Rate My Bistro

I have walked past this cafe every day for months, and never gave it a second look until now.  Maybe it’s because secretly I’m a snob, or maybe it’s because I have a tendancy to judge a cafe based on it’s neighbourhood.  Whatever my reasons for not trying this cafe before today, I’ve learnt these two valuable lessons…one, never judge a cafe by it’s neighbourhood and two, stop being such a snob!

From the outside it really doesn’t look like much, but this probably has to do more with the area than the cafe itself.  Once inside though, it’s a completely different story.  The cafe is very clean and stylish, with both indoor and outdoor seeting.  There’s also a small lounge area with sofas.  A great deal of effort has obviously gone into the decor.

When it comes to choice, the Hamlet menu tops the bill.  Whether you simply fancy a light snack, tasty salad or a builders lunch, the menu has it all.  But this is me remember, so  I ordered burger and chips!!

The staff at Hamlet Cafe are extremely friendly and I didn’t feel pressured into placing my order, though it did take me a while.

Excellent selection of food and beverages, brilliant atmosphere and great staff.  If you ever find yourself passing by Hornsey Road, I highly recommend that you take a break at Hamlet Cafe.

Hamlet Cafe, 437 Hornsey Road, Islington, London, N19 4DU

Our Rating:

This is a nice enough cafe next door to the Sadlers Wells Theatre. At first, it looks like they only have a few of the high metal tables and chairs by the counter. But at the back, it opens out into the garden court area. This is indoors and is very light and airy.

The Stage Door Cafe prepares fresh sandwiches and then they are wrapped and displayed in the fridge. The ham and mustard wholegrain sandwich was good, although a little pricey. They also have a range of hot food such as jacket potatoes, pasta dishes, bakes and soup. These are all self service and are in open trays on the hot plate.

I was going to have the cauliflower soup but then when I lifted the lid of the soup container, the soup looked stale as if it had been sitting there all day. They had a range of cakes and brownies too.

The latte was nice and they do flavoured coffees too. The cafe also serves teas and hot chocolate.

A good place to come to relax before a show or even if you just want a quiet place to have a drink and a bite to eat. The cafe does get busy before a show performance.

Stage Door Cafe and Bar, Sadlers Wells Theatre, Rosebery Avenue, London, EC1R 4TN 

Our Rating: