There's nothing finer that cycling down to the Albion on a summer's morning, plonking yourself outside, unfurling the Observer & having a delicious brekkie + they make a great pot of tea! read more

Albion's menu benefits from its simplicity and quality of ingredients. In a lot of ways it reminds of NYC restaurants like Florent (RIP!) that reinterpret classics by refining preparation and ingredients. Similarly, Albion also works as a gateway to Shoreditch for those visitors like me that didn't know what the neighbourhood was about. If a full meal doesn't suit you, it is also an excellent place to rendezvous with friends for drinks and coffee. read more

I agree with some of the points made by other reviewers, the atmosphere is great, the location good but the food itself was just OK. I came here on a cold afternoon and decided on sausage and mash to warm me up. My friend had a shepherds pie and we each had red wine to boot. £9.25 and £11.00 respectively, well, alright the portion sizes were quite large, but still a bit pricey for somewhere that acknowledges they're a caff providing ''nothing challenging or complicated, just straightforward hearty ingredients and recipes'' We both found the restaurnt got quite hot where we were sitting and as soon as we finished eating, moved to a table outdoors to finish our drinks and breathe more easily. Perhaps the heat is due to the open kitchen or maybe it was just a particularly busy Sunday afternoon? Anyway, I enjoyed seeing the rest of the Boundary complex - Terrance Conran's boutique hotel - the roof terrace ia lovely for drinks with views over the East End and the 'posher' restaurant downstairs looks luxe. We also liked the shop where you can buy deli items and fancy-schmancy stuff like overpriced oraganic milk and cordials while some of their baked-on-premises buns and flapjacks etc were pretty cheap by comparison. I'd probably go back to Albion again - when I'm feeling flush. read more

Lots of buggys (I'm not even sure how to spell the plural) and a bit difficult to get seated. But the food made up for it! My visit was nearly a year ago but having recently joined Yelp, I wanted to review. read more

This is one of those places that doesn't do anything fancy per-se, but they completely nail the basics so it just doesn't matter. For example, their cheese and tomato sandwich just reminds you how good "just" a sandwich can be. Saying that, I really don't know why I keep coming back as every time I get the most sullen and moody service. Perhaps I'm not dressed up enough. Still, a fan. read more

We would never have found this place if a store attendant hadnt directed us to it. The restaurant itself seems out of place in the East End, but that's the beauty of gentrification! It is a very elegant looking place, with a restaurant connected to a bakery. The menu was simple, had the traditional english breakfast which was very good. The service was top notch and the attached bakery/shop is not something we've seen often in London, reminding us of some nice local restaurant/shop combos like Julienne's in Pasadena. Lots of baked good, some of it very good (croissants) and some of it outright unedible (the fantastic looking but horrid tasting cupcakes!!!), but overall it's a place we'd easily go back to. read more

I'd heard about this place from a few people, and my boyfriend had been before with colleagues a couple of years back, and enjoyed it. So he suggested we go for Sunday lunch, on a particularly rainy Sunday - the sort which called for a pot of tea and a hearty meal. We braved the weather to get the cafe, only to find a massive queue. We decided to wait (who's in a hurry on a Sunday anyway?) and 35 minutes later we had a table. The dining room is one long, white bustle of tables, and the word to describe the style is "cool and Conrad". The service was decent enough, and the food was nice, but overall, it just didn't make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, as a Sunday lunch out should. Personally I wasn't in the mood for heavy dripping, pastry or chips, so I opted for the aubergine, courgette and chedder bake. Which was quite nice, but mostly it was "meh". My boyfriend had the full breakfast which actually looked much more intriguing, and he really liked it, so perhaps that's the one to go for. But I reckon there are plenty of better breakfasts out there, especially for ten quid. Food orders aside, though, I think the overall atmosphere is what lets Albion down. By the time we laid down our cutlery there was still a huge queue standing and watching everyone eat with impatient longing. The room lacked the warmth and lanquidity of a mellow Sunday afternoon, instead feeling more like a post office with a kitchen. We spent more time in the queue for a table than we did at the actual table. We decided to skip the pot of tea and go somewhere else, where we could take our sweet time with it. The bakery shop at the front of the cafe, with its amazing products, seems like the better, more enticing aspect of Albion. I wasn't really blown away by the sit down meal. To sum up, it was good, but it wasn't great. read more

I bought a sandwich that is 80% bread and prepared hastily for terrible result. Cool people, not great food and a bit overpriced.

I'm always marginally offended when I visit the Albion cafe as they always seem to plonk in the far corner at the back of the restaurant leaving the pavement tables to the beautiful and hip clientele. Snootiness aside, this is a great all-rounder location and perfect for folks who have to do work remotely: good, strong, delicious coffee, a good strong selection of coffee, and good strong wifi. For lunch and dinner, the menu isn't consistently tasty: some meals are simply better than other. Fish and Chips, excellent. Full English Breakfast excellent. I can't fault this though for being the ideal cafe to waste the day in: especially if you're one of those lucky, hip few that get to bag a people watching spot on the tables out front. read more

I've been to Albion before for breakfast, and my time back then was quite enjoyable. I think their breakfast, fresh breads and baked goods are the best thing about this place. Unfortunately, I recently went back for lunch with some friends and discovered how unfortunate you must be to come to this place expecting a decent lunch experience. The food was not satisfactory, however that was the least of the problems here. The real reason why Albion gets one star is because of the service. Mind you, the experience gave me and my friends a good laugh, but that entertainment value quickly died when we had to pay for the absurdity they like to call service. First off, our server wasn't helpful with the menu. When we asked him which dish he preferred between the two we picked, he casually mentioned that one was vegetarian and the other had meat. I did not learn anything new from that insight... Once we all picked our dishes, our server went off to do his thing elsewhere. The entertainment commenced once more about 20 minutes later when we finally received our dishes. The server returned and sternly told us "you guys are now complete, yeah?" Sure thing, except we didn't have the adequate cutlery to enjoy our meal. One of my friends requested a spoon so she could eat her dish. The server went away and, a few minutes later, returned with a large dinner plate. He hovered it above our heads. We weren't sure what to make if it until he said "just take the spoon." The hilarity ensued as the luncheon dragged on and we were requesting for more drinks. Our server had a penchant for keeping his gaze away from us and standing idly by the window, presumably waxing philosophically about something. The icing on the cake was when we requested the bill. He told us he would clear our table and bring it to us. Taking only two plates, he went to the back of the kitchen, never to return again... Our table was still filled with empty plates, and a manager finally gave us the key to our freedom. We paid the service for two reasons. As a fellow server, I understand what not getting service feels like. But, the real reason is for the entertainment value our server offered. His comical style was second to none and I honestly believe Albion should increase the service from 12.5 to 25 percent. Just kidding! In all seriousness though, don't go there... read more

A fabulous brasserie! The atmosphere is always great with a centre restaurant and a bakery with delicious cakes and breads. One of my favourite places for casual breakfast or brunch/lunch. The food is usually very good, and the few times it hasn't been up to scratch, they always rectify this, elegantly and with no fuss. Kedgeree, and their breakfast is my personal choices. In summer it is especially good as they open up the restaurant to the street where there are more tables. It is the kind of place you can bring your anyone, sit down for a coffee, or bring your friends for brunch. It got a healthy mix of all sorts of people. A big plus is that they also got tables for one person! The only down side is that you can not book, and the queues can therefore be long at times, especially on the weekends. But maybe that's just for the best, to keep its spontaneous buzzing vibe. read more

We were first greeted by a scowling maitre'd with a terrible attitude. We waited 20 minutes for 2 lattes and we actually finally had to go up and ask where they were; when they came, the waiter slammed them down on our table without mention. The food was disgusting as to be inedible. We left 2 omelettes nearly untouched; one had bacon so grisly it was pure mounds of fat. Mine had strips of chewy, sinewy ham that was clearly left over from days before. Pathetic, limp, like a prison ration...no accoutrement or sides. Bread arrived 10 minutes later and he literally dropped the butter on the table and walked away. At this time I noticed the table to our left laughing at their prison-ration-like servings. It was awful. I cannot emphasise how gross it was. AVOID read more

Typical posh breakfast vibes....it's a pretty good scene...however the breakfast menu lacks greens, the servings tend to be on the small side and the service was mixed...still I'd probably go back...expect a wait on weekends. read more

Great place with high quality produce and ingredients. I ate on the ground floor where they serve classic British food that is absolutely delicious. The staff and service are impeccable and never without a smile. read more

Ah yes, the Albion. Perfect for West Midlanders, or those who don't mind being served up mouldy drizzle-cake with a contemptuous shrug by an indifferent waitress. The premise would appear to be a sound one, and I'd looked forward to visiting the cafe - but following my friend's treatment there (seriously, there's a big difference, whatever the waitress might tell you, between lemon zest and mould) the only visit they're going to be receiving on our account is one from a Shoreditch Council EHO. Very disappointing. read more

Let's face it, food was delicious and tasty, at least for what we ordered. But the service Waiting to be seated, fine. But waiting to be seated for 7 good minutes with a perfect view of the room, seeing loads of free tables and watching waiters loitering around make you feel ignored and is slightly insulting, irritating and frustrating especially when you are on a short lunch pause. So much, we even thought of leaving! We liked the place itself though and the service was fine once seated so we might have another go. read more

The food is average to very ordinary but the service is non-existent. I won't eat here again. read more

The coffee was good, sure, but the service was horrible. It started with my friend, waiting for me, being ignored. Then when I arrived the ginger gal who was serving us made it very clear she was uninterested. We were ready for a nice working lunch but we could only stand having coffee. She swept up with a very loud metal broom and pan like we were in the way. Took things off of our table, without asking or acknowledging, to give to another table. Then when we asked for the bill she couldn't get get it to us any quicker. Bare in mind the place was not busy. We paid (including service charge which was already on the bill) and left quickly as it was clear we were not welcome and went to the owl and pussycat - where they at least served us pleasantly with a hungover smile. read more

Call me eccentric - and many do - but what I really wanted for lunch was dessert. OK, I confess - I have dessert for lunch quite a lot. A piece of luck, then, that I'd arranged to meet a friend at the Albion Caff - I've been for breakfast a couple of times and indulged in almond croissants so ginormous that they filled me up until about 10pm at night. This time, though - the croissants were not on offer - just as well, as it gave me a chance to order something new. My friend had a rather more conventional perfect cheese omelette and excellent chips (I was naturally forced to sample a couple while I waited for my food to arrive). And when it did - heaven. A bread and butter pudding I can only describe as ethereal, sizzling away in a satisfyingly large dish. No idea how they managed to get the custard so light - and the fruit bread so crunchy on top - anyway, I scraped the dish and can't wait to go back and have it again. I'm sure the main courses are all lovely but right now, I can't see beyond that pudding. read more

Amazing little bakery/restaurant. We especially loved the bread and pain au chocolat. The smells coming from the kitchen were simply incredible. Also a cool spot that is hip without feeling pretentious. read more

I'm going to have to give them a 3 * benefit of the doubt rating. Perhaps because I was a solo diner during a busy lunch rush I got the short end of the stick? No, that was not what happened because both people who were sat after me (both solo diners) both received their food before me. Actually going to downgrade this to a 2. I ordered a cup of coffee and the full breakfast. I am actually sitting here and waiting for them to bring bread for my now cold eggs. Now I have the bread. Good lord the eggs are actually inedible. I would tell the server this rather than a yelp review if they bothered to stop by and ask. How does a restaurant do bad eggs? It's the first dish a child learns to make? Sadly will not be back - this was a mistake of me judging a book by its cover. The cover was super shiny but the substance (and food) was severely lacking. The only thing nice I have to say about the place is that the coffee was good. Okay downgrading to a single star. read more

Idea for trendy traditionals. Serving only British food, the menu is hearty, and the stripped-bare interior has a whiff of wartime aausterity. read more

This review is for the bakery. And it's just not very good. Which is odd, because it has moments approaching brilliance. The almond paste in the croissant is to die for - thick and luscious - but the actual pastry is terrible! Slack, doughy, and often burnt, it's nearly inedible and nothing like a croissant - I cannot believe a French chef would turn this out. The macaroons taste amazing, but there's no gloss on them and the texture's wrong. The salted caramel tart is delicious, but again the pastry is undercooked. Even the carrot cake tasted initially incredibly then left a strange sickly after-taste. Flapjacks and brownies are okay, but not as good as they look, and many things are over-priced. I've eaten through all the sandwiches and salads, which are fine, though far too much bread to the meagre amount of filling. The bacon sandwich is just bad -a giant floury white bap, two thin greasy slices of bacon hiding in the middle. I did just have a delicious breakfast bun though. I love proper British bakeries and yet this just doesn't quite get there, for all its incredible looks. That said, I'll still go back as there's nothing quite like it in the area. The Modern Pantry, if you're Clerkenwell way, does delicious pastries Mon-Fri in its side shop. read more

Ordered the omelette, which was like a household cleaning sponge (texture and lack of taste!) Wine was nasty and served in a small water glass to disguise the tiny amount. Very overpriced. read more

After getting my hair done at Foster London and looking a million dollars I stopped by the Albion for lunch after the owners recommendation. The place was buzzing but I was shown to a table almost immediately then twenty minutes later I had the most exquisite steak any woman could wish for. The surroundings are quirky and there is a lot of bustle but after a few moments you completely relax and enjoy this chaotic atmosphere. Absolutely worth a visit. read more