Refectory

Just opposite of Joe & the Juice in Broadwick Street there is a small shop called «refectory» (before a re-​branding the place was called Fair Grounds).
It’s really a nice small and light café with some seating inside and some tables on the street. I quite like the counter, which is somehow different from many other cafes. The drinks and the food, at least what I tried, were quite good.
Oh, and they offer free wi-​fi.
The only downside I discovered, if you want to call it like that: because it’s just off Carnaby Street there were almost only tourists, and what irritated me a bit: almost only tourists from Switzerland … I understand Swiss German, but it’s a bit weird hearing it left and right of you in central London ;)
But anyway, it’s a nice place to stop for a snack and a drink!

I’ll always support the independent trader before a chain, and thus have been using this place regularly for my morning coffee/​croisant for several months.
Good quality on both counts.
Recently, however, unless one is there early they have sold out of croisants — all gone by 8.40? — and the service has become progressively less professional.
This morning proved to be the last straw for me and Pret will be getting my £20 a week from today.
On enetering, there was one customer and two members of staff. One was very deliberately slicing a batenburg cake while the other was brewing tea/​coffee for the very pernickity customer. I was ignored by both and after five minutes gave up and took my custom across the road…

This is a lovely, small, and independent café with fantastic homemade cakes, fair trade coffee, and good strong lattes (although I usually have to opt for a weaker version being a wimp and all that)… always friendly staff. A lovely place to spend a few minutes watching the world go by.