ANCIENT GREASE

IF YOU LIKE A LITTLE CULTURE WITH YOUR BANGERS & MASH, THEN CAFF AFICIONADO, ADRIAN MADDOX, RECOMMENDS YOU SEEK OUT SOME OF LONDON'S CLASSIC CAFES.

Classic cafés – those 20thcentury working men’s “caffs” that retain their period fixtures and fittings – are commonly dismissed as “greasy spoons”. Yet often, they are mini-masterpieces of mid-century design.

These places were vital to the cultural life of post-war Britain, adding an European vibrancy to London, in particular.

The first Soho espresso bar, The Moka, (formerly at 29 Frith Street), opened in 1953. The following upsurge of cafés, alongside the booming TV, music and advertising industries of the 1960s, placed London at the centre of international popular culture.

BEPPE’S CAFE
23 West Smithfield EC1A
+44 (0)20 7236 7822
There’s something beguiling about the orange, red and blue Beppe’s box sign above the main door on West Smithfield. Inside, there are nice booth seats and a beaten-copper counter. Locals relish this family run place. There’s a small collection of “Italian-iana” on the back wall that hints at the Mediterranean role in the development of Clerkenwell. The café is always busy, full of workers from Bart’s Hospital opposite. And on a crisp day, looking out onto Smithfield market, Beppe’s is quite simply one of the most pleasant places in London to while away a lunchtime.

ALPINO
97 Chapel Market N1
+44 (0)20 7837 8330
Founded in 1959, this monument has held on to every ounce of its character. The interior is a wonderland of museum-quality tables and worn, wooden booth seating. On top of this the fluted wall panels, teak-veneer Formica, glossed-over 1950s anaglypta, red lino floor tiles, period wall heaters, glorious lamp fittings and pendant lighting all make this a must-see destination. Simon, the Alpino’s owner, is a caff-master, who knows how to keep the customers rolling in. The Alpino is a favoured stop-off for cult London author Iain Sinclair, and also features in the video for Lily Allen’s first single, Smile.

RIVER CAFE
1 Station Approach SW6
+44 (0)20 7736 6296
One of the very best preserved caffs left in all of London. This place has everything: a superb Vitrolite ceiling, magnificent blue tile work and murals, excellent wooden seats and Formica tables. There’s also a large busy counter, and a splendid frontage with little “light refreshment” slogans. Just as nature intended! The dreamteam Italian family who run it also happen to give the best service this side of Pellicci’s. A great classic caff that is well worth the Tube journey to see it. Head there before lunchtime and you will be assured a superb seat, top nosh and a handy base from which to visit the church that featured in The Omen.

BAR ITALIA
22 Frith Street W1
+44 (0)20 7437 4520
On its Soho site since 1945, way before the 1950s espresso boom, Bar Italia’s neon entrance sign and handsome outside hanging clock front an interior with stools running down a long counter laminated in two-tone Formica. Very rare for London, it’s also open pretty well 24 hours a day. Rocky Graziano boxing gloves and other memorabilia adorn the walls and it serves arguably the best espresso in London. But the authentic Soho- Italian atmosphere is somewhat undermined by the large projection TV, the braying media clientele and horrific prices. Nonetheless, this is the real deal and an important London landmark.

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