Leon, W1B 2HB
- 020 7495 1514
- 275 Regent Street, W1B 2HB (streetmap) (osm) (gmap) (bingmap) (streetview)
- leonrestaurants.co.uk/...
- Mon-Wed: 7am-9:30pm; Thu-Fri: 7am-midnight; Sat: 9:30am-midnight; Sun: 9:30am-7pm
A branch of the ever-expanding chain of cafes dedicated to wholesome, "naturally fast foods". This branch is near Oxford Circus Station on Regent Street.
The cafe is decked out with posters advertising the chain (which have an old-fashioned 40s aesthetic to them), and the walls are tiled, which can make it a bit noisy inside. There are a few limited tables for eating in (and higher prices are charged if you are), and at lunchtimes the queues can stretch out the door, but move fairly quickly.
Their menu appears to be seasonal, though there are some staples like the superfood salad. They have a separate evening menu (see the website), but based on the lunchtime and takeaway options.
Ewan tried the sweet potato falafels with brown pilaff rice and coleslaw for a lunchtime takeaway on one visit, and it was very tasty. It is provided pre-made in a brown cardboard box whether you are eating in or not, and there's a respectable amount of food for the price (£4.90 takeaway). The falafels are soft with the sweet potato, slightly grilled, and lovely. The coleslaw isn't too thick with mayonnaise, and provides a nice contrast to the rice. The "lemon and ginger crunch" bar is sugary but not too much, with a pleasant taste and not too crunchy at all.
They also do breakfasts. Their roast mushroom bap with plum tomatoes (£2.40) can initially taste a little dry but that is leavened by the natural juices from the tomatoes and mushroom (usually a large field or portobello mushroom), and it's actually rather nice. They have coffee (£1.90 for a regular Americano) or plenty of juice options to accompany it; the fresh-squeezed orange juice tastes excellent.
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