Bench’o Cafe

Apparently this restaurant recently went out of business. Windows are whited out. Phone number not working.

had their chocolate cake, BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER!!! makes me want to go back to London!

Somehow on vacation I manage to eat breakfast every day (wish I remembered to do that at home) and Bench’o was one of the last places we tried before heading out of town. While I believe what I ordered was called the Florentine, my memory is failing me at the moment so I might not be 100% correct. It was poached eggs over wilted spinach with toast.
And it hit the spot. I’m not a huge breakfast eater, but every now & then I get this wild hair and feel like I could eat the whole table. This breakfast packed enough protein to keep me energized but didn’t stuff me full. The cappuccino was the perfect complement to my morning feast.
As with most places we encountered in London (and elsewhere), Bench’o is a small café so it can get quite busy and seemed to be a popular place of the locals. There appeared to be a few regulars who got faster than average service. While it was disappointing, I get that. I get ‘special treatment’ sometimes at home when I frequent my regular watering holes, so I couldn’t be too upset.

Great food, friendly service and warm atmosphere — would recommend for a small group for breakfast or brunch!

Cute place, only 7 – 8 small tables inside besides a big one for groups about 10. Probably the major plus factor here is the music and lovely service. Cannot really tell the music player but it builds up an easy but happy environment so that people can enjoy the time simply by sitting there.
Food wise, tried Atlantic, that is the Egg Benedict with smoked salmon, served with two toasts and a spinach & potato stew — quite a balanced meal for Sunday brunch! The egg was poached well, the salmon was ok. The spinach dash was a plus, liked the sour and sweet mix. Overall it’s not the best benedict but it’s a good choice with the nice price.

When I arrived at my hotel on Monday morning, the room was still being cleaned and so the receptionist asked if I could come back in about an hour. To kill time, and also to grab lunch as I was starving, I wandered in here for a bite to eat.
I was seated right away at a cosy table up the back, and had a look at the menu. There was quite a selection, and a few different things tempted me, but I went for the ham & cheese croissant in the end. Well, I tried to. The waitress taking my order could not understand a single word I was saying. Now I may be Scottish, which I’m well aware is a difficult accent to understand even if you’re from Scotland sometimes, but I’m incredibly well spoken and I wasn’t speaking quickly. She was really confused, which was just irritating me, so I pointed at what I wanted and asked for water. After about 10 minutes a different waiter, with a similar comprehension of me, came over with my croissant and a bottle of water, which isn’t what I asked for but I wasn’t going to have a lost-​in-​translation argument. The croissant was burnt and tasted foul, the cheese inside it was gooey but somehow hard at the same time, and it was just not good at all. I paid for what I had and left quickly. Disappointed.

Wanted to like this place, and although the staff were friendly and apologetic, we waited 45 minutes to be served, and the food wasn’t worth the wait. Ordered full breakfast. Eggs and bacon were overcooked to the point the bacon was inedible, and toast was stale and cold (after waiting 45 minutes for it.) I can’t say I’d ever return nor recommend, unfortunately.

I love pain au chocolat. I’ve searched my town in Ohio far & low for it to no avail. I was so excited when I found it at Bench’o while on vacation in London. Bonus for the powdered sugar and chocolate sauce on top. My husband laughed at me as I devoured my pastry. I got a side of eggs too just so I got some protein for breakfast. He chose the English breakfast and thought it was on par with other places we’d tried. Note that it is cash only!
Bench’o is easy to pass up — I walked by several times & I was even looking for it. They open early (7am I think) which worked perfectly for us seeing as other sit-​down breakfast places in the area don’t open until 10.

English breakfast was decent. Sausage wasn’t good but bacon was excellent. Cervice left more to be desired. Was pretty annoyed at the end when they didn’t accept cash and we had to walk down the street to an ATM. Only a small sign posted behind the cash register, which you won’t see if doing table service. Pretty lame for a central London restaurant not to accept cards and not tell you in advance.

A nice, little, cozy café in Earl’s Court. They usually have daily specials which look scrumptious in the window.
I recommend one of the specialty croissant if you are in early enough.

Great atmosphere and coffee.

Pleasantly surprised at this little café! Had a decent full English and the pain au chocolat was delicious! Wait staff was lovely and welcoming and it was an even mix of locals and tourists. And all the pastries looked amazing. Might go back to try more even on my short 2-​week trip!

I kind of thought there wasn’y really much around Earl’s Court so really pleased to have found this lovely comfy café. The staff were really nice and friendly and the menu looked full of promising treats. I had a Greek quiche, a tasty tasty creamy eggy quiche full of spinach, olives and feta which came with a little pot of salad a little pot of really good, flavoursome vegetables — a nice surprise as the veg wasn’t mentioned on the menu. I was only expecting salad and I’m not a big salad fan. The décor feels warm, cosy and fun. Definitely coming back!

The little secret here is the shakshuka. What is it? It’s a middle eastern dish, popular in Israel and Iraq alike (no, seriously!). It’s eggs poached/​fried in a tomato sauce with lots of spices, so I guess that makes it vegetarian, too.
The service was friendly and comfortable. An enjoyable place to be.
Gluten-​free notes: Order shakshuka and be happy. Forget about all of the pastries.

Fab looking pastries in the window drew me in, even though I’m back on my low-​carb eating régime. It’s a small place and they really packed in the tables to maximize the number of patrons they can serve.
I was fortunate to be shown to one of the two-​top tables in the back where I found open electrical outlets. Bonus!
Great breakfast menu, with a Full English on offer as well as a Canadian (with pancakes, of course), Eggs Benedict, Eggs Atlantic (with salmon and spinach) and other options. I went with the Bench’o Omelet, which was a simple cheese omelet and was served with a small pot of salad and a toasted baguette.
Most of the tables seat 2 or 3, but there is a large communal table in the center that seats 10. If there isn’t a big party there already, expect to get seated with other folks. Very European!
Good food, good service, good price, great location. If I’m in Earls Court for breakfast, I’m here!

In the 8 months I lived in Earls Court, I visited Bencho Café more than any other local restaurants. The atmosphere is cozy and friendly. It is refreshing to find a great quality place that is not a chain. They have a delicious eggs benedict with smoked salmon. Bencho staff are very accommodating and are excellent hosts. It is open until late, so if you are craving a midnight snack or a piece of cake, Bencho will be open to serve you and meet your needs during the dark hours of the night without being fast food, fried, and poor quality like many of the late night competitors.

Bencho’s has become an Earl’s Court staple. Quality, fresh food, an ace menu and excellent staff. This is a family-​run business and it shows. I once had a quibble with the lasagna portion size and the owner replaced my dish with an appropriately-​sized platter in seconds, no quibbling.
The Full English breakfast is worth the journey alone!
No alcohol licence, but this place is best enjoyed as an antidote to alcohol consumed elsewhere the night before.

This lovely café was such a pleasant discovery during my last walk in Earls Court. Beautiful dishes and pastries in the window enticed me in, and the lunch that followed did not disappoint.
I ordered a vegetarian lasagna and an iced tea.
The meal size portion was generous and it came with a bread and pesto starter, and a small salad and grilled veg side. The food was well seasoned and very tasty.
Our server was lovely, very friendly and attentive without being overbearing.
The rest of the menu contained a mix of Italian, French, and Turkish dishes. They also serve breakfast late into the afternoon, and the options were varied and all looked delicious.
I will be back to try breakfast very soon!