Cafe 338 London

Not in the mood for the queue nearby... This was fantastic. 'Nuff said. Fantastic, inexpensive, quick, attentive, great selection. Would love to come again, coffee black and oily - in a good way!

Excellent breakfast here. Coffee was lovely too.

Was planning on going to the popular cafe next door but the line was over 2 hours and so we decided to to give this place a go as the food looked good and it was busy but no queue. Very happy that we did as it was a lovely breakfast. The full English had everything you could want and was fresh. The hollandaise sauce on the eggs Benedict was lovely too. Amazing bubble and squeak. Don’t bother waiting in the queue for next door. Come here!

Had a lovely breakfast here, fast service and the food was delicious. Would recommend the fresh orange juice!

Landed there by chance, as we were in a venue nearby and just wanted lunch. We weren't disappointed. Amazing food, good and simple choice. It has a sweet charm of an old tavern and holiday cafe mixed in one which added to an atmosphere. Would definitely recommend.

This is better than the famous neighbour by a significant amount. Incredible value, excellent food and wonderful service! Will be back!

Happened by Cafe 388 today after a walk in the local area. Promptly seated, with excellent customer service. Food was very enjoyable, good quality for a traditional breakfast and a very competitive price. Coffee was also of a decent standard. Establishment was clean and tidy and kept to a high standard despite the high footfall.

I’m finally back after a few years to one of my favourite fry ups in London. Delicious breakfast options, my go-to place for a classic full English. But they also have many other options, including vegetarian options and pancakes. Coffee is ok. Staff is nice and polite, service is good and efficient. Definitely recommended for a good classic English breakfast! Also very good value for money.

cafe 338 is a nice, cozy, and quite busy shop. i ordered a menu 3 (eggs, cumberland sausage, fruit, pancakes) on the pancake menu as well as a latte. the cumberland sausages, pancakes, and latte were delicious. the eggs however were a bit off. the portion sizes were on the smaller side especially considering the relatively high price (hence the -1 star).

Cafe 338 is right across the street from my sister's flat, so I had the pleasure of eating breakfast there twice while I was on holiday in London. The service is great and the food comes out fast. Their breakfast meals are pretty simple with minimal frills but the quality is top notch. I would recommend their pancake breakfast #5 (comes with halloumi) or their green veggie omelette. Reminder - this place is cash only.

A great find for a more American type breakfast. We all left full and happy. The omelets were huge and full of flavor.

When I got there I found the place crowded and there was a 10 minutes wait for a table, but as I was the next in the line, I decide to stay. It didn't take that long to get inside and once the food arrived I understood why there was so many people eating their breakfast there and another amount waiting in the line (queue) for their turn as well: the food was AMAZING! The coffee came first and as I'm a coffeehollic, it's so important as the food to me, I was really glad that it was one great coffee! A little bit later the food came to the table with this beautiful presentation! At the first bite: love, care, flavor, freshness... It was a comfort food! Well cooked, every ingredient were high quality and the service was just as incredible! All the staff was very thoughtful, nice and cheery and ready to serve the customers all the time. Regarding the payment, they only take cash and a meal like the first pic with eggs, bacon, 2 pancakes and some fruits costs 7,50 Pounds and the other dish called American Pancakes with more ingredients: egg, bacon, sausage, potato, 4 pancakes and a little bit more fruits, serves 2 people just fine, costs around 10 pounds. Coffee Americano costs 1,90 pounds and the tea arround 1,70 pounds. It's a familiar place, small and it has only 1 toilet for everyone to use, but it's clean, cosy and there's an energetic atmosphere! I really hope to come back sometime and I'm going back home in Brazil with a bittersweet taste to have seconds on this delicious breakfast!

I go to this cafe occasionally as it is my local, the waitress is usually pretty rude but I always put it down to her being very busy. I went today on my own to have breakfast and read my book in peace and was given a seat opposite a guy who started shouting homophobic abuse at me in front of everyone. I asked the guy to move and he wouldn't, I asked the waitress to ask this guy to move to the table across from me and she said she couldn't move him to that table as the guy had been pestering those girls before. Finally I asked the guy again to move and he got up and shouted that he wouldn't want to world to see him sat opposite me as if we were on a "fag**t date" and he moved. Two kind girls told me to come and sit with them as they had heard the whole thing, and then myself and the girls suggested politely to the waitress that in the future she ask anyone who was being abusive to customers to leave. She said she wouldn't as he is "a regular". The girls pointed out to her that if someone had some in shouting racial abuse they would hope they would be asked to leave and that this was no different. At this point the waitress shoved her hand in my face to shh me and said "look mate I don't give a f*ck about your sexuality, I just don't care" as if that had been my point? I then suggested the same to the manager/owner and he said that the guy was a regular so they wouldn't be asking him not to come back. The two girls sat with me then stated that they were regulars and came there every day and they would not be coming back after this. I would expect the owners or staff to have a little more respect and decency and was quite shaken by their response. They also short changed me by £5 and insisted that they hadn't.

I usually keep my 5 stars for very special, fancy or luxury restaurants, but I will make an exception here. Everytime I come to Cafe 338 with some of our visiting family and friends, enjoying the faces they make when they see the place the first time, when we get served, and when we leave. I'm always amazed how efficient the cooks are, moving with dexterity in such a tiny kitchen, and how the waitresses keep track of so many people and orders with such many tables and little space to walk through... English breakfast is a must, but any other kind of combination is usually succulent. The plates presentation also remains unequalled among breakfast places. Hail 338!

I heard a lot about this place but never tried it till today and I have to say that it is really worth a try (or two, or three...) If you see it from the outside, you won't find anything fancy here, but if you step inside, you'll find a cheap and nice menu and helpful and cheerful staff. We went for late breakfast/brunch and, as per recommendation, I went straight to have a look at the pancakes menu. Amazing how for just £5-£6 you can have a massive breakfast with coffee included. I ordered 'Pancake menu #2' as I'm not too fond of having my sweet and savoury food mixed together and when it came I was like 'wow': tomatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes and fruit! The orange juice was pretty good as well and the coffee was just OK, but if your dish is full of delicious food, who cares? Definitely, saving this spot as one of my favourite places to have a massive breakfast!

Busy, and for good reason. Breakfast was tasty, freshly prepared, and pleasantly served. It's not a large place, so it may be a wait. I enjoyed their bubble, and the poached eggs were perfectly done.

This was a fun time to eat here and visit with friends!! First time trying black pudding and it was good!!

Cafe 338 is truly a little gem! We were seated right away outside and got our food fairly quickly. I ordered the traditional English breakfast which was amazing and very very filling. This was my first "English" breakfast I consumed so I was more than thrilled and satisfied. The portions are pretty huge so I ended up not finishing my plate. Service was awesome and the waitress who served us chatted with us a little about her experience living in London (since we were playing tourist for a weekend there). Would definitely come back!

Only the second English breakfast I've had in the UK, now I'm converted! So much food, great flavor, coffee was also delicious. Friendly service. Highly recommended.

I absolutely love coming to Cafe 338 for breakfast. While the place is quite small and you usually end up sharing a table with others, the food is just delicious! The menu is affordable and I recommend ordering one of their pancake breakfasts. It's a delicious mix of British and American breakfast. Really yummy! The staff are busy, but still very friendly. Definitely a good place to have a meal in Bethnal Green.

Doesn't look like much from the outside. But passing by on a Saturday, seeing the queues of hipsters lined up outside waiting for a table at 11am, we figured they knew something we didnt. Boy was I right. £6 for a full fry (like, huge) including builders tea & buttered batch toast. Real long menu for such a small place. One little toilet out back by where they do the Kitchen prep. Real tight set up getting past the cooks. Seems like a family operation. Always the same older guys serving & they zip by fast turning the tables quickly. On the weekend be prepared to share the table. But everyone who goes there knows this & no one feels the need to make small talk if they're hungover. It's a buzzy spot on the weekend mornings. The sausages arent the best quality, and the beans are straight out of a tin. Its a grease spoon breakfast you're getting here, make no mistake, but it's a monster one and for only £6.

Came here for breakfast my first day in London and the food was so good. Super quick service, everything tastes delicious and for 3 huge meals + coffee for all, it was about £20. I'd definitely return on my next trip to London.

Amazing small Cafe that offers great breakfast. The vegetarian options are great and their British Breakfast is to die for. It's rather hard to get there by public transport but a walk through the interesting neighbourhood doesn't hurt.

Very good vegetarian breakfast ! The prices are very low and the waiter is the nicest guy

I absolutely hated this place... I'll explain why I'm still giving it three stars. I love greasy spoon diners, and I love a full English breakfast, so I should have been in heaven here, right? Nope. The service was absolutely horrible. From the minute we walked in, the staff at 338 was terrible to us. I think my friends and I are pretty respectful tourists -- we go out of our way to try not to be the "Awful Americans." When we walked in and saw it was tiny and tight, I went up to the counter to ask if we should wait to be seated or if we should just grab a table. The ladies working just stared at me like I had 2 heads. I had to ask 3 times before one of them finally (and nonchalantly) answered me. I've never had this type of language barrier in countries that *don't* speak English. For the record, you just grab a seat. Then, when we got seated, we looked on Yelp to make sure they accepted cards -- they don't. That's not a huge deal, but a sign on the door would have been helpful. Luckily, there's an ATM across the street, so nbd. Our server stopped by, and she was one of the rudest human beings I've ever met. When I started to order a breakfast plate and asked for scrambled eggs instead of fried, she just flatly said, "NO." There was no offering me an option or explanation or trying to be helpful -- just "NO." So then I had to figure out what the eff I was doing on my own and ended up ordering a la carte items instead. I didn't like my food at all. Was it terrible? No. But was it good? Negative, Ghost Rider. Also, the coffee was the worst. So why 3 stars if I clearly hated 338 so much? My friends didn't hate it nearly as much as I did. After a quick poll, opinions ranged from "OK" to "Good," and they didn't get the brunt of the rudeness like I did. So maybe I'm being a tad over-dramatic. IMO, Cafe 338 must be a beloved spot for locals, but I wouldn't recommend that a visitor go there.

Great and cheap food. Cumberland sausages, Bacon, beans, egg, pancakes and tea. Only for £6. It's just near where I live, so I Will go again soon !

I ate my body weight's worth of breakfast here. No judging looks, only thumbs up (s?). Love love love. Love. I'm guessing it was so packed due to Pellici's being closed, but we didn't have to wait long as service was so fast. Friendly people in cramped quarters, your typical cafe buzzing on a Sunday midday. Great prices and good portions...some of the most flavorful bubble and squeak I've had in London as well. Chomp chomp chomp. FRESH OJ!!!!!!! Gotta scream that in at the end.

I had the dinner menu - roast beef. I am simply shocked. I have never felt this way in front of food but I am literally mad. The only reason for 2 starts is because the staffs are nice.

WARNING: this place is dangerously delicious. Oh, and it has a massive queue on weekend mornings/afternoons, so bring a newspaper and be prepared to wait. This is my local brunch joint/hangover spot/place where I eat when I can't be bothered (aka hangover spot). Most of my neighbours who frequent this place seem to treat it in the same way that I do, explaining the bedraggled-looking, flannel-wearing, cigarette-scented crowd that you see here at noontime on Sundays. There's even a nice, little outdoor seating area for when it's not pouring with rain outside (= half-drunk hipsters on display). There's a little bit of everything at Cafe 338 - (as mentioned above) heaping portions of breakfast foods, a variety of Middle-Eastern themed salads and wraps (halloumi galore), and the more traditional 'diner' food like burgers and greasy, breaded and fried potato and onion products, yay. And to keep said hipsters (and me) happy, there's a huge selection of veg options, including a full English with mock Glamorgan sausages and veggie bacon. As other reviewers have mentioned, the food here fills the stomach without emptying the wallet - no plate is over £7, and in fact, most are under £5 (this is probably why it's cash only). The waitstaff is incredibly pleasant and accommodates all sorts of strange requests and dish substitutions without a bat of the eyelash (one morning, my stomach told me it wanted pancakes and maple syrup with grilled halloumi and baked beans...and Cafe 338 complied). Also, there are free refills on filter coffee (!!!), which never happens in London...cherish it. This has been quite a strange list of reasons why I love Cafe 338, but hopefully it convinces people to go. You really should go, it's pretty great.

Best place on earth to have breakfast! Really cheap. Friendly and nice staff. Great options for breakfast just for £5-£6 (including coffee or tea)

Fantastic food clean and fresh, staff are nice and very good value for money. Situated in a busy vibrant market road.

This place is my favorite breakfast food restaurant in London. You can get a huge English breakfast for a very cheap price and it fills you up. i came here, not knowing what to expect and left with a huge tummy full of delicious food. I have taken so many of my friends here and they all agree to it being some of the best food they've had. They also have a new lunch menu they just started, I haven't tried it yet, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was absolutely amazing. I highly suggest this to anyone who's hungry and wants a ridiculously amazing breakfast (English style ;])

I am disappointed, which is sad given I only heard good things from here. But the fact is that I went in very hungry and looking forward to a good meal and left feeling like I would have rather gone to Nando's. Issue - I had to travel by bus to get here. It's a local joint and by no means a travel-to-destination. And I was hungry! Issue - We came with a party of 8. If you have a party of more than 4, just don't go. In an attempt to get all plates out to two separate tables at once, we waited for about a 45 minutes to get our food. This does not bode well for a hungry man. Issue - I made the mistake of ordering the Mega Breakfast and assumed that it came with beans, as any English breakie should. It did not. My fault? Yeah I guess so, but that doesn't mean it deserves another star. Issue - The breakfast I had was good, but it was not fantastic by any means. A fine price, but I know of other places that are cheaper of the same quality and size. It has been judged and really an unfortunate thing in my eyes. When inevitably I am dragged back here despite my best grumblings, hopefully the experience and cirumstances provide for a better experience and I can give it a better rating. And one that includes beans.

Best breakfast I had so far! Very tasty! Very fulfilling! The pancakes is really special. And I'm sure you'll find the syrup different from what you usually have. The texture is chewy. Just fantastic, hands down!

The place is very small, but it is a great value for its portion size. An inexpensive place to go have brunch with a few friends. I like their willingness to substitute items on set menu plates. It's extremely busy on weekends between 11-2, so be ready to queue.

We went o Sunday for brunch. The place was crowded but we had the table after only 10 minutes. The service was fast and the food was according to our expectation. Everything was fresh and pleasantly served. I really liked the potato pancakes.

Really good breakfast, great fried halloumi with the veggie pancake menu, fresh orange juice, crispy hash browns... spot on. Shame the service is so slow (we waited over half an hour for our food). We didn't have to queue today but it's definitely a busy place. The low prices are what make this place so great, amazing value. I'll be coming back for sure, but will make sure I'm only just hungry so that I'm starving by the time I eat ;-)

Best and cheapest place on bethnal green rd. By far. Very friendly staff. Crowded on weekends. Worth the wait though.

So cheap, so good. A proper greasy spoon. The coffee (included in every £5-£6 pancake breakfast) isn't great but the food makes up for it!

Good option for breakfast, they have a section for vegetarians too if you are one. try the potato pancakes.

Generally don't like to eat breakfast out because with a family of 5, you end up spending £60 on a mediocre breakfast you could have made at home for under £10, but really loved this spot. Excellent food, large portions, quaint unassuming location, and very affordable prices. I'll be coming back the next time I'm in the London area.

It's pretty reasonable, it's definitely a lot of food and also a lot of waiting. It's worth the wait outside, which will generally take you 15 ish minutes depending on the queue. We found our longest wait was once inside and it took more than a half hour to get food, to the point that other people were sitting, eating and leaving before we got served. I'm guessing it's a fluke and everything was lovely once it came. Go for the pancake menu.

Great value, greasy spoon fry-ups... but with something additional: delicious freshly squeezed OJ, relatively friendly service, good vegetarian options, plus pancakes, omelets, and some other more diverse breakfast items. Basically, large plates of breakfast food, mostly for under £5. Long queues on the weekends, but fine on weekdays. Cash only, but theres a cashpoint across the street. If you live in the neighborhood, do it, but don't trek across town. Buy definitely get some orange juice.

338 is a greasy spoon with "new bethnal green" aspirations. There's queueing The food does look lovely, although the coffee leaves a *lot* to be desired.

I live in Bethnal green and this is my favourite place in my neighborhood! Good food, reasonable price. It's really crowded during the weekends so have to go early but that's a good sign innit?

As a tourist staying a small hotel in Bethnal Green, I stumbled upon this cafe and I have to stay it is some of the best breakfast I've ever had, anywhere! There were plenty of options for an English breakfast, but I found myself having pancakes alternating with eggs, sausage, grilled tomato, etc. The freshly squeezed OJ was delicious and they provided random fruit with the pancakes! (One day it was watermelon, another day there were grapes!) I returned to this place 3 out of the 4 mornings that I was in London and the service each day was pleasant and welcoming. The food was absolutely delicious each day to start my days off right and I don't think I spent more than 15£ for two any day. I highly recommend this place for English breakfast, I wish I could've tried their other food.

A great little place to have Breakfast on a rainy day. I recommend the omelette, which is quite big for the price and yummy. Lately there is always a queue when I walk past it, however the wait is usually only 5 to 10 minutes. The café is packed with many tables but I once met lovely people like this and started chatting to table neighbours. The staff is usually friendly and is also happy to recommend meals.

Definitely not for just when you can't get in the famous Pellici next door but two. The breakfasts are bigger and better, make sure you upgrade your sausages to the cumberland, then you'll get real sausage rather than cheap catering ones.

Just very good and affordable. For less then £10 you'll have breakfast like a king. Friendly staff.

Cute breakfast place and good English breakfast and can do a vegetarian option too! There can be a line Sunday morning though, and only a couple tables outside.

Just had a really nice breakfast here. Relaxed ambiance and good, cheap food.

Even when I ordered an Americano and got a latte, and then proceeded to get two more coffee's that I didn't order and then got bacon on my Bethnal green veggie breakfast I can't complain. Sitting outside on a rainy, cold summers day with good company, and full belly, and at 7 pounds it is pretty good. The portions are MASSIVE though.

Okay, I have been meaning to update my views on this for the last few weeks, as I have since been back and had a very different experience. Just have not had a moment to write this (sorry for the delay Cafe 338!) If you have read the previous review you may (rightly) wonder why I ever returned? Basically, I was coming home from a party with some friends and on getting off the tube at Bethnal Green, everyone started realise they were hungry. I suggested we go to Little Georgia, but this was vetoed due to being too far away. Plus, my girlfriend is a major fan of 338. I explained to her that it was impossible for me to go back due to the previous experience and the review. Reader, my protestations fell on deaf ears. It was recommended that I go in disguised. I was drunk enough to think this a good idea. It was not. The disguise consisted of a Chinaman's hat (conical Asian hat), which covered my face about a third of the way down. This would have been a great disguise if I wasn't 6ft 3in tall. But I am and the woman who runs the cafe (my nemesis from the previous review), is very small and so could see my face right away. This was confirmed when she said, "I know you, you are the man who wrote the review". It was not possible to deny this. We exchanged a few words about each other previous attitudes. I focused on her rudeness. She on my drunkenness (which, I for some strange reason, forgot to mention in the previous review). After a moment or two of this we decided to become friends and even had a hug. I then spoke to the rest of the staff and then was served a giant breakfast with mountains of extra baked beans and hash browns. Dear reader, it was a moment that allows me to believe in the possibility of world peace. We are all human. Me, you, the entire staff of Cafe 338. We all make mistakes and we all let our moods get the better of us. But what we don't all do, is make breakfasts as amazing as the one I had a Cafe 338 on Bethnal Green Road on Saturday October 1st at approximately 6am. This was a breakfast that i will never forget.

After reading the reviews I had to visit this place...It definitely lived up to expectations!! Any place that gives you three hash browns with its breakfast is a winner for me! I will now be a regular!

Fancy a hangover cure for the weekend? Make sure you get in early otherwise you will be queuing for a while.

Great place for breakfast (English or otherwise) in East London! Delicious and affordable.

Definitely my favourite East London greasy spoon. Cracking value as well given the Olympic sized breakfasts!