Restaurants

This café-bar, part folk club, part tearoom, was a key player in London’s 1950s bohemian café movement. Bob Dylan played his first London gig here; it was also incubator to Private Eye, and the friendship between Ken Russell and Oliver Reed. The café offers made-to-order sandwiches and bistro-style dishes (omelettes, burgers, salads, fish and chips) while the basement club hosts music, poetry readings and stand-up comedy (check the website for more details). As we went to press the deli was being transformed into a wine shop-cum-wine bar. The art gallery above is available to hire for exhibitions or private parties, and the attic floor offers funky, quite luxurious accommodation for up to four people.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009