Bottega Dei Sapori in Southwark

Small shop with simple seating outside on the pavement, serving tasty Italian dishes to eat in or take away. Very tasty arancini, and very good coffee. Friendly staff and speedy service.

Down a fairly scruffy street was (I stress WAS) a fairly unprepossessing cafe. My partner told me that the coffee was excellent & the guys who owned & ran it were charming. I went in. She was 100% right. The coffee was terrific. I've since been back countless times. Last week they took out the front window, changed the signage & boom! Being in this little place is like being on holiday in Italy. Every customer is Italian - and they know their coffee. Then there's the food - everything is homemade & utterly delicious. The young owners clearly take great pride in their cafe & their cooking. Currently, this is a place for snacks but there are plans to expand and open another cafe a few doors along. If the planned pizzas & pasta are as good as the snacks served here then they will have a huge & well-deserved success on their hands. One final story to mention. One day I ate a delicious cake / tart (I know I shouldn't but hey) - it wasn't on sale on a subsequent visit. Sitting with my coffee the owner suddenly arrives with one "I just went & made one just for you as I know you enjoyed it". Now THAT is how you get loyal customers!