Picture of Plumstead Pantry, SE18 1QJ

Plumstead Pantry, SE18 1QJ

Cafe on the edge of Plumstead Common.

Note: The Plumstead Pantry changed hands in 2020, and we haven't visited since, so some or all of the details below might be out of date.

It's quite small, seating only around 30 people inside with a few more out the front when the weather allows. The decor is quite chipboard-heavy, though this seems to be on purpose. Sunlight through the large windows at the front is complemented with dangling bare bulbs.

Kake and Ewan visited on a Friday lunchtime in May 2019. There were four or five other customers when we arrived around 11:30am, and this remained the case throughout our visit.

Kake's slow roast tomatoes with feta, basil, and a slow-cooked egg on sourdough toast (£7) photo was very good. The tomatoes had an excellent flavour and very thin skins, the slow-cooked egg had a runny yolk and wobbly white, the toast was made with actually-fresh sourdough bread, the seasoning was just right, and everything was in the right proportion to everything else. I'd definitely order this again.

Ewan's vegan breakfast (£7) photo included sugarsnap peas and roasted broccoli in addition to the usual tomato, mushroom, and beans, and the beans (cannellini) were home-made too.

They have a decent selection of tea as well as coffee, including a white tea with rose and pomegranate. The latter was made with a Drury Tea pyramid bag filled with loose-leaf tea, and was very tasty.

No service charge was added to the bill. Service was friendly and helpful. A carafe of tap water with fresh mint was brought to the table without us having to ask, and replenished when we finished it. They were also quite happy to cut the crusts off Kake's sourdough toast to assuage a sore mouth.

Child-friendliness: They have a huge stack of highchairs, a pull-down nappy change in the unisex loo, and a collection of toy dinosaurs.

Accessibility: A small step in. Two steps and a slightly uneven floor to get to the toilet.

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Last visited by Kake and Ewan, May 2019.
OS X co-ord: 544786 OS Y co-ord: 177924 (Latitude: 51.481746 Longitude: 0.083715)
Last edited 2023-11-28 09:18:13 (version 6; diff). List all versions.