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Categories: Polish, Coffee & Tea [Edit]
17 Calvert AveLondon E2 7JP
Neighbourhood: Shoreditch
020 7729 9789
- Price Range:
-
££
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Children:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Alcohol:
- None
6 reviews for Leila's Shop
All Reviews
Possibly one of the quaintest cafes in all of the world. Maybe not the whole world, but definitely in all of East London. Located on Arnold Circus, it brings a homely touch to an area that really needs it.
The small shop is packed with nice bits and pieces, that instantly make you feel comfortable. What I particularly like, is the way they have so many kitchen accessories hanging from the roof. Not only does it make you feel like you are in a posh kitchen, it feels like a small, country kitchen, installation art piece.
Ok, what else could this place possibly have going for it? A decent coffee. I still would have come here if they didn't do a good coffee, just as I would hang out in a Grandmother's kitchen and simply drink tea. The point is, it is an amazing place and it does a good coffee, what more could you want.
I first discovered this place about 5 years ago when I went there to get some serious Polish horseradish for a Bloody Mary I was making. Nowadays I go there to get a good coffee. This says something about the character of the place; it is a bit of an oddjob of a shop.
It is little more than a small room with an open kitchen, random selections of gourmet food and polish cuisine on the walls and some tables and chairs thrown in.
The atmosphere is resolutely relaxed and nothing gets to your table too fast and it is always packed. The food is so so but I think that is more due to the limitations of Polish cuisine rather than the shop. However, if you like your Polish sausage and cured meats, this is the place to go. For me the draw is the coffee, as it is great. The one I had sitting on the steps outside this weekend with the sun warming me was one of the best I have had for ages.
Although this really is a charming place (and both times I went there they served me one of the best coffees I had in London), I think the food choice could be improved. The cold sandwiches are a bit rough, the egg plates a little too rural for my taste and... well, in general the kind of cuisine is really a little too low profile: I understand this is probably due to the owners' desire of following a set of polish traditions (and being italian I have different tastes for simple food: I'd definitely grill the bread, melt the cheese, etc.). That said, the place is lovely, the apple juice very good (and not very expensive when bought to take away): on a scale 0-10 it would be a 7, I'm giving it a 3* in order to mitigate the other votes.
This is the one high-end espresso place that I was not able to go into because it was closed when I went by. I heard it is quite good though, so I'm holding out hope. It's in the shoreditch area of East London, near Bethnal Green tube station. The place is situated on a street leading off of a circular street with a park in the middle. All the buildings are gorgeous and really well maintained. I'm guessing it is an historic neighborhood... Will check it out on my next trip for sure.
simply the best eggs and coffee in london. the new shop next door also have loads of fantastic produce. great gem.
This place really is a special experience, you feel like you are eating in your grannys country kitchen, the walls are stocked with home made products such as pasta and jams. The presentation is excellent with eggs and sage presented to you in a frying pan, and lots of fresh crusty warm bread. It feels like you are stepping back in time when you walk into this place. In a way I'd like to keep this place secret but It's too late I already wrote this review! I give it 5 stars!
