What it's like to eat at London's highest rated restaurant on TripAdvisor
Forget about edgy, 'instagrammable' food, tradition is now trendy
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Your support makes all the difference.Despite the London food scene now being considered one of the best in the world, with Michelin-star restaurants rubbing shoulders with cutting edge eateries, a simple café has emerged as the best in the capital.
The Lounge Café has been revealed as the number one restaurant in London according to TripAdvisor. So we went to see what all the fuss was about.
Given its high ranking, I walked along Wembley looking for an edgy, ‘Instagrammable’ café. When I arrived, the place’s façade surprised me. The café shares the Welford Centre building with a community centre and a clinic.
The café’s homely atmosphere and good food have brought a wave of tourists to the eatery since it was named best breakfast in Wembley and now best restaurant in London.
As soon as I walked in, co-owner Zina gave me a kind, honest smile. “Give me a shout when you know what you want,” she said.
The café takes up a corner of the spacious lounge which Zina and Maria have decorated and personalised. Two businessmen sipped coffee on the wooden, shared tables that stretch through the room and a group of girls sat on turquoise sofas during what looked like a breakfast and gossip reunion.
The menu was straightforward, written on a giant chalkboard. Ingredients are simple, and it makes a change from having to Google the exotic components of dishes.
For only £3.95 or £4.95 for a large, the Lounge Café offers a full English breakfast, their most acclaimed dish. They also serve a breakfast burrito with eggs and tomato salsa (£4.50), scrambled eggs with smoked salmon (£5.50) and a classic: sausage or bacon roll (£2.50).
Lunch specials were quorn balls and tomato sauce, chicken curry and chilli con carne. However, to make you feel at home, the owners are open to fussy diners. A sign on the wall reads: “Have a fancy for something not on the menu? Just ask!”
They have vegetarian options too. As the sign says, you just have to ask.
I peeped through the till, where I could see the inside of Zina and Maria’s kitchen. I ordered a cappuccino and a full English, embracing the traditional spirit. She sent me back to my table, where I felt like I was waiting for my mum’s breakfast.
I observed the café and waited for my food as I kept asking myself what made this place the best restaurant in London. A regular client suddenly popped in and ordered a coffee. Zina playfully said “white, two sugars!” as they laughed. They did not seem like customer and owner, they all called each other by their names and greeted each other like old friends. As the word ‘fancy’ left my mind, ‘authenticity’ came up, something increasingly hard to find in London, where we always bump into the same food chains.
My coffee was brought immediately, sweet by nature and generous in size. I sipped the warming beverage as I looked through the children’s drawings that had been proudly hung on the wall. It was like being in someone’s family kitchen. One of the drawings read: “Thank you for letting us visit – it was so fun today”.
The customers, tourists or locals, clearly embraced the café’s homely spirit as they brought their empties to the counter to help the staff out. There were fresh pink carnations on the tables which I suspect the owners had picked and set out themselves.
Food arrived on a large plate, filled with a generous meal that smelled like home. It was served as one’s mum would. The point was not to be photogenic, but to be tasty. Two crunchy pieces of toast smothered in butter, a sausage and crispy bacon, one fried egg and an overflowing pool of beans. No big twist on the traditional breakfast, just simple, good quality ingredients. Delicious, fresh and cheap, you cannot really ask for more.
Zina told me about people’s reactions to their recent ranking whilst Maria cooked lunch behind her. She exclaimed: “Yesterday and this morning have been insane!” But whilst she ranted about how they will need to re-staff, a proud smile shone through.
She has been working in a community space for six years and Maria organises cookery classes at the café teaching people how to eat well on a low budget. They said “it’s nice to get acknowledgement.”
Our conversation was interrupted nearly every minute by the phone ringing with interest. Zina frantically added names and times to a long list of reservations.
“They’re even pre-ordering now!” said Maria, shocked.
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