The Best Cafes in Bow, Greater London, United Kingdom (2025)

Despite living nearby, it's taken a while to get around to visiting Cafe East, because the reviews online talk about the queues that I didn't want to contend with. Thankfully when we visited around 10am a Friday morning, we found the place to be quiet with no wait at all. By the time we left about an hour later, the place was starting to get a little busier. Service was great and food arrived quickly - another thing I'd worried about after reading the reviews. Both of our meals - the veggie delight and the pancake & berries - were delectable and well portioned and the presentation was outstanding. The vegan sausage took me by surprise as I was expecting an imitation meat. What I received instead I can best describe as a sausage shaped fried veggie mix. No complaints though - it tasted great! Great decor and great vibes all round - I can see why it's so popular!

Absolutely delicious, presentation of the food is top, so colourful, the staff and waiters are so friendly and kind. This is how you run a successful cafe. Well done guys. Will definitely recommend and will be eating here again. My new breakfast spot.

This place was divine! Initially we planned to go elsewhere but luckily we stumbled upon Cafe East with no queue and I'm so glad we gave it a shot. The service was lovely, not overdone. The birthday song by the waiters was also enjoyable. The food came beautifully presented and my eggs were cooked just how I'd asked. Pancakes were smaller than expected but with so much fruit also on my plate, the portion was just right. I loved the hash browns and grilled halloumi and my iced coffee came with crunchy ice - yum! Would definitely recommend and revisit. Just wish there was something to dry my hands with in the toilet.

Had an amazing experience at Cafe East as always! This is my 4th time visiting and it always gets better. The food was a delight, it looked and tasted on point - we tried the breakfast and yummy French toast 😋. The drinks were super refreshing too, we tried the fresh orange juice and the Surprise Me! smoothie. Coffee was perfect. Has to be the best breakfast around, especially for the price range! A huge thank you to Naz and the team for the amazing time 💕 Best Cafe in London!

I love this place me and my friend always come here to just chat and catch up and the atmosphere is amazing the food and drinks are so good and the workers are also really nice and friendly. 5 star rating from me :)

A must visit if you’re near Mile End park! Skip the food chains and visit this family run coffee shop. They have good brunch and food options. I had a matcha latte with scrambled eggs on a sourdough toast. It was delicious! Plus it’s dog friendly!

Brilliant location by the station and lovely coffee and cakes. Couldn't recommend a better spot for a relax or a productive work session.

Lovely friendly welcoming staff. Fully in the Christmas spirit! Hot chocolates looking and tasting amazing! Love it!

Excellent service excellent atmosphere excellent food good choice of music you cannot go wrong all at a fair price. Everyone is friendly, I got served by Patrick who was friendly and attentive. Definitely worth the visit, 10/10 The burgers are great the mac and cheese is also fantastic and the steak is one of the best I have had in London! I have visited many times in a short time period as it's that good, since discovering it!!

Came here without reservation. Nice atmosphere and very friendly staff. Nice choices, including pancakes, eggs, salads and burgers. All delicious!!!

We’ve been eating here for breakfast over the past week and have pretty much tried the entire brunch menu. The atmosphere was excellent, the staff were attentive and lovely to talk to, and the service was fantastic. The food was outstanding, beautifully prepared, and the portions were very generous. We’ll definitely be coming back on our next trip to London – probably the best dining experience we’ve had in the city. Highly recommend!

A great little local cafe to enjoy a coffee and cake in. Very nice vegan wraps and healthy salads too. The coffee tastes good, the food is handmade and tasty. Owners are very friendly and make you feel welcome. It’s a calm and peaceful place to have a bite to eat, chat or even do some work. I would recommend it and have been there multiple times.

I just bought a latte from here, one of the best latte's I've ever tasted, not bitter, very very smooth, I would recommend it to everyone, also it's a nice chilled place, if I'm ever in the area again I'll definitely visit again.

A beautiful cafe with great tasting coffee and a filling halal English breakfast, the rashers were crispy and not dry which was a bonus !

Such a lovely cafe. The food was delicious - would definitely recommend the focaccia and wraps. Probably some of the best I’ve had in a long time! The dessert (we tried a pecan pie this time) was also super tasty. Very friendly staff and quick service. A beautiful and relaxing cafe with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options as well. Can’t wait to go back to try more of the food and desserts!

A nice warm cafe to escape from the cold. The art work is a nice touch. Basic decor food was ok quite pricey for what it is. I had a cheese and onion toastie and my friend had mozzarella and tomato bun. Paid an extra 20p for oat milk instead of normal milk. Brownie was nice and soft. Would’ve come more often if it wasn’t so pricey. Definitely a treat. Staff was friendly and welcoming.

Been here few times. So cozy and food is good, especially their sandwiches ☺️ not huge choice on the pastry side but it is normal since it is a small place.

Love this place! Staff are so friendly, coffee is great (and the brownies) and now they are open for evening drinks (wine, cocktails and beer) every Thursday, which is amazing and much needed in the area. Dog friendly - so we take our little dog down and sit outside with a nice wine 😊 Really hoping they open on a Fri/ wkend as well soon! 🤞🏻

What a gorgeous little spot!!!. The coffee is the best served by Belle who is so cheerful and friendly, the sandwiches are delicious , full of tasty goodness and everybody needs a wee custard tart. This has become my go to coffee spot :)

Great vegetarian full English breakfast. The coffee was decent, service fast and efficient. Great atmosphere and a perfect start to a day full of sightseeing. Berry smoothie was a bit more sour than expected. Portion size is enough to share if you are not that hungry in the mornings.

The best burger in London that I've never tried in this city. Ordered the signature burger, jerk chicken and east classic. Juicy and tasty with fresh and appropriate ingredients. Secret sauce for burger and chips that U can't miss. Plus, nice latte and hot choco. Surely come back again!❣️

Such a cute coffee shop for a quick bite. I ordered a flat white, cappuccino, a raspberry (I think it might have been blueberry actually), apricot danish, pistachio scone and fried halloumi. The ambience is nice and cozy with dimmed lighting and old books. We really enjoyed our food and drinks. It was a lovely place to chat with friends. The staff were nice and helpful. Will be back!

This was my first time eating at this restaurant as I chose to come in the afternoon luckily there was no queue, the food was very tasty and I will put the photos below, the add spinach, bacon and cheese was delicious and a large portion which was totally filling and the fried calamari was very crispy. Regarding drinks, I ordered the mango & avocado milkshake which was very refreshing and tasty, the hot chocolate pulls were lovely, the clerk who served me was Nemo and was very welcoming and lovely, it was a great meal! Recommended to anyone who wants to come and try it.

Located on the edge of the Olympic Park, this is a great little spot for a bite to eat and a few drinks before ABBA Voyage (just a short walk away) or an event at the London Stadium…the weather wasn’t great the day we were there but it felt like walking into a little cafe/restaurant on a foreign holiday, really cute no bells and whistles but a great little place…we sat inside but when the weather is good they have an outdoor patio space which looks lovely. Menu is great and the staff were very friendly and careful to assist with some allergy requirements. We ordered tacos and a burrito and both were delicious. The food was good quality and at a reasonable price. They have a little condiments counter which also offers tap water in large dispensers that you can help yourself to, this is a nice touch. All in all really loved this place and will definitely return.

Very nice place with a specific atmosphere. Will be coming back for your tacos as I want to try them. This time we had nachos(which were undercooked(!)), beer and smoothie(it tasted so unusual but I loved it). Cool place to hang out with your friends in a summer day. They also have a dj playing very good songs which make you want to dance to them. I was surprised people were not dancing maybe it wasn’t late enough... The staff is very friendly as well. They also have got a hammock there!🥹 and some random toilet seat in the garden which I found absolutely terrific hahaha. Definitely worth visiting! P.S. guys you’ve got too much of a plastic in use there. Is there any way you could maybe replace some of the cups with glasses by any chance?

Nice Cafe that delivers on value and taste. Good vegan options like vegan breakfast and bagel. The kids fish finger burger meal is a very good portion size that can feed a hungry adult. Overall decent service and food that is worth a try. Very nice crispy a d fluffy skin on chips. The cafe location looks like a good place to visit in the summer months judging from the other pictures and reviews. 5 stars well deserved ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Such a cosy tiny cafe with excellent coffee and hot chocolate. Love their croissants and cakes too. Truly one of my fav in the area. Staff is also very friendly and welcoming. Highly recommend if you are in the area.

Great mocha, huge portion size. Also tried the nonna’s cake which was delicious. The brownie was a bit dry so probably wouldn’t get this again. Cute little garden at the back! Overall nice spot in Mile End.

We always have a great time at the Coffee Room. Coffee and food is good. And they even serve alcohol! They also have a rewards scheme. The staff are lovely especially Jesse. She is real asset, always so welcoming and friendly. There is a garden at the back which has a roof that opens and there are heaters. Downstairs is a room where you can study or read. A must visit!

On behalf of my boss: He went here yesterday against concerns as to its size. However, it was quiet and turned out to be a little gem of a find. Cute intimate/cozy seating, top rate coffee, and tasty pistachio cake. Quite unique. He was meeting someone there and they stayed for several hours until closing.

Fabulous veggie brekkie. Super efficient and friendly staff. Will be back to sample avocado and poached egg on toast which someone at the next table ordered. It looked amazing. We sat on pavement table which suited us but indoors looked cozy.

I made a detour to visit this cafe and it was worth the walk from Mile End tube station. I visited on a Friday morning where a few parents brought their children en route to school. The cafe is clean and mercifully quiet. There are rules on laptop use. It has paintings hanging on the brick walls and rustic type benches, as well as more comfortable seats. I went for the American style pancake breakfast and it was as good as the best I've had in the USA. This was a treat for me, and I enjoyed it immensely.