Vegan
Pizza
Take-out
British
Fusion
Breakfast
A social enterprise of St. Margaret's House. The cafe's menu became all-vegan in 2017, offering breakfast plates, coffee and juices, burgers, sandwiches, pancakes, and pizza. Hosts a range of programs and live events. Confirmed fully vegan March 2022. Open Mon-Sun 08:30-18:00. Last orders 4pm. Hours may vary on evenings events are hosted - check website.
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21 Old Ford Rd, Bethnal Green, East London, England, E2 9PL
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- Outdoor seating
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 29 Feb 2024 by CommsSMH
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137 Reviews
First Review by Jemima
Gilraen
Points +251
Cute cafe - Edit
I love swinging by this place if I’m in the area. Food is lovely, lots of exciting choices, and really good coffee.
Read morePros: So many seasonal options
Guest
Susanalk
Points +102
Worst Vegan breakfast - Edit
I can’t rate 1 star!
Read moreMe and partner had a vegan breakfast to share (so glad we didn’t order two portions) IT WAS APPALING. Burned sausages, tasteless tofu, bitter baked beans, stale potatoes, they even managed to ruin the mushrooms.
No to even mention the green juice, it tasted fine, but god knows when was it made.
The only thing that saves this venue is the garden!
Pros: The garden
Cons: Expensive , Bad FOOD
Guest
jamesthomsonn
Points +680
The art in this gallery is the food😉 - Edit
Beautiful vegan establishment. Lovely spacious garden. Entirely vegan & plenty of options for food, snacks & drinks.
Read morePros: All vegan , Delicious , Spacious
Guest
Happycolour
Points +228
Vegan cafe with chilled vibes! - Edit
Visited a long time ago when was in the area. Very chilled cafe perfect to relax in with a drink and sweet treat! Spacious - likely to find seating. One to try!
Read moreGuest
FatCow
Points +578
Disappointing - Edit
Place was not too busy but by 5.30 food on display nearly ran out. We had one chocolate ball and a "donought", the only things left. They were both dry and poorly made. Everything was ridiculously expensive. Cafe is nice with a lovely conservatory.
Read morePros: Ambience
Cons: Bad food , Very expensive , Unappealing staff
JenniferRichards
Hi there, thank you for your feedback. We can get busy and run out of some dishes, which will always be clearly labelled. If there is an issue with anything you buy, please do talk to our staff, and they'll be happy to offer you something else. We appreciate your feedback on the price and, to reflect our ethos as being a non-profit community cafe, we recently reduced our prices so no main dishes are now over £10. We hope you'll give us another chance.
Read moreGuest
SzabóBernadett
Points +177
Full english breakfast, great hospitality - Edit
Lovely and cosy place with a wide range of pastries , coffees and hot food. They also have a terrace and a conservatory. Free filtered water is also available. You must try a full english breakfast and the croissant.
Read morePros: Everything is vegan , delicious food , wide range of options
Cons: A bit expensive
JenniferRichards
Hi Szabó, we're glad you enjoyed your breakfast, and our outside space! We're looking forward to opening up our garden as the weather gets warmer. We hope to see you again soon!
Read moreGuest
Rafaellamia
Points +65
Good food, beautiful setting - Edit
The food was good, and fairly reasonable considering the big portions. The best part though was the gorgeous setting. Lovely for a coffee and cake whilst reading a book.
Read moreJenniferRichards
Hi there, we're glad you love the setting as much as we do! We're looking forward to the summer months when we'll open up our garden again. We hope you'll be back soon.
Read moreGuest
MadM
Points +167
Breakfast - Edit
I had the bowl with nuts and seeds. It didn’t look much but it’s pretty stuffing. Americano was the best I tried for quiet a while. Compared to Cologne prices are a bit tough but I guess that’s London style :-D
Read moreThe English breakfast and the pancakes looked great as well - will definitely be back.
JenniferRichards
Hi there, it's great to hear you enjoyed our breakfast and the Americano! We'd love to see you again soon for the English breakfast and pancakes - they're the perfect Brunch!
Read moreGuest
ClaireLouiseFoster
Points +88
Nice staff - Edit
Saw this place on happy cow and didn't have any expectations whatsoever... ordered a burger with no bun, was surprised to see that the burger was deep fried and tasteless, real let down 😒the curry chips my partner ordered were tasty for him... still searching for a good burger in London
Read morePros: Nice venue
Cons: Need a clear menu and perhaps revision of items
JenniferRichards
Hi Claire, thank you for your feedback. We're sorry to hear you didn't enjoy the burger - it's been one of our dishes we've been serving the longest - but we're updating our menu soon for Autumn/Winter, so will keep your comments in mind. Hopefully you'll give us another chance and try one of our other mains, or changing daily specials.
Read moreGuest
ClareLouise
Points +319
Not so great.... - Edit
Came here on a Monday morning and it wasn’t very busy but despite staff standing around they don’t bring your drinks to you. Ordered a full breakfast and pancakes but my partner had finished his by the time mine arrived. Another couple who arrived just after us had ordered the same and received their food before me. Food was just ok but was not impressed at all by the service and won’t be back.
Read moreJenniferRichards
Hi Clare, thank you for your feedback. We do offer counter service for drinks, which is why they are not brought out to you, and our staff explain this when you order your drink. We apologise for the wait time, please do always speak to our staff if your food has been delayed - we hope you'll give us another chance.
Read moreGuest
jordanelliott
Points +303
Cute cafe but a little disappointing - Edit
Maybe I had too high expectations for this place but the full English breakfast which was recommended by multiple please was really disappointing, i would definitely not order this again as it was massively lacking flavour.
Read moreOn the other hand, juices, coffees and sweet treats we had were really nice!
Pros: Outdoor seating , 100% vegan, Nice juices and desserts
Cons: Overrated , Really busy on weekends
JenniferRichards
Hi Jordan,
Read moreWe're sorry to hear you didn't enjoy the English Breakfast, but we offer a wide range of things so hopefully they'll be something for everyone (we recommend the pancakes!)
And it's great to hear you enjoyed the other items we had available, hope to see you again soon.
Thank you!
Guest
KathiB
Points +20
Perfekt zum Brunchen - Edit
War zum Brunch dort und war absolut begeistert. Egal ob süß oder herzhaft (full british breakfast vegan), es ist für jeden etwas dabei! Leckere Kuchen und Desserts gibt es auch, dazu frisch gepresste Säfte.
Read moreWerde während meines Urlaubs definitiv nochmal hingehen :-)
Pros: Komplett vegan
Cons: -
Guest
LolaSutton
Points +31
Vegan heaven! - Edit
Delicious food and drinks, great sweet treats and don't miss the English breakfast!
Read moreJenniferRichards
Thank you Lola, hope to see you again soon!
Read moreGuest
ashleynt646
Points +283
Just OK - Edit
We came here for breakfast on a Friday. We didn’t have to wait long and the food came out fairly quickly. The muesli was good, but we also tried the pancakes and were very disappointed. The pancakes are extremely glue-like in texture, not sweet enough, and the chocolate sauce did nothing to add to the flavor. I probably would not come back here again, just because we were so disappointed with our breakfast and the tables all seemed to be very wobbly. While trying to cut our pancakes, the table wobbled so much my water spilled all over the table. My friend was not impressed with the pancakes and only had a bite or two. Also, I got a green juice and they ran out of greens, so they just added more apple, which I feel like they should have asked or told me about before making the juice.
Read morePros: All vegan, Good prices
Cons: Glue-like pancakes, Very wobbly tables
JenniferRichards
Hi Ashley,
Read moreThank you for your feedback. We're sorry to hear you were disappointed with the pancakes. We do offer a variety of breakfast items, including the muesli you mentioned and also a Full English, so there will hopefully be something for everyone.
Our apologies we didn't notify you about the changes to the juice, this is something our staff typically do, so it may have just been a slip up on a busy Friday. We hope you'll give us another try.
Guest
clionama
Points +542
Warm and homely - Edit
Lovely community cafe. Tried the homemade chili with nachos and a coffee and cake. All delicious comforting wholesome food. Will definitely return!
Read moreJenniferRichards
Hi there,
Read moreWe love getting to support our community with the food we offer and events we run, so it's great to hear you enjoyed your visit here!
Looking forward to seeing you again soon.
Guest
StineRW
Points +77
Lovely space, unfriendly staff - Edit
The food is tasty and space is lovely, as is the community concept, but unfortunately the staff isn’t very nice.
Read morePros: Tasty food, Lovely outdoor area , Great coffee
Cons: Cold staff , Gets noisy and steamy when busy (weekends are)
JenniferRichards
Hi there,
Read moreThank you for your feedback. We're glad you enjoyed the food and the space (excitingly we're launching our Spring menu on 8th April!!) We do apologise for making you feel unwelcome, we are currently in the process of expanding our team and updating the team structure, so you will begin to see the positive benefits of this soon.
We hope to see you in the cafe again to enjoy our new menu!
Guest
Ellieee
Points +16
Warm beer, cold staff. - Edit
I came here for lunch on Wednesday with a friend. The server, a girl with dark short hair, started yawning while I was taking my order and then served me a warm beer. When I asked for a cold one she offered me a glass of ice cause the bottles were all like that. I feel like that's something I should have been told before paying.
Read moreThe food was all right, probably the burger is not their best dish, while the location is lovely.
When me and my friend left, no one replied to our goodbye, even if the place was not busy at all.
I've been here more that an year ago and hoped the service would have been improved, but I was disappointed. The staff was not friendly or helpful at all. I know that London is full of worthy and experienced professionals that would fit this lovely cafe better.
JenniferRichards
Hi Ellie,
Read moreThank you for your feedback. We are always happy to exchange any drinks or food that you are not happy with. Hopefully this situation will not happen again as we have corrected the issue with our fridge, but you are more than welcome to ask our staff to switch your drink if it was not what you were after.
We are sorry to hear that you felt unwelcome, and do apologise for that. We have recently updated our team structure and, with a now expanded team, we are looking forward to seeing these positive changes in the very near future - and we hope you will too.
Guest
VegoChouffe
Points +858
Great breakfast - Edit
Our go-to for breakfast in London. Reasonably priced, casual atmosphere, and great food; different selection of yummy pastries every day. The hot chocolate is homemade and amazing! 💚
Read moreJenniferRichards
Hi there, we're very honoured to be your go-to!! It's lovely to hear you enjoyed our hot chocolate, it's the perfect comforter on these rainy days... Hope to see you again soon.
Read moreGuest
Muuuuu
Points +3230
Packed but lovely - Edit
Also, Don't miss the V and A childhood museum...
Read moreJenniferRichards
Hi there, we're glad you enjoyed your visit to us. We love being so close to the V & A Childhood Museum, they always have something fascinating happening! Hope to see you again soon.
Read moreGuest
Travels_a_lot
Points +221
Very strange - Edit
Staff is occupied with each other. Don‘t greet customers, don’t smile. When they clean the table, they don’t look. It was the weirdest experience. We did feel unwanted. The café is non-profit. The money goes to charity or something like that. That’s what we didn’t quite understand: How can a (good-hearted) café like that be so indifferent to customers?
Read morePros: They donate the money , hot chocolate is good
Cons: I‘m very sorry to say that, but the staff made me, feel very unwelcome , Full English breakfast was too salty
JenniferRichards
Hi there,
Read moreWe apologise for making you feel unwelcome. We have listened to our feedback and have now updated our team structure. With an expanded team, we are looking forward to positive changes in the near future.
We love being a non profit community cafe, and our ethos definitely supports this, so we hope you will come again soon to notice the improvements.
Guest
LillyHooper
Points +338
Don’t go here - Edit
Worst experience with staff. Incredibly rude and don’t give a [censored] about helping you get your food
Read moreJenniferRichards
Hi Lilly,
Read moreWe've listened to our feedback and have now updated our team structure. We are looking forward to positive changes in the near future as we expand our team, and we hope you will visit us again soon to notice the improvements.
Guest
MaijaValimaki
Points +20
Delicious English breakfast - Edit
The cafe is all vegan so there are plenty of options. We came here for breakfast and weren't disappointed. The full English breakfast was about 9 pounds and totally worth the cost. Ingredients used were nice and fresh. Would come back again!
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options
JenniferRichards
Hi Maija,
Read moreThank you for your kind feedback, the full English is one of our most popular dishes, so we're glad you loved it too! Looking forward to seeing you here again soon.
Guest
Ju713t
Points +20
Great little vegan cafe - Edit
We stayed overnight in Bethnal Green last night and needed breakfast so we found this little place on Happy Cow and what a find. So many choices and all really well prepared. We had the full English and pancake stack with peanut butter chocolate and banana. It was all delicious. Service was great and reasonably priced. We will definitely go again and would recommend.
Read morePros: Completely vegan , Great choices , The best turmeric latte ever!
Cons: None!
JenniferRichards
Hi there,
Read moreThank you for your kind words, we hope you had a lovely time in Bethnal Green and it's great to hear you enjoyed your breakfast - the fry up is one of our most popular dishes!
We look forward to seeing you again.
Guest
JudithForward
Points +15
Disappointed - Edit
Went right across London to try this place and was disappointed. Ginger carrot soup tasted nice but was extremely oily. The very thin toasted single slice of sourdough bread already with holes in it was very stingey for a £6:50 meal of bread and soup. Both the female staff present were not at all friendly, not smiling and seeming distracted and disinterested. I was there mid afternoon on a weekday this Tuesday last so no excuse of place being very full or busy. Won’t return or recommend. Was glad at lease that the Childhood Museum was close by to make the trip worthwhile, tho wished i’d eaten in their large cafe instead!
Read morePros: Soup tasted ok tho too thick and too oily.
Cons: Not convivial, Staff unfriendly
JenniferRichards
Hi Judith, thank you for your feedback.
Read moreWe're sorry to hear you found the soup oily, we change our soups daily so we can always offer something different. We also have a curry and pasta speciale each day that are definitely worth trying, particularly in these cold winter months!
Our apologies for not making you feel welcome, we are making progress with this situation and will speak with our staff about this matter.
JudithForward
Thank you for considering my comments. Being gluten intolerant I can’t use pasta as an alternative. The sourdough toast would have been fine if i’d been served a couple of chunky slices, as my local Ealing cafe always provides with its hearty vegan soup for £4:99, i’d have been happier. I suggest your portion sizes increase here to give value for money! Definitely train staff to be welcoming and smile at least, as I notice other customers have complained about this issue as well.
Read moreJenniferRichards
Thank you for your comments regarding portions sizes, customers often find our curries, burger and other dishes to be a hearty size, but we will take on board your comments regarding the soup.
Read moreWe are listening to our reviews regarding staff, and really appreciate this feedback. If you would like to give any further feedback, please get in touch with our Cafe Manager at: cafe.manager@stmargaretshouse.org.uk, so we can help improve your experience. We hope you'll give us another chance.
Guest
Maryrose22
Points +13
Bad Service - Edit
Bad service and chips at £3.95 a portion ! OMG
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2019-01-03
JenniferRichards
Hi Maryrose,
Read moreApologies for not picking up this message in time (please do feel free to DM us on Instagram @the_Gallerycafe for any queries). We don't currently take bookings and lunch times can get a bit busy, but we'd recommend turning up with your party as we'll always try to accommodate when we have the space available.
Maryrose22
Thank you for your reply .. we did turn up but as feared cafe extremely busy and we’d all come long from various locations inc my 80 yr old mum ... there’s was two people sitting on a lively big wooden table taking up whole table while on computers ! We eventually squeezed on a small table until we could get another table to join on but at no point did anyone offer any help we even had to search round for chairs ... the staff bar one girl whom was lovely where extremely unhelpful and actually rude especially one girl whom I opened door for as she was carrying two plates of food without any acknowledgment whatsoever never mind a thank you just ignored me ! So I suggested to her that maybe a thank you would been nice ... the food was good although shocked at price of portion of chips at nearly £8 for two portions ! Is this right as even really expensive restaurants this is ridiculously high !
Read moreJenniferRichards
Hi Maryrose,
Read moreWe do apologise for making you feel unwelcome. On busy days, and with limited staff, sometimes smiles can unfortunately slip, But we are making progress with this situation, with our management team currently looking at solutions to improve your experience, which includes staff training and expanding the team.
We are a community cafe and do try to keep our prices low, so we really appreciate your feedback on this. We are also not-for-profit, meaning our profits go back into supporting the work of the community charity St. Margaret's House.
If you would like to give any further feedback, please get in touch with our Cafe Manager at: cafe.manager@stmargaretshouse.org.uk, so we can help improve your experience. We hope you'll give us another chance.
Guest
MiaAsher
Points +18
Not worth a star rating, would not recommend - Edit
Read moreCoffee is not brought to the table instead a staff member shouts out the drinks - understandable except the cafe was very empty.
Waited for 40 mins for breakfast, it never arrived. Due to a technical issue the kitchen never got the food ticket. It’s a shame not one employee member was attentive enough to notice. After this incident a very unsympathetic apology was given. Although the venue was lovely it’s a shame service was so poor. I would not recommend this cafe.
Cons: Very poor service
JenniferRichards
Hi Mia,
Read moreThank you for your feedback, we appreciate it.
We do run a bar rather than table-service when it comes to the drinks, which is a policy we keep in place even in quieter times.
We apologise for the wait for your food, and we are currently making progress with our staff service by expanding the team and having staff training.
Guest
VeraChok
Points +29
Poor value, undercooked - Edit
Ordered nachos (£9) and Burmese curry. Curry undercooked but portion fine but still pricey. Nachos was TINY and staff checked with chef who said that that’s the portion size. I understand that this place raises money for charity but it’s a pricey cafe with slow service. Staff aren’t very friendly either.
Read morePros: All vegan , Good location
Cons: Slow
JenniferRichards
Hi Vera, thank you for taking your time in leaving this message, it is very important for us to know the feedback from our customers.
Read moreWe do try to keep costs lows as, as you mentioned, we are a not-for-profit community cafe with any profits we do make going back into the charity St. Margaret's House. So we do appreciate your feedback regarding the price, as we want to make sure our cafe remains a community-based one. And we will also take your comments about the portion size on board when we are due for a menu shake up!
Regarding service, we are making progress with this situation and our currently expanding our team, which will help make the service faster. We hope you give us another try!
Guest
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