lemon monkey, Stoke Newington, London

Nice enough cafe and service was good when I went in a few weeks ago.

Really great place with quality products!

I love this place and always make a point of going for the wonderful food and drink (best coffee in stokey) but unfortunately the manager is SO rude, she ruins the entire expereince. awful sallow dissmissive service. the woman is losing me as a customer based on this alone and i think she must rub off on her often distracted, never joyful staff as well.

Hate the sign out the front. Please please do something about it.

Service always very slow and never really with a smile. Staff boarder on being rude.

The selection of food is limited in the savory department but great cakes.

Weird annoying layout.

I normally keep walking up the Church Street.

Shame it’s not quite there yet.

Really cute inside. Coffee is pretty good and croissants are pretty good as well. Nice to visit rather than hitting up Starbucks, and they have a decent variety on the food menu, but not my top coffee joint.

Despite being a regular visitor to Lemon Monkey over the last couple of years, popping in once a week or so for coffee, I’ve decided not to go back to any more. This is a great shame as it’s near where I live, comfortable, serves reasonable coffee, and offers a fair range of speciality foods to take away (at Stoke Newington prices).

What has put me off returning is the lady I take to be LM’s owner or manager, whose attitude on every occasion I’ve encountered her has been on the range from surly to disdainful. I don’t expect the staff to run out from behind the counter and hug the customers, but treating a paying customer — even one with a laptop! — with what feels like open disdain isn’t really on. (I should say that the other staff members are unfailingly charming and courteous.) A great pity.

I make a point of coming here when I am in the area as it has some really good products.
Think some improvements could be made. You do see people having tea and cakes, but never the wine, which you can also enjoy on the premises.

Really impressive little coffee shop. The cakes are sublime.

what is going on with the layout in this cafe? It used to be okay but it has been changed around and now is so annoying. I wonder why there is a large cake display in the middle of the floor where tables should be? i did used to like this place and I want to like this place, but here are the problems:

Weird layout

Although friendly, really slow service - It takes a long time to get your coffee, to the point where you wonder if they have forgotton

The kids, the kids!!!! the pushchairs.... I know its' Stoke Newington and it's not the Lemon Monkey's fault but be warned, I have been in there many, may times and every single time it has been ruined by screaming babies...EVERY TIME, so if you want peace, i wouldn't recommend.

My last coffee there was bitter and has put me off going back.

It has the right idea but really needs stepping up a notch or two

A French styled Café in the north of London. Prices are a bit over the average but it is affordable. Nice to be if you around Stoke Newington.
Lovely interieur with interesting art exhibitions and some performance activities from time to time.

Us Londoners all know that Stoke Newington, whilst having no tube station (huff puff) is the one of the coolest cats in town for pubs, restaurants and cafés, and the Lemon Monkey, my friends is no exception. Part Deli, part café this place serves exquisite cappuccinos in big old 70’s style cups, an amazing selection of cheese and soft chewy sweet banana’s, which if your wondering if that goes with coffee – oh yes it does!

Went in, sat down, asked for a menu.
5 mins later: menu arrived
Placed our order at the front of a queue of 3 couples in a 1/3 full cafe.
5 mins later: gormless staff nervously look in our direction
5 mins later: waitress brings over the wrong drinks but eventually gives them to the couple who were behind us in the queue
5 mins later: waitress brings over styrofoam cups and asks whether we wanted these to takeaway. We didn’t.
1 min later: we got our money back
All we ordered was a cup of tea and a cappucino.
Used to be my favourite coffee place on/around Church St but has gone downhill since the recent refurb.

A great addition to Stoke Newington High Street, Lemon Monkey lives up to the quirkiness of its name. Whilst having a drink and snack in here I was able to stock up on a couple of Christmas presents. The helpful staff made suggestions for a hamper and wrapped everything in a basket, whilst I enjoyed the reasonably priced snack.

The cafe also stocks a range of bric-a-brac (mainly kitchenware) which provided further stocking fillers, I’m a big fan of the multi-purpose cafe, somewhere to eat, drink, buy cheese, wine and interesting kictchenware.

This place completes the trifecta of hippiness, the Bermuda triangle of herbal tea or the axis of beret wearing art graduates that forms the middle path of Stoke Newington. It’s the pointy bit of the isosceles triangle with the farmers market and fresh and wild making the other corners.
It’s amazing no-one built a tea shop like this here before, as it’s clearly found a very appreciable customer base. A very well organised organic kitchen type venue with tea’s and coffee’s and all types of new age snackery. Meat being still an option as long as it’s organic. It’s a sizeable space with chairs out the front, and a room out the back coming off the main area. Along with the meals they sell food produce, alcohol and advertise regular events like food tasting and even live music.
It’s not a place for me but I think it’s a smart business move. Last time I went I had to share a table with some middle aged nice people. My espresso was cold and I noticed the overheating was making the display of cheese melt. I was unsure of whether it was table service or not and it had that no one can complain cause we are all so happy feel to it like a yoga class.
Very good but very bad.

Yarp, definitely a yummie place. Excellent selection of salads and meats, not to mention desserts and cheeses. Lots of quality herbs and sauces as well. (Just wish they’d bring back the fresh pasta selection!).

Great place for a pot of tea and people-watching or reading a boring book!

New opening on Stoke Newington High Street. If you want to share a big table with different people who can eat their breakfast or their salads or simply have a coffee, you’ll be gladly surprised.

Find delicious marmelade, bread better than the french baguette.

For those who knows the « Pain quotidien » there the same ambiance, very simple but perfect anytime of the week end.

The staff is very friendly as they really want to make you feel comfortable and be sure that you enjoyed your meal or snack.

Prices are on an average basis for the area with the pain au chocolat at £1,30 and salads at £4 /5.