Finsbury Bites — Restaurant in London

I wanted to visit this breakfast spot ever since it opened a few months ago.

While the A-board outside and business name give you the basic understanding of what to expect, it was a shame we could not find any website or social media to check the menu prior to coming in. See attached photos of the whole menu for reference (as of 17/01/24).

Coffee, smoothies, and two different variations of the traditional English breakfast were all delicious. Service was not professional, but it was definitely polite and sincerely friendly, which is enough for this quiet little café.

The owners still need to polish a few things. To start with, music seemed to be playing from a small speaker at the bar. The plain walls are crying after some decoration, even if it's on purpose to bring attention to the ceiling covered in magazine posters, it's not working very well.

Unfortunately, after the lovely meal, I've encountered multiple disappointments that were hiding behind the main scene, such as the hallway to lavatories showcasing the messy storage rooms with wide open doors. Fridge in the hallway itself, rather than inside the storage rooms, containing ingredients that just should not be displayed to customers. And then the lavatories which were in a terrible condition (to my surprise, especially since the place had only just opened).

Due to these reasons and the fact these would prevent me to recommend the place to my friends to pay a visit and feel the same discomfort if they needed to use the toilet, I've decided to rate this visit with only 3 stars. I am hoping it will encourage the owners to take action and realise that customer experience isn't and never was only about the food, the drinks, and the service.

If improvements do take place, I will consider visiting again and will...

I saw this cafe on my street had recently opened up and was eager to try. My friends and I went to brunch, and they ordered two platters of the New York pancakes and I got the Special Pancakes. As I was going between the two dishes, I distinctly remembered that the New York had hash browns (and as I wanted them, I ordered them on the side), but when the dishes all arrived, there were no hash browns on any of our plates. I had to ask for mine 10 minutes later as they never came, and my friends were too full by that point to bother asking for theirs.

Toward the end, I also realised that my platter was supposed to come with 2 poached eggs but hadn't. It was quite upsetting to have all of our orders wrong the first time we went. Upon looking at other review pictures, I also saw that the Special Pancakes was supposed to have the full portobello cap instead of the 4 pieces I received. The food quality itself was good, but the service was questionable especially when we walked in with little people already in the restaurant. The toilet was also a mess: super cramped, with no soap and a sticky door handle. We're not keen to return...

We came here for a spontaneous brunch earlier today, it was lovely and very reasonably priced. The portions were very generous, the food was delicious and very hot. They also have a wide variety of food options - I opted for the New York Pancakes and my partner a breakfast wrap. I never normally leave reviews but it was such a good experience and the staff were so friendly I thought I must. It’s a shame we don’t live any closer as I would definitely...