Old London Road (OLR) Cafe in Kingston upon Thames

5 4 3 2 1 4.2 (50) Reviews All Service Meal Price music5 vegan5 atmosphere4 dog4 +3 Sort by Most relevant Newest Highest Lowest Jonathan Personal Gibbs 46 reviews Dine in | Brunch | £1–10 Following the demise of the much loved Jaxx, a period without a local cafe, and a couple of stuttering starts, the OLRC has found its feet and become a treasured community cafe. …More Raminder Singh 1 review a month ago I went here for the first time with my friend Bob, who lives across the road and highly recommended it and had a good time with my breakfast roll and a cup of coffee. …More 1 Old London Road Cafe (owner) 4 weeks ago Thanks so much for your lovely review! Hope to see you again soon! Emma West Local Guide·97 reviews·18 photos 5 months ago Lunch | £10–20 I visited Old London Road Cafe and had a great experience. The staff member on a Saturday morning had a very vigilant approach to cleaning, ensuring a clean and hygienic environment for all customers. The customer service was outstanding, …More 1 Old London Road Cafe (owner) 5 months ago Hi Emma, thanks so much for your kind review. We're delighted you had such a fantastic visit and hope to see you again soon! C Rogers Local Guide·26 reviews·58 photos a month ago Great place to pick up a toasted panini, some nachos, or just an extremely good cup of coffee. Fun -oriented décor, and friendly staff. Great little place, and I go there often now. Make sure to ask about their coffee+panini deal. It's …More 1 Old London Road Cafe (owner) a month ago What an ace review, thanks so much for your kind words and lovely summary. See you again soon! Jonathan Personal Gibbs 46 reviews Dine in | Brunch | £1–10 Following the demise of the much loved Jaxx, a period without a local cafe, and a couple of stuttering starts, the OLRC has found its feet and become a treasured community cafe. For sure there are slicker venues - better food and classier decor - to be found locally, but there is now a real sense of a local shared space and an regular eclectic mix of patrons. As a daily vistor I've noticed the vibe change between times of day, day of week, and college term times. You kinda sign up for that before you enter. I haven't experienced their ccasional evening live entertainments so can't comment. Pet friendly, this has become my dogs' second home, along with a cute kitten and (as previously noted) the occasional pair of parakeets.

Taking over from Caffe' Jax which had been here since at least 2005, Cafe OLR is a worthy addition to the Kingston cafe scene. The decor is fairly standard cafe, although with the addition of some classic album covers (sourced from the record shop next door) on the wall. Coffee was good - I didn't have time to sample anything more. I'm pleased the layout hasn't been much changed from the way it was; of course everyone who goes in here is going to compare it with Jax and it does. It's a different place but it does. Compare, that is.

I had the pleasure of watching a senior member of staff yell at another staff member until she cried over a very superficial issue. Seems like a very hostile work place. The turn over of staff also seems very rushed and constant, which doesn’t say much about whoever runs the cafe. The baristas are lovely girls and that’s mainly the reason why I and a lot of other people come in, and the manager is not treating them well, like they deserve. I think the manager may need sensitivity training or something to talk to people in a nicer way. Very disappointed. It really ruins the cosy nice environment that the cafe is trying to uphold.

Yes, I know it's not Jax cafe, but please give this new enterprise a go. The young staff are keen to help, and the food is pleasant, healthy, and reasonably priced. My wife and I enjoyed our meal, even when a chauvinistic plumber had a go at one the lovely staff. We will definitely be back.

Missing Jax cafe - on this site for many years prior - I thought I would give it a try. I don’t see myself going back there. Why? Staff more interested in singing to the loud music they play, awful bitter coffee, dirty table, having to ask/ seek out a serviette when served ‘finger food’ …… The food itself was OK but not good enough to outweigh the other shortcomings unfortunately. Shame