Obviously just opened. The café was Sweet and Eclectic, staff and owner were very attentive. Food was eclectic mix of middle eastern, French and British. A perfect combination to go with thier excellent coffee.
Ellen Y.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Durham, NC
Had a great experience here on a rainy day in London. Amanda, the manager of the shop was very sweet and upon finding out that we were from America immediately told us of places to go and also gave us some yummy brownie bites! The atmosphere is great and peaceful and everything that she does for the community is so kind and genuine. Will definitely be returning here this semester!
R J.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 London, United Kingdom
The only reason I’m not removing this review is because it’s a fantastic ethical business and deserves to succeed, and I wish to do whatever I can to help. — — — – I’d been having a pretty shitty week. One thing after another. Having endured the latest setback, I was dragging myself towards the tube when I thought«Sod this. All I want to do is inhale cake before I collapse in a heap on the pavement». A quick peruse of the Unilocal app brought up Coffee, Cake & Kisses. With such a name, I feared an excess of twee and only intended to grab a takeaway; but on arrival I discovered a welcoming but airy, modern interior, more kitchen than café. The two staff were sat having a chat at one of the tables as I poked my head in, and I wondered whether I’d found the right place. But they immediately leapt to attention and were so friendly and enthusiastic that I changed my mind and decided to stick around. And that was the best decision I’d made all day. The main space is flexible, with movable central islands which are designed to fit wheelchairs underneath. Such a feature shouldn’t be unusual, but in this old, crumbly city, it is, and that in itself makes this place special. But more than that, what I really appreciated was how the careful inclusiveness wasn’t in-your-face or smug, just thoughtfully implemented throughout. It wasn’t loudly touted as a «disabled-friendly café» or something awful like that, it just subtly. .. was. Such touches are representative of the café’s general ethos. The lack of a traditional counter or obvious place to order removes the barrier — both mental and physical — between staff and customer, and allows for a far friendlier and more peaceful environment. Low-key flyers on the tables advertised evening events, organised by third parties and mostly sharing a theme of sex-positivity. From LGBT+ Q&As to poetry readings, all were clearly aimed at promoting genuine, sociable interaction. But is it necessary to be a do-gooding social crusader for one to enjoy their visit to Coffee Cake & Kisses? Thankfully, no. In and of itself, this is a great café. Most impressively, their two grinders stock both Monmouth arabica and Black Sheep’s more caffeine-heavy robusta beans. To the best of my knowledge, not even the snobbiest of hipster coffee shops offer a choice between the two. And the finished products? Delicious. Although CC&K don’t really market themselves as a particularly artisan brand, they should be considered amongst their highly-regarded contemporaries. Great pastries and cakes too. Try the fruit bread for breakfast! I had a lovely chat with the two staff members there on my first visit, Amanda and Linton. Both were entirely committed to the café and took obvious pride in their work. Amanda explained that they aimed to provide an affordable evening meeting location for marginalised groups who would otherwise be pushed to the edges of this overpriced and unfriendly city. I was so impressed at this all-encompassing attitude of inclusiveness, the absolute genuineness of the whole experience. I can’t express just how much I support this endeavour, and I left feeling infinitely happier about the state of the world, and generally buoyed by positivity. In fact I’d got so distracted by our conversation that it wasn’t until I arrived home and started telling my boyfriend about it that I realised to my horror I’d managed to leave without actually paying. Of all the places to accidentally defraud! So the next day I made a specific detour to return and hand over my money, whereupon I obviously had to try the Black Sheep as well, which was every bit as good as the Monmouth and gave me the necessary boost to cycle home. At face value this isn’t the quirkily-decorated café of my glittery bejewelled dreams, but the comparatively neutral décor allows it to be a multi-function venue. And in ethos and practice it is everything I could possibly hope for from a business. Ethical, moral, considerate, well-intentioned and admirably executed. London is a difficult city to succeed in at the best of times; so to create an actively ethical business which comfortably sits alongside its contemporaries in terms of quality is nothing short of astonishing. Other businesses should take note from Coffee Cake & Kisses and I sincerely wish them all the best. If any café deserves to succeed, it’s this one.
Tobin B.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 Kentish Town, London, United Kingdom
The food is exquisite, the coffee rich and strong– but more importantly, this is a place offering a community-supportive feel to all who may need it. The staff is really lovely and incredibly welcoming and the space is buzzy and full of light– both actual and metaphorical. I have a weekly meeting here and I always leave rejuvenated and satisfied.
Ray C.
Évaluation du lieu : 5 London, United Kingdom
It’s no wonder so many people supported the kickstarter to get this place off the ground; many live in London because of its culture, its openness and the opportunities you have being a resident of this wonderful city. In this respect I’m so happy that CCK has finally found itself a new home! Not only are they providing fantastic homemade cakes and serving fantastic coffee, they also provide a wonderful sex positive space that welcomes and supports all genders, ages, sexualities and orientations. And they do it so well — The open space is fantastic to sit back and have a relaxing break, lunch or tea — I personally think the cakes are absolutely amazing — and they also offer some yummy, fresh, and tasty lunch options and the coffee is top notch. … but they also provide a flexible meeting space for open talks, discussions and classes, covering a range of topics relating to spirituality, communication and sexuality. As both a coffee shop/café and also as facilitators of such a great friendly and welcoming space that celebrates diversity, they excel — and that they exist is one of the reasons I love this city so much!
Eric N.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 London, United Kingdom
I came to this place last nite with a few friends to play Chinese games. This is actually a change of venue for us from the usual spot so I was quite skeptical as to the new location in the beginning. However, much of that was lost as soon as we begun to sat down as we discovered the venue was warm and very friendly. The area is quite small but there are two large tables which can interconnect with each other creating one large gaming area. My only concern towards the end of the day was that we couldn’t play some smaller card games because there weren’t enough small tables — e.g. whilst we had Mahjong(麻將) on one side and San Guo Sha(三國殺), some of us couldn’t play Monopoly Deal because of the awkward large tables. However, given this, the staff were very friendly and took some pictures of us which is a good sign that they know we’re having a good time. I didn’t order any food but from what my friend told me the vegetable pasty(see the pictures) was delicious and whilst upon first eating it was, «nothing special», it gradually«tastes better as you keep eating, actually». I ordered a regular cappuccino instead which was £2.80. It’s a good cup of coffee but I’d say it’s a bit pricey given that the same thing(large) in Café Nero is £2.70 and £2.65 in Costa. For the record, it costs £2.95 in Starbucks(which is no surprise for a company who doesn’t even pay their taxes). Note that these prices are accurate as of May 2015 but I don’t believe they have changed since. Another thing to note is that the café is noted for promoting sexuality so great bonus points for being bold and making a statement(this is the«kisses» part). There are books actually in the café on the topic so you can even read up on this interesting topic whilst you sit in with your food and drink. Overall, great venue, lively atmosphere and we certainly shall be coming back again. Thank you again to the staff for being wonderful hosts. There were a few mix ups(barista’s not remembering who order which drink/food etc) but these were sorted out quickly and was not a big issue.
Alex S.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 London, United Kingdom
Aw, who wouldn’t love an open plan kitchen for your snacks or lunch or coffees or desserts or what have you. This is a crowdfunded little shop that instantly feels like home(mostly because it looks like a kitchen). There are a few tiny tables around the sides and bigger counter-top tables in the middle. I was greeted warmly as I came in, which I liked a lot. In fact, this whole place feels warm. They even sell little cards if you want to take that warmth with you and give it to other people. Is it too cute? Maybe, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it.
Grant T.
Évaluation du lieu : 4 Enfield, United Kingdom
I passed by Coffee Cake & Kisses several times while it was being built. I’m a huge coffee fan, so I was intrigued to see what would be in this new coffee shop that was opening up nearby. Finally, I noticed that they were open, with some tantalizing baked goods in the window, so I knew I was going to have to stop by and give it a try. So I quickly stopped in on my way to work and grabbed a slice of quiche for take away. It was a really good quiche. The filling was nice and packed full of vegetables. It’s a filo crust though, and I think it could be done a lot better with a real pastry crust instead of filo pastry. But that’s just my preference. The other baked goods looked great too, including the massive chorizo triangle(which I will have to go back and try). The staff is really friendly too. I was greeted warmly when I walked in, and the woman was more than happy to wrap up my quiche to go. The venue is small, but welcoming, and I’ll have to come back sometime to try some coffee and something sweet.