Fresh ingredients and an attention to detail make The Grocery Cafe a delicious destination for brunch or lunch.
The Venue

The Atmosphere
Like so many other grassroots cafes in the area, the serving staff are also the chefs, meaning that their attitude is not exactly tip driven. Walking into The Grocery Cafe, you feel a bit as though you’ve walked in on the staff room, but this is part of the charm of the place. In addition to this, if the staff like you they may just throw in extra perks like hummus and cheese for your toast, or extra yoghurt with your dessert. The cafe also offers free wireless and free juice for kids, making it an ideal place to write or babysit.

The Food
An emphasis on fresh ingredients and continental recipes, plus an innovative menu that changes daily, are the reasons to go to The Grocery Cafe. Salads the likes of grilled eggplant and aubergine come with a hint of sweetness, either honey or a quality of the vegetable itself, fresh off the grill with burned bits included which makes for an outdoorsy taste. More eclectic salads, like spinach with sprouts, toasted pumpkin seeds, focaccia bread and grilled tomato and red pepper hummus make for lyrical and playful flavour combinations. Fennel salad with capers is another interesting dish, though the ethos of these chefs seems to lie in favour of enhancing the flavour of their ingredients rather than hiding them or using them for texture alone – so if you are not a fan of the ingredients (in this case, fennel) it is best to steer clear.

The Grocery Cafe also offers an extensive brunch menu - for about £2.00 Toast on the Grill impresses with soft but crispy high quality bread complete with barbecue marks – transforming toast from a boring dish to an oily, rustic and mouthwatering experience. Breakfast is served all day, with egg any style, and soft-boiled egg and soldiers a particular favorite among children and nostalgic diners – combined with the crispy toast, it never becomes soggy. But the best value for a main is the soup of day, usually something French and playful like celeriac and dijon for about £4.00 in a hefty portion that comes with the grilled toast – potent and flavorful, the soups are both fresh tasting and filling.

Desserts are best of all, with the exception of the pastries and croissants, which taste store bought and stale. The Grocery Cafe makes their own bread pudding, light and spongy meringue, fresh pie - whichever sweet thing is on offer is cheap at about £2.50. The pie chef is particularly talented, meaning that not only pies but quiches are light and flaky. A favourite is the apple pie, which is covered in apples soaked in cinnamon and lemon juice topped over a pastry bottom. Baked pears in port with thyme and yoghurt has a totally unique taste and the pears have a perfect texture, soft but never mushy. All desserts are served with yoghurt and sometimes seasonal berries, free of charge.

The Drink
Upscale juices are also sold in addition to expensive fresh juices from a juicer - your choice between fennel, apple, ginger, orange or beetroot. A coffee machine that is frequently out of order also plagues the drinks menu, but tea is reasonably priced. Coffee (if the machine is working) features espressos, Americanos and lattes, all above average and Monmouth Fair Trade.

The Last Word
Likely the best food you’ll eat at a cafe in Shoreditch – if you can respect your servers for what they are – chefs - and if you’ve got time to wait for your toast, you will be glad you ventured to the back of an organic grocery store. It is like going for lunch at your most culinary crazy friend’s house - there’s love in the food, and the results are rarely disappointing.

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