No. 41 Coffee — Restaurant in London

No. 41 Coffee: A Shocking Display of Rudeness and a Total Lack of Hospitality

After months of loyal patronage, our visit to No. 41 Coffee in Honor Oak on Saturday morning was nothing short of disappointing—and infuriating. What should have been a cozy stop to escape the rain turned into an encounter with unprovoked hostility, leaving us questioning why we ever gave this place our business.

It started with a heavy downpour, which forced us to abandon our plan of enjoying a pain au chocolat en route with our two children (aged 1.5 and 4.5). We decided to stop at No. 41 to grab a couple of takeaway coffees. As we entered, an older woman brusquely ushered us inside with an attitude that felt more like she was shooing us away rather than welcoming us in.

When we told her we planned to get takeaway coffees, she muttered to her colleague, “Quickly sort their order so they can leave.” Overhearing this was unpleasant, but we brushed it off. Our 4.5-year-old then sat down at an empty table and asked if he could eat his pain au chocolat. With the rain getting heavier, we decided it would be okay for him to do so while we enjoyed our coffees. After all, the cafe was practically empty, and we had just spent £8 on drinks—a purchase we make almost daily.

That’s when the woman pounced. Rushing over, she informed us that we couldn’t stay because the pastry hadn’t been bought from No. 41. Let’s pause here: the cafe was nearly empty, it was pouring outside, and we were regular customers who had just paid for drinks. What kind of establishment feels it’s appropriate to kick out a young family under such circumstances?

Had the cafe been full or even moderately busy, we would have understood a policy enforcing table space for customers eating food purchased on-site. But this was not the case. Instead, we were treated like unwelcome intruders and chased out into the rain, all while our son—a 4.5-year-old—was simply trying to eat his snack in peace.

What makes this situation particularly galling is the lack of any consideration or humanity. Cafes are meant to be warm, inviting spaces—places of refuge, not environments where customers are made to feel like a nuisance. Given how much loyalty we’ve shown to No. 41 over the months, this was a slap in the face.

In today’s competitive hospitality landscape, it’s shocking to encounter such an utter disregard for basic customer service. No. 41 Coffee would do well to remember that businesses thrive not just on quality products but also on respect and understanding toward their patrons. Sadly, this experience has left us determined to find another coffee shop—one that understands the meaning of hospitality.

Avoid No. 41 Coffee unless you enjoy being treated as an inconvenience. We certainly...

First time trying the cafe with the family for eid and encountered many issues. First of all the lady serving us who seemed to be the owner was very rude. We asked to dine in for breakfast as a family of 5 and was told the biggest was a table for 4. We asked if a chair could be added and the answer was no as it would take the space between the table for 2 next to it which was fair enough so we asked if the table could be joined as we were told to sit separately and the answer was no! She kept repeating the same answer to us and my husband said he will sit separately on the table next to us. We went specifically for the turkish eggs as its my son’s favourite breakfast i make at home and was advised its too spicy as it has chilli oil added on top and extra chilli. I asked if the chilli oil could be left out with the firm answer of no again i kept trying to make sense of why it couldn’t be left off for my son to enjoy but she kept saying no they couldn’t alter their dishes! My son insisted to have it and i had one too. It was extremely spicy and burned our mouths and my son cried and argued why they had to add the chilli oil.. even my 6 year old didn’t make sense of it. My husband who likes eating chilli sauces ate it to not waste and said it was extremely hot too. I couldn’t enjoy it myself but didn’t want to complain after seeing how bad the customer service was already and how uncooperative the owner was. My aunt ordered a vanilla latte which had no vanilla in it and was cold. Never returning again and would...

Customer is King? Not here!

I ordered a chicken, avocado and spicy mayo sandwich. I was starving and looking forward to it. Unfortunately, it was so spicy it almost blew my head off! I tried to eat it but found it so unpleasant, I decided to ask if they could add some more plain chicken. No ma'am. (The chicken was already mixed). How about another sandwich then? No can do. Half a sandwich? Nope! And why? Because it said spicy on the menu and spicy is what you got! Plus, it's how we like it. But what about the customer? Don't care.

I'm sorry to write this bad review, but I was really disappointed with the service after having enjoyed this place in the past. If you want to charge top prices for the area, the service has to match. I hope they take this feedback on board because I've read a similar review to mine, and it's true that they've now lost another regular. I also won't recommend it to my local friends, who often ask me about...