Kahaila — Restaurant in London

This used to be my favorite coffee shop but now frankly I don’t want to go back. I went to get some work done and was there for about an hour until one of the staff members asked me to leave the table I was using to make room for a family coming in. He offered a seat at a table already being used by other people, and I jokingly mentioned I could just leave. He didn’t pick up that was a joke and said if I could do that then that would be great. I was very upset by that and complained to another worker before planning on heading out, who then spoke to the original employee and sat me at a different spot. The original male employee, assuming a manager or the owner, said that he has asked other people to move tables to make way for other people coming in, and that this was expected if I wanted to “work” there.

I was only there for about an hour and was planning to purchase something else on top of what I already ordered, but was frankly so uncomfortable (the Christian music playing the entire time didn’t help) that I left. If you’re going to have a system like that, you need to have it explicitly mentioned to customers and be meticulous about it; there were plenty of other people who were there since when I walked in that didn’t move. I really hate the idea of this employee picking and choosing who to move based on convenience and optimized profit by then kicking out other customers. Once I was moved I noticed how frankly weird the atmosphere was where solo customers were moved to side tables to make room for other customers, mostly families and tourists.

One of the employees did offer me a free drink which was sweet, but frankly when she was approaching my table I was expecting her to ask me to move again, and by this point I didn’t feel like staying and working in a cafe who don’t care for my business if it means losing maximum profit. I would understand the premise for a restaurant but you cannot complain about people working at your cafe if you’re basically asking them to leave after an hour. There are plenty of other cafes in the area that let you camp out for hours with a single filter coffee. So so...

Wouldn’t recommend this place at all.

Where do I begin? Smily staff but no substance. I first asked the person serving us for details of the cake on display and asked if it is sweet and what flavour it contained. She only said it has raspberry but didn’t explain more. When I tasted it it had other flavours too like rose water and other weird ingredients. Had I known this, I wouldn’t have ordered. It wasn’t very nice and the cake mixture was just meh.

When the lady went to get the cake she said to make payment on card if we wanted. When we got the cake and was leaving she asked if we paid but it should have been quite obvious to them that we did as the system would have showed us being the last customers and paid. When we confirmed we paid the other lady said it’s fine. Was not offered an apology either from either of them: We wouldn’t leave without paying!

When I asked for tissue they pointed to the one new one remaining on the counter saying there’s a ‘new’ tissue there. Really what they should have done is added some new ones too for others to use!

Unfortunately the cake wasn’t even nice and even I would have put aside the poor customer service if the food tasted good. I had to waste mine which I normally don’t like to do. Not going back again. It was overpriced for what it is and cost £4.20 for the slice. In an area which is popular for food I would be better off going...

Kahaila at 135 Brick Lane, London E1 6SB, is highly praised as an excellent coffee shop and community space. It is known for its cozy and welcoming atmosphere with a warm and artsy interior that features natural daylight from skylights, wooden floors, and a mix of comfortable furniture. The cafe serves high-quality coffee, including options with almond, oat, or coconut milk, and offers delicious food such as sandwiches, vegan options, and a variety of sweet treats like cakes and brownies. Many reviewers highlight friendly and helpful staff, reasonable prices, and a relaxing environment ideal for work or casual visits. The cafe has a strong community focus as a charitable organization, making visits guilt-free and meaningful.Review highlights:Excellent food quality, including vegan and gluten-free options.Very good coffee, with attention to special dietary needs.Friendly, caring service and a relaxed, artsy vibe.Clean, comfortable, and spacious environment with free Wi-Fi.All profits go to charitable causes, boosting the cafe’s positive impact.Overall, Kahaila offers an outstanding experience combining great coffee and food with a warm community spirit, making it a top recommendation on Brick Lane for anyone visiting or...