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Eating at Alford's Deli is a confusing affair. Enter the café and you might have stumbled into a countryside gift shop: little kitsch figurines snuggle up against chutney jars and greeting cards. Turn left and the next thing you see is a jungle of plants - all for sale in what appears to be the café's flower shop. Pass this and you finally reach the long deli counter.
The confusion doesn't stop here. Trying to find a menu turns out to be a game of hide-and-seek: blackboards are scattered around the room, with dishes randomly written on them.
The breakfast menu - leaning on the floor against the drinks fridge - listed a selection of breakfast baps. Two tiny menus of sandwiches hanging above the counter presuppose you have 20/20 vision. Then there are boards with daily specials, such as roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and vegetables (£5.50).
The staff were as uninformative as the place: they couldn't specify what kind of sandwiches they make ('anything'), nor what flavours the cupcakes were. We ended up choosing the 'sandwich of the week' - listed on a plastic print-out stuck onto the bread shelf - of roast ham, French brie, aubergine and mango chutney on an onion bap (£4.10). The onion bap was sold out, so we chose a seeded bun instead. The soft sandwich was of a generous size, with a decent filling of ripe cheese and roast ham, but we soon realised that they had in fact given us apple chutney. It was a perfectly acceptable sarnie though, and the steady stream of customers in business attire suggests that this place is doing something right.
The airy seating space is pleasantly decorated with wooden, country-style furniture, and the big windows make it a welcoming place for coffee on rainy days.
It seems Alford's Deli wants to be all things to all people. Maybe someone should have told them that, sometimes, less is more.
Alford's Deli details
Follow Alford's Deli to receive updates on special offers here.
What is 'following'?020 7583 7770
6.30am-7pm Mon-Fri, 8am-2pm Sat, Sun
Lunch for two with soft drinks: around £15
Alford's Deli map
Restaurants & cafés near Alford's Deli
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See all bars & pubs near Alford's DeliComments & ratings 5/5 (Average of 2 ratings)
Use to work in Farringdon and use Alfords as our company caterings aswell as eating my lunch there most days. Staff are so lovely and friendly, food is AMAZING and the owner is again a lovely man. Prices are reasonable and the food is always fresh and tastes home made. Sandwiches and hot food is 5 star. I reconmmend Alfords to everyone and if you disagree to to Pret for pre packed sandwichs and jazz music SNM
I run a sightseeing company near Alfords Deli and am lucky to have such a great cafe to send my customers after their tour. It's proper English, no bull****, fresh great food with a great selection. Try the hog roast in a bap on Fridays with crackling (amazing). I'm normally a greasy spoon fan but this place does it better, fresher and tastier. Mat
The food and drink maybe ok, but the propietor whom I had the unfortunate pleasure in meeting today is a rude obnoxious cretin. I regularly dine in the Alford having working lunches and or breakfast with one of my associates and have spent substantial amounts of money. To put it into perspective over £100 in the past two days. Today I was working away on my laptop which I had plugged into an electrical socket as had no battery and the obnoxious man came over, and without asking proceeded to turn the power off and pull the plug out and then walk off. I could not believe it. I promptly put and plug back in and turned on the power, He came back 5 minuntes later and started arguing with me infront of his customers (embarrassing my associates), saying that I was using all his power (pathetic it was a laptop). I shall not be visting there ever again and shall warn all my colleages, associates whom all work in the immediate vicinty do not dine at Altfords.
Totally disagree. Alford's is brilliant! The reason why so many business people frequent the deli is because of the vast amount of choice. There is something for everyone and the place is more of a 'build your own sandwich' kind of place. So when the staff reply saying they can do 'anything', they often mean it.
It takes a little while getting used to, but once your familiar with how everything works, it's one of the best places to grab a sandwich in central london
To the writer of this review - just go to (your nearest) Pret next time.
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