Raison D’Etre

I was at Royal Brompton hospital and having spent a whole day there from 8am to 7pm, was so hungry but keen to get home quick. I wanted to get something quick to take away to eat on the tube journey home. Came across this place on Unilocal and thought I had to go and check it out. So I came here and got a cheese and ham toasted panini to take away. It was empty when I went so I got served really quickly and they were very nice. Seemed like a family owned business. They seem to have a few regular customers who came in after me and the owner knew them quite well and clearly built up and maintained a relationship with them. It is just off Old Brompton Road, so not too hard to find at all. Good little café near South Kensington Station and the various museums in the area. Next time I am in Royal Brompton and wanting a sandwich, I will definitely come back here.

Spent a few hours here before going to the Natural History Museum down the street. This is a cute café in the Little Paris quarter of London (side note: not actually sure that’s a term that exists, but there seemed to be an awful lot of French businesses around including the French Institute, so let’s just say ça marche, d’accord?). Not huge, with a line of tables inside and a few under the awning outside. But the foods are made to order and there’s a host of French dudes behind the counter chatting away amiably with regulars and bopping around to music while they work.
The sandwiches can be toasted and come with fresh ingredients – loved the addition of zataar in my cheese and vegetable pressed sandwich, which was so full it had roasted peppers falling back onto the plate. Coffee is decent, and prices are fair. If you visit the museums nearby, it’s worth coming in first for a caffeine kick and a pit-​stop sammie.

Great place to grab lunch. Baguette or focaccia sandwiches and salads. Lots of choices. Jazz plays in the background. Very good food, great coffee. Owner and wait staff are pleasant and will take time to chat with you (always nice for solo travelers like me). Bustling at lunch hour but the service is still faster than adjoining cafes I’ve tried in this area. In heart of the «French district» of London. Will dine here again.

This place was definitely unassuming to say the least. I had a cappuccino (topped with cocoa– blech) and a delicious sandwich on a baguette filled with proscuitto, arugula, goat cheese and balsamic sauce. So delicious! I loved the combo of flavors and they definitely didn’t skimp out on the goat cheese! I love cheese even though my stomach might not agree! Get this sandwich and you can thank me later. ;)

Raison D’Etre is a typical (in a good way) independent coffee and sandwich shop in London. It’s nestled in a little road, about a three-​minute walk from South Kensington Station. The interior is cheery, but nothing fancy. Seating is limited, making it a nice cosy spot to enjoy coffee on a cold winter’s day.
The menu here is quite varied, with everything from coffees and pastries to sandwiches and pasta. Like most cafes of this size in London, most of the food at Raison D’Etre is delivered pre-​made, so don’t expect fresh gourmet food.
I ordered a latte, which was huge (just the way I like it) and delicious. I also ordered a chicken sandwich to take home and eat later. It turned out to be surprisingly good. The breaded chicken was lovely, and the crusty bread had that perfect toasted texture.
All in all, I would definitely return to Raison D’Etre. In the midst of bustling South Kensington it’s nice to know that there is a laid-​back café to go to.

Bute Street is an unassuming little side street just up the road from South Kensington station. I remembered it from a walk with some French friends the other day. The road has a very continental feel to it and a farmers market on Saturday. I found shelter from the rain at one of the neighbourhood cafes lining the street. Low key but just what I needed on such a miserable day. Despite its French name, the menu is Italian influenced with toasted panniers and focaccias to salads and pizza. I opted for the latter, pre-​cooked and warmed up but obviously home made and tasty. While one of the busier places closer to the station struggled to find a table for a single person (even though there were a couple of free tables at the back!) the service here is friendly and efficient. It looks like a self service sandwich bar but you can actually order at your table. The Euro pop music adds to the international ambience which seems popular with tourists and students staying in the area.

Way overviewed, panini and dishes look ok. Crossaint as good as the ones in groceries stores, latte really bad, watery and weak of flavor (really British :(
Served wayy too hot, they don’t pay attention to details in the coffee shop, hopefully they ll adjust the place by reading the reviews

Lovely little café tucked into a lane near South Kensington station. Friendly staff and fresh food. Great for breakfast or a tea anytime of the day. They also helped cook up a vegan sandwich for me. Woot.

Pleasant, small café decorated with quotes of great thinkers and writers. Very high quality sandwiches and salads for a low price in downtown London. Cesar salad was light and delicious, with pine nuts and good parmesan. The owner, Matthieu, talked with us a bit and seems very kind. Hidden gem, definitely worth a pleasant walk from Kensington Gardens or the Natural History Museum.

Hade both breakfast and lunch here while on a trip to London from the states. Both meals were amazing. Fresh ingredients and attention to detail. The owner sat with us and offered dinner reccomendations. You could tell he loves what he does both speaking to him and eating his food. The chicken pesto salad is a must!

Excellent, authentic French café in South Kensington with delicious (and very reasonably priced!) food, wonderful coffee, very friendly staff and a lovely atmosphere. Great place to meet with friends, curl up with a book, or simply enjoy the «joie de vivre». :)

Fantastic little sandwich shop right in the heartland of South Kensington’s French district, a strip known as Bute St (there’s a morning market here every Saturday). Raison D’etre serve a wide range of freshly cut meats, hams, pastramis, that kind of stuff, including cheeses, along with a wide selection of other fancy sandwich-​fillers, which you will inevitably have to ask what’s that one over there? for most of the mixtures on show. Loads of different breads to choose from, with which to form your sandwich. There is of course, freshly ground coffee as well, on tap, plus other canned drinks etc. It’s a tad bit cliquey in there, and if you are not French, then you might feel like a bit of a gatecrasher. But it’s worth biting your bottom lip for, as the sandwiches are absolutely divine. Be careful though, because they are also excruciatingly expensive; I don’t think I’ve ever spent less than £10 on a sandwich+drink in there, as each topping/​filler comes with something like a £3.50 price-​tag, or thereabouts. If you’re a sandwich person, and you like your sandwiches turbo-​charged with a Mediterranean twist, then this is the place to go.

perfect little café in south kensington. great cappuccino, friendly owner and quiet enough to read a book.

There is no denying it… this place is wildly popular and the food is really good. On my first visit, all the tables were packed and there was a line of 5 people in front of me but the menu looked so delicious that the line didn’t deter me. I noticed that the cashier had rubber gloves on and was not only taking money but also handling the food. Um, gross. The woman making sandwiches behind the counter only had one glove on. What’s the point of wearing one glove? Going for the Michael Jackson look?
I decided to push my germ phobia aside and visit Raison D’Etra again. The grilled panini from my first visit was admittedly delicious and I had hoped that the hygiene issues occurred simply because they were busy. On my second visit, there were only three other customers in the restaurant when I ordered my sandwich… and the server again proceeded with the one rubber glove sandwich making again! She took my money with her gloved hand and I vowed to never visit again.
The prices at Raison D’Etre are cheap, but I would happily pay a bit more to cover the costs of sanitary two glove sandwich making!

I like a good café. I like a good sandwich. I like this place.
This is a fun little French sandwich spot with some delicious offerings. Small, a few tables spread throughout. You order and pay in the back and if you’re eating in, they’ll bring it to you.
They’ve got a giant board above the counter with a selection of cold and hot sandwiches. Basically, whatever you’re craving to be put between bread, it looked like they had it. I got a baguette with salon, cream cheese and some little herb like plants on top. It was good but for £5 sitting down, I at least wish it came with crisps. Ah well.
Staff was friendly, smiled, worked quickly.
£10 minimum on credit, which I thought was a little strange at a sandwich shop, but I’m glad they took cards at all.
A very nice lunch spot and I was happy to be there/

The food is amazing! The service is unbelievably friendly! (Became friends with the owner Matt almost right away) I stumbled upon this place last week while on vacation and am super glad I did. I’m from California and honestly wish that there was one down here. Definitely worth stopping by.
Their Chicken Motzerella Panini was the best I have had! The Avacado Chicken Bacon panini was great as well.
Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend this place.

Very friendly staff, delicious sandwiches with a large choice of fresh ingredients You can of course buy food and drinks to take away, but why not chose to seat inside or outside and enjoy the bustling French atmosphere of Bute Street ?
The place has been completely refurbished during the summer and is now even more pleasant as it used to be, definitely the best place to stop for lunch or coffee in South Kensington ! And very good value for money as well, especially if, like me, you’re fed up with the bland sandwiches served in the big chains !

How could you NOT stop by this place???
I was visiting from San Diego California and I am glad I did not follow the the previous review from 2008!
I understand that this is a new owner now who just tarted a few months back and the description from 08 is completely off with this new ownership:
No loud music: instead nice lounge music and No overly chatty weird owner: instead a warm guy happy to make sure you’re getting what you want (and sometime don’t even know you wanted ;) read below for details)…
I was in the neighborhood and heard from a local friend that they had been declared best coffee in town!
Here are some OBVIOUS reasons why I like that place:
1– Wanna cut on the Old Grey?!
Go for the house cappuccino! It is to die for with 1inch thick foam and sprinkled dark choc! 8-​] Yummy!
2– Need a quick fix for lunch?!
Go for a sandwich made with FRESHLY BAKED baguette! Yep the oldest in store were 10minutes old and the owner said:“I’m just making some fresh ones, if you give me just 2minutes I’ll have your sandwiches in a fresh baguette”.
3– Don’t know what to get for lunch or Breakfast today?!
I often check out the menu to look for something new to try but not sure what I’ll end-​up with and I sometimes end-​up settling for a safe choice…
The owner is definitively aware of his customers and saw in my eyes that I was lost looking at the list of choices on his menu board.
He came forward and said:“I can help you chose if you want my help! :)”, he asked a few key questions and don’t ask me how but I surprisingly ended-​up with a intriguingly tasty lime chicken bacon avocado and mayo in a freshly backed baguette… Yummmmmm!!! which trust me I was extremely glad he helped pick!
Thanks Matt (the owner)! Good luck with the new place! :)

A popular place in that little South Kensington neck of the woods that is very, very French.
Coffees were excellent and we followed this up with a salad (freshly made) and a panini (garnered rave reviews). They offered a wide range of coffees and teas plus salads, panini’s, filled baguettes and pastries.
For good quality at very reasonable prices and well-​trained staff muscle your way in here.

Another little French offering in South Ken. I love the name but I hardly think it lives up to it’s namesake. As with most of the cafes round here it’s a little over priced and full of French collage kids at lunchtime.
I wouldn’t pick this as my first choice, I’d rather head for Paul’s to be honest, which is of a similar price. The cappuccino’s, hot chocolate and the cookies are particularly good, but whatever you’re eating is spoiled by the music blasting out. I find it really odd that a little café would do this to your ears, when it would benefit much more by nurturing a chilled out coffee culture vibe.
The owner Ben, can be a little imposing too, although if you fancy a heated debate about one of a million conspiracy theories he’s throwing about then it might be your cup of tea! Well, at least I can’t blame it for lacking character.
Tip: Earplugs needed, for both music and owner.