Maggie's Cafe - Lewisham

322 Lewisham Road

Lewisham

London

SE13 7PA

  Breakfast served all day

Monday to Friday - 7am till 8pm

Saturday - 7am till 2pm

Sunday - Closed

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Maggie's Cafe is a short walk away from Lewisham station. 

 

There are two dining areas to choose from and a few tables outside too.

 

Maggies is fully licensed so perfect if you fancy something a bit stronger with your meal.

 

Maggie is the perfect host, she takes care of customers ensuring their orders are taken and the coffee keeps flowing.

 

The Maggies place mats are a nice touch! 

The "create your own breakfast" option on the menu is excellent value for money and the portions are really generous, I decided to order 12 of the 20 items from the list and a coffee.

 

The hot drinks arrived first served in glass cups.

 

I initially thought the coffee powder on top was chocolate powder, a good job my wife pointed it out before I reached for my spoon!

Once stirred in it was an excellent milky coffee.

 

 No need to ask for sauces here, they are brought to the table by the incredibly efficient staff before the food arrives.

 My breakfast was huge and consisted of 12 different items.

Here it is from another angle, so much food on the plate!

 

I probably didn't need toast as well as fried bread but I ordered some anyway, I do like to pop some bacon and ketchup between  a couple of slices.

 

With so much already on my plate the beans arrived separately served nice and stodgy in a large bowl. 

Some fairly nice rashers of bacon and sausages are served here.

 

The sausages had a nice enough flavour and good texture.

 

I love bubble and squeak, a huge slab was served with a nice coarse texture.

 

I probably didn't need hash browns as well but ordered some just because I could. I also ordered the onions, not something I usually see on a cooked breakfast but they complimented the bubble and squeak nicely.

 

A pair of fried eggs lay over a slice of golden fried bread, it was difficult to tell if the the yolks were still runny, one way to find out.

 

Yep, just what I was hoping to find.

 

I chose tinned tomatoes over fresh ones, they're becoming increasingly difficult to find in cafes so I always order them when I can.

 

My wife built her own vegetarian breakfast.

So many people had recommended breakfast at Maggie's Cafe in Lewisham to me in the past I'd decided to visit with my wife on our next trip to London. We were getting the 5.50am coach from Norwich so managed to arrive at Maggies just before 9am, this was perfect as we'd heard it gets really busy here. I'd already eaten a jumbo sausage roll on the coach and a slice of Tottenham cake as I passed through Stratford Shopping Centre, we were both still quite hungry though when we arrived in Lewisham...

Upon entering - There are two main dining rooms at Maggies, one has the counter in the corner and looks quite cafe like. The other room where we sat had a more comfortable pub feel to it with a carpeted floor, framed photos on the walls and a bar in the corner. There are also a few tables sectioned off outside the cafe, I'm guessing this is quite popular with the smokers. Maggies felt incredibly welcoming and homely as soon as we stepped through the door. The decor is traditional and warm, menus are already on the tables as well as place mats and fresh flowers. I'll mention the service in more detail in the next section, rest assured though that once you've taken a seat everything you could possibly need will be brought to the table. The cutlery arrives wrapped in serviettes and the sauces arrive in squeezy bottles. On your way out simply settle you bill at the counter.  8/10

Service - Without a doubt the best thing about Maggies is the friendly welcome and most efficient service I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing! Maggie and her team ensure that orders are taken, food is delivered to the tables and cups are refilled in good time, even when they're really busy. They do so though whilst smiling, chatting and making you feel really at home, nothing ever seems to be too much trouble here. Once seated we were greeted and offered hot drinks, a short time later the drinks arrived and our food order was taken. The create your own breakfast was explained to us and we spent quite some time working out what we would like, the lady serving us patiently made a note of everything and double checked we were happy with our order. The food arrived with the cutlery, and sauces appeared at the table, I didn't even notice the sauces arrive but they were there at the crucial moment when I needed them. The last item to arrive was the beans, they were served in a large bowl as there was no space for them on my already stacked plate. Whilst enjoying our food more coffee refills were offered and I watched the entire room being looked after by Maggie and her team. The flawless service I experienced here deserved a standing ovation, I resisted the urge but without a doubt it was the best service I've seen since starting my blog back in 2010. 10/10

Contents - You can create your own breakfast from over 20 items which are: Fried egg, poached egg, scrambled egg, sausage, veggie sausage, bacon, mushrooms, black pudding, liver, fried onions, chips, hash browns, bubble, beans, grilled tomatoes, tinned tomatoes, ham, fried slice, toast, bread, bottomless tea or coffee. I've highlighted the items I choose on my breakfast. 10/10

Presentation - There were a lot of different items to fit onto the plate and the portions were generous. I was impressed to find the eggs over the fried slice with intact and runny yolks, it all looked good to me! 7/10

The food - On Maggie's website it says "The food is traditional, not fancy" and this I agree with. It was a real down to earth hearty breakfast, I enjoyed everything on the plate and it was served nice and hot. The sausages, bacon and black pudding were fairly standard but nicely cooked. The fried eggs had intact runny yolks and the fried bread they lay across was golden and crispy. The mushrooms were served whole, the hash browns were crispy and the tinned tomatoes were not swamped in too much juice. The bubble had good texture with big chunks of potato combined with peas and cabbage, the fried onions went perfectly with this. The beans were nicely thickened and the toasted white bread was good to wrap around some bacon. A great milky coffee too which I experienced a few times due to refills. 8/10

Value for money - With the vast selection of over 20 breakfast items to choose from and bottomless drinks you'd really struggle to find better value for money anywhere else. Combine this with the warm welcome and excellent service and you'll know you've spent £6.95 wisely! 10/10

Veggie option - Choose from: Fried egg, poached egg, scrambled egg, veggie sausage, mushrooms, fried onions, chips, hash browns, bubble, beans, grilled tomatoes, tinned tomatoes, fried slice, toast, bread, bottomless tea or coffee. £6.95.

Overall - Maggies is a family run Irish cafe that has been open since 1983, it's clear to see why it's such a popular choice and continues to satisfy the Lewisham community. The traditional and hearty food is served with a smile and you really feel at home as soon as you walk through the door. Maggie and her team ensure everyone in the cafe is well looked after and remain calm and friendly even at the busiest of times. If you live in London or are just visiting then be sure to visit Maggies for breakfast. It's an experience not to be missed, I loved this place! 9/10