Regency Cafe

Five stars are deserved just for the birlliant vintage atmosphere this lovely cafe emits even when closed.  A friend showed me the way on a recent walk, and I can't wait to go back during opening hours.  I never thought proper greasy spoons would become such a rarety in London ...

Sometimes only a fry will satisfy…

The Regent Cafe is what people think of when they imagine a ‘proper greasy spoon’. Decent priced, decent grub for the hard working men and women of the post war years. Formica tables, gingham curtains, a rattling coffe machine and cabbies sucking up industrial strength cups of tea. OK it’s 50 years on now, but the Regent hasn’t seemingly changed much from that socialist post war ideal, albeit that the brickie can’t have a smoke after his ham, eggs, fried slice and the cabbie squeezes in amid more monied Pimlico residents and trendy Asian tourists (the latter location spotting from photoshoots in Japanese Vogue and appearances in Brighton Rock.)

A full breakfast with tea, toast, extra hash browns and black pudding comes to a princely £6.80. You’ll struggle to finish it, even if you have just come off a building site. Plump properly porky sausages, decent (if slightly too salty) bacon and bright yellow eggs belie the low price.

I am so glad someone introduced me to this cafe. The line was off putting at first, but then you saw how it all just flowed like clockwork. The line may be out the door, but by the time you order, there is a table waiting for you. This is not a place to dine, this is a place to eat. Even during the work week, people can have a nice greasy fry up for lunch - and they do!

The petite woman behind the counter cheerfully takes your order and then in an amazing turn barks it to the kitchen in a low register with a full use of daiphragm and projection. If I can find the video, I'll upload it.

Vintage formica. Love it. Great atmosphere and NOT a tourist joint - mostly locals and tradesmen (plumbers, gas fitters, etc) getting fuelled up in the morning. You should see the number of small vans parked outside in the morning!

All the more reason for tourists to come and check out a genuine piece of London in the heart of Westminster.

Bacon sandwiches are made wth slices of bloomer bread i.e. not a factory square loaf and bring your false teeth if you wear one because the bloomer bread is lovely and chewy.

I still cannot get over watching people order and eat chips with their fry up breakfasts in the morning (before 10am)!!!! Queues at lunch time are long and a testament to the Regency's popularity.

Check out their displayed boxing and football memorabilia too.

I'm happy to report that the Great British Greasy Spoon is alive and well in Westminster.

The Regency Cafe is certainly no secret, with a queue that stretched out of the door for the duration of my visit. Inside, tiled walls are decorated with movie memorabilia (although strangely no mention of Layer Cake) and the noise is almost deafening.

What at first appears to be total bedlam is, in fact, an amazingly well organised operation. "How does this work?" enquires an American lady, "What do I do if there are no seats available when my food is ready?", "Don't worry, there are always seats ready" is the confident reply from the waiter. He was right. Quite how this places works so well I can't quite fathom, but work it does. At the counter a diminutive lady shouts out orders so loud that I can't hear myself think. Well cooked, hearty grub flies out of the kitchens to feed the queuing hordes.

The Regency Cafe is a real find, and I loved it. I suggest you try it too - there will always be a seat for you.

A great venue that really is cool. The food is also very good.

I was a frequent visitor to the Regency Cafe in the Nineties when I worked around the corner.

At this particular place of work, there was a lot of after work boozing going on, such that it did not seem to be ten minutes from stumbling out of the pub at past eleven, waking up and being on the way back to work in the morning with a thick head.

A quick stop at the Regency to get fuelled up would help see me through the day, indeed several colleagues remarked that I was the paragon of effectiveness, all thanks to the Regency and despite the heavy nights.

Eat in or take out. My favourite - bacon and egg butty, or sausage and egg butty, the sausage neatly sliced lengthways to ensure ease of consumption at one’s desk. Eat in you can’t beat the fry ups.

Probably still the best cafe in Westminster.

Proper British0style “caff” halfway between Westminster and Victoria. Everything you expect from a great greasy spoon - big portions, good solid fresh-cooked food, a great line in fried breakfasts, and tes you could stand your spoon up in. Highly recommended.

Oh, and if you’ve seen the film “Layer Cake”, with the delicious Daniel Craig, this is the cafe where XXX and Morty have a very special breakfast with Freddie Hurst.

This is a brilliant example of an English 'greasy spoon’. It’s located not far from The Tate Britain so if you’re planning a visit make sure you plan a stop at this traditional English cafe too. The interior is all tiles and formica tables, great food ranges from any combination of eggs, bacon, sausage, chips, beans, fried slice etc that you can think of. Strong tea, good toast and at lunch time, anything from pasta to scampi, pies and school dinner style puddings. They shout the orders are they’re ready which can be disconcerting when you’re standing in front of the person shouting it, but it all adds to the atmosphere!

Good lively atmosphere in this well known bustling cafe. With all the usual menu choices you’d find in a cafe, as well as a daily specials board. The orders being called out is famous! Very fairly priced considering its central location.

I really liked this cafe, so homely and really friendly lady. Hot Chocolate was Cadburys and made with milk….a bargain at just £1. Being open in the evenings is brilliant as it’s difficult to get honest British food at a reasonable price anywhere after lunchtime. Noticed a lot of London cab drivers in there too….and they know where the best places are !
Didn’t have anything to eat this time but food looked great so I will be back for a good traditional meal with a pudding and custard…yum.

This is a famous greasy spoon right in the heart of civil service country - the Westminster/Victoria border - and just a few minutes from Channel 4. It’s black and white art deco interior has seen it act as location for various TV and film productions, most notably in Layer Cake and there is the usual mix of patrons spread across the social strata - labourers next to office execs next to students. As for the food - there’s roast trout in quince jam, pheasant roulade with…only joking, I said it was a greasy spoon so what do you think they serve? And it’s absolutely fine for that. More interesting to go for the decor and hustle-bustle atmosphere than the food but then, when that’s all you serve, you have to distinguish yourself somehow.

Regency Cafe was the first place I was taken to eat when I first arrived off the plane from Heathrow. And I still remember that sleepless morning fondly!
What better introduction to the English way of life than through a typical and traditional London cafe, indulging in a lovely full english breakfast?
For £4.99, a full english breakfast consists of toast, tea, 2 eggs, sausages, bacon, and your choice of baked beans or grilled tomatoes (Beans please). Juice is an additional charge. Not the cheapest of breakfasts in London, but the quaintness of the place and the size of the breakfast is absolutely satisfactory enough!
Popular with the middle-aged locals, this gingham and formica furnished cafe is also popular with film buffs, having appeared in many British TV Shows and Movies.
Regency Cafe is also famous for the way in which you are served your order. No table service, it’s pay as you order, to which, when ready, your meal order is called out by a raspy thorated woman with a voice completely unlike any other. She’s well-renowned and it’s worth going just to hear her unique call!
The food is ready in unbelievable time, so be prepared to eat and leave! Not for lazy weekend brunching and paper-reading, although you can try if it’s not too busy!