Beppe’s

If you want artfully distressed furniture and good but uneventful food then go to Ask for Janice or Smiths (I prefer the former) — both are nearby, both are good.
If you want good, cheap food in interesting surroundings then go here. They have sandwiches, trays of pasta and more for lunch. Nothing breaks the bank, everything tastes pretty good.
Have never eaten in but they have pretty old chairs and benches inside.

I’ve walked by this café hundreds of times, but always in the evening when it was already closed. But after looking online and seeing they had good reviews, I decided to give it a try for breakfast. I got the smoked salmon with poached egg on ciabatta, which cost a pretty steep £5.80. That said, it was beautifully presented, in a box, open face with a good helping of rocket leaves, halved cherry tomatoes, and plenty of fresh black pepper. I tried eating it with a fork and knife, but the fork broke after a few tries, and I don’t think the ciabatta is meant to be eaten that way. It seems a bit large to eat as a proper sandwich, but that may be the way to go. I was disappointed that the eggs weren’t properly poached, and they came out like boiled eggs, with the yolks not runny in the least. I think I will come back to try one of their other ciabattas (there’s a mozzarella and basil one that is calling to me) that are only £4.20. It’s a cute establishment and I think it would be really nice to eat in as well.

I happened upon Beppe’s also while it was being hidden during a filming at St. Bart’s across the street. It was the only place opened at 7:30am on a Friday, and I’m glad I found it because the high street sucks around the St. Paul’s area. I was there to watch Sherlock being filmed, and went in to get a hot tea and breakfast. I ordered two Earl Grays and a bacon/​egg sandwich, which came out to be about 5 quid? While I was waiting for my food, I was politely trying not to gawk at the Sherlock producers sitting at the booths reading over the day’s script on their iPad. Back to the food: they make a GREAT and STRONG cuppa — I haven’t had another cup that good since and sometimes I find myself dreaming about it. I wish I knew their secret — it’s not in the time of brewing or the tea leaves, maybe they put something awesome in the water. At any rate, the tea smelled and tasted amazing and kept me fortified for four hours. The sandwich was fantastic — tons of bacon on very thick toast, lots of oil, and it was gigantic. My friend and I split it, and each half alone was the size of a normal sandwich. We were stuffed way past lunch time. Unfortunately, Beppe’s closes after lunch hours and on weekends, so when we returned the next day to watch more filming it wasn’t opened. We were sorely disappointed, because we were talking about getting eight more cups of that tea! And on that London trip, we were staying in the Bank/​Monument area, and we didn’t find another place that made a better cuppa in the walk from our hotel to St. Paul’s. Oh Beppe’s! I will come and have another cuppa even if I’m not staying nearby or stalking the Cumberbatch! Not even anything in Smithfield Market was better!

I first discovered Beppe’s when it was actually hidden… hidden by a camera crew which was filming… maybe the lastest James Bond movie? Anyway, this accidental discovery triggered me to flip out my Unilocal-​App and bookmark this place as «definitely try out one of these days».
One of these days was yesterday and I am so glad I came here:
this is a rather typical London caff, with bacon sizzling on the grill and the display filled with such delicious-​looking sandwich fillings. I ordered the grilled veggie-​focaccia sandwich with mozzarella, tomatoes, basil etc. I decided to stay in and soak up more of the quietness of pre-​lunch hussle & bussle. I squeezed myself into their benches, which are seriously made for the skinny English people and just watched the scenery…
I «woke» up when my sandwich arrived: all dressed up with a pretty basil leave and some cured olives sprinkled over it. And let me tell you, it tasted very good and I was happily smacking my lips after I had wolfed it down in no time…
Next time I shall come for a traditional fry up!

…At last, my made to order sandwich has come along,
My hungry days are over,
And life is like a song…
A lovely antidote to the pre-​packaged in plastic sandwiches with their soggy bread and overly heavy condiment (ing)! Beppes is not a looker, to be sure, but what it lacks in visual charm it surely makes up for in fresh food like the grilled Halloumi and vegetable toasted ciabatta sandwich I am currently noshing.
For such a tiny shop, Beppes has loads of selection from chili con carne to jacket potatoes to all manner of baps and wraps. Meats appear house made and if you want a sandwich substitution (say Halloumi instead of Mozzarella) they’re happy to do it.
And the prices? Excellent considering the high quality!
Consider:
Toasted ciabatta sandwich, £4.20
Packet of Walkers crisps, .50p
…And here we are in heaven, for you are mine, at last!

In America, if you wanted to find the best doughnuts around, it would probably be a good idea to ask the nearest police officer.
Similarly, in England, you would do the same if you were looking for a noteworthy all-​day breakfast.
We ended up at Beppe’s at the suggestion of a constable when we asked him for a good place to get a good fry up.
Beppe’s provided this and then some. Across the street from St. Bart’s hospital and about a block away from Smithfield Market, Beppe’s in unassuming in it’s glory.
Very affordable breakfast specials covering all the bases one could hope for (eggs, bacon, bangers, fried bread, black pudding, tomatoes, beans, mushrooms, etc.- not necessarily at the same time) cooked up quickly and served by an incredibly friendly staff.
Beppe’s is a tiny hole in the wall that should not be missed.