The Waiting Room

I want to move to Deptford so I can become a regular

The Waiting Room is cool, really cool. Deptford is a great location, with cute shops and restaurants all around. My wife and I went to the Waiting Room for lunch, and I am amazed at how cheap it was. We’re used to paying at least £30 for both of us, and we got about 4 different items (VLT, faux fish sandwich, BBQ something, etc.) and a beer for around £13. I thought the food was really good, and the staff were chill and nice. I’ll definitely go back when I’m in the area. The only issue was that I think they may have accidentally used some dairy products in some of the food, because I got some bad stomach pains after eating. I saw them write vegan on my ticket, so I might have been imagining it. Thanks again, and I’m sure we’ll be back! :)

My first time in Deptford, came for a tour around the galleries and open artist studios. The Waiting Room was the perfect stopover to recharge my batteries with a great cappuccino and delicious sticky peacan bar. They live up (or down) to their name though, the queues are impressive and move slowly — but there’s so much to admire while you’re waiting, it’s almost enjoyable. Showing my age again here, but The Waiting Room feels like my favourite hangouts used to look like in the 80’s — we didn’t have such great choices of vegan food in those days, though. Plotting my next trip down South already.

Let’s be simple. This is perfect for the vegetarians + vegans of SE London. More spots should be available to us like this.
The décor is not in line with my preferred minimal aesthetic or anything like that, but who cares? A cramped, cluttered little place with personality — super friendly staff, no pretension and a vegan option for nearly every meal/​snack. The food is what you come for and it’s great.
Super tasty, great price. Honestly? ’nuff said. Hand over your brass and enjoy some delicious vegan breakfast or lunch foods!

When I wandered into this fascinating little café today with a friend, I had no idea of three things: 1. that the prices were horrendously low (90p for a cup of good quality tea in London is absolutely insane), 2. that there could be so many quirky things in the space of one tiny little coffee shop, and 3. that it was vegetarian, which rather surprised me — I ordered a sausage roll not realising and, despite cottoning on halfway through that I was actually eating a veggie sausage instead of a meaty one, it was delicious in and of itself. I’m a bit of a carnivore, and so for me to say that this particular type of veggie food was better than most meaty things I’ve eaten in cafés is testament to the quality of the food. Also, they serve ‘bumbleberry’ juice — what an amusing name for mixed berries! I also tried a nibble of my friend’s cake, and it was tasty, but not quite as fabulous as everything else.
I’d love to give this place 4.5 stars, but alas, Unilocal has forced me into a corner! So a valiant 4 stars it is!

The café’ is located in a vibrant street. With a lovely coffee on the street seats you will feel relaxed and can have a nice time with no more than two friends because the seats are limited outside. The interior is great with the posters and the books. The late’ is tasty. Also, the tenders are lovely. All over, it’s a good time to spend.

There is a theory I have that this is the best café in the world.
Drinks are great, cakes are great. There is nothing wrong with this place. The menu is outstanding, with a great choice, super low prices and always prepared with love and care that I didn’t think possible in the kitchen of their size.
Try the hotdogs, the bagels, and the smoothies. They are all great and you can get all three for a tenner, although you won’t be able to move afterwards.
The staff are simply great and the contemptful messaging throughout the café makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. There is a book swap shelf which always has some great tat and some good books too, and there are millions of flyers and noticeboards from Goldsmiths students who have descended up their rear.
It’s perfect.
The only downside to this place is that it is TINY. But then hopefully that’ll keep all the more rubbish people out for years to come. If you are rubbish and reading this review please don’t go.

A thankful find where least expected. The vintage vegetarian fairy has tinged the fringes of central-​south east London with a wave of her brown sugar agave stirring wand and poof in a cloud of Rollie cigarette smoke across the road from Deptford station –next to a lovely vintage clothes shop I found home baked uncovered cakes and Vegetarian delights galore. They serve really great coffee and everything is really reasonably priced too.
This place has a quirky library and seems to herald notices of what’s going on in the creative community much ado with the local and lovey Albany theatre too.

Quality coffee and some very nice people behind he counter. I loved my breakfast here and would definitely go back for some more the next weekend. I like cozy little coffee shops and this one falls right into that category.

The place is not that spacious bu definitely has its charm and atmosphere. The coffee and cakes are delicious and it would be a shame if you missed it without knowing how nice it was.

This place is one of the funkiest coffee shops I’ve seen in London. Toally tucked away on the middle of Deptford High Street, it would be easy to miss. So glad I didn’t. Its so nice to go to a cool coffee shop/​café, thats actaully got some fXXXXXing character, you know? Its got cool posters up and nice looking cakes and a real hippy vibe! The hot chocolate was nice too!

Popped in to grab a cake and coffee post a swim at the local pool. Good coffee and nice atmosphere I could happily have sat and looked through the interesting book collection if we weren’t dashing to get a train home. This is a small space with some pavement seating. It will give The Deptford Project some competition and is a real welcome addition to the high street.

I’m not too sad that The Deptford Project Café was closed today when I strolled by. If it hadn’t been, then I’m sure I would’ve missed this place entirely. Well, the coffee shop is quite close to a tattoo parlor I’ve been meaning to check out (same owners, actually), so I probably would have seen it, but not gone in and had a coffee.
What I really dug about this small place (sofa on one wall; bar stools and counter on the other; one outside table) is that there’s an informal ‘lending library’ of books along the bar counter where one is encouraged to take a book, so long as one brings a book the next time ’round for others to enjoy. –Brautiganesque type set-​up, if I do say so myself. I LOVE it.
There’s also a ton of local art and music flyers at the front of the café for one’s pleasure. It just let’s people know that there is indeed good shit happening in this part of town and I’m glad for it.
Being in the shop, I felt a bit transported back the Bay Area ca. 1990 to the coffee shops of my youth that dotted parts of SF, Berkeley, and Oakland. One main difference, though, is that instead of being able to order a latte served piping hot in a pint glass wrapped in napkins that you HAD to put sugar in (super bitter brew) one can order a dainty flat white replete with foam art. Ahh!
The flat white isn’t made by a Kiwi, but it’s very drinkable and the vibe at the coffee shop is friendly. If you’re in the ‘hood, then The Waiting Room is really worth a visit.
Tiny ‘ps’: TWR is categorised as a ‘bar’, but I assure you it isn’t. –just caffeine and nibbles, thanks!