Franze & Evans

My Wife & I arrived in Bethnal Green Road at around 10:30 on a Saturday morning a few weeks ago.  My Wife had an appointment to have her hair cut at 11:00 just across the road and we wanted to find somewhere to get a drink and some breakfast.

We spotted Franzè & Evans and decided to go in.  The place looked great, minimalist arty interior, with a great display of cakes and savoury dishes on the counter.

The lady behind the counter was very helpful and friendly and took our order.  We ordered a latte and a mocha, both large, and two filled croissants.  We thought these would be quick as they were already prepared, and just needed a minute under the grill to warm them up.

We sat at a table and waited.  And waited.  And waited.

After around 15 minutes, it became clear that we would be short of time, so I went to the counter and asked if we could have the mocha in a takeaway cup, so my Wife could head off to the hairdressers (I suggested to my wife that I should also get a takeaway cup but she said I should stay and enjoy the café experience).

About another ten minutes later, the drinks arrived (no food).  They had managed to get both drinks wrong – the mocha was in a china cup, and the latte was small not large.  I took them both back to the counter and explained the mistakes politely.  The Italian gent behind the counter, who I think is the owner, was very brusque, not at all apologetic, and seemed to think it was all my fault.  A few minutes later, both drinks arrived, now both the right size and both in takeaway cups.

At this point, my wife had to leave for her appointment, taking her drink with her.

I waited another ten minutes, then stopped a waitress and asked if she could chase our food order.  She wandered off behind the counter, but did not bother to come back to tell me what was happening.

About five minutes later, a different waitress started doing something with the croissants.  She came over and asked me if I wanted them warm.  I could not believe they would have kept us waiting over 40 minutes for a cold, pre-prepared croissant.  I asked for them warm, and in takeaway boxes, as there was no way I wanted to stay there any longer than necessary.

Another 5 minutes on, 45 minutes after we went in, I finally got the croissants and left.  I joined my Wife at the hair salon and had to feed her croissant while she was having her hair cut.

The worst thing is, the coffee and croissants were really nice!

Whilst we were waiting, there was an endless series of people coming in for takeaway food and drinks.  They must have served thirty or forty people in that time, and none of them had to wait more than a minute or two.  I think this is the crux of the problem.  The takeaway customers were always given priority over anyone sitting in, hence our interminable wait.

We asked the hairdresser about Franzè and Evans.  She told us that it is overpriced and the service is poor, and that she does not go there anymore.  I wish we had asked her advice before we went there in the first place.  We will not be going there again.

I give 2 stars just for the really nice food I have had the times I have been at this place; otherwise the service has obvious issues.
Immediately after we have finished our cakes and coffees this afternoon our plates were taken away, as possibly expected. After a few minutes a lady appeared to ask whether we wanted to have the menus to order (again?!); when we kindly replied "No thank you" she rudely and aggressively informed as that the tables were "just for costumers" and rushed away. As if we were walking by and decided to have a sit at their tables or as if a customer has to constantly open his wallet and not just once to keep the owners happy.

Amazing salads, tempting cakes, great home cooked food. Highy recommended.

It's not for local people )O:
Purchased a baguette last year...£4
Went back yesterday, owner rudely ignored me for 7 minutes (i timed it) while shmoozing so some meeja bod who didn't spend a penny.
Got the same baguette, this time it was £4 for half of it.
Crazy !

A nice place for a relaxed weekend brunch. Good food, decent coffee and good location. Very busy though - so may be difficult to find a free place.

Franze and Evans is perfect - a casual, relaxed restaurant serving a variety of options for brunch. It's not easy to find a place in East London for brunch which isn't hectic and too expensive, but Franze and Evans is great. They serve good coffee, big breakfast dishes like eggs and smoked salmon, sandwiches, pasta and a choice of delicious salads. Of course they also do freshly baked cakes and brownies and they sell Italian meats and cheese from their fully stocked deli. It's great for a working breakfast or lunch, or for a long relaxed brunch with friends on the weekends. A definite must try.

Agree wholeheartedly with raistlyn, captured the essence perfectly. Can see PaulToba's point too, the service is not overly friendly and welcoming - it's just that the place is so nice - little bunches of fresh heather on the tables at the moment.

Should also confirm that the Americano was really good, very nice and strong and smooth with separate little jug of hot milk - excellent - and the price equivalent to a Nero Caffe.

Food not tried, but looked pretty good, good enough to eat. No roughnecks amongst clientèle, all nicely presented, washed and dressed with casual stylishness.

Definitely recommended.

This place was recommended by a friend as a place to visit when in Brick Lane. However I was shocked by the uptight italian gentleman (who appeared to be the owner). He was rude to the point of aggression and made the whole experience quite unpleasant. Out polite requests about the eggs were met with disdain, and the end result was underwhelming. .The final bill was astronomical and needless to say we will not be returning

Franzè & Evans is a little cafe on Redchurch St, located just minutes away from Brick Lane, which aims to serve up quality Italian home-cooked food. Alas, on the day I went, I wasn’t hungry and opted for a simple skinny cappuccino, which turned out decent. The cafe also operates as a deli, with specialty Italian foodstuffs on sale.

I found the cafe a great place to chill out. It’s nicely decorated, with a can of flowers on every table. The day I went, tulips were on display. It’s also larger than most coffee shops in that more than five people can sit down at any one point in time. I also like that their opening hours are also pretty decent, as they open from 7 am to 7 pm every day.