Cafe Below

4.7

440 Reviews

£25 and under

British

Make a booking

2 people

15 Mar 2025

7:00 pm

Booked 7 times today

Charming
Neighbourhood gem
Healthy

In the atmospheric, mediaeval crypt of St Mary le Bow Church, the Cafe Below is a City institution. A quiet oasis from the hectic world above, serving a short menu of British and European dishes, with the occasional curry, the cafe has an ever changing seasonal menu. Being beneath the Bow Bells, naturally we are dedicated to all things London, so we source as locally as possible; our coffee is roasted in Hackney and our beer brewed in the East End. For breakfast, we are the perfect place for a moment of quiet before the day begins or a small or large business meeting, all with Homemade rye toast, River Farm smoked salmon, Brioche French toast and our own granola.

Jay Rayner hailed the cafe as being the "kind of restaurant any hectic city needs"; a quality driven, friendly place where you can meet mates, clients or colleagues, all in the unique setting of a Christopher Wren crypt!

Additional information

Location
St Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside, London, EC2V 6AU
Phone number
020 7329 0789
Price
£25 and under
Cuisines
British, Mediterranean, European
Hours of Operation
Breakfast Tue–Thu 7:30 am–10:00 am Lunch Mon–Fri 11:30 am–2:30 pm
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
None
Payment Options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa

Private dining

What 440 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7

4.7 based on recent ratings

4.5Food
4.7Service
4.5Ambience
4.6Value

Noise • Energetic

Loved For

City of London
Best Value
City of London
Gluten-free-friendly
City of London
Healthy
City of London
Vegetarian-friendly
City of London
British

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Cafe Below offers a unique dining experience in a Norman crypt at St. Mary-le-Bow Church. Known for "wonderful food and service," it features a menu with vegetarian options. Guests enjoy "excellent fare" and "great value," though the acoustics can be noisy. A "hidden gem" perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

440 Reviews

OT
OpenTable Diner
County Durham2 reviews
4.0
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Lovely place. Pity soup was sold out! But we defo return!
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M
Mary
London1 review
4.0
Dined on 27 February 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Staff welcoming and engaging and service was with a smile. Food was good quality, fresh and tasty.
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L
Liz
London4 reviews
4.0
Dined on 21 February 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Delicious food, lovely venue, service a bit unfriendly tbh.
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D
Daniel
London4 reviews
5.0
Dined on 5 February 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Cafe Below is a find, it Is lovely. Located in the norman crypt of the famous St.Mary-le-Bow church, founded in 1080, the Cafe Below offers an excellent reasonabley priced menu. The service is friendly, quick and efficient and the clientele -comprised of city folk and the occasional tourist -rarely leave anything but happy. It's open for breakfast, lunch or dinner, offering 'homemade food in the heart of the City.' Gve it a go, you will not regret it.
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S
Steve
London3 reviews
5.0
Dined on 4 February 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent lunch spot for a lovely and filling salad and a nice glass of wine to go with it. Off the beaten track for tourists so you can relax in good company.
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D
Dave
Manchester1 review
3.0
Dined on 16 January 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 2
Alright for small lunch. Menu rather limited but satisfying.
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R
Richard
London13 reviews
5.0
Dined on 9 January 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Not fine dining but always tasty, wholesome food at a very good price and doesn’t seem to have been particularly affected by inflation. Efficient friendly service too
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E
Emma VIP
London3 reviews
5.0
Dined on 9 January 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had such a lovely time, food was great, staff were lovely and service was speedy. Would go back again 100%.
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S
Simon
London10 reviews
5.0
Dined on 18 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
A location with a difference and nice personalised service for breakfast. Wilm definitely be revisiting.
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A
Annalisa VIP
London10 reviews
5.0
Dined on 17 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
A lively spot for breakfast, yummy food reasonable price great coffee
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FAQs

Cafe Below offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at 020 7329 0789.

Cafe Below is rated 4.7 stars by 440 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people

15 Mar 2025

7:00 pm

Booked 7 times today

St Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside, London, EC2V 6AU

Additional information

Phone number
020 7329 0789
Price
£25 and under
Cuisines
British, Mediterranean, European
Hours of Operation
Breakfast Tue–Thu 7:30 am–10:00 am Lunch Mon–Fri 11:30 am–2:30 pm
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
None
Payment Options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa

Cafe Below

Make a booking

Additional information

Private dining

The Crypt

Custom inquiry

Menu

What 440 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

Does Cafe Below offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Cafe Below restaurant rated?

Is Cafe Below currently accepting bookings?

Make a booking

Additional information