Love this place!! Coffee is great and food superb. The staff become like family after coming regularly. They know exactly what you want to eat and have great recommendations. A tribute to neighbourhood café like in the old days. Also, their music is spot on! Great tunes...🎼
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Raison d’Etre on 28/08/18
What a great find! Raison d’Etre is located on the very-French Bute Street in South Kensington. This café is a short walk from the V&A, where we found ourselves peckish and in desperate need of caffeine. Thanks to a very good rating and numerous positive reviews on Trip Advisor, we landed here and were thoroughly pleased!
Raison d’Etre is a cozy café with a warm and welcoming atmosphere, we felt very much at home. Matt, the owner, is a personable and charismatic guy. He and his staff provide top-notch customer service in a laid-back and relaxed atmosphere. They do a great job taking care of their customers and have tons of regulars as a result. The coffee is, hands down, the best we had in London. The sandwiches and pastries we had were great as well. Our favorites were the Raison d’Etre baguette and the Pain aux Chocolat…totally crave-inducing! We are definitely missing it now that we are back in the States! Everything we had was great, our only regret was that we were not able to have lunch here as much as we would have liked. Finding this place added to the enjoyment of our vacation in a big way!
They're closed for several weeks for summer vacation. Call ahead. Too bad. I was looking forward to trying it. I ate at the tiramisu shop across the street instead. I didn't want to rate them down for being closed but obviously I have no idea what rating I would really have given them.
This restaurant-cafe is excellent in every aspect. The menu includes options for various diets and the food is delicious. The staff is efficient and friendly, led by the very charismatic cafe owner. The atmosphere is uniquely welcoming and pleasant!
Definitely worth checking out!!
P.S. The background music was also especially enjoyable…
The food was good and served efficiently and promptly. My only complaint, which I am pretty sure is not allowed by card company policies now, is that they have a minimum spend of £10 for card payments. This would negate the reasonably priced menu if you are dining alone and don’t have cash.
It's a small place but the quality of food is just amazing. We had the best panini's of our life here. Staff are courteous and polite. Dont miss this place at any cost
My friend P is an interesting man. He is an aesthete, a bon vivant and an author of well researched books on European cultural history. He’s also a snappy dresser, favouring a top quality vintage look, which he describes as ‘Dandy Fatigué. Never is he seen without a well cut designer suit or tweed jacket and flannels in 50s or 60s style, always with a crisp white shirt, often with a tie too, and he is proud of his collection of Trilbys. Denims and a t-shirt are quite unthinkable to him. His hair is short and neatly Brylcreemed back, his quite fabulous cheek bones give him the air of a matinee idol, and he might have just stepped straight out of an Edward Hopper painting or some film noir.
There is a reason why this place is constantly busy! Full of kids from the nearby French school, it shows that kids these days do know good food from an early age. Reasonable priced for sandwiches that are much better than pret and only a little dearer.
I went to this café with my girlfriend yesterday. It was really nice little cafe with a friendly atmosphere. Fast food with various sandwiches and salads and prepared in front of you with fresh ingredients. The waiters are really nice and if you do not speak English very well do not worry about that because they speak French perfectly. You definitely will enjoy the food and the atmosphere.
You cannot skip going to this place! There's soft soothing lounge music playing. The coffee is perhaps the best I've had in ages! I had a capuccino which had a thick layer of creamy foam on top and was sprinkled with coffee powder. The fresh baguette was wonderful and had a heavenly aroma. The owner of the restraunt was very friendly and kept interacting with customers and recommended the best dishes. Loved the experience!
The easiest 5 star review I’ve posted yet.
Simply put, you know when someone puts their heart & soul into what they present to total strangers.
The menu is not exotic, but the quality of the ingredients and very clear labour of love that is invested into creating these works of palate pleasing deliciousness is what sets Raison D’Etre apart from.
If you’re having the breakfast & partial to a bit of sausage - this is the one to go for ... the best Cumberland sausage I’ve had in a very long time!!
Oh, and one of the finest Flat Whites I’ve had anywhere 👌🏼
... and it will be a sin not to highlight the splendour of their own freshly baked goodies ... get in early so you don’t miss out on their Croissants & Pains 😋
First day back in London, only 20 minutes approx from London Heathrow airport via the Piccadilly line. 3 minutes walk from South Kensington station.
This place was recommended to me because of their reviews, pictures from visitors and the look of the menu. Opens at 8am, currently closed on Sunday’s.
Absolutely loved the experience today, food was all fresh and tasty.
Cappuccino was amazing, the juice amazing, the baguette super fresh and made in store!
Forgot to mention that the food was super valuable!!
Very sincere and welcoming staff, makes me feel like a guest at home. Nice cozy little cafe. Serves good hot chocolate, had the salmon cream cheese rockets baguette , simple but nicely put together and taste good. Pretty good overall experience.
Best breakfast in South Kensington and quite possibly in London. Delicious sandwiches and panini's with top quality ingredients. Freshly squeezed orange juice and great coffee. Service is incredibly friendly. Very good place for going solo or with a family. Must visit.
Le 'Joseph' is the best sandwich I've had in London. £5.50 only. Lightning fast service, and the owner's authenticity and focus on quality was evident in every aspect of the interaction.
Ate lunch here while waiting for check in at our AirBnb. Had the New Yorker sandwich and a bruschetta in an open baguette, both tasted great. The staff was nice and welcoming, helping us with out luggage.
Be aware that you’ll have to use cash on orders below 10£.
Lovely staff and atmosphere. The people were very accommodating of my particular eating habits. 😁
The warm sandwiches & baguettes are delicious and an excellent way to deal with those cold, dank & depressing spring mornings. 😉
I recommend this quaint little café with the greatest pleasure.
Awesome!
The staff were very kind and the best bacon I had ever eaten was. I think Coffee is rather acidic.
It was the best breakfast while I was in London.
Absolutely perfect. Small. Not fussy just great quality.
Avacado and smoked salmon on toast (but next level) with a black coffee (rocket fuel) and a glass of orange juice (freshly squeezed).
The owners/managers obviously care what they produce is of a high standard.
A cafe with a very reasonably priced, flavourful menu & excellent customer service, very welcoming & accommodating. (Request for tap water met with a smile and a call over the shoulder for 'some tap water for our guests please'.)
The menu has Filled baguettes, Focaccias & Paninis in a large variety of flavours, with salads as a lighter option aswell as some croissants, muffins, cookies, sweet panini's etc. (be warned croissants sell out quick! When I came for lunch they had sold out of these)
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