Patisserie Lila

L’accueil fut glaciale d’entrée, pas de bonjour, pas de sourire, on nous pose dans un coin de table et on nous dit qu’il est impossible de né pas commander à manger
On né peut donc pas juste prendre un café ou un thé. Il faut IMPERATIVEMENT commander un gâteau ou à manger.
Honnêtement, je comprends l’intention, ils né veulent pas avoir des personnes qui viennent prendre un café/​thé et qui restent ensuite 5h sur leur ordinateur à rédiger le prochain harry potter. Cependant, il n’y aucune indication à l’entrée ou sur le menu de cette règle. Et après avoir deux heures à parcourir les étales de Borough Market (qui se trouve juste derrière), comment dire qu’un énième scone ou cake est juste au dessus de mes forces!
La serveuse né vient rien entendre, il faut absolument prendre un gâteau, quittes à né pas y toucher et le gâcher. Et bien ce n’est pas bien grave, je laisse l’attitude exécrable chez la patisserie Lila, et je file à coté chez Rabot 1745 spécialisé dans le café et chocolat!
PS: Il n’y a pas de toilettes et pour un endroit qui fait restauration, c’est quand même très inconvénient, surtout qu’il est obligatoire de commander à manger.

Can’t just order coffee. Must order something else. It isn’t the only coffee/​tea place in the area. They lose many customers by having that silly policy.
Cute place, tea/​scones were nice but for the price, the service could’ve been much better.

We went to Lila on a late Sunday morning in search of a small yet filling breakfast. And yes, we wanted some good, strong coffee to go with it as well. Me and my husband ordered two different brunch items (borough market and the scrambled eggs on a toast) and a scone as we were starving.
Here is the breakdown:
1. Coffee: Very good. We are used to strong NY brew and trying to adjust to the milder brews in London. Lila makes some good strong coffee that leaves you with an aahhh… feeling.
2. Borough market: This dish is seriously good and almost a little underpriced. You get 2 poached eggs minus the gooey sauce, swiss chard, beans, 2 slices of haloumi cheese and 2 slices of toast. And mushrooms. Pretty delicious and filling.
3. Scrambled eggs with tomato salad: Eggs were perfectly fluffy and tasty. The salad consisted of 2 cherry tomatoes. I think they should reconsider the amount of food piled on this plate or lower the price.
4. Scone/​biscuit: Very delicious and yet very expensive. 3.5 quid for a scone is way too much.
We will be back to try other dishes and desserts.

Coffee is unremarkable, cakes are decent, the service curt. There is no toilet which is a deal breaker for me.

The pastries and croissant were really good! We would have felt like we were in Paris :) if it wouldn’t had been so cold! End of November and not allowed to close the door and keep the guest warm, because the kitchen in the basement doesn’t have air condition?!
And if you order a hot chocolate be aware that there come marshmallows in it…

Hmmmm, I was pretty disappointed with this place. I popped in this afternoon for a coffee with a friend and we sat inside, at the back on a pretty sunny, but chilly day. The whole of the front was opened up, making the café a little too cold, but worst of all, letting all the cigarette smoke from the table on the pavement in with no barrier at all.
I ordered my favourite indulgence — a custard slice, or as it was on their menu, a mille feuilles. My friend ordered a slice of lemon tart.
The coffee was a bit harsh, and because it was in such an enormous cup, it got stone cold pretty quickly. My custard slice was old. The custard was congealed and blobby, rather than creamy and vanillery. The lemon tart was not much better and had no real discernible lemon taste.
I asked the waitress to help with the cigarette smoke that was curling it’s way around me, clinging to my hair and making me feel sick. She looked at me with the blank stare of «not my problem».
Then the bill came and we had to pay £15 for totally sub standard fare and a pretty disappointing experience. I shall not be returning.

great reviews really, but not really the place as it says on the reviews. The coffee was too cold for me, and the cakes were a bit too dry. Nevertheless a tiny little shop around corner of Burrough market to hang out. Friendly Staff and very cozy feeling.

Just had a cake that looked amazing but didn’t taste great and was rubbery, must have been a week old. Came in here as all the other coffee shops were full.

I am really not sure why people are so down on this place I’ve read the reviews below and cannot but disagree with them.
Maybe my issue is that I always order take-​away rather than sit in to
eat. I know they have tables upstairs and downstairs, but I’ve been
lucky and have only ever been when the weather is warm, so I grab a cake
and a coffee and head for the church yard in the nearby Borough Market.
Whilst I do love the rustic décor, I find it a little dark and really only would eat here if it’s a rainy day.
I’ve found that they make amazing cakes, tarts, and people seem really friendly
here. I’m one of those annoying people who ask lot’s of questions about
what everything is and they are always patient with me.
What I do love most about this place is that it’s a little out of the way from the hustle that is borough market, so there isn’t usually a huge queue and it’s quite laid back, with an air of Parisian farmhouse about it.
They also make HUGE cupcakes (well cupcakes with lots of icing) although I must admit that I haven’t tried one yet. They simply have too many other choices.
The coffee is also reasonable but really with Monmouth just down the road, you should go there instead for hot drinks. Sorry guys but I’m a Monmouth addict (I even buy the coffee to use at home).
They also sell some kitchen items, so if you want some unusual plates, then pop in to have a look.

That éclair I inhaled in about 3 bites on the pavement after purchasing it from the vendor outside on a market day was pretty good, I’ll admit.

Seems to be a recurring theme here, I was in borough market and the queues for Monmouth were mammoth as usual. Popped in here for a take away coffee and not only was I charged an unrealistically high price but also felt like the waitress would rather spit in my eye (or coffee) rather than have to crack a smile. A thoroughly unpleasant experience, it feels like a cash cow for someone with no love or even interest in creating a positive customer experience. I can’t imagine it will last long, there’s a reason there is always space in here when the rest of the market is bursting at the seams.

There is something about being up and about in the earlyish (c9am) morning on a Saturday that reminds me of Paris. Maybe its the crisp air, quiet atmosphere, and gnawing hunger that I associate with one of the few cities where I treasure day time activities (read eating) as opposed to night time hijinks. Or maybe its because I’ll find any excuse for an almond croissant. Probably the croissant one.
So anyways, that’s what I got. I had just hit Borough market for some early morning brunch ingredient shopping and as I was walking back on Bedale street I realised that I wanted something to eat. Hey look, there is a patisserie with a french name, a french family speaking french outside while sipping on a coffee, and some decidely delicious french smells coming out of the window (just a regular window, no french there). Although I had just been snacking on brownies at K&C (I said I wanted something to eat… not that I needed it), I popped in to check it out and naturally gravitated towards the croissants.
A few minutes later, I was happily walking back home, fresh Monmouth in one hand, flaky sweet almond croissant in the other. If you want to know about the coffee, read the Monmouth reviews! This is all about teh croissant, the freshly baked delight I was sampling as my second breakfast of the day (3 meals is really not enough I tell you). The major selling point of an almond croissant is how they get the almond jam-​type filling to taste. Too often its over almondy which gives it a processed feel and sometimes it just tastes like thick syrup. Not so from Lila, it was just perfect with enough flavour and smell to conjure up visions of almonds dancing in your head. Perfect.
Out of the many pastry/​dessert places in Borough, this is one of the better ones and its a hidden spot of Paris in the middle of London.

Wow!!! Stopped in for breakfast on a Sunday morning on our first trip to London. We had delicious croissants (plain and chocolate), giant buttery scones with jam and cream and a nice cup of coffee. This place also has the most delicious looking cakes, pies, tarts, cupcakes piled high with frosting and enormous meringues in sweet colors! It’s like a sweet lovers dream in there! Great location, the décor is nice and cozy, the food was delicious and the service was fast and friendly. So glad we happened up this place!

Stopped here for afternoon tea… quite enjoyed it. Very friendly service as well.

I’m usually quite refined. Stop laughing.
Ok, so maybe I mean refrained. As in… I can refrain from shoving naughty naughty goodness into my mouth in fear of the number of sweaty gym hours it will take to undo the damage.
After fulfilling this prophesy at Borough market, I thought I had passed through the gates of temptation and was in the clear. Not so much.
The carrot cake at Patisserie Lila called, beckoned, begged, pleaded, and worst of all, justified itself first into my eyes, then my heart, then my mouth. And the troubling thing is, I’d let it do it again, and again, and again… that’s how worth it this carrot cake was.
I double dare you to walk into this unsuspecting cake shop and walk away un-​caked.
(But like me, you’ll probably end up having to go with the physical challenge.)

No wifi, no laptops, just good cake!
A prefect location for a hangover morning on the weekend. Rock up here and sup there tea while shoving as much carrot cake as your sensitive stomach will allow. Trust me… you’ll love it!
This is a really cute café in Borough that seems to avoid too many tourists, making it a haven on the weekend. The somewhat grumpy staff stole a star.

I’m sorry were you speaking? I was dazzled by cake…
Trust me Patisserielila is cake heaven. A proper patisserie with pastry chef concoctions of white chocolate, cream and multi-​hued cupcakes like I have never seen before.
We made the rookie mistake of ordering ‘real’ food, giant veg pizza slice and quiche, which were certainly satisfactory. But my eye was drawn to the cake case like a priest at a peep show. They were calling out to me in all their naughty goodness.
But as Patisserielila is right next to Borough Market, we went there for dessert :(It just wasn’t the same!
Next time, dear one, you and I will become better acquainted. However at £3.95 per cupcake and £5 for a pizza slice, this saucy strumpet will sting your wallet.

We got a takeaway from here and got to enjoy sitting in Southwark Cathedral’s gardens so we didn’t get to experience their officious ‘cake with everything policy’.
The cakes we took away with us were fairly standard fare. An average lemon tart, an ok cupcake. Still the location is perfect and they are open when most of the other shops aren’t on a Sunday.

I wonder how many people have ended up walking out of here after sitting down… you see, what they don’t tell you is that you *have* to order cake if you come in here… and the staff is ruthless about enforcing the policy — no ifs, ands, or «but my friend and I just want to split a piece.» Nope — every person, £3.50 minimum spend, and cake all around.
*So* — now that you’ve been warned… do stop in here if you’ve got a serious taste for something sweet! They’ve got a beautiful selection of tempting confections… fruit-​studded tarts, cupcakes piled with swirls of frosting, and those gigantic ethereal meringues that have already gotten so much press here from other reviewers. *Everything* looks straight out of a cake shop fantasy.
The place, too, is charming; warmly lit, with dainty tables, and nice views. But I’ve had nothing but surly experiences with the staff — the service here is completely incongruent given the delightfulness of the baked goods and the atmosphere — maybe they’ve just had to kick too many people out…

Visit this teashop just to see the meringues. Choose between Rose, Almond, Lavender, Chocolate and Vanilla, each one the size of a large melon. The display case of cakes and savouries just inside the shop will make even a health freak want to order a frosted slice of quadruple layer carrot cake.
You can buy to take away or to eat in the shop. The tearoom is nicely laid out and not over the top. The staff however, can be very awkward and difficult to get help from. I once asked for my takeaway meringues to be packaged in a box to prevent them from getting smashed in the bag. Even this caused rather more trouble than was necessary. Other times I have been in and the service has been quick and polite. I guess its just luck.
The food and cakes however, are made and decorated to perfection. Located in Borough Market, it is a really nice place in which to find a seat and some space to enjoy the food on offer.

Located in the lovely Borough Market, this is the perfect pace to stop at around 11am for a coffee and cake. The experience in here far exceeds that of your normal morning coffee. Inside, there is a beautiful iron staircase where you can sit down, relax and leisurely view the stunning views of the market. The freshly ground coffee is lovely and the range of cakes and pastries are delicious and are home made in-​house. I went for the meringue which was one of the best I have tasted (and I have tasted a few!). It is quite expensive but the views and cakes are worth it!

Visually and style wise this is 5 star, fantastic looking cakes and gateaux, particularly the meringues.
Almost in Borough market it’s room with a very high ceiling, and a spiral staircase in the corner, it’s hard to explain the excitement the look of the cakes gives you. … however the ones we tried were slightly disappointing, a ‘Lavender’ meringue, while a light lilac colour, it’s only taste was sweetness, no hint of lavender.
Coffee was very good, staff were very polite, but a little forgetful.
We’ll probably try it again and try a gâteau.
small downside no loos, so plan head, which isn’t that easy in Borough market.