Cafe in the Crypt

MagicRusski

Café in the Crypt: dining on gravestones 8th March 2009

1 found this helpful

Pro's: great location, freaky and creepy design twist
Con's: the smell of boiled cabbage pervades EVERYTHING.
Summary: Simple and honest food but expect nothing fancy.

A detailed report here: http://niftynoshing.blogspot.com/2009/03/stmartin-in-fields-cafe-in-crypt-dining.html

stantoncarlisle

Excellent Location lacklustre approach 1st December 2008

2 found this helpful

Great for a coffee or a cup of tea. Think three times about having anything else in this Gordons Wine Bar gets on the corporate treadmill. Food prices are high. Menu is firmly in the the knock it out quick school-dinner veggies with meat template. You know the kind of thing, over cooked veg lies limply on the plate beside a characterless slab of meat and gravy. It gets crowded around 7 with the ashen-faced, fake fur, Theatre mob. The staff are fairly demoralized, slur in broken english and are borderline passive aggressive. Its a great space brought down a few by thoughtless planning - uniform square Formica tables at odds with the elegant arches. How can you make something with so much natural class so soulless? Menu needs a rethink - and the place cry's out for a sympathetic re-design.

Izabel_blue

Convenient but not stellar 5th October 2008

3 found this helpful

I've been going to the Cafe in the Crypt off and on for about 7 years now, and though I can't fault them for offering good-value dining in a busy area, it's not amazing. The food is very 'school dinners' and tastes of mass catering, and the hot food is always lukewarm.

That being said it's a quiet oasis away from the touristy din of Trafalgar square, and one of the few places in the area where you can get a decent, filling main meal with a glass of wine for under a tenner. The staff is friendly and there is a nice ambience due to the candles and stone walls. Just don't expect a culinary adventure, OK?

jan08

Cafe in the Crypt 26th September 2008

1 found this helpful

Excellent location close to Trafalgar Square. I love the ambience of this place - a large cavernous, cool space underneath St Martins-in-the-Fields Church. The crypt has brick vaulted ceilings, big stone pillars and gravestones within the stone flooring.
The food is excellent and very good value. The service is canteen style so you need to queue and the choice is limited - but then you know that it is freshly cooked. Desserts are oftern old British favourites such as apple pie and custard! It is very popular and well known so can get overcrowded but if you can go there at a quiet time you will really enjoy it.

tightwad

Love it 21st September 2008

2 found this helpful

This is a fabulous place to have a cup of tea or coffee! The decor and ambiance is just perfect. Its not a coffee shop in the same light as starbucks or cafe nero though. It is self service which makes no difference really. The food here is clearly all freshly prepared and from what i have tasted so far, is all delicious. I love their cakes! Sanwiches too - they use the freshest and fluffiest bread and cram them full to bursting with all manner of delicious fillings. The service, if you can call it that being a self service place, is also good. The staff are really friendly and helpful

RR123

Laid back London 19th September 2008

2 found this helpful

This is one my favourite places to sit and pass the time. Hidden away under St Martin's in the Fields and right across the road from Trafalgar Square is a quiet place to eat a meal or drink a coffee and chat with friends. It's self service to there are no waiters to hurry you out the door and you can just sit there and pass some time.

The only times it is really busy is if there is a concert in St Martin's in the Fields. On those evenings in the run up to the performance and in the interval it can be very busy but beyond that you should normally find a table and some peace and quiet.

Good quality food and very reasonable prices by London standard and well worth a visit.

foxie

Excellent Value, Fab Location 26th November 2007

4 found this helpful

Cafe in the Crypt is one of the pseudo-hidden gems of London and one of my all time favourite places to linger over a cup of tea or a late lunch/early dinner. The food is all freshly prepared and excellent value. It's self-service along a buffet, but after that it's tables tucked under stone arches and ambient music. They do regular jazz nights as well.