Coffee Cake

The kitchen here is good — and that usually makes me give a place five stars.
I had an acceptable moroccoan lamb and my companion’s smoked salmon and eggs were beautifully done.
Coffees are good — which they need to be to compete in coffee mad Crouch End.
***
So what is the downside?
The room — and the concept.
The place looks like it was decorated by Martha Stewart — and for Martha Stewart.
Very cutesy patootsey.
Big space consuming uncomforable wrought iron chairs, baskets of vegetables splayed out for decorating, frou frou on the walls etc.
There is so much cutie-​pie muck muck filling up space — that tables actually don’t give you a lot of space to sit.
You either sit right in an open doorway or you are packed between twelve arts-​and-​crafts– projects in a wrought iron chair that does not fit into its artificially contained space.
Other irritating factor — the menu does not tell you what they have.
You have to go outside the restaurant and look in the window to see what today’s pastries are.
Some items on the menu are on the door only but not on the menu — so you also have to step outside for that.
Pieces of paper that tell you what todays specials and baked goods are not that difficult to make.
Plus — the open kitchen single room concept (which was done out of a sense of Martha Stewart aesthetics) means that all of the business of the restaurant goes on while you eat.
So I got to watch the owner/​chef chase away an unsavory visitor who had come to see him about something else —
and watch him have two arguments over the phone with people who were hassling him over some third piece of business.
There is a reason that kitchens are closed off from dining rooms —
In a private kitchen, the staff can do what they have to do without inviting all the customers into their private lives.
So even though the food is perfectly fine at Coffee Cake —
the place is just too irritating and distracting to make me want to spend my money there.

Just fantastic. The food and service are both incredible, from amazing savouries to incredible cakes. The best café ever. Simples!

We ate cake and pancakes like animals until we felt sick. We regret nothing and greedily bought more cakes to take home. Great atmosphere, beautiful, slightly surreal. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would dine again

Let me tell you a little story: The other day I was chatting with a friend about this particular café that opened in Archway some time last year. Although it has a really nice atmosphere inside, the staff is a little stiff in terms of their manners and this lack of friendliness in turn makes me not really want to patronise this business as much. Well, my friend then mentioned that he and his wife had been to a place called «Coffee Cake» in Crouch End and that they were much impressed by the friendliness of the owner.
And so I went on a little pilgrimage to find out more about this rare species called «the friendly business owner». When I entered the café, I immediately liked what I saw: a wide selection of home-​made sweets, such as cakes, pastries, breads and colorful meringues… as well as delicious-​looking salads and savory treats like quiches and gallettes. With so much choice at hand, I seriously needed help to make a decision… and there he was: the friendly business owner! He walked me through the selection and eventually I settled for the pepper-​quiche with a selection of salads on the side. («I’ll put something nice together for you», he said.)
And let me tell you: it seriously was delicious. I especially liked the Algerian couscous salad, but the quiche was also very tasty. In fact, the salads remind very much of the ones that you can get at Ottolenghi — both in terms of their bright colours and their deep flavours.
Last but not least, I’d like to ask you this: when was the last time you left a shop and the owner waves you good-​bye saying «Good seeing you»? — For me it was when I left Coffee Cake this afternoon…

This is my favorite coffee shop and bakery in North London. As wellas fantastic cakes they also have a great menu of meals ranging from breakfasts to light lunches. I have to say that the shop frontage belies the true magnificence of the food they make here, which is so spectacular that passersby often stop to admire the wares through the window.
The staff and indeed the owner are all very friendly and helpful and make it a pleasure to eat here.

Delicious, creative food with fresh ingredients. Delicious desserts and good coffee. All at decent prices in a friendly atmosphere. One of my favorite places in London and the home of my favorite salad in the UK (peaches and butternut squash are just a couple of the ingredients). Also try the sweet potato with tahini and the couscous with lox! For dessert, Rachel’s favorite chocolate cake.

Great food at a really excellent (read cheap) price and best of all is that the owners are all very friendly so it is a great place for a relaxed meal. The only downside I experience when eating there is a tendency to eat too much because I am constantly confronted with the amazing cakes on display. I really didn’t want to recommend this restaurant in case too many others discover my favorite eating place.