Peyton & Byrne

I popped in by the café on the ground floor of the Wellcome Collection after checking out the exhibits. It was very busy due to Why Music?, an event being held in conjunction with Radio 3 that was ongoing while I was there but I was still able to grab a table no problem. It’s not the cheapest place but good for a breather and I enjoyed my hot chocolate and lemon drizzle while listening to some rather wonderful classical music.

Good cakes, awful coffee the worst I’ve had in recent memory.

Not only do they have free wifi, but Peyton and Byrne, produce delicious, wholesome food. I finally tried one of their Mainly Frosting cupcakes the other day. Yum.

Was about to pay above-​par for an extra shot latte — when I realised the sad-​faced attendant had charged me £1 extra — for the extra shot! An extra dose of espresso at any decent independent — or even specialist chain eg costa café normally costs 30−40p — or free. She didn’t seem to care, nor bother to explain it. I chose a cup of tea instead.
I ventured round the side of the bar — and found that not only are they expensive, but each shot is actually pre-​drawn into a little metal jug. This is bad for two reasons — firstly, because the crema dissapears into the coffee as you leave it, so the coffee won’t look as good — but its mainly bad, because of the heat dissipation, which is particularly fast with metal jugs! To compensate, the barista needs to over-​heat the milk to reach a decent temperature. Without drinking the coffee, I can tell that the methodology used is poor — and that I wouldn’t bother. At all.
Normally, given that the Wellcome Trust itself is very nice I would only give this a two-​star rating, however, I emailed the management at the ‘any comments send us an email’ address in the ‘don’t overstay your welcome’ notices on all the tables — and received no reply — no acknowledgement, no thanks for your comment. Nothing.
These guys are dead to me!

Whenever I’m in London and am awaiting my gilded chariot to sweep me away back to the North, I always tend to pop into the Wellcome Trust and sip a coffee (or something stronger) in their café. Probably because it really isn’t your average everyday Museum café — not by a long shot. The multi million pound redevelopment of this building saw Wellcome employing the services of caterers Peyton & Byrne, a decidedly chic (and unashamedly British) set of caterers.
What you get from Peyton & Byrne is café food at its best, simple, unfussy and usually packaged in primary colours. Whilst you’ll find the usual standards such as quiche and sandwiches displayed behind a gleaming glass counter, there’s also a wide range of delicious hot dishes being served too, all of which are freshly prepared.
Peyton & Byrne aren’t exactly the budget option when it comes to café dining — a decent lunch with a soft drink should set you back at least £7 — but everytime I’ve eaten here, I’ve gobbled down their fare with relish. I particularly like the little chocolate bars situated near the cashier which are flavoured with some rather interesting ingredients, such as cornish sea salt, marmalade and earl grey tea.
The only thing which Peyton & Byrne down are the rather fussy notices on each table telling people that the café is not an office, so they don’t welcome freelancers nursing cold cups of coffee for hours on end. Being a freelancer myself (and one who is particularly fond of a nice café with free wi-​fi), it seemed to be a little churlish.
Still, Peyton & Byrne must be doing something right as everytime I’ve been here, I’ve had to practically fight for a seat. And I’ll certainly be returning here to sip my coffee, munch my chocolate and watch all of Euston Road world pass me by the next time I have pre-​train time to kill.

This café is on the ground floor of the Wellcome Trust building on Euston Road, just near Euston station. As the building is owned by the Wellcome Trust there is security on the door who will want to search your bag — just to be forewarned! The café itself is just off to the right in the open plan area between the main reception and the shop. It is a counter service and serves a range of delicious salads, savoury baked products such as quiche or pie (I believe these can be warmed up, but I had a salad), cakes and pastries as well as hot and cold drinks. The seating area is quite modern and may not be to everyone’s tastes and the seats range in comfort, being mostly made from hard materials. However, the area is light and airy with floor to ceiling windows giving views of Euston Road. The café seems to be popular with older ladies, who gather there for lunch with friends. Overall, it has a relaxed atmosphere and is a pleasant place to pop in for a quick (though not cheap!) bite to eat.