Cafe Cecilia in Hackney

I took my daughter for lunch for her birthday. She can struggle with food and Cafe Cecilia staff couldn’t have been more wonderful. From the moment I called to discuss the menu to our arrival and entire meal. We were treated very warmly and with great care. She has a wonderful experience and enjoyed the dish they put together for her. I’ve never had such incredible care, and the restaurant and staff should be highly commended for being supportive of diverse customers. Thank you! The food was delicious and clearly had equal amount of care added to it. The atmosphere was just right too! A rare find restaurant and one many others could learn a lot from!

Food is great. While the dishes are modern, some of the Irish twists were quite nostalgic for me. Highly recommend

Seriously good food! Recommend the steak and the pasta

Utterly delicious experience from starter through to expresso! Having messed up a weekend abroad, I needed to be transported to a culinary happy place and Cafe Cecilia managed that and more. Fritti, onglet, mussels and ‘yes’ that Guinness bread proved to be the perfect culinary experience and stellar compensation.. Fantastic restaurant.

Really lovely meal, Friday 6pm slot - solo date pre cinema. Only tricky bit is not being able to order more! Must return to share next time. Bread icecream. Do yourself a favour 💕

Lovely restaurant, relaxed atmosphere, warm and helpful service, and really delicious food. We had the Guinness bread, onglet and (best ever) chips with stunning sauce, lovely tender potato and Coolea cheese ravioli, then the killer bread and butter pudding with cold custard, and an apple cake from the specials board. Every element of the food was perfectly seasoned, apparently simple but kind of sublime! Gorgeous. Staff made much appreciated effort to find us a table we liked, all were engaging and friendly without overdoing it.

Food is little too salty, even the dessert was salty. And we also had an onglet which was a little bitter.

Guinness bread was good. Onget was also very good. We had a lovely meal.

Best meal I had in london. Steak was incredible everything was the best ingredients celebrating the simple things done really well. Menu is superb and everything from starters to main to desserts just 10/10. Artichoke amazing soda bread amazing terrine unbelievable bone marrow and steak wow and the desserts to top it off the bread and butter pudding is a home run. Went three time in a week :)

We really enjoyed the Guinness bread and our starters. The rump steak (30£) was similar to a picanha but there was hardly any meat, it was mostly fat. The fat was not rendered and cold so I couldn't eat it. When we mentioned that to the waiter it wasn't really acknowledged. We may go back to see if we can have a better experience, but we would hesitate.

This was my second time here and this time we came for Saturday lunch. Between the two of us, we shared the crab risotto (good flavour), onglet with chips and peppercorn sauce (beef was cooked well and the sauce was delicious) and the pork chop with borlotti, grilled and green sauce (the pork was a bit dry). The service was super friendly and attentive.

Lovely spot, the bread is incredible and all the other dishes were very nice (wing rib, the chips def a must, bread pudding)

A wonderful place - quality, ambience, service

Food was absolutely delicious! Loved it! Thanks for the lunch guys!

Excellent in every way. Cool vibe. Thoughtful and delicious menu. Guinness bread a highlight. Left very full and happy. Would 500% recommend.

Delicious & honest cooking. Every dish has been crafted in a way that’s intelligent, respectful and balanced. Definitely worth a visit to East. Oh, don’t forget to save space for dessert too :—)

Visited for lunch this afternoon. Food was absolutely delicious (highly recommend the onglet and bread and butter pudding!), service excellent, and really nice atmosphere. Hope to visit again soon.

A somewhat clinical and cold interior with a photograph on the wall. Service was distant and somewhat chaotic, over the period of our stay we had multiple people come to our table and ask the same questions. The started were very average. my deep freid bread with mince and horseradish cream lacked the kick id associate with horseradish. The mince reminded me of something I'd cook at home and didn't look particularly appealing . Mirinda tomatoes tasted nice but they're just tomatoes sliced on a plate. Thankfully the main of Cornish mussels was redeeming with a rich nduja broth. I tried the poached chicken which was tasty but some of the bird was on the dry side. Considering what we paid it was very disappointing overall and the fact they then made a mistake on the bill just added insult to injury. Such a shame as it was a 40th birthday celebration and nothing mentioned from the staff

The contempt from the staff every time you dare come in as a local without booking is such that it vaccinated me from actually wanting to book a table there. Shame the place looks nice.

Found this place to be seriously, upsettingly overwhelming - food was just /not good/. Wouldn’t recommend, which is a shame!

The team is in constant contact to ensure your satisfaction. I ate bread&butter pudding and guinness bread ice cream. In general, I saw in the images that they were ordered together, but for me they were too sweet. Anyway, the sugar content in both of them is quite high. Visuals, presentation, interest, atmosphere, everything is very successful. When you examine the environment carefully, you will notice that everything is arranged in an orderly manner. A 12.5% ​​service fee is added to the bill, but they definitely deserve it because they are fast and friendly.

Nice food, very attentive, friendly staff (although I didn’t understand why the waiter asked me if I wanted another glass of wine and then turned away from me before I could answer - a misunderstanding perhaps). We would gladly have ordered more drinks and a dessert but it was so loud that we literally had to scream (adding to a bad situation) and still couldn’t understand each other. If they managed to improve the acoustics it would be very nice place indeed.

A sunny lunch of dreams, all delicious excellent service

Unparalleled service. My partner has an allergy to seafood and they made provisions for her to enjoy some of the dishes on her birthday. The staff were super lovely and friendly and chucked in a complementary sorbet and candle to boot. Executed to perfection. Highly recommend.

Nice food, friendly service, shame about the dog at the next table peeing on the floor (at an indoor table)!

Everything was perfect! Food was inventive and delicious. Staff were super friendly and made the whole experience even more pleasant. Simply amazing!

Great atmosphere and service is good. A good selection of bagels, sandwiches and panini coffee is always good.

Always a joy to come here. The food is appealing to the eyes and so delicious, full of taste, including the bread. Interiors are spot on and so is the atmosphere. Stuff is well prepared and caring. Highly recommended

Really delicious food and reasonable prices. Had a special, mince on toast with horseradish cream, which was fabulous, as well as the onglet and the mackerel, both excellent!

Cute cafe, we enjoyed delicious lunch there. The service was great and friendly too.

Lovely relaxed dining experience with a beautiful menu.

My favourite restaurant in London.

Delicious, impromptu lunch. The asparagus and hollandaise was perfect, as was the summery agnolotti. The salted caramel custard tart was a lovely finish to the meal. Honest, tasty food with attentive service.

Great spot - seemed lifted from Santa Monica or San Francisco. Amazing Dover sole and lamb rib salad. Ham hock croquets to die for. Tight but excellent wine program delivered by knowledgeable staff.

Love this place for breakfast, simple/rustic but great ingredients. Tried it for dinner recently and had the steak and Agnolotti. Would recommend and will definitely be back. Try the Guinness bread ice cream!

Excellent neighbourhood joint. Worth the trip to Hackney. The pork tonnato was excellent. Light but packed with flavour. The mutton belly and chop were cooked to perfection with a refreshing and acidic ratatouille that complimented the mutton perfectly. The squash gnocchi had a nice bite and the natural sweetness of the squash came through nicely. The 'Nduja sauce was rich and creamy (without being too overpowering or thick). The fried bread and Guinness bread ice cream was the perfect end to a lovely lunch. The drinks were also well balanced. Service was lovely and attentive. Loved the staff's recommendations.

Really enjoyable meal here, just simple great cooking. Meat and fish cooked perfectly, amazing chips and great service.

Staff excellent, great attitudes, food fresh and interesting, they adept to allergies easily

Lovely lunchtime experience - we came with our 10 month old and they’d provided a high chair & offered help with the pram. They’d also thoughtfully squirrelled the two tables with babies a little further away from non baby tables. Better for everyone! The food was all perfect - fresh, considered flavours. I’m sure you could order any item on the menu and be impressed. Lovely staff too. We’ll be back!

Friendly and kind staff, delicious food. Feels like a real treat

Food is alright, tasty but nothing mind blowing I would say. There are way better options in the neighborhood. Service was one of the worst I experienced in years. Unfriendly, cold and rude. I am also not a big fan of the aesthetic, it felt a bit characterless. Below average & bad vibezz wouldn’t go back there unless it’s an emergency.

The one place I recommend to everyone. Favorites include the Guinness bread (duh), mussels toast, roast pork, and all the puddings (the bread pudding and chocolate mousse are stand-outs). Their salads are always surprisingly delicious even though they sound simple, they are more than the sum of their parts. Magic.

Love the food here, never fails to impress

Incredible food. So delicious, and interesting. Highly recommend taking all the deserts 🤤

Service was amazing and the food was absolutely magical. Every dish was unbelievably delicious with so much rich flavours. The interior is so chic with such a nice daytime atmosphere. We can’t wait to come back! Thank you!!

Everything was delicious and the atmosphere was great.

Their cuisine is undoubtedly delicious! The terrine was really tasty, the lamb … melting in your mouth - wine was really good too. But I must say that the service was a notch below. The waitress came as soon as we seated to ask us what we wanted … and the plates were taken away literally right after our last bite. Knowing that we have a 2 hrs slot at the table, I really don’t get the rush? Sorry but to me, it is unprofessional, and that is a shame because the food is truly amazing but it ruins the whole experience.

Having seen such great reviews we were very underwhelmed by what we were served on the day we went for lunch. Highlights, Guinness bread and the deep fried bread and butter pudding. The fritti was nice, but the rabbit rillette was fairly tasteless served with limp pieces of sourdough toast. Although the pasta dish was very good the quantity was a bit mean for a main dish, the Monk fish was cooked well but it was also in a very bland sauce. This is a fish that can take something quite robust. Serving staff were excellent, but I'm afraid this isn't somewhere I'd want to return.

Unfortunately, I was late arriving due to traffic(Completely my fault) but once seated it took quite awhile before we were served our first drink. One of the 2 main special had already run out half way through first service? Once we ordered our food it arrived in a rushed way (although one of the dishes we ordered, never arrived). We were seated very close to the next table, who arrived with a very large greyhound, which when standing its head, was above the table top height. I found this very uncomfortable as our food was in close proximity to its face. We were only in our seats for one hour and 15 minutes before we were told we needed to order dessert. If we were having it as they wanted the table back immediately. The waiter then came over to inform us the next people for our table were waiting, pointed at them, and informed us that the lady was pregnant. This made us feel very uncomfortable, and we felt pressured to leave our wine and vacate the table quickly . I feel the attitude of our waiter was unfriendly and very functional. While I generally think a two hour slot is too short (and ours appeared to be 1 hour 45) in any restaurant, it is fast becoming the norm, and with the right attitude, we would very happily have assisted our waiter , what should’ve been a happy Mother’s Day celebration for myself and my son wasn’t at all relaxed. We went onto a bar and asked for a specific table, the friendly staff agreed but informed us if it got busy, they may need to move us to a different table which we would happily have done because of the pleasant attitude in which we were dealt with. There is no excuse for bad customer service. If you show kindness you get kindness.

Favourite restaurant in London.

So simple but so good. Everything we ordered was amazing. Especially the sage and anchovy fritti, must order. You also must save room for pudding!

Delicious food but I don't think the service justified the price. It was very slow and there was a lack of attentiveness, for example not cleaning a messy table between courses.

Great meal, however my partner wasn’t keen on the atmosphere (having tables so close together)!

It’s no surprise this place is on the top list of restaurants for London. Their Onglet, Crevetes, Croquettes, Guinness bread is to die for… The dessert is also super. However, almost all of what we ordered was from the daily specials as the al la carte wasn’t really my pallet.

We had a great time here! The service was really good and the food was incredible! Definitely coming back again!

A very good, short, well executed menu, a great ( especially for summer ) location but the whole experience marred by poor and unwelcoming service.

We had a late lunch a Cafe Cecilia, everything was superb. It’s a sort of cross between St John’s and River Cafe, with its rustic food, beautifully put together on the plate, I had the mutton leg with chard and anchovy gratin and my wife had the special: Teal with blood cake and membrillo. Both were extremely well put together and delicious. So too were the starters and deserts, the fig and almond tart being a particular highlight. We were also very impressed by the sommelier’s passion for the wine menu and her choices, a very professional and friendly bunch here, and a completely enjoyable afternoon. The only thing I’d urge them to consider it to improve the acoustics with some soft furnishings as the space is a bit echoey.

Cafe Cecilia didn’t disappoint, the food was delicious, really brilliant cooking and the service was magic, thank you Darren and team. The last mention needs to go to the photographs hanging - they are really moving especially the large Ogden photo, it’s so nostalgic of my own childhood in Dublin. Thank you cafe Cecilia, big love from the Lindsay’s

A great restaurant, undoubtedly, but I kinda built higher expectations for a long time —as many did—. It was the last seat of the day, so some staff seemed inattentive —no one let us know there were some specials on a blackboard, so we had to amend our order after one of us discovered it—. Wines are pretty expensive, 3X retail price. The one we chose would work at £18 a bottle, but not really at £51. Anyhow, food. It’s mostly ups here, with beautiful sage and anchovy fritti, Crown Prince, or smoked mackerel pâté (although a huge portion which might work as a main instead of a starter). Pork shoulder and goose were perfectly cooked and very tasty. But some downs like the Brill, which was the most expensive dish and the most bland (well executed, but flavours were a bit dull). Puddings are super tasty as well, so save some room for it. I would go back, of course, although less excitedly.

Overhyped and now a little full of itself - to be expected of a restaurant that’s so hyperglamorised on Insta. I have previously been to Cafe Cecilia twice and enjoyed the food, though it was on the expensive end of the spectrum. I live locally so dine regularly at nearby Waterhouse Project, Rogues or now the new and exceptional Sune. We booked CC again this weekend to take some friends visiting from Belgium. Firstly, we had to book a month in advance (because it’s impossible to just go and enjoy a meal here without this level of forward planning). Then, the night before the booking, our reservation was automatically cancelled by Resy with no explanation. I called CC to find out what happened. The staff checked the system, which said I had cancelled it via Resy (which I didn’t - why would I cancel something I had to wait weeks for?). Unfortunately, the restaurant was (you guessed it) fully booked by the time I called. Either way, clearly it wasn’t a CC error so I don’t blame them for the glitch. The issue I have is with how the staff I spoke to handled this. When I asked them to leave feedback with Resy, so this doesn’t happen again to other customers, they weren’t interested. When I asked if they could take my number down in case someone failed to turn up for their booking, they refused (because apparently no one ever misses a booking at CC). I really didn’t expect much (other than maybe someone being human, saying sorry and at least pretending to care about a customer?). Clearly, if you’re a restaurant this hyped up on Instagram, you really don’t need to be hospitable. With this much completion in the area, I don’t think I’ll be coming back.

Un locale consigliatissimo perché ha una cucina ricercata, buona e al giusto prezzo, inoltre il servizio in sala è molto curato e attendo. Se avete voglia di essere coccolati e ben nutriti fateci un salto. Cibo super.

Amazing food from a carefully crafted and unique menu, served by knowledgable, charming and attentive staff. Every time I’ve been it’s always been a similarly elevated experience. Somewhere I will always bring friends and family, knowing it will be an excellent meal remembered fondly.

Top notch food, great atmosphere. Highly recommend the onglet and the bread butter pudding, will not disappoint. Will definitely be back.

We’ve been to Cafe Cecilia countless times and are always so impressed with the warm welcome, atmosphere and food. Make sure to save room for the deep fried bread and butter pudding.

Exquisite food as always. Particularly enjoyed the brill, which was complemented by the bitter leaf and stilton salad. Everything beautifully presented and lots of friendly interactions with staff. Looking forward to my next visit.

One of the best places in London. A good experience with great food, cool staff and good vibe made me go for a second time with partner. Our bellies left happy after a glorious lunch and we already made a booking for our next visit.

Absolutely love this restaurant, been top notch since the day they opened. Great staff, amazing food and a great atmosphere. Highly recommend and great value for money!

My favourite restaurant, the food is always delicious & I love the relaxed atmosphere. I wish I lived closer!

Try the mince, fritti and steak : most reviews mention the latter two but they really are good! We thought it was pretty reasonable for the quality and service. We had to book about a month in advance, the hype has apparently not died down yet! Thanks to other reviews complaining about delays, we waved wait staff over after waiting for about 15mins at one point: place wasn't at capacity but probably just tough to position enough staff on the floor without making it look chaotic. We were right next to John Rocha (celeb designer dad of the head chef) who had a revolving set of diners join his table during the evening. Parking was easy at dinner, which was well handy!

Absolutely stunning food. Always something new and exciting, perfectly executed every time I come. The atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming, whilst providing impeccable service. Favourite restaurant in London.

Favourite restaurant in London, always recommend to those visiting! Top tier food and service and love that the seasonal menu means I can have something different everytime!

This restaurant hosts an utterly unique dining experience giving everything from the warmth and friendliness of your own home kitchen to the luxury in taste of the Irish countryside. The seafood is especially gorgeous. An absolute must-visit!! B

My favourite restaurant in London. The food is always incredible and really nice atmosphere. Looking forward to visiting again soon

Great food and service! Can’t wait to go back!

Had been waiting to visit Cafe Cecilia for over a year so the anticipation had built up over a long period of time (plus constantly seeing the amazing food on their Instagram stories). Food-wise it lived up to the hype, the bread was to die for, and was served next to a large hunk of salted butter. The trout was nice, subtle and paired with artichokes which were lovely. The squash was also delicious, and possibly the savoury highlight. We of course ordered the custard soaked deep fried bread, which did not disappoint. The chocolate caramel tart was incredibly rich and a generous portion left us completely and utterly stuffed.

Agree with a lot of the other 3 star reviews. Was nice and dessert was great but ultimately not worth the wait, nor the cost. There are many restaurants in the area at a similar price point that deliver better on food and atmosphere

The food was lovely in areas; though the service in the most part was abysmal and painful, as a group of 8 we were left feeling wholly uncomfortable in their presence. To end our desert was tossed on the table with attitude, sadly memorable for all the wrong reasons...

Good food and mood! Perfect for weekend lunches and dinners. Loved almost all dishes we ordered despite the restricted menu. Surprised the onglet’s peppercorn sauce wasn’t as elevated as I’d expected from a place like this! The fried Egg and truffle special was delicious and not to be missed when offered on the menu!

One of my favorite restaurants in London. It’s expensive but every dish was better than the other. The dessert is…. No words. Amazing. The service is Ok, not the best though.

Look it’s not the best. The venue is lovely and great location. Food and coffee mediocre but service is the biggest let down. Unwelcoming and not very accommodating. Unfortunately won’t be back.

We had Dinner and I can say it's quite overpriced, the food was ok the sharer Steak at £88 had quite a strange taste to it unfortunately, the service was just ok and obviously came at an extra12.5% fee. There is better in the neighbourhood.

Atmosphere was so fun, we loved being apart of the hustle and bustle! The food was wonderful, the desserts were a stand out. We also especially loved the Irish photography featured around the restaurant. Míle buíochas!

Food was okay, but staff wasn’t doing any effort. They been rushing us since arrival, and it was very stressful. I felt like I had to eat in a hurry and get out of there as soon as possible. I couldn’t even enjoy my birthday dinner. Overpriced(170£) and instagram overhyped

First time here. The food was excellent but small quantities for each dish and expensive. Even the price of a bottle made my eyes water! Enjoyed the experience though.

Visited café Cecilia last night for the second time. Not nearly as good as the first visit which was back in May. The waitress serving us didn’t seem like she wanted to be there. When I asked for mustard to go with my steak and chips she wasn’t very apologetic, and almost condescending, in telling me they don’t serve mustard. All the main specials on the board had been wiped out and this was at 7:30pm. The only meat options available on the menu were a Bavette, or goat. When I asked if I could order a side salad to go with my steak they said they had none left. Felt like the love had gone out of it…

Great food and service, Darren and Nina were fantastic!

Stylish, friendly and charming staff. They went out of their way to make our meal feel really special. The food is tasty and creative and the atmosphere is relaxed. Will definitely return and would recommend. Thank you 🙏

Food here was very well cooked and of high quality, service was excellent and a good selection of drinks. I also found the staff to be friendly. Thank you for fitting us in even though we didn't have a reservation.

Great food. The Onglet was good, but not the best I ever had. Half of the service was very nice. Our service could be a lot friendlier...

Lovely food,nice vibe, wish they have extended breakfast hours.

5/5! I want to go back to try everything on the menu again, and all the menus to come!

Kleine Karte, aber sehr schöne Sachen. Die Pasta war Klasse. Das Olivenöl so geschmackvoll, fast zart. Das Schweinkotlette saftig und reich an Aromen. Mousse au Chocolat mit Olivenöl top.

Such a good place. Had only eaten breakfast here before. The Guinness bread, anchovy and sage fritti, squash and cuttlefish orzo were absolutely delish. The deep fried bread and butter pudding is very special. Delish white wine and NA drinks. Really excellent.

Lovely modern restaurant on the canal. All the dishes we ordered from the main menu and specials were delicious. The desserts were particularly good and very moreish. The service was friendly and relaxed and would definitely recommend!

Love the breakfast there. It’s simple but delicious and elegant. Beautiful space too.

Food is incredible. Highly recommend mince on toast, anchovy fritti, ravioli, and fish cake!

Sheltered from the hustle and bustle of Broadway Market, Café Cecilia has a unique canal view. The service is excellent and the coffee is perfectly brewed. I ordered a bacon sandwich with extra egg and brown sauce: it's really a great product. I made a reservation well in advance and arrived as soon as it opened. I noticed they take walk-ins and it’s pretty fast if you get there early.

Very mixed feelings about the experience. Food good but over priced in compared to others and atmosphere very nice. Staff are attentive at the start and very polite yet keen to move people on. Starters & wine arrived quickly and then waited 35-40 minutes for mains, apologies given and again very polite but obvious something up with service. Whilst other tables being brought courses and couples being asked to leave and being seated all felt a bit uncomfortable. To finish off we then had to ask for the bill a few times and hang around a further 15 minutes waiting to catch their attention and when clearly there were no more people being served. Overall erratic & inconsistency in terms of service. Perhaps I’d return but maybe a lunch instead of dinner. Plenty of other options in the area and I suspect the hype about Cecilia has passed

If you want well cooked tasty produce, with some little bits of flair come here. With a vibrant and lovely team of staff to serve you it's a complete evening out. Love that they serve a Black Velvet, wine recs great and overall a great venue to exist in as a guest.

Service and atmosphere were ok, food however was mediocre at best this visit! I am not sure what has changed. The steak was served blue and then same sliced meat tossed in the oven when we asked for it to be medium rare as advertised, thus giving it the distinct reheated flavour most distinctive to steak.. not good. Would like to stay and try dessert should I return as the ice cream looked appealing.