Candid Cafe — Restaurant in London

If there is ONE place I love most of all when visiting London it is Candid Cafe. I used to go back in the 90's with my bff & it still exists (I hope it ALWAYS does!). It has the feel of a upscale squatted building - which sounds awful but it's not, it's an experience & it's genuine & DIFFERENT which these days, well that's rare. This is the real Angel Islington - the kooky, one-off, unique mad little holes in the wall. It's never a bad experience. It's all about the atmosphere. You can feel it literally envelop you when you come here. It's so relaxing & friendly & happy - with good snacks & kind staff & REAL people. They have never changed it & I love that. I really pray they never get rid of this place as this is the REAL LONDON & what so many of us absolutely loved about London before it was sold out. Please stay because you are very appreciated & I literally tell everyone to go to you because they will experience a bit of the magic too. Yes this is magic place out of time that is a gift to this city of ever changing things - some must be constant - some must be the Candid Cafe of The Angel. GO THERE...

☕ Hidden among the hum and hurry of the city, this café isn’t just a place—it’s a feeling. A cozy haven tucked away like a secret whispered between locals, where the aroma of freshly ground beans mingles with soft jazz and the occasional clink of ceramic cups. You've wandered these streets for years, but this little gem still feels like a new discovery each time you push open its door.

🌿 Inside, plants lean gently toward warm sunlight pouring through tall windows, their leaves swaying slightly as if to welcome you back. There's a quiet kind of joy in seeing your favorite corner seat still waiting—just like always—with that perfectly imperfect table and the cushion that remembers the shape of your daydreams.

🍰 And the coffee—rich, comforting, somehow tasting better when sipped slowly while watching the city blur by just beyond the glass. Time stretches, softens. Maybe you read, maybe you write, maybe you just sit. Either way, this café holds your stories like a journal etched into its brick walls.

If this place were a poem, it’d be about belonging. Should we give it a name and craft a...

This was a cafe I used to adore attending and would regularly run events here quite some tears ago. This is my second time attending in the space of a month and will not be returning. The new staff are extremely dismissive and come off rude if you are not one of their regulars maybe. Today I was approached at 16:45 in the middle of my work and advised the cafe was closing at 17:00. I was confused because both signs outside before you make the trip up the 2 flights of stairs definitely stated 6pm, so I shared this with the staff member and she abruptly said no and walked off. a simple acknowledgement that they had changed the times would have smoothed the scenario. The space has definitely gone downhill and from the balls of dirt, tobacco and food that was on the table when I arrived to the attitude of the staff just...