Flotsam and Jetsam in Wandsworth

It’s been a while since I last visited and I’m glad we came again today. Food and coffee were excellent and the staff really smiley and welcoming.

The best cafe in South-West London by a mile. Amazing coffee, delicious food and great team who greet you with a smile and remember your order which is rare in London!

Great food, excellent coffee and lovely staff. The host noticed my daughter was wearing a birthday crown and let her and her sister pick a little treat after our brunch on the house (which also gave us enough time to wait out a little summer rainstorm). It was very thoughtful and made both of my daughters’ day!

We been here for over 4 years, Service was ok, but it will be great if the staff welcome with a smile, food always amazing with the good quality of ingredients, coffee good as always, trendy decor, would like to recommend owner ventilation need work, after leaving you will smell of the food on your cloth.

I was disappointed with my brunch here - I got the eggs royale - the quality of the food was good, however the portion was very small - one thin slice of bread, I was still hungry after ! The Hollandaise sauce was tasty but barely warm. The coffee was very good. Almost £20 later and not satisfied. Decent portion size would have made this so much better.

Last review has been edited mainly due to the rise in prices. Quite frankly the food isn't reflective of what you end up paying for a simple breakfast (pics of menu are old prices) The coffee was bitter, the pancakes were dry and portions seemed slightly smaller than before. Nice staff, nice park across the road but unfortunately I won't be back.

Best brunch in SW London by far.

We have been here before sometime ago and sat outside. This time we sat inside. The staff were friendly and bubbly and very very good at interacting with the customers without seeming imposing. The brunch that we had was very good. The only downside for me was that the matcha latte was warm, and came in a glass(!) 😯. Also, though you couldn't see, the door to the toilet was always open (there could have been closed cubicles beyond), in my view this door should have always been closed. My girlfriend who did use the toilet before we left said that it was very clean. Would we come again....yes!

My favourite café - delicous fresh food and good coffee. Fabulous friendly service today - as always!! Love you guys 😘😘😘

I took my young daughter for lunch and have been a regular since it opened pretty much the first day, I really hate to have to write a bad review. However service has been on the decline for a while. I also wrote to the manager directly and had no response. When I ordered my meal, I asked if I could swap out my poached egg for scrambled egg and the girl said yes, and I was served what I asked for. However when I asked to pay for the bill I noticed that over £4 had been applied to my bill, and when I queried it not only did it take over 5 minutes for the staff to debate it, but another lady whose name was Kate came over and said I would still have to pay more because it would have been a bigger portion, not Im terribly sorry you weren't told, or taken the service off, nothing. At the beginning I should have been informed it would be an extra charge and at that point I could have made a decision (incidentally I have swapped out eggs before here and there was no problem). However the way things were subsequently dealt with wasn't good customer service at all.

Honestly like Fawlty Towers but not funny. We waited an hour for our food. They brought us the wrong order twice and the people across from us got the wrong order three times. The server was sweet but offered no apology at all - and when the food came it was truly terrible. All cold, I got undercooked over-processed sourdough with no butter, one overcooked and one undercooked egg, and burnt chewy rubbery halloumi slapped on the plate with a few nicroherbs on top. With the number of excellent independent cafes around Wandsworth this was a stand-out for being throughly disappointing. Oh and to top it off we (and the couple opposite) also got the wrong bill.

Nice sandwiches. Time it right it gets packed!

Staff are lovely and attentive, very thoughtful about families. Great food and coffee. One of the best breakfast spots in southwest London.

Good strong coffee, friendly & helpful staff. Happy to see some interesting vegan options on the menu & hoping there will be even more soon. 🤞

Had a takeaway coffee. I have had much better. Might just be a bad day. The service was really nice and the atmosphere seems really nice too. Have not tried the food.

My new favourite place for brunch! Fantastic, friendly service 👏

Great service and good food, would certainly go back there.

Big portion size for pancakes. Very tasty. Manager guy was very welcoming too.

All I wanted was something warm and healthy on a cold winters morning so we went for there winter warmer porridge with pear and cardamom. What we got was average porrage topped with a sprinkling of seeds and TWO SMALL PIECES OF FRUIT. To be fare the pear was nicely cooked and flavored but you need more than two small cubes to make a bowl of porridge any way interesting. We both had the same amount so this was obviously the standard topping size. When you factor in the inflated price because of the area this was even more disappointing and we won't be bothering to come back again

Lovely little cafe with quaint seaside decor. Really tasty brunch options, more reasonably priced than many other SW spots. Staff all very friendly and helpful.

I’ve been visiting this cafe for many years and in the past the staff haven’t always been too friendly, and have appeared stressed. Now, they seem so happy and the customer service is great. I received a friendlier welcome and more attentive service than I have in years. Apparently there is a new manager running the place - well done them :) It really makes a difference when there’s a positive staff culture!

I'm sorry to have marked so low, but the coffee size is very mean. The tray bake that I had was excellent. I arrived at 3:30 & felt rushed.

Use to be a good space. Very very rude guy made coffee and was acting like an immature illiterate joker to impress the girls working when sadly he could not even read instructions or know how to make a coffee. Managment is a joke and no customer service

Love flotsam and Jetsam, always busy due to its convenient location and amazing food. I always put in a special request for 4 extra eggs on my Benedict and they always deliver. Coffee is great and on the stronger side. Staff are always friendly.

Best coffee in the Balham area! They also do a great brunch and cake selection, and the staff are always very friendly. Don’t forget to take your reusable cup for a discount off your hot drink too.

The loveliest, friendliest, most accommodating staff with super yummy food!

The coffee and food is great but it take so long and very expensive. I ordered a black americano which took 10 mins to make, came in a flat white cup, and was only 2/3 filled. Don’t bother taking away but eating in is great.

We had brunch here twice in three days as we were staying with friends close by on Wiseton Road. The cafe is in a nice area of London with an upmarket clientele. We had avo smash on toast and enjoyed it. Ok value by expensive London standards.

Used to be a big fan of this place, but the service over the past 6 months has been consistently sub-par. The food and coffee is still great, but you could be waiting 20 mins for a takeaway coffee (my last visit, they forgot the order completely), and food is likely a 30-40 min wait. The front of house staff, unfortunately, just aren’t at the races. Hopefully they can rectify things soon…

Friendly but very slow service, every time we visit (today waited 40 minutes for a basic lunch and chased our order twice for inaccurate estimates). Food is OK, but pricey for what it is.

Lovely cool place near Wandsworth Common. Very popular. If it's good weather, you may not get a seat outside. Good selection of healthy breakfasts and light lunches.

Update from a regular - see below for original review 2 years ago…Unfortunately the terrible service at our once regular coffee and brunch spot means a new review is required. 😞 We’ve been here so many times and it’s our go to place when we have people from out of town visiting. In all fairness, the food is still always great and the coffee too. However the service (lack of) and attitude is TERRIBLE almost every time now. There’s plenty of staff hanging around, but they all seem to be young kids who think F&J exists for them to have a job. Zero customer skills, serious attitude if you dare to ask for something and a love for being on their phones more than running orders and coffee… The final straw today was being ignored and blanked by the staff while standing in the doorway waiting for a table. This was while listening to the staff member sit chatting to the table of their family/friends and what their bill would or wouldn’t include 🙃 “Banana bread and cinnamon butter is unbeatable. Coffee and service also impeccable. So glad to have you guys on the common 😀” 2021

A very accommodating calm pleasant place with nice food and staff

First time trying this coffee shop after reading reviews online, we wanted to try out their brunch. We had fresh orange juice which was refreshing and in a large glass for £4 was good value. We both had their toasties as the rest of the menu was underwhelming and uninspiring. I feel these days places have to up their game to attract new customers. Portions were on the smaller side, although was tasty enough for us to finish the plate. No sides were offered with our main and no salad was added too. Would have been happy to pay extra although £8 for a toastie warrants a little extra. Service was meh, we joked that the girl serving us probably already handed in her notice. Generally it’s a place if you’re WFH to go to be on your laptop as the majority of customers were.

My favourite spot for brunch. Always hits the spot and always such good vibes (both outside and inside) highly recommend!

Love the decor and of course the food. The green juice was delicious. Portion sizes are perfect.

Italian version (English one below) Locale accogliente e rilassante, personale gentile, interessante la proposta salata per la colazione/brunch, ho provato le eggs benedict con la salsa hollandaise e bacon croccante e devo dire veramente buone, ottima anche la spremuta d'arancia, di sguincio ho visto anche i pancake serviti ad un altro cliente ed avevano davvero un ottimo aspetto, caro ma siamo in una zona abbastanza centrale di Londra. English version Cozy and relaxing place, friendly staff, interesting salty proposal for brunch, I tried the Eggs benedict with the hollandaise sauce and crispy bacon and I must say really good, also excellent orange juice, I also saw pancakes being served to another customer and they really looked great, expensive but we are also in a fairly central area of London so that's fair.

Unable to tell you what the food is like but the service is 0/10. We were ignored by staff, when we grabbed one to ask if we should just sit down we were rudely told to wait at the sign outside (which was not in clear view), and then ignored for a further period of time before walking away. It doesn’t take much to shout “I’ll be with you in a few minutes”.

It's my family favourite place for breakfast or brunch. Relaxed atmosphere. Service super friendly. In terms of food, I cannot notice that the quality has dropped recently. Same dishes but it feels the quality of the products used changed. Is that the case? Inflation might be the factor as it's been everywhere for a while now.

Great place for breakfast! Varied menu and best coffee in the UK. Finally a real Cortado!

Being at this place enough times before and was great. Said that, today was terrible, poor service and terrible food.

Got a really good takeaway coffee here, great taste and quality!

Long wait for some bacon and eggs which are not exceptional.. plus very expensive for the food served

Service is shocking in this place. Takes over 15 mins for a coffee to be made and when politely asked when it will be ready because you need to go and collect a 5 year old - to get a rude response back from a gentleman (with glasses) who was making the coffee. Not what you expect! After the wait… coffee was ok and food decidedly average. And the frustrating thing was that there was so many staff standing around… Will not be back.

I’m not one for reviewing restaurants and cafés, however, I was so impressed by the quality I felt moved to provide feedback. Generally I do resent eating out as I’m usually presented with something that I feel I could have prepared better myself should I have had the ingredients. This was one of the rare exceptions. I had the eggs Benedict with espresso hollandaise, everything was cooked to perfection and the hollandaise was hands down the best I’ve ever had, beautiful creaminess with just the right amount of sharpness from the white wine vinegar. I paired with the green aid which is made using kale, spinach, cucumber, lemon and apple juice. It’s a very refreshing and satisfying drink - perfect relief from a sunny afternoon strolling around the common. It’s a beautiful little cafe that is tastefully decorated, filled with sunlight pouring in through the shopfront (weather permitting, obviously), the staff are friendly and pleasant, and the location next to the common makes the perfect little stop off. Heartily recommended.

Food was quite good but unfortunately not good enough to make up for really poor service - just not enough staff on. 45 minutes wait without food and barely being checked on. Not a great experience

Creative menu includes comfortable old standards with subtle twists. The melon Bircher muesli was delicious, and the pancakes at the neighbouring table looked very appealing. Good regular coffee, and you could also get a beetroot or turmeric latte. Leave room for toasted banana bread with cinnamon butter! Service was fantastic despite it being very busy at 8am on a Sunday. The crowd had a good energy and didn't mind the extra space required for our dog (a large Labrador) or other parent's prams. Note that the kitchen closes at 3pm - everyday, I think. I'm live too far away to be a regular but I visit whenever I can.

It was wonderful. A place with a special ambiance. We love it. The service was perfect. Had a nice and interesting discussion about macchiato. The food is delicious and more than enough. We will pass by again and recommend to our friends. Thank you let us start our day so smooth.

Decent coffee though not the best Allpress espresso I've had in the area, nice food and friendly service - did forget some of our requests but were good about sorting them for us too

We paid £32 for brunch (1 dish and 1 drink per person). The food was tasty but the portions are pretty small unless you order additional sides. My eggs royale were two tiny poached eggs on one small and thin sliced sourdough toast and salmon. There wad a blob of hollandaise sauce. I was still hungry after I finished. Despite living locally, I rather go elsewhere.

I like F&J. But I didn't like waiting 50 mins for my breakfast on Saturday morning, and I especially didn't like being made to entertain my two toddlers whilst waiting. But the thing I like the least is that when I raise this perfectly reasonable dissatisfaction (whilst asking for fair compensation on the final bill), being challenged by the manager as though I'm in the wrong for not expecting to wait nearly an hour for food on a busy weekend morning. During this 50 minutes, I was presented the bill after 30 mins (before the food had arrived, which clearly demonstrated the error), and was later told that the delay was due to 'training' in the kitchen. Both understandable human errors/reasons that happen and we accept will occur from time to time (and never before at F&J). It's just disappointing that the visibly stressed manager couldn't accept the error and 'own' this rare oversight (by simply apologising and partially crediting the bill), but instead to justify the obscene wait and question the legitimacy of my complaint (it's true, we really did watch our neighbouring table receive their food in less than 15 mins)! Anyway, they do a good coffee and even better breakfast, and we've never had cause to complain on other occasions visiting over the years (as per a previous 5 star review I left 4 years ago). Anyway, the manager eventually discounted the bill, probably because I wasn't giving-up (and we didn't accept the proposal to remove service since most of the staff were working hard and serving with a smile). The manager did eventually apologise, but it all should have been done more quickly and professionally, without a defensive scene of nonsense excuses and challenges infront of the other staff and customers. It's a fantastic venue (hence the regular queue) with nice waiting staff and great food so hopefully the owner/management will read this and learn to 'own' their responsibilities instead of deflecting. I will return, if welcome.

Service was slow. Had to ask to get a table. Waiter was very pleasant in all fairness. Took about 25 minutes for food to come. Had the Eggs Benedict that came with bayonaise sauce with coffee flavour and it was absolutely hideous - left me feeling sick afterwards for a few hours. Should be on a desert. DO NOT ORDER THE EGGS BENEDICT UNLESS YOU WANT TO VOMIT. £25 for Eggs B and a small cappuccino - daylight robbery given portion size and quality. Place needs a clean.

Used to be a regular - twice a month. I don’t bother now, it seems to lack management or organised staff. Last two times they have forgot my order or didn’t put it through. Take away coffee - expect to wait 20mins

Great Place for sunday breakfast!

Lovely brunch spot, expect to wait for a table on the weekend

staff very slow and not particularly attentive and polite

Great location, great coffee, great food and very friendly staff.

Tasty lunch experience in local coffee / sandwich bar. Quick service. Nice coffee.

Looks aren't everything I guess. We went, we waited, we left. We let the staff know that we would sit outside. At least 3 staff standing in front of counter when we arrived 2 behind making coffee etc. All tables inside had been served by the looks of, as all had food drink etc. We sat, 2 people came, ordered, waited and served and went after us with takeaway orders. We waited. No one bought menus although we were told they would when we asked if it was table service. We could see staff inside talking. We waited....... we left. Pointless looking good if no substance... wont be back. Walked less than a minute along the road found another. Super service great coffee delish food. We will be ba back. 0 stars if we could have given. Although not a total waste as found better spot along vthe road and had great walk on common before work.

Nice coffee and tasty food. The staff were lovely and very accommodating to our large group. The menu has a great selection for vegetarians and vegans.

Had to join the queue but it was worth the wait. Staff were lovely and apologised for the wait. Coffee was fantastic and lovely food

Nice cafe in Wandsworth. Super strong coffee! If you like it weaker ask for 1 shot. The Chorizo Scrambled Eggs were a little weird on focaccia, think it would have been better on sourdough. Eggs Royale was tasty, presentation wise would have looked better on a smaller plate.

10/10. We dined in at the bar for lunch on a busy bank holiday. The chicken katsu toastie is something I will dream about. Strong flat white and cosy atmosphere.

Really disappointing dining experience as we were previously a fan of the coffee here. On a not particularly busy day, we waited over an hour for food, eventually having to order from the counter as our wait staff had gone missing. The food, when it arrived, was pretty average. Will go elsewhere in future.

Small little coffee shop which does a mean cappuccino! Very nice place with friendly staff and the food and drinks are of high quality. It's great for collecting to takeaway too. Good location just off of the main road as it is easy to get to. I would recommend this place for coffee. Only downside I could think of was the fact there were people on laptops working in there which just ruins the atmosphere for me a little - but that's my opinion.

Great place to grab breakfast I had my all time favorite eggs Benedict and it did not disappoint Amazing atmosphere

Delicious brunch, really unique, highly recommend

Very poor service. Rude staff and really ruined our brunch.

Lovely breakfast and lovely coffee. Staff friendly and attentive. All good 👍 👌

Really nice little cafe, a really good range of food, cakes and drinks. Staff are lovely. Worth going off peak though as it's popular so you can't always rock up and get a table if it's a peak time (probably a good sign!) Great they have some options for gluten and dairy free,the pistachio cake is delicious!

F&J is our favourite local cafe by far. Make sure to have the pancakes! Corn fritters are also the best!

Cute little cafe just by Wandsworth common. Great selection of New Zealand treats and amazing coffee. Be prepared to wait for a table on weekends as it can get quite busy but well worth the wait! Cannot recommend the eggs Benedict enough, it was delish

Tasty and pleantyful... Try the BLAT... For breakfast /brunch... Yummy

Lovely friendly staff, Sophie did a great coffee. Would recommend the the BLAT and banana bread. Will definitely be back!

2nd visit since 2019, spectacular food as always 🫰🏻

Nice brunch venue. Some great vegan options. Really excellent coffee.

Incredible food and service. We visit regularly and are never disappointed.

Have been quite disappointed lately with the hygiene on several occasions. The place is full of flies. Food is left exposed and staff don’t seem bothered that its covered in flies. It doesn’t take much to cover the desserts and improve the hygiene.

I used to come here almost every weekend between 2018-2020 (Pre-covid). First time back in a long time and it's still amazing. Their menu changes reasonably often - enough to have a favourite for a while before it changes. My favourites are the F&J Pancakes, the BLAT with a friend egg and the Mushroom Gatherer which currently is not on their menu 😔. Anyways, great staff, great service, great food. Get there early if going on the weekend - especially if you are a group of more than two. If you don't, expect to queue outside. They do take away coffees too.

Each time I've been in for breakfast or meetings, the overall service is great, attentive and considerate, especially from the youthful Rebecca who is personable and passionate! Full of positive energy!☺️ Bellevue Pharmacy approves 😎

لذيذ لكن مايستاهل العنوه بعيد مره ، اوبسو وصنداي يتفوقون عليه بالطعم والقرب ، ساندوتش الحلوم لذيذه والبانكيك كلاسيكي جداً بس لذيذ

A properly pulled espresso! I had the banana bread which was tasty. The atmosphere is warm and welcomingz

The food and coffee are lovely. However I’ve yet to have an experience here where you are not completely ignored by staff. The layout and confusion over where to ask for a table or take away doesn’t help. But some management or training would help.

Went for brunch with my partner and 2 friends. The place is always really busy so we were expecting to wait for a table. No problem. After waiting more than 30 min for a table they took their 15 min to bring the menus and take our order. The cafe at the time was not that busy anymore and the staff were chatting instead of checking tables. Loads of people have finished their meals and they don't bother. Food and coffee were good though that's why I'm willing to give 3 stars. When we finished just to ask for the bill and pay took another 30 min. And it was quiet. Will go back just for take out coffee as the service is literally a joke.

Me and my partner got there at 14:41, the waitress promptly greeted as at the door and asked where we wanted to sit. A lady who was sat outside was just getting up to leave and offered us her table. The waitress told us to wait so she can wipe the table down. We stood around for 5 mins, then decided to sit down as she still hasn’t come back. We then saw her taking orders from other customers and bringing food out. No worries she might have forgotten. Nobody brought us menus but there was a bar code on the table which we scanned and could see the food menu (no drinks though). Some more time has passed and we wondered why no one was coming to take our order. Then we finally flagged down a waiter at 14:57 only to be told the kitchen has just closed and we can no longer order food. Mind you, their website states the kitchen is open until 15:30 on weekends. Very poor experience

It’s not exactly a hot take, but F&J serves the best pancakes ever. I saw a complaint below about having to wait outside for a takeaway coffee. The interior is small so I don’t think this is that shocking, and is common practice in similar venues. It does get very busy on weekends after about 9.30 ish, but if you’re an early bird between 8-9am you’ll get a table straight away (prime doggo watching time too!)

Great brunch and amazing service. Everyone super friendly especially Rosie and Dom. Best coffee ever. Will be coming back twice a week at least. Great tunes on also!

Came to purchase plants, decided to have lunch, what a great decision, service very attentive, food absolutely delicious

Fantastic lunch venue, we came with my parents for some nursery items and ended up staying for lunch, great service food was lovely - thanks will be back

No taking cash and you need to wait outside for your coffee. Wow. Wait outside, disrespectful

Una buena opción para desayunar. La carta es reducida pero para todos los gustos. Saben hacer un buen café. El personal correcto. Para todos aquellos que estén haciendo turismo: el local carga en la cuenta un 12% por "service charge". Es una práctica común en Londres y viene a ser la propina para el personal.

Just been to have lunch at the Dulwich branch. The food was delicious and the coffee is very good. But mostly the staff were absolutely delightful.

First time at Flotsam & Jetsam and would go again. Friendly, efficient service and good food at reasonable prices.

Food and drink is great here, but service is always incredibly and unnecessarily slow, especially if you're after takeout.

Always will be my favourite place for a good coffee, yummy food (seasonal menu!), and friendly faces ❤️

Very dissapointed. Little Venice used to have a fabulous place to eat at the Garden Centre. Sadly not any more. Poor service. Poor limited menu

Situated next to Wandsworth Common with attractive fit out with dogs, children and buggies but, chaotic service and 20 minute wait for take out coffee!

Very cosy breakfast place in the neighborhood! We came across this breakfast place while driving around looking for breakfast. The place was crowded but we were lucky to get a table. We ordered smashed avocadoes and egg benedict espresso. Both were very nice and the coffee was good too. We would definitely return again.

Great service and great food too. Popular place. Be prepared to queue but if you're not in a rush then it's worth the wait.

Great brunch place! Charging £1 for a babyccino was a bit silly though and made me not want to leave a tip. All other cafes don’t charge for a babyccino.