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Maison Bertaux
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Oozing arty charm, this café dates back to 1871 when Soho was London’s little piece of the Continent. Battered old bentwood tables and chairs add to the feeling of being in a pâtisserie in rural France. The window twinkles with an array of croissants, tartlets and other confections – the only difference from France is a dearth of savoury items, just pizza slices and wedges of quiche – no onion tart, say, or mushroom tourtière. However, this is a good place to pass time with friends over a pot of tea and a cream horn. In summer, there are tables outside, each with a little glass filled with unusual fresh flowers, which would be perfect for people-watching were the street not permanently choked with traffic. Despite the high quality of the pastries, Maison Bertaux is often accused of being pricey – a dijon slice (cheese and onion on a flaky pastry base spread with dijon mustard) at £3.90 was steep for its size, while a piece of solid-looking but delicious broccoli quiche was £3.20. Still, this bohemian spot is far better than the chains.
Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009
See also
- London's best afternoon tea
Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.
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Details
- 28 Greek Street, Soho, W1D 5DQ
- Area: Soho
- Tel: 020 7437 6007
- Category: Cafes
- Travel: Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus or Tottenham Court Road tube
- Times: Open 8.30am-11pm Mon-Sat; 8.30am-7pm Sun
- Price: Main courses £1.50-£4.50
- Services:
- Child facilities: Babies and children admitted
- Outdoor tables: 5, pavement
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elston
Hello. I'm a Scottish guy living in London, and I don't think I'm going to be very good at writing all about myself in a few short sentances. So as...
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This is probably one of the worst places I´ve ever been in London!!
It´s extremely expensive(We´ve paid 14£ for 1 Tea and 2 tarts), and for sure they didn´t improve the space, at all!!
I´ve tasted the lemon tart, it´s tasteless. I gave a second shot for the Apple tart, yet better, nothing but an ordinary tart.
Oozing with charm perhaps, wonderful tasty cakes yes, but what lets this place down is the service and sky-high prices. Thoroughly recommended but always disappointing. I don't believe that paying £7.20 for 3 coffees is acceptable anywhere, let alone a dingy supposedly eclectic cafe in Soho. If you have money to burn and like surly staff this is your kind of place.
Not sure what these other comments are about - Maison Bertaux is amazing. The desserts there are simply one of the Top 3 in London, easily. Sure, it is old, dingy and the savoury/drinks are average at best but the desserts are spectacular. Just ask them "What should I have today?" and you can't go wrong!
Overpriced regarding the quality of their products (I had a chocolate mousse that any basic pâtisserie in France would have done better).
The tenants are not warm or welcoming, the atmosphere is not friendly. It is snobbish and overrated.
We paid about of £7,- for tea and cake tea at Maison Bertaux. The waiter, who seated us upstairs, would have been better off working in a warehouse dealing with boxes rather than people. The window next to us was frosted so one could not look down on the life on the street below. The room itself looked like a perfect waiting area at some off-street clinic from the 1950ies where unlicensed doctors would be dealing with the unwanted riff-raff of society behind closed doors. The bathroom? Oh, that was just a fright. Even after London standards.
Yes, we did pay about £7,- for tea and cake Oh, yes, the cake! I almost forgot the cake. The cake was ok. But it was nothing special. And the tea, pretty basic. No, I will not recommend this place at all. There are just too many good options out there to waste time at Maison Bertaux.
I'm afraid Maison Bertaux did not live up to my expectations at all. I found the setting grotty, the space cramped, the washroom appalling and the waiter rude. They still had Christmas decorations up in mid-February! The pastries are lovely and tasty but £7 for a cup of tea and a slice of cheesecake is not acceptable when there are many fine eating establishments in London that offer patrons a better price. I'm French and this was not up to standard.