very decent cup of tea. Bag left in so you can self-medicate. I've chosen to hide the bag from you in this picture. I'm very thoughtful like that.
All the traditional condiments in good order.
A little touch I've never seen anywhere else. The table numbers marked in Tippex. I like that.
Nice stuff on the walls too. Makes it feel a little personal, lets you know where you are.
And I'm really getting to like these posters of food that cafes can get now. It won't be long before I'm trawlering ebay, trying to find one for home.
I have a very good and old friend who lives in Eastbourne. Every time we've visited I've asked if there are any interesting cafes in town and he's always said 'no'. And then, on the last visit I stumbled past this place, and a couple more. And he said he'd just forgotten about them. And that, to some extent is the genius and the curse of a great old cafe. They're part of the civic furniture and they're easy to forget until they're gone.
Now, obviously that's a high quality cup of tea. Murky and lovely. You might say murkly. But look next to it - lemon meringue pie. OMG. You can't beat that can you. Oh no.
And you might even be tempted by a coffee, because you get it in one of these lovely cups with the glass and the metal and the handle. I love these things.
That sugar bowl's somehow like a flower arrangment isn't it?
But the killer thing about this place is how fantastic it looks. The splendidly cluttered and full cafe aesthetics. You could sit here for hours and always have something new and interesting to look at.
The booths are especially gorgeous, look at those colours, that upholstery. I can imagine posh designers trying for years to try and get that combination of colours right.
Cakes in a case. You cannot beat cakes in a case.
A splendid place. People Of Eastbourne - remember Macari's. It's right there. Frequent it frequently.
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