Pavilion Cafe Victoria Park — Restaurant in London

There is little doubt that this place does delicious bread and very good coffee. 5 stars for this.

However, as a regular customer of the Pavilion for the last five years, I have noticed a dramatic increase in price of their coffee to the point where it is now simply too expensive.

An espresso at the Pavilion today costs £2.50. If my calculations are right, this represents a minimum of a 25% increase in the cost of an espresso at the Pavilion today compared with five years ago. There may be an operational reason for this, but it's not because the real cost of coffee has increased by £5% over this period. Global wholesale coffee prices today are actually at their lowest level since 2008.

Overheads are a reality for the Pavilion, and I'm sure they are significant (because of its location, produce, staff wages etc), but it's got to the point now where I'm going elsewhere to get my espresso shot because the Pavilion's prices are too high.

There are multiple other great options near Victoria Park that do an excellent brew for, sometimes, 39% less (ie. the Corner Cafe - £1.80 for a great espresso).

The Pavilion will always have lots of occasional weekend customers because it does make delicious stuff and it's in a great location. But to many locals living near the park, some things on the menu (like the cost of an espresso) have become prohibitively expensive, especially when nearby competitors do excellent coffee and brunch for a fraction...

Nov 4th 2023 update: literally nothing if you are vegan unless you pick Dahl without the roti. I asked politely and so did my partner and they were basically indifferent: “you need us more than we need you”

Sept 30th 2023 update: menu has changed with a lot more pastries but NONE of them are vegan. Incredibly lazy. The server vaguely pointed at 2 things amongst the pastries as a vegan option when I asked - only one of which was actually vegan - the ‘overnight oats’ - and they had all gone (at 10.15am) and didn’t fit my idea of a pastry or biscuit. Still disappointing. On the plus side a load more options now in the Roman road. ———————

Great park - but I have to agree with some of the other low scoring reviews for the cafe about its insincere cred. I am fairly regular to this cafe as my wife likes sitting outside by the lake but honestly I get the vibe that they really can’t be arsed to cater to vegans - yes they’ve relatively recently added a faux salmon bagel at £6.80 to a menu which is shockingly lacking in plant based options (not even the soup today) but I’ve politely asked for the last 4 years about at least doing one pastry suitable for vegans and they still don’t have any. For a cafe in the vegan capital of the UK, to have absolutely...

Sit by the boating lake, eat some of the tastiest bacon sandwiches in the East End, enjoy their freshly made lemonade or iced teas, and enjoy the balmy summer atmosphere of Victoria Park...

You and the entire population of the south of England, or so it can feel. Competition for a table can get hair-raisingly fierce when the sun is shining, especially those by the water. Perhaps, people enjoy feeding some of their delicious lunch to the waterfowl.

Though with the prices charged here, I doubt you'd want to give any up to the ducks. I appreciate this must be an expensive venture to run, and that the gentrification of the Hackney area is in full swing, but some of the prices here are astronomical. It's a shame, as this should be a hub for locals and tourists alike, and sadly, it seems to be more of a playground for those with the extra cash.

If you don't mind forking out for what is admittedly good food and a lovely spot to eat it in, then all is well. For a more bargainous trip, stop by Tesco in Hackney for some sandwiches, find a shaded spot, and enjoy the atmosphere...