This pretty, modern cafe, with lots of outdoor seating under bright yellow parasols, offers a range of great breakfast, brunch and lunch options from the UK and Scandinavia, ranging from a full English breakfast and veggie option to a Scandi version featuring Gravlax, cheese, crudités and bread selection. In-betweeners can choose from lots of egg-based dishes to sweet and savoury croissants, sumptuous-looking cakes and a wealth of heartier selections at lunchtime, such as summer frittata or butternut squash, feta, and chickpea pie.
What I like about this cafe is the fact that it’s tucked away a little and on a nice and quiet street - a nice little local to have for a casual brunch.
What I had:
Swedish meatballs with mashed potato, pickles and lingonberry jam
Iced coffee
The Swedish meatballs were really good. Flavoursome and the sauce wasn’t too heavy with cream. There was also a good helping of pickles and lingonberry jam on the side which really helped give some acidity and sweetness that definitely added to the dish. My companions also praised the other dishes on the specials board, such as the spiced lamb dish with soup; however some felt that the breakfast dishes were fairly average. The coffee here is also not bad and they have a good selection of pastries and baked goods for those who have a sweet tooth. Overall the service is friendly and the food is fairly solid - a place that's best enjoyed on a sunny day.
Tip: they have outdoor seating at the front (#londonsummer!) Opt for dishes from the specials menu over the standard café fair.
Good For: casual brunch/ lunch, small groups, cheap and cheerful.
It's the perfect time of year to head over to this comforting little kafe just off Old Street, order some meatballs and remember why the cold months are actually quite lovely whilst you're sitting in a woolly jumper and cradling a cup of tea. The owners have created a menu of ethically sourced and beautifully thought-through food, including the famous Swedish meatballs but also stews and Swedish Cakes! They also own the cafe a few doors down, Summer with Monika, which boasts a Swedish deli as well as the best range of dairy free iced coffees you'll find in London!
Cozy place with friendly staff and very good veg options. I was tempted by the sweet potato and coconut milk soup today but the wonderfully hot weather steered me toward the field mushroom, pepper and goat cheese burger (sans buns) with sweet potato fries for 7.5 quid and the butternut squash salad with goat cheese and hazelnuts for 7 quid. Both options are quite tasty. There is also a glass case filled with yummy-sounding sammy options as well as pastries and sweets such as a beetroot and chocolate cake and Swedish chocolate balls. I would defo be a regular here if I lived closer.
A great gang run this small out of the cafe located in the Hoxton/Shoreditch area. It's close enough to the tube stations and high streets to be worth going out of the way for, but also deep enough into 'native' territory to keep its local community vibe. The people in here and close knit, almost like family, except what they have in common is delicious coffee and a love of breakfasting. As I understand it, some people go there just for the staff alone. The maple syrup-cinnamon- banana-blueberry oatmeal was absolutely as good as it sounds and looks, perfectly filling but not decadent. That breakfast item, and a soya latte, cost £6.20. Some places get carried away in the quest for increasingly complex topping combinations. Not here, though. Some might say that Curious Yellow Kafe's porridge juuuust right...
Curious Yellow Kafe is such a cute little hidden gem, just a stone throw away from the busy part of Hoxton and Shoreditch. It's not pretentious, very chilled out and great food and drinks. Definitely the perfect place to catch up with friends or hide away for a morning of freelancing or reading.
