202 Cafe

nottingbill

Wow! 28th August 2009

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Wow, this place rocks!
Picture it: Sunny Saturday in Notting hill, the queue is nearly out of the door- miserable staff right?- Wrong! OK so it took 15 minutes instead of the 10 we were told for our table, but what a bunch of great staff, friendly, attentive and energetic.
The food was great- Goats cheese & proscuitto salad, and an amazing Lobster & prawn pasta, then crumble- the portions are massive so share a dessert if you can fit one in.

itellu

Disrespectful Service 26th January 2009

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I live very close to this place, so when I went this weekend I had wanted to go for a while but hadn't had the chance to and was looking forward to it Unfortunately, I was appalled by the service and ended up having a bad experience. The place is spacious with high ceilings and tasteful decor. To add to the positives the menu although limited had intriguing options. The bad started when I walked into the restaurant for brunch and asked for a table for 2 with my friend. We were immediately escorted to the absolute worse table in the restaurant. One side of the table was hugging a staircase, other side by the kitchen door. Our questions about a better table were replied to in a terse manner although there were some other free tables. I didn’t get too hung up on this assuming that those tables were reserved. We ordered and our food arrived promptly. As soon as we were done, our table was cleared and the waiter arrived in a rush with the desert menu, we didn’t want to have dessert, the bill arrived soon after but we ignored it and got into a deep conversation. At this point we had been sitting at the table for at most 40 minutes, the same waiter arrived again with the menu, this time he interrupted my friend to ask whether we wanted coffee. Before I had a minute think about whether I felt like having coffee, he said I’m afraid I have to have the table back if you are not having anything else. Then, I had no doubts about coffee; of course my answer is NO. I will not spend any more money in your restaurant. The funny thing is we wanted to have coffee. Then we paid the bill and asked to not pay the voluntary service charge. Guess what, our waiter had the audacity to ask: Was there something wrong with the service today? At that point, I had no words to say to him. We immediately left. I’m sure they were very happy to get the table cleared to get the next set of dupes. This really made me wonder, Is it greed? Are they struggling to pay rent in the high end Westbourne Grove location? Did they try to snob us around with the assumption that we would eat and drink there to booster our meek self-image? I’m not in a position to know; however, I know that their approach to this whole thing is wrong. I have lived in New York, Cape Town, Istanbul and London, and ate at my share of high-end “snobby” places were there were lines at the door. The key to this game is communication and sincerity; at no point in 202 did people clearly communicate with us what was to come. When we sat down the waiter could have easily said, Hey I just would like to warn you we get a lot of people come in during lunch time on weekends, we cannot give you the table for long. OR We have reservation policy for lunch next time we can give you better table if you make reservations OR I’m sorry to keep asking you to eat/drink this is our management policy (although this would be still pushing it, I would gain considerable amount of weight, if I had to constantly eat or drink at a restaurant to be able to sit long enough to finish my conversation) A little empathy toward the client and communication goes a long way. Good luck on your visit to this place.

pindulgence

Fantastic food and coffee 14th September 2008

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I haven't been here for a while and i really must go back! The food here is amazing, as is the service. Their menu is predominantly for the lighter bite, but they do have other delicious main meals as well. Lots of choice and everyone will find something to eat. its quite a trendy place and you also occasionally catch a glimpse of someone famous! Not going to name them though! I had fish and chips (i see a previous reviewer had them too!) and i thought they were fantastic, probably the best i've had so far! I have tried other food here and have been equally impressed. As you would expect, its not that cheap but well worth it for a good night out!

patelimran

Absolutelly amazing! 11th November 2007

2 found this helpful

Great great place. Ambience is just perfect, food is fantastic. Completely and utterly recommend it!

benzevenbergen

9th April 2007

2 found this helpful

Great place with great food in a great location! The pancakes surely are good (as recommended by Belinda)! It's also a fashionable clothes store. Definitely worth a visit for a break during a busy Portobello Market day.

elena

Best fish and chips ever! 3rd December 2006

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This is a place where a trendy crowd gathers in the weekends for a coffee or lunch. At 202 I have eaten the best fish and chips ever in London! As a greek new-comer in London I had no positive thoughts on British cuisine but when I tasted 202's fish and chips I must admit I didn't know what to say! However my friends' food was not as good so I give 4 stars for the atmosphere, crowd, and -of course- fish and chips!

walid

Brunch Perfection 2nd November 2006

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To add to Arisp's and Belinda's reviews this place is great. It is quite quirky as it's not just a simple restaurant / cafe but also a cloth shop. You can come to 202 Cafe to have breakfast, brunch, or lunch. And whilst I'm sure they would be great for breakfast or lunch I've only tried it for brunch... and what a brunch it was! Definately one of the best places to have brunch. I have tried two different brunches there. The Buttermilk Pancakes that Belinda mentioned and the French toast and bacon with real maple syrup. now making French Toasts seems quite easy but making them correctly isn't. You want it to be tenderish in the centre and slightly golden and crispy on the outside... and 202 Cafe does it exactly like that. The staff are very professional, the juices are great and the coffee superb. What else could you ask for??? The only downside is that you can't reserve for a table and thus you would find yourself waiting for a table quite often. But if you're not in a hurry and your lady friend is happy to look around the clothes then be patient as you'll be richly rewarded with a superb brunch!

belinda

Great for Brunch! 1st November 2006

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202 do a great breakfast before noon and also a great brunch menu after 12. I agree with Arisp that is gets very crowded on the weekend so if you can make it during the week you will have a nice relaxing time.

They have pavement seating out front and a lovely patio area out back - heated for winter! The staff are always very attentive and exceptionally professional.

We go to 202 often and I cannot fault it, I would definitely recommend 202 for breakfast/brunch/lunch. I love the Buttermilk Pancakes!

Update to my post: If anyone from 202 reads this.... please change the menu! aside from the specials (none of which are ever vegetarian) it hasn't changed in 2 years and we don't go there anymore because of it. *sniff*

arisp

Top class brunch 14th August 2006

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Top class place. Great for Sat or Sun brunch. Attracts a nice and varied Notting Hill crowd.

All of the dishes are great but ones to try are the french toast with bacon which is delicious and the scrambled eggs with salmon.

Tends to get a bit packed so either get there early or be prepared to wait for up to 45 minutes for a table during peak time.

caffeinehit at 09/11/06

Sounds wicked...

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