292 Bethnal Green Road
Bethnal Green
London
E2 0AG
All day breakfast available
Nearest Tube: Bethnal Green
Sam's Cafe is a few minutes walk from the amazing E. Pellicci on Bethnal Green Road.
Inside it reminded me of Cafe 338 which I had visited a few months back.
There were plenty of reasonably priced breakfast options on the huge menu.
A good selection of vegetarian breakfasts too.
Gingham table cloths, squeezy sauce bottles and a classic sugar pourer, first impressions were good.
This frothy coffee came with the breakfast.
Toast was included too or you could have bread if you preferred.
I went for set breakfast no 3 with bubble and tomatoes added as extras.
A generous serving of beans held back by a wall of thickly sliced tomatoes.
The bacon was fairly nice and the egg sat proudly on top of the bubble slab.
The tomatoes were well tasty but quite blackened from the griddle.
The jumbo economy sausage had been slashed many times prior to cooking, I had seen this done before in London at The Shepherdess.
Getting up at silly o' clock on a Saturday morning, travelling to London on the 5am train and then standing in a queue freezing cold for over 2 hours outside a record shop can mean just one thing. Yep, it was Record Store Day again! After finally emerging from Rough Trade East at 9.45am with a bag full of records it was most definitely time for a breakfast. I had decided in advance that I would be visiting Sam's Cafe on Bethnal Green Road, just a few minutes walk away from my favourite ever cafe E. Pellicci..
Upon entering - As soon as I walked in it felt quite familiar, it then dawned on me just how similar it was inside to Cafe 338 further along Bethnal Green Road. Towards the rear was the counter and open plan kitchen, in front of this the fairly large dining area with plenty of nicely spaced out tables. The tables are a decent size which was a good job as the menu's here containing a vast selection of breakfasts are huge! Each table is covered in a gingham table cloth and has a standard selection of condiments, sauces in squeezy bottles and a classic sugar pourer. There is a full table service so simply wait for your order to be taken and pay at the counter before you leave. The atmosphere inside was great with plenty going on around me but with a sense that I had found a fairly peaceful environment to look through my vinyl purchases over a coffee whilst waiting for the food to arrive. 8/10
Service - From the moment I arrived the friendly waitress was on the case ensuring my breakfast experience went as smoothly as possible. She took my drink order and gave me time to look at the menu, moments later the drink arrived and I placed my breakfast order. First the toast and cutlery arrived and shortly after that the breakfast. At the end I paid at the counter and was given a chewit, I hadn't eaten one of those in years! Good, friendly and efficient service is always nice to find and the lady serving me did an excellent job! 9/10
Contents - 1 jumbo sausage, 2 slices of bacon, 1 fried egg, bubble and squeak, 2 slices of black pudding, tomatoes, beans, 2 slices of buttered toast and a coffee. 8/10
Presentation - The breakfast filled the large oval plate quite nicely and some thought had clearly gone into keeping the egg and beans apart from each other. A sea of beans was being held back by a wall of tomatoes and a sausage barrier, to further ensure the beans couldn't touch it the egg was perched high up on the slab of bubble. The sausage had been cut many times before cooking, maybe to ensure a distinct curve once cooked? The tomatoes were quite blackened from the griddle but generally everything looked pretty good to me. 7/10
The food - The sausage was as to be expected from this economy catering type, the bacon was ok and the black pudding nice but quite dry. Thankfully the huge sea of beans balanced the moisture factor quite well. The fried egg had a nice runny yolk and the tomatoes were really ripe and tasty. The star of the show was surely the big slab of bubble, it seems to be an easy breakfast item to find in London and here it didn't disappoint. The toast was served hot with plenty of spread and was perfect wrapped around that bacon. An enjoyable enough breakfast served piping hot that certainly hit the spot after standing in a freezing cold queue for over 2 hours! 7/10
Value for money - The set breakfast no 3 with bubble and tomatoes added as extras also came with toast and a hot drink at £7. I was starving when I arrived but left feeling satisfied for the money, expect big portions here! 8/10
Veggie option - Yes, 4 vegetarian set breakfasts available.
Overall - Certainly a good breakfast option at a fair price and the service is excellent. I would have liked to have seen some fried bread on the menu but can't really complain as all the other key breakfast items were available. One thing that can't be ignored though is the fact that a few minutes up the same road is the stunning E. Pellicci which is a place you just have to visit! If you have already been though and fancy a change then Sam's Cafe is certainly well worth a look! 8/10
Contents - 1 jumbo sausage, 2 slices of bacon, 1 fried egg, bubble and squeak, 2 slices of black pudding, tomatoes, beans, 2 slices of buttered toast and a coffee. 8/10
Presentation - The breakfast filled the large oval plate quite nicely and some thought had clearly gone into keeping the egg and beans apart from each other. A sea of beans was being held back by a wall of tomatoes and a sausage barrier, to further ensure the beans couldn't touch it the egg was perched high up on the slab of bubble. The sausage had been cut many times before cooking, maybe to ensure a distinct curve once cooked? The tomatoes were quite blackened from the griddle but generally everything looked pretty good to me. 7/10
The food - The sausage was as to be expected from this economy catering type, the bacon was ok and the black pudding nice but quite dry. Thankfully the huge sea of beans balanced the moisture factor quite well. The fried egg had a nice runny yolk and the tomatoes were really ripe and tasty. The star of the show was surely the big slab of bubble, it seems to be an easy breakfast item to find in London and here it didn't disappoint. The toast was served hot with plenty of spread and was perfect wrapped around that bacon. An enjoyable enough breakfast served piping hot that certainly hit the spot after standing in a freezing cold queue for over 2 hours! 7/10
Value for money - The set breakfast no 3 with bubble and tomatoes added as extras also came with toast and a hot drink at £7. I was starving when I arrived but left feeling satisfied for the money, expect big portions here! 8/10
Veggie option - Yes, 4 vegetarian set breakfasts available.
Overall - Certainly a good breakfast option at a fair price and the service is excellent. I would have liked to have seen some fried bread on the menu but can't really complain as all the other key breakfast items were available. One thing that can't be ignored though is the fact that a few minutes up the same road is the stunning E. Pellicci which is a place you just have to visit! If you have already been though and fancy a change then Sam's Cafe is certainly well worth a look! 8/10
I love this idea for a website! I've not tried this place before but the food looks pretty good, thanks for the review!
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