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
at 7 o'clock on a december morning it's a gorgeous site, a glow like that edward hopper painting.
the colours are just right. soothing if you need it, energising if you need that.
slightly strange chairs, like a job lot from a garden centre.
pictures from a more recent visit below:
the painted on curtains are a lovely touch.
matteo's is not the best place in the world, but it's warm and friendly and it's nicely situated just between tottenham court road and charlotte street. a good respite from your busy day of electronics shopping.
a utilitarian approach to condiment supply.
now, that's a proper awning.
you have to be careful when you go to the star. it's a soho institution and can get busy - which means it's not always the best place to nurse a long cup of tea. however, mid-morning it's a lovely place to sit and watch the world go by. it's a bit more than a cafe, quite posh, proper food and gets an interesting crowd.
it's covered in old ads and 'olde worlde' parahenalia which shoud feel forced but somehow doesn't. and they've always got a telly on by the sandwich bar which you can stare at.
ooh, that's tempting.
rendezvous is another place on the classic cafe's tour and it has a fantastic time-warp quality. but as with all great cafes you're not sure exactly what decade you've warped back to. some of the fittings are from the 50s, the radio's from the 70's and the signed photo's on the wall include Curiosity Killed The Cat and Lloyd Cole.
it doesn't quite look this gloomy. i forgot my proper camera so i had to use the clie.
ah, the ft and a tea.
70p for the tea. very reasonable. though of course you end up leaving the change anyway.
i love the marketplace. it's where i usually go for lunch. for about 40 minutes at lunchtime it's packed, the rest of the time, it's lovely and empty. there's a constant rotation of staff, but they're always great, the grub's good, the prices very reasonable for the middle of town.
you get your own little teapot, which is fancy, but it only really does a cup and a half which isn't quite right. the price seems to be about 75p but it varies
i love the mood of this place.
Franks must be part of a little chain. There's an identical Franks on Goodge Street. And the Eastern European's running the place have that vaguely resentful air of employee's, not owners. Somehow doesn't seem like a franchise thing. I wonder if there are anymore anywhere.
I love the bleakness of some cafes on a wet afternoon. They're getting ready to close. Even if it's not for another four hours. They're wiping everything with cloths. Everything's getting squared up. Waitresses put on their coats and head for the tube and the godawful journey home. Salutations are exchanged in some inpenitrable language. The few other customers also don't have a good reason to be there.
where do these pictures come from? and does anyone ever look at them?
good condiment cluster. sadly boring menu. i wonder why people don't take more advantage of their menus. take the chance to tell some little story about the place.
a branded 'franks' cup. another sign that this is a chain. nice cup of tea. but not cheap at 80p
bar bruno's been part of the soho furniture for ever. so much so i only recently noticed it. it's a fantastic place, full of soho diversity; the usual tourists and shoppers, media/production people, the traditional craft/building crowd, visitors from old compton street's 'gay village' plus assorted loonies. it's very often crammed, especially behind the counter, where there are always a huge gang of blokes you really want to describe as 'italian-american'. though it would be odd if that were true.
there's a minimum charge at lunchtime, but you can find a booth in the evening for a thoughtful beverage.
the tea's only 50p which is fantastic for central london. and it's a great brew; blasted from one of those incredible metal and steam constructions, with bits of tea flowing over the side.
franx is in a nice location at the top of neal street, where it meets shaftesbury avenue. you can watch the world go by, but it's not too busy. don't imagine it's so nice sitting inside though. nothing hugely special about it, but it's nice and clean and friendly.
the tea's 70p and this cup was a little stewed. hint of that nasty aftertaste you sometimes get.
i drank it all though.
love that vernacular chalk work
