Café in the Crypt — Restaurant in London

The cafe at the Crypt was extremely busy when I and a friend visited on 22nd December about 3.30 pm and we had to share a table with two other people. That wasn’t a problem, the problem was that there were no trays to use, the attitude of several staff and one in particular. I was told by two members of staff that trays were at the beginning of the counter, when they were clearly not. Another said sorry but they were very busy and trays would be availabe “soon”. My friend is frail and so sat down while I tried to juggle getting two hot plates of food and drinks without a tray. The person in the queue next to me commented about how surly the server behind the counter was when I asked for pizza. I was so flustered that when I got to the cashier, with one plate of hot food, two mini bottles of wine and an alert buzzer for pizza, that I forgot to take my receipt after paying. The cashier knew I was having pizza but did not call me back to give me the receipt. When I deposited the one plate of food and wine with my friend, I returned to the counter to get glasses and when I got back to the table my friend showed me that one of the bottles of wine was a short measure, so I had to return to the counter to exchange it. The buzzer for the pizza went off and I went to collect it, but your surly member of staff refused to give it to me. I admit I then vented my frustration, pointing out to her that there - still - were no trays, that my plate of hot food was going cold, that the pizza was sitting there also going cold and did she not think she was being unreasonable? Her reply was that I was being aggressive and had been aggressive to other members of staff too. I had to return to the cashier to get the receipt and back again to the food counter to collect the pizza. Meanwhile, my plate of food was cooling and I had to leave half of the red cabbage as it went completely cold as I was eating it. The turkey pie was...

In the basements and alleyways of jazz we engage with our heartbeat, emotions tossed and juggled in a pleasure only possible in that relentless forward propulsion of light. Into the larder, hand full of spice, peppers and herb, into the pot, sweet song of the night. Push out into space. Electric web amplified in guitar rhyme stretching out into a ballet along telephone wires. Step forward solid box of delight. Walk slower in case you fall into the arms of infamy. Don’t stop to stare, don’t halt there, hop it. Keep going the tenor saxophone may know the way. A beam reflecting from a glass ball, a pool of floating dreams, squall loop run the changes, snap sharp and clear as a high hat refrain in time. When did you fall my darling young one. The bass line a hammer on rusting metal weaving a safety net while the drummer chases possibilities through the forest. We go along for the ride. Charge the trumpet calls. Into the fray battle worn and determined to end, scattering leaves, wooden playthings and forgotten nightmares alongside rivers of sleep and dance. Here in the Crypt we pray for love and liberation. Slowly now no rush. We are on the hill. Stay close to the underground, hide amongst the curving arch of scrubbed brick, in one place we can step into the unknown. Be...

I am a regular to the Crypt cafe whenever I am in central London and when a friend was visiting from Cost Rica I decided to treat her to meal at the cafe having checked times of your opening & closing - on that day it was 7 pm for Thursday 29th of June 2023. So we arrived at 5.30 bought food worth around £20 and sat down on a small table which had notice informing us that it was reserved at 7 pm - plenty of time for us to eat our meal and catch up. At 5.45 a steward came to us and asked us to move and rubbed out the time for the reservation on our table to 6 pm. We were really perplexed and we thought it very rude which no clear explanation why suddenly the reservation timing was changed. He came back in few minutes at 5.50 and asked us to move again and we had to say we would first finish our meal and then would go - but the whole encounter was unacceptably rude and not fitting in a church outlet. He then said he could usher us out in the foyer, which we declined as that is not the experience we had gone in for and neither do you pay and then be asked to go while you are chewing the food!

We left abruptly and with so many places to eat and drink around that area, it will never now be my first choice - I felt we were treated very badly and decided to write...