This rustic cafe dishes out simple, fresh meals from nearby greengrocers, all wrapped in a charmingly homey, village-like atmosphere.
"Attached to an upmarket greengrocer of the same name, Leila’s serves excellent, homely dishes in a serene, whitewashed cafe/canteen-like space. Befitting its location in a leafy, calm part of Shoreditch, it’s somewhere to pop in for a quiet lunch among the arty, Margaret Howell-clad crowd. Pick from the short chalkboard menu of seasonal European-leaning dishes like roast chicken and raisin-flecked pilaf, or a slab of creamy fennel gratin. Solo diners are particularly welcomed—plus it means you won’t have to share any of the puddings. If there’s anything with jelly, get it." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, daisy meager
"Attached to an upmarket greengrocer of the same name, Leila’s in Shoreditch serves excellent, homely dishes in a serene, whitewashed cafe/canteen-like space. Befitting this leafy, calm part of the neighbourhood, it’s somewhere to pop in for a quiet lunch among the arty, Margaret Howell-clad crowd. Pick from the short chalkboard menu of seasonal European-leaning dishes like roast chicken and raisin-flecked pilaf, or a slab of creamy fennel gratin. Solo diners are particularly welcomed—plus it means you won’t have to share any of the must-order puddings. If there’s anything with jelly, get it." - Daisy Meager
"Leila’s Shop straddles two units on Shoreditch’s Calvert Avenue: one functions as an eclectic greengrocer’s stacked from floor to ceiling with gourmet food stuffs. The second is a café serving a weekly changing lunch menu, to eat in or in a takeaway returnable tiffin tin, Wednesday — Friday using the ingredients sold next door, which reliably ends with a selection of sweet treats that offer a masterclass in seasonality and provenance. Desserts at Leila’s are led by baker supreme, Stroma Sinclair, formerly head pastry chef at Spring, whose creations include rhubarb and blood orange pavlova, or chocolate mousse cake with cream and kumquats to eat in, or bakes such as malt loaf, almond and quince cake, and homemade ginger snaps to take away. Swiss rolls recur throughout the year in seasonal variations, and a recent highlight was a citrus curd swiss roll that used YQ flour and brown sugar in the sponge, and a filling of Northiam Dairy’s unctuous unsweetened double cream along with a zingy curd featuring Sicilian blood orange, pink grapefruit, lemon, and bergamot. It is as familiar feeling and nostalgic as it is novel and refreshing; this interplay of homeliness and masterful execution being the hallmark of Leila’s cooking." - Emma Louise Pudge
"Leila's stocks a great assortment of local and seasonal vegetables along with sundries like cheeses and oils. The veggie shop, tucked away on one of the more picturesque Shoreditch streets, also hosts a café, which has a laid-back, neighborhood vibe. The dishes are simple and straightforward, which puts the aforementioned veggies in the spotlight."
"Leila's stocks a great assortment of local and seasonal vegetables along with sundries like cheeses and oils. The veggie shop, tucked away on one of the more picturesque Shoreditch streets, also hosts a café, which has a laid-back, neighborhood vibe. The dishes are simple and straightforward, which puts the aforementioned veggies in the spotlight."
