Elm Grove Cafe

I find the food of reasonable quality. But the staff attitude leaves a lot to be desired. I have used this café many times and my drivers and staff also used to use this café until today, i was torn of a strip because i tried to order a breakfast and when i asked the girl behind the counter to repeat what she had said as i started to make my order, i got torn off a strip for making her feel like a dumb foreigner, i am limited on hearing anyway and did not hear what she had said, i started my order again differently as i thought she was asking me if i wanted a drink, so i asked her for a cup of tea, she replied is that all you want just tea and bacon, i said no i had not actually managed to finish the order as she had said something, i was unsure what she had said, beware!!!, this is not good for customers and i will not be returning, i even left the café very upset due to her attitude and didnt have my breakfast which i had paid for, i was not going to sit there feeling embarrassed in front of other customers due to not hearing or understanding what she had said to me. I run an airport taxi company and nearly all my customers are foreigners, so i do not feel anyone is a dumb foreigner, thats how i make my living, and i usually find them very polite and pleasant and interesting. This was a bad experience for me and i suppose there is always going to be one bad apple who had a bad morning.

As I sit solitarily looking at my unwashed mug of tea, with the only other patron constantly talking at, laughing to then agreeing with himself, I thought this is the sort of charm that is lost by so many health conscious rule sticklers. This is why no-​one has an affective immune system anymore, let your children eat soil, they’ll be fine. But at £2.40 for my before mentioned builders tea and fried egg sandwich, brilliantly cheap. This isn’t my first visit to the Elm Grove Café and it’s always been rather busy, with English breakfasts being served to almost every table. Today however, possibly due to the snow-​plagued streets, it’s just me and the guy talking to his plate.

This café offers all the traditional greasy spoon options you could ask for and plenty more options on top. The menue is made up of a few set meals which do make it easier to make your mind up when you are in a ravenous mood.
My personal favourite is number 5 on the menu which gives you the works for under £5 which is cheap as chips!
The café itself is open and airy so you do not fill squashed in which is normally the feel elsewhere and the staff are always willing to help even if the task is minor. I live in this area and have a few options to choose from when having my full english but this is my preferred place to go.

Don’t be put off by the faux chalet interior, neon star signs and dubious looking menus loitering on the walls (bacon pudding anyone?). This is a great place for a satisfying greasy spoon fry-​up. You can choose by set menu– I went for Option 3 (tea, eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, chips). The service is simple and quick– easy for those with a sore head, although the hill to reach it maybe an obstacle. Its unlikely that the quality of the food is on par with the ethical/​organic/​local/​save the world produce of many of the Brighton establishments, but if you’re looking for cheap, cheerful and filling this café ticks the right boxes.