Cafe Express - Waltham Forest

The food tastes okay, with a good variety of options. It's a convenient spot for brunch and breakfast. The restaurant is small but charming. Overall, it's not bad for a casual meal.

It was the second time today I went to this cafe because I was pleased the first time I went there although today was a busy day as always is on Saturdays. This place is near the high road and after a day of shopping I fancied to have a vegetarian breakfast. From my experience in London usually in this type of cafes work Turkish and Polish people, they are only friendly to those white Britons who have the same English breakfast every Saturday. The lady brought the breakfast to my table and she put me a note on the table for £5.50 attached to the dish like telling me: in case you don 't know . I am aware in some other places they leave the note from the very beginning however in this cafe I was the only customer with the note, I looked around at the other people and Ii saw none else had a note. I found it discriminatory and I told the waitress, she gave me lame excuses and I felt bullied and embarrassed. I rushed the lunch and I left the coffee untouchable, at the time I went to the till to pay for my food I showed a £10 note and the guy said with a not nice tone where is your ticket , tired of being bullied I replied it 's £5.50, I took my things and I left after I told them it would be the last time I go to that awful place. If I want a nice breakfast and to be treated in a gentle and nice way I just need to go to Central London to a cleaner and more fashionable places, it 's plenty of them. The place is filthy and even the waitress didn 't bother to clean my table, she did it for the old Britons. Very equal yes Sir, this is what I call democracy.

I would strongly recommend avoiding this restaurant at all costs. The staff is incredibly rude and clearly unhappy to be working there. My coffee was lukewarm and served with milk, despite my milk intolerance. When I tried to return it, the waitress insisted that milky coffee was the only option available. To make matters worse, I was informed at the end of my meal that they only accept cash payments, with no prior warning. The waitress was dismissive and told me to use the ATM on the main street. I will never return to this restaurant again.

I stopped by Cafe Express for a midday break and was immediately impressed by the warm and friendly Turkish-Cypriot family who run the restaurant. I opted for a full English breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausage, and beans, which was both filling and delicious at a fair price. The attentive service, including a friendly employee checking in on us and engaging in conversation, added to my positive experience. The clean restroom upstairs was a nice touch, and overall, the food was great and the service excellent. I only wish I had the chance to visit more often, as the staff were truly delightful.