Café 202 has always been a trendy meeting point for Westbourne Grove shoppers and celebs. During the time I worked at a gallery here, I often wandered past spotting familiar faces and envying the appealing plates of food. Recently I’ve heard so many reports of the fabulous brunches here, that I couldn’t resist suggesting it as a meeting place for a catch up with a friend last week.
202 brings fashion, retail and modern eating together. Sitting in the centre of West London’s most stylish shopping street, 202 serves a blend of world food, modern bistro essentials and diner classics. Open from breakfast to dinner, the kitchen’s emphasis is on simplicity, quality produce and flavour – one of London’s destination eateries for modern brunch.
We sauntered in passing by (and drooling at) the gorgeous accessories and shoes to a table towards the back. The restaurant is bright and airy and there is the constant murmur of gossip being exchanged between diners. I was only intending to have a drink but the menu was so enticing, I convinced myself that brunch at 6pm is totally okay. I chose Buttermilk & Ricotta Pancakes with Fruit Compote and Crème Fraiche (£8) and my friend ordered Scrambled Eggs on Toast (£9.50). The food arrived quickly but seemed rather overpriced, especially for my pancakes which were pathetically small. The scrambled eggs looked divinely yellow but my friend wasn’t overly impressed. The pancakes tasted good, with a generous dollop of crème fraiche a dish of rather bitter and gloopy fruit compote. The orange juice was very sweet and fresh, so no complaints there, but the food definitely doesn’t receive top marks.
Café 202 is a lovely place to hang out, especially if you bag one of the hot seats outside, but the food was disappointing and there are certainly much better brunches available in London.