This place is cool. From the shop, to the cakes, to the cafe. The food was good - yes, a little overpriced, but the take home desserts sold me - and the charming shop keeper!
Definitely will go back, the vibe is definitely worth a visit!!

good quality & service. The place itself is a bit plain and simple from the design but nice. Food seems overpriced but in total this is a very nice restaurant with long opening hours, wifi and electricity for those who like to work with a laptop.

It's a shame that such a nice place serves such a poor quality food. The prices are so high for what it offers.
Lot's of space for improvement!

It looked great - cool decor and promising piles of cakes and croissant. But our brunch was so disappointing. My eggs were burnt on the bottom and my beans dried and congealed on the plate. Coffee was superb but it took ages to be served and when I asked the manager if we'd been forgotten I got a surly response - I didn't like his attitude at all. Won't be going back.

Outrageously priced tea, a regular-sized pot with two Twinings green tea bags in it cost £6,50. Plain rip-off, rude waitress and the lemon drizzle cake was burnt at the bottom and very dense. Not going back there am afraid, despite the atmosphere that I used to like, but with staff as rude as today's and the expensive tea which was not special at all, I'll have a better cup of tea in a pub really...

Nice surroundings and a good place to go if you want to read a book or have a catch up with a friend. The food is good and I like the deli in the front which serves fresh pastries daily. The service is friendly although I have always found it a little slow, but it's perfect for a lazy coffee.

I felt that I had to add my comments to the very negative, even hostile reviews below. As we all know everyone (or places) have off days. And while we always expect places to be great they sometimes fall short. But I felt that I had to add my voice to the ones below, as I have only ever received good food and great service. I work locally, and have be going to Albion since it opened and I have found the entire team (even the manager) to be friendly and efficient, they obviously are good at their jobs.

Although on some occasions, I have waited longer, for food and drink, these times have been when they have been really busy (so should be expected, somewhat!)I think that it seems some people only take the time to write these views when upset, but if it is so bad all the time, why are there always queues? I will continue to frequent Albion and urge you to!

Live nearby and have visited several times in order to give it the benefit of the doubt, hoping it will be better this time as it is a lovely place.

The service lets it down every time. The waiters are poorly trained and rude, although I fear it is not their fault, but that of the manager ( I presume he is the manager, he wears a suit when the rest have a lovely uniform) I almost don't blame them.

I've seen him clicking his fingers at the waiting staff and refer to them as "you there".

I've also seem him bad mouth customers. He, I imagine, inspires the terrible reviews that this place has gotten so far. I'm surprised that there was such a high star rating.

My advice? Don't bother. Foods good and it looks pretty, but it will frustrate you so much, you'll forget this.

After reading the other reviews I felt I had to add mine to the growing number of disappointed (ex) customers of this over-hyped, unfulfilling eaterie.

I was staying with my boyfriend in the Crowne Plaza Hotel which happens to be literally round the corner. While visiting the area around Brick Lane etc, roundabout late afternoon we stumbled across the Albion which coincidentally I'd read about only a week before.

Visually it's certainly attractive with the entrance into the delicatessen showing off it's wares which certainly whet the appetite. Although not hungry in that moment I bought a flapjack to take away, mentally thinking I would return later that evening.

The flapjack was quite dry and hard to bite into and I'd had much better ones in packets from Boots Chemist or WH Smiths!

Oh, well better luck in the evening? Not really...it got worse. I'm not keen on cup cakes and hope this latest fad which seems to have gripped the UK will fade fast - however the ones at the Albion had less icing and actually looked quite good. Big Mistake!

Never again! The buttercream actually tasted of...butter! No flavouring, not even vanilla essence...and the 'sponge' was stone dry...actually it tasted stale. It was absolutely sickeningly awful.

My partner chose a slice of lemon drizzle cake. Dry, (again I would say stale) and the lemon so sickly sweet it made us gag! there's a clue in the word 'lemon'..it should be tangy and have a zesty zing not be totally engulfed in sugar!

This with tea, coffee, dirty cups and indifferent service for £12! Is this place just cruising by under the Conran name with nothing to acually back it up? Well, they won't see another penny of my money, that's for sure!

Oh, and sack the baker PLEEASE!!!I've since been told by someone (who totally agreed with me with regards to the Albion) that Food Hall in Old Street is much nicer. I'll try it next time I'm in the

I visited with my husband, son and his girlfriend who works around the corner. We had attended an art exhibition locally after a day in London and dropped in to eat at about 7:45pm. There was no waiting time, the ambiance was superb and the food excellent. The service was friendly and efficient and the prices very reasonable. Will definitely go again. Fabulous all round!
Shirley James

I quite agree with the negative reviews that Julia Zola and others have given.

On my visit i was also given a completely unrealistic waiting time. By the time i sat down i was angry and felt like a mug for waiting an hour in a narrow thorough fare.

I hoped that the food would make up for the wait. However the food was completely average-poor gastro pub quality.

I asked the waiter if the pie came with puff pastry or shortcrust and was told it came with puff pastry. It arrived with shortcrust!

The filling sauce was very watery and tasteless and needed a spoon to eat. I could have made a better pie myself.

The waiters and managers smiled through the chaos of a sunday afternoon service, but that only added to my frustation.

I would certainly not go back. I could not recommend anything about this place to anyone.

I'm a disappointed customer I'm afraid. Terrible service: no sense of humour, 40 minute wait for food with no warning, side portion of chips delivered 10 minutes before the rest of the meal, drink orders forgotten twice and waiter also forgot to bring a promised bag to take food home in.

The food itself was far from special either. A better bet is the Pavilion in Victoria Park. A bit pricier and sometimes also slow but the food is streets ahead and its owned by two great independent guys who you'd be much wiser giving your money to.

Classic british dishes such as fish and chips, shephards pie, english breakfast, whitebait etc. Lovely bakery with selection of bread and cakes. We went on a week day afternoon with 2 babies, nice relaxed atmosphere and made to feel very welcome. Can see this becoming a local hangout for those lazy weekends.

Minnie

I work opposite the Albion and as such have had ample opportunity to appraise it. As long term Hoxditch denizens, we're notoriously critical of new places opening - especially naff city chains like Pret, Eat etc. which are eroding the feel of the local area.Albion couldn't be further from their cookie-cutter mediocrity. In short, it is go-out-of-your-way-to-visit fabulous. It is a success of many parts:Bakery - fresh patisserie, cakes and bread baked frequently throughout the day. You know. Like a bakers? Remember them?

Available for sale or as part of your breakfast, lunch, supper or dinner they are varied and of high quality. "Caff" - unsurprisingly, it's the great British Cafe done by Conran. What is surprising is how comfortable and expertly it's pulled off. From the 100% British cutlery, tea pots, place settings to the formica tables and butcher's tiled open kitchen, Albion provides a comfortable, authentic, welcoming and buzzing environment that feels as fresh as a daisy but familiar as bubble & squeak.

Food is simple, well priced (most dishes below £10) offering classic grub with a home-made feel. Shepherd's pie tastes like my own grandma had a hand in it. Full English strikes a good balance between dirty fry-up and nu-skool presentation with not a vine-roasted tomato in sight.

Fish & chips (in beef dripping no less) with a hunk of haddock the size of your foot keeps body and soul together. Boutique Grocer - the standard faff is omnipresent: Dutchy originals etc. What makes it standout however (other than a good range of gluten-free cereal which I eat!) is the fresh meat, cheeses and (of course) bread on offer.

The pervading ethics - a community resource, fresh quality produce, reasonable pricing, seem contrived when read from their website. But in practice they come together in to a very genuine package.Overall: if you're not local, it's worth checking out. If you're local, welcome to the real re-birth of Shoredi

I've been looking forward to Albion opening so that I can have a cooked breakfast greasy-spoon style without the greas and this place didn't disappoint! I will return!