Gail's Crouch End in City of London, Westminster

I stop here every morning on my way to work for at least a coffee and I can't wait to chat with my favorite member of staff here, Elvira! She always brightens my day ! Also the coffee tastes AMAZING (oat flat white!), so much so that I can't have another at work as it's nowhere near as good..

I’ve been a customer at Gail’s Crouch End for some time and wanted to show my gratitude for their great lattes, amazing Cinnamon buns (!!) and after sampling their pistachio financiers this morning I’ll now add that to my list of delights. The staff are as always wonderful, friendly and much appreciated.

Normally a fan of GAIL's across London ... but will never go to Crouch End one again! It was 12:15 PM, there was very little of food on display as most morning fare had been sold, I selected a salmon bagel from the lunch menu on the board, and was told by the lady serving that it was only the (limited) food I could see that was available, and that salmon bagels "may be" available later. I queried what "may be" meant ... as it was an obscure answer, I thought perhaps there was a problem with the kitchen, facilities or staffing. She said, well,, I don't know… So I carried that again… And she said, reluctantly, do you want me to go and ask? I was bemused as well as hungry, so I said, yes please. I saw one of her colleagues look up from the back to say shop and give me a "challenging look" .... as though I was being difficult or route. Which I wasn't. Just a regular customer who had specifically sought out a Gail's, and not unreasonably, had expected a reasonable choice of food to purchase and eat. After all, it's the middle of the day and the place is a café! She returned after a minute, or so, and said, we're not going to start making cinnamon bagels until lunchtime… I said, well when will that be? And she said in about 15 minutes time. That being, 12:30 PM. Firstly, I thought, given the fact that there was very limited choice of anything else to eat anyway, perhaps it would be too much to expect them to make a pretty uncomplicated salmon bagel! I didn't say this, but I did say, but I might have wasted last time if you had just put on your board what time your lunch menu starts. And then I left. But before I got to the door, the male coworker who has been looking at me challengingly before, shouted across from where he was preparing something, calling out, "Did you say, put the time up?". I paused and replied, yes, it would be helpful to say that you had a rigid start time of 12:30 PM for lunch on your board. Because someone like me has arrived at 12:15 and not unreasonably. Have expected lunch menu to be available. But now I've wasted my time. I then left before he continued, which I anticipated would not have been a friendly dialogue. I mean, seriously, so much bad in this… She didn't know what time the lunch menu started, I'm actually suspecting there isn't a good time, but they just couldn't be bothered to begin… And then that guy there, cruising for some sort of fight with a customer… I'm a 61 year old average size woman, just looking for a sandwich and coffee. I had a feeling he wouldn't have been looking challengingly at me like that and then shouting across the café if I'd been my brother, a younger 6' 3" guy. The whole experience has put me on scales forever. They need to sort out their staff training and practice very basic principles of customer service

Really appreciate the service and the attitude of the staff in this very busy café . Great choice of baked cakes and bread. Some vegan options available.

Today I was presented with a small handleless cup/bowl overfilled with coffee, put on a tray.How are you supposed to drink that? At my request the girl poured my coffee into a larger mug with handles. It was barely warm when I drank it, a minute later. My first and last visit to Gails . Very Expensive place, with no atmosphere.

the quality is good, I just find it a little overpriced. however I suggest the ham and cheese croissant and soho bun, I love how they are made with off-cuts of croissant dough, which would otherwise go to waste, and dark chocolate chips.

Claudia and Illiana were working and were both very kind and friendly. Claudia suggested a great breakfast and Iliana suggested to try the rose cake - delicious They sanitized the table for me before I sat down to put me at ease, and they both make the atmosphere in Gails very light and friendly Thank you

Sometimes bakery specialist is right there when you need it. We often talk about eco - dining and organic way of keeping healthy for everyday consumption, baking for the ones - who have bourgeoisie tendencies can be found here but sometimes eating is just pure escapism. When it is so unbelievably stylish that you can't help but go back for more. Obviously you have to keep thinking about ways to keep your taste buds gorging on succulent and delightful treats. I for one - love a Soho Bun and recipe for it may look simple. Though the taste awakens all my sense - minimal in size but powerful in flavour. Not too long ago, I looked around the branch in Crouch End and notice this mini bun bursting with sweet notes of cocoa, syrup and glucose (note to self - enjoy these rare moment of indulgence). I am a committed patisserie lover and confess to having a ridiculously bad sweet tooth. Patisserie for me has always been about comfort and revival but I have recently discovered it can be so much more than that. Gail's Bakery has been schooling me on fine dining and eating what goes into my mouth. Don't take it from me, take it from the selection of things they have an offers such as Soho Bun. I hope this review provides yo with sense escapism and inspiration let us remember to keep the passion for food burning brightly.

Good food but lots of toilet smells from the toilet that opens into the kitchen and eating area. Surely this breaks food hygiene standards? It stinks anyway. There is not even an automatic door closer on the loo door so all the smells waft freely over customers eating.

Go elsewhere this is a rip off. The olive bread is tasty but has shrunk to be better described as a baget. About 3 times the price of a major supermarket olive bread. It does have more olives but you can buy a kilo of olives for the difference.

nice for a cup of coffee but the place is not very clean. place needs extra staff service is lacking when busy.

The cakes are amazing especially their carrot cake; cannot floor their Spanish Tortilla. Great with vegetarians, vegans, and gluten intolerant dispossession.

Occasionally finding myself in North London between 7am and 8am, finding a good cafe for breakfast is crucial. Gail's is one such place. The staff are friendly and attentive, the food is divine, and you feel that you can relax and enjoy both breakfast and atmosphere. Prices are at the upper end, but the quality balances this out. Would recommend.

The best service I have received in north London! Amazing food, amazing coffee and friendly staff! Big ups to Iliana and Claudia!

This Is the best bakery by far in Crouch end. Fast friendly service from all the staff. Jenny is always lovely and so is the wonderful Chef. She’s always got a warm, friendly smile. To all the people that complain about price, at the end of the day you get what you pay for and if you want quality then you should come here. The service is so efficient which is incredible given how busy this branch is with queues often out the door . Thanks for always being so nice Jen!

Came here with my family. Can’t fault their pastries and breads = delicious. But the coffee is overpriced and this diminishes the overall experience. Good - but there’s much better value to be had in Crouch End.

There are always lots of staff wafting about in this store - but they are not doing much! They need a bit of training on efficiency and working at full speed. Bread products altho' pricey are great.

I think gails has the best breads, me personal favourite is the one with olives. Always busy, but the service is fast.

Mi primera experiencia de Gail's y media es bastante generosa.

After having made many visits to the excellent Highgate Gail's, I thought I would try my local Crouch End branch. It is hard to believe that they are owned by the same company (unless it's a franchise).

Met friend there for a coffee. Nice ambience and friendly staff. Good customer service and reasonably priced. People working on laptops and child-friendly. Didn't eat there but the baked goods looked delicious.

Gails is a very tempting place if you love food. As soon as you open the door you greeted with a huge rang of fresh pastries, cakes, croissants and breads. Somehow, the hygiene brigade have missed this place as nothing is covered - so you can see and smell the deliciousness all around. I go there on weekends when I'm in London and it's very busy. The service is pretty good at the shop, though the cafe service can be a bit slow. The quality of the food is very good and they know how to make a flat white - which is not all that common in London

Always good quality with fresh ingredients. Service can be erratic but overall very good. Nice space as well

Soy un gran defensor de la comida en Gail y sigo regresando porque no puedo resistirme. . . Sin embargo, debo admitir que el personal es extremadamente pobre (a menudo miserable y grosero, lento y aparentemente sin capacitación) y que los estándares de higiene no son buenos.

Generalmente buena comida y servicio, pero la puerta del inodoro se abre directamente al área de comida y al área de preparación de alimentos. Esto va en contra de los estándares de higiene de los alimentos y significa que a menudo usted tiene olores en el inodoro y / o fragancia de inodoro artificial flotando sobre usted mientras come. ¡Encantador! ¿Qué tan difícil sería colocar un ventilador decente y una puerta automática más cerca?

Oltre al personale molto gentile, dove a volte parlano anche Italiano, ci sono diversi tipi di pane sfornati quotidianamente, ottimi i dolci e i croissant. Si può anche consumare all’interno del locale sia per colazione che per branzo.

Este Gail siempre está sucio, los inodoros rara vez están limpios o tienen toallas de mano y las mesas nunca se arreglan. El personal es incompetente, todo está mal y la mayoría de las veces hay una persona que trabaja la caja y hace todo (mal) mientras que todo el resto del personal parece estar molestando a todos. Haré una puñalada en la oscuridad y supongo que el nepotismo es la única explicación para que todo el personal sea completamente incapaz de completar una tarea básica. Todos sabemos que Londres está repleta de gente que busca trabajo, ¿por qué Gail ha elegido específicamente a personas que no pueden hacer su trabajo? ¡Nepotismo! ¿Derecha? ? Entonces, aparte del mal diseño, el personal atroz y la higiene, ¿por qué sigo viniendo aquí? Por una razón . . ¡La comida de Gail es deliciosa! El café aquí es normal en un día muy bueno y es caro para algo que claramente no está hecho por un barista entrenado, pero la comida es realmente muy buena.

Visito Londres con frecuencia y cada vez que estoy allí visito mi antiguo barrio Gail's Bakery en Crouch End. Es un espacio más pequeño, íntimo y acogedor. Por lo general, tengo un chai latte y uno de sus croissants de almendra, ya que ambos son mis favoritos de Gail. He tenido ambos en otros lugares y son tan buenos. Es un gran lugar para el tratamiento de la tarde. También tiene excelentes opciones para el almuerzo.

This place is so badly laid out. All the customers are tripping over each other to order and pay. There is no sense of management or organisation. Why does it need to be stressful to buy a coffee and a cake?

Visité Gail's en Crouch End esta tarde (12: 30), pedí un capuchino y pastel para comer en el restaurante. Las mujeres que tomaron las órdenes, no estaban prestando atención y me preguntaron dos veces si se trataba de una comida para llevar y dos veces dije que estaba comiendo en el restaurante. Luego me dio un número, encontré una mesa y me senté. Esperé bastante tiempo para que llegara mi pedido, así que volví a la caja y pregunté dónde estaba mi pedido. Me dijeron que ya habían hecho el café y un pastel (entonces, si ese era el caso, ¿a quién le dieron mi orden ya pagada?). De todos modos, una señora / camarera muy agradable encontró mi pedido y se disculpó profusamente, sin embargo, la mujer que inicialmente tomó la orden, solo me miró y no se disculpó en absoluto, lo cual es descortés y grosero (necesita enseñar algunos modales y etiqueta cuando están trabajando para el público, después de todo es el público que está pagando). Sin embargo, la tarta y el café estaba bien, pero el servicio (aparte de la señora muy agradable que lo resolvió) no fue una buena experiencia.

Debo ser tonto pero sigo tratando de nuevo sin embargo Gail v pobre. Yo pedí huevos revueltos en tostadas con salmón ahumado, así que 25 minutos más tarde, nada había llegado pedí a la señora con quien me pidió la comida. Ella parecía totalmente indiferente y caminamos.

Croisssant I bought this morning for breakfast at £1.85 was tough and slightly stale. It's Sunday, but it tasted like a Thursday leftover. Not enjoyable at all.

Typical Gail's Bakery. Service was ok, lack of power points available to customers so not a good option for working on your laptop for a few hours. Enjoyed the cuppa and mini honey cake. Family-friendly.

..vuoi assaggiare qualcosa di buono con un po' di pazienza sia per la folla che per l'organizzazione a prezzi accettabili, vai e gusta e porti a casa

Used to love coming to Gails. Unfortunately the service has deteriorated so much over the last year that I will stop coming here and do not recommend to friends. Luckily Crouch End has plenty of other nice coffee shops to go to. Last Sunday the quiche I ordered was freezing cold in the centre. My mother also said the one of the staff that the sugar holder was empty, only for the staff member to point to another table where there was sugar.

Consistently very slow service especially in the morning. Should stop coming here in Crouch End branch of Gail's

Had brunch there recently with my daughter and grandson. The queue was so long that it was difficult to get in or out of the door! There were only 2 people serving who looked so miserable - as if they didn't really want to be there. We had a small water, a small latte and a very small beetroot salad - £10.80! The salad was self-serve in a plastic container! I noticed that a lot of customers paid the cheaper takeaway prices and then sat down at a table which is not right. They were not challenged by the staff. My beetroot salad was £5 to takeaway and £6.20 to eat in! I paid the latter price but I could easily have paid £5 and sat down to eat! My question is, if VAT is 20% then the eat-in price should be £6 and not £6.20! The vacant tables had not been cleared of crockery etc. and the whole place looked most unattractive. I will not go again!

We love Gail's bread and we love Gail's cakes. We particularly love Gail's sausage rolls and sandwiches.

Pensaba que iba a entrar para el desayuno, así que me senté a esperar la cola para disminuir 20 minutos más tarde me uno a la cola ahora más pequeñas. ¿Por qué tanto me espera porque en una concurrida mañana sábado sólo había dos camareros y no simplemente tomar pedidos pero realizando otras tareas como cortar el pan.

Los productos no son de la mejor calidad e incluso si eran, los precios aún sería exageradamente altos para lo que te dan. Mi amigo quería comprar pan aquí, así que nos fuimos y pensamos que podría haber un café rápido. No hay ninguna posibilidad. Comunicación con el personal fue un reto, y el nivel de limpieza no era impresionante y, en general, no sentí que el lugar era atractivo. Al final nos fuimos con el pan nos fuimos para y me asombró en los precios de sus productos. Esto nunca sería en mi lista de lugares a donde ir o como una cafetería o una tienda.

El servicio es bastante lento. Mucho personal corriendo pero sólo una persona que sirve en la barra. Gail tienen algunos de los mejores bollos de canela en la ciudad pero ir a recoger en 7 en algunos apertura y bollos no estaban preparados. No se pueden abrir si la mitad de las existencias no está listo.

Mi primer y creo última visita a Gail de Crouch End!

First visit to Crouch End I stopped here and had a delicious Gruyere &y Chive scone served warm with a generous serve of butter. The two Hungarian girls serving me were very kind!

Great coffee And Claudia the barista is fantastic, Always has a smile on her face and an asset to the Gail's company . Sometimes gets busy but worth the wait

Visited for breakfast with my Sister, Gails serves really tasty bacon and we were both looking forward to a bacon sandwich each. I asked for just 2 normal bacon sandwiches at the counter, all we wanted was bacon in 2 slices of rye toast, butter on the side and NO maple syrup. The young woman at the till had to ask me twice as to what I wanted so I had to repeat myself 2 more times, eventually she seemed to understand so I paid and we found a table (which I have say was not clean and I had to take a tissue out of my handbag and clean it myself). After sitting there for 10 minutes drinking our coffee, the chef a young woman came over to our table and asked us to explain our order to her as she didn't understand what we wanted. I explained 3 times more that all we wanted was, bacon in 2 slices of rye toast, butter on the side and no maple syrup, she seemed to understand, as she walks away. At last we think we're going to get our bacon sandwiches, she understands what we want, but alas she came back with the young lady who took our order in the first place and I again repeat my order, she turns to the chef and explains the order. At this time the lady at the next table is laughing at the strange situation, saying "how hard is it, to get just a bacon sandwich", I reply "very hard indeed".and then we laugh. Well surprise, surprise our order arrives at our table by the chef herself and tells us that she toasting the bread, curious?. This confuses me, when I look at our plates, we have bacon (hooray!), we have butter on the side (hooray!), but we have thick slices of heavy pumpernickel bread full of seeds (which I didn't ask for). The chef then says to us she's toasting our bread, I then said to her please don't toast anymore bread, eventhough I didn't ask for pumpernickel bread, I thought oh God! If we wait for anymore toast, we are never going to leave. We eat our strange bacon breakfast and then leave. There were other incidences I have not mentioned here, but I think the above farce made my mind up for me that I will never order or try to a bacon sandwich there again. Also the fact that I have mentioned above, the hygeine of that place is appalling. The staff there need to be trained, in hygeine and probably food hygeine too!The fact that all the staff have a problem with customer relations, boils down to not listening to the customer in the first place.It's a shame, but I probably won't go again, as there are better cafes and restaurants than Gails in crouch end.

It seemed to a taxing quest for the assistant to sell us one scone to take out. As it is a cafe and they have butter there our request to pay extra (if need be) to have the scone buttered was a step to far and it wasn't possible. He looked liked we'd asked him to calculate Pi or lend us a tenner. Then we were charged the wrong price, rectified that then given the wrong change. How hard is it to serve one scone? Very!

I wasn't sure when I arrived whether they were still open (despite it being 4:30pm and they close at 8pm)as one of the staff was manically brushing the floor. She told me where to sit in the empty cafe as she was cleaning and then bashed her brush into every thing and scraped the chairs over the floor. Possibly the least relaxing coffee I've had in a long time. I will never come again which is a shame as the food is lovely but the service is terrible.

The food is and has always been great.The staff have got worse and worse. The staff are rude and unhelpful and clearly untrained. Used to run so smoothly and be a great place for breakfast. Now the food is outweighed by the terrible service/staff. Especially as it's pricey.

Great place to buy takeaway breads and cakes. However also does some fantastic dishes to eat in with really good coffee. My personal favourite being their French toast with bacon and maple syrup.Don't be put off by the queues (be encouraged by them!) the service is quick and efficient.

Have been in many times now and always find the staff to be rude and abrasive. Despite this the bakery cakes and breads are great. Everything is quite expensive and considering the customer service is quite poor, your money is likely better spent elsewhere, especially if eating in.

The baked goods at Gal are definitely overpriced. The staff are definitely hurried, flapping, snappy and not great. But you should definitely pop in just to grab one of their brownies. They are delicious! All the other bits are delicious too - lovely coffee cakes, muffins and cookies. But just go in, expect to pay a bit extra, expect to be barked at by an overworked and hurried member of staff, and grab your delicious, rich chocolatey brownie and dash off to eat it in peace!

Have given up on this place, staff and service really bad, for very average expensive food. Plenty of better alternatives in the area.

We counted 7 members of staff behind the counter who really didn't seem to know what they were doing. I ordered corn bread which arrived warm on the outside and cold on the inside. My friend ordered a scone - which was like a brick. We asked for replacements but they had no more corn bread. So we drank our tea (which we paid for) and they gave us a refund for the food. They also brought us a loyalty card with two stamps which we refused! We left and went across the road to Sable D'or - excellent service and food.

Gail's coffee and pastries are really nice but totally overpriced. I like the tables at the back, by the windows, but they are right by the kitchen and it can get a bit smelly.

Excellent food and coffee ,but ouch factor on prices .but you get what you pay for and the quality is out of this world .so if it's a treat then go for it !

Was passing through Crouch End from Norwich to see our son. Stopped here for coffee and muffins - was great. Lovely place - just a pity we could not sample all the menu! Food looked delicious. Great quick, friendly service.

It's a nice place to be in, but the prices are just too high. Me and my other half went in for a coffee and sandwich each and I swear it cost us close to £25.

For me, coffee is simple: I want it Italian style, with intensity and brio. Mainly espresso, occasionally cappuchino. In the UK, one can get the former every now and then, but in this nation of coffee shops, a decent cappuchino is hard to find. Each to their own I suppose: the mother of a dear friend of mine defines "coffee" as half a teaspoon of instant within a tall glass of hot milk, and it would appear that the template of a large number of my compatriots isn't too dissimilar. So, in an effort to replicate the Italian one third intense espresso, one third milk, one third foam, served in a small cup, I go for bespoke. It rarely works. "Dry cappuchino" is usually not dry enough, "flat white" is too milky, "machiato" can far too often expose the failings of the coffee shop with its loose foam atop an insipid "espresso". "Cortado" can be OK although one can't have chocolate on top. Speaking of which, why do so many coffee shops eschew decent chocolate for fatty, chocolare flavoured dust? Don't they realise how bad that can taste?Some may say that my needs are a long way removed from the "I'm a regular Joe and I like my joe regular" kind, but I beg to differ. Maybe I'm a regular Guiseppe, or something, but I don't think that I'm asking too much.To Crouch End, then, home of a thousand coffee shops, and home to me, as a matter of fact. Hot yoga this morning and a 15.5KM killer Ridgeway Run had sweated the nutrients out of me - twice - and left me in need of salt and vitamins. And a decent cup of coffee. I had remembered seeing some tasty little smoked salmon and avocado rolls in Gail's bakery and restaurant. They were just what I fancied, so at around 7.45 am I entered the establishment and asked if they still did them. Indeed they did, and they were ready made. They looked good, so I ordered 2, to eat in. Now for the tough bit, the coffee. I didn't want espresso today but I certainly didn't want a gallon of milk. Could they do me a strong "americano" with cream on the side? "No cream". OK then, I'll risk a double espresso machiato.I settled down with my newspaper at a table in a well lit area. The restaurant smelt clean and itwas clean Music was jaunty (Crowded House?) and nicely in the background. Within 3 minutes I had my order. Food first. Gails, wisely in my view, don't risk hit and miss avocado slices, favouring a sort of whipped avocado mousse: better to hold the sandwich together. But what did the ensemble taste like? Absolute perfection. Generous amount of salty smoked salmon offset wonderfully by lemony avocado, lighter than guacamole, with a touch of chives on top. Bread was of the poppy seed roll varety, fresh as, well, fresh bread, and the ideal choice. But what of the coffee? Oh joy of joys, they read my mind! Intense espresso topped with a tight foam. Just right. At £7.50 for the lot, the price was just right as well. Gails' bread is always good, they don't cut corners and it shows. Yes, the cost of their stuff puts Gail's in the "treat" category for many, but it is a treat to go there. This probably reads like I have some link with Gail's, I promise you that I don't, and I realise that this may just have been my lucky day.Being so early, I had room to roam (not a Crowded House), which is always nice. And I am on an exercise high. Weather outside was dreadful though!

Carrot cake to die for, coffee average. Expensive, even for crouch end. Nice environment, lovely olive bread. Not really child friendly compared to other eateries in the area.

The quality of the food and coffee could not be faulted but the value of eating over priced coffee and croissant in the cramped shabby but not chic back cafe is over rated. Will not be returning.

We went in here mid afternoon for a coffee and cake, ordered 2 cappuccino's and 2 pieces of carrot cake then found a table to sit at. Almost immediately a waitress came and told us that we had to pay in advance, as it was company policy. I thought it a little odd but went to the counter and paid £14.50. Coffee and cakes arrived and were nice, though not exceptional. I started to wonder if I'd paid the correct price, so on the way out looked at the prices chalked on the blackboard behind the counter. coffee prices were there but not the cakes', so I asked the waitress and she told me £3.50 ea. This did not add up and she could see the confusion on my face. She muttered something, found the relevant transaction on the till and printed off an itemised receipt for me. I think she was actually embarrassed as she handed it to me (could it be I was not the first to query a bill...) The prices then actually have 20% VAT added. Very, very sneaky! Leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Paying for anything before it's served/provided means that no tip is given (not by me anyway!) - could this be why the staff are indifferent to customers?Won't be going in here again!