Otter Cafe in Lambeth

This place is great, really really great. It's one of the best places to grab a bite to eat in the South East. AND they have such a fantastic selection of gifts, cards, condiments and super tasty foodie treats too. They have the loveliest staff, the owner is so warm and friendly, and the full English is just the best in the area, hands down [....the pastrami toastie and the salmon & eggs are also so so so tasty]. I'm not surprised they are winning local awards !!! The staff are so patient, and they do their best, but if only the majority of the myopic inconsiderate dumb-Mums that go there would have some self-respect, it would be a #WeNo nirvana ! Until then, if they choose to ignore their disruptive and unruly little rugrats while they run amok on all fours around the shopfloor, maybe clients won't accidentally stand on their children. And maybe other customers will respect the parents too.

Great cafe, of which there are very few in West Norwood. Nice atmosphere, good food, though avoid like the plague on a Sunday, or get there early - it's overrun with screaming, feral children and their awful parents.

Excellent family friendly cafe with fresh artisan foods and homewares.

An unremarkable interior telegraphs comfortable zone that’s welcoming, relaxed and unpretentious. Limited selection accommodates most dietary agendas with seemingly robust portions ( mine certainly was ) at reasonable prices. A flirt and flutter of cards, gifts and more obscure deli produce more likely to deepen the texture for gastronomes and Bon vivants. Coffee was good and the service was commendable.

Great little cafe with excellent coffee and snacks. Very welcoming and friendly staff! 😊

Eat here once a week with my two children. The staff are courteous and friendly and the food is good for me and the kids. Certainly recommend.

Great ambience in cafe, lovely shop, quite good food but one member of staff probably the manager is very grumpy and unfriendly..I mentioned this to a friend who said “oh yeah that’s why don’t go there”

Really nice food, decent prices, nice staff. Well you can’t expect more

I love Otter. The dishes are exquisite, prices are decent, the staff is lovely and the space is very pleasant. I have made my partner a regular and we now come every week!

Would rate no stars if I could. Was a costumer trying to enjoy their meal and all I could hear was the manager shouting at their staff. Unprofessional and the boss seems very rude.

Always a great experience! Home cooked meals and home baked goods - recommend a pastrami sandwich and iced coffee or really any of their daily specials). Generous portions, very reasonably priced. They also sell various eco friendly cleaning products (zero waste too), toys, and local products.

We feel so lucky to have Otter in our neighbourhood. The food is homely and delicious, the staff are gentle and friendly. The specials change almost daily and are always incredible - as are the cakes. To top it off, everything is ethically sourced and the prices are very reasonable. Can’t recommend it highly enough.

Impressive own-made gluten-free soda bread on my bacon butty

Friendly staff, freshly prepared food . Try the milkshake! I love this cafe, a regular stop off en route to see a friend...

Really delicious toastie good vibes

A very special little cafe, run by lovely people. As well as all if the things you would expect in a cafe there are lots if interesting things on the shelves. I got some lovely hand made soap, and spotted some little chocolate frogs I used to have as a child back in the 70s!

Fantastic toast, great coffee too. I had a really nice double macchiato. The bonus biscoff biscuit was a nice touch too.

Lovely food and staff, variety of things to buy. It can get a bit busy at certain times during the day but that’s understandable as it’s on a high street and it’s a nice place!

Must have been one of the last customers this afternoon. Ordered a black coffee. £3. Could see there were issues making it, despite this they passed it too me. Utterly undirnkable bitter brown water with bits in. If I wasn't catching the train I would have bought it back. £3... £3.

Food great and the staff very helpful

We love Otter, we go there weekly to have se nice coffee and breakfast. Always a good experience, friendly staff, great coffee and cakes.

Great people, good coffee, great food, French sundries. Family friendly. A community staple.

Bacon/fried egg sandwiches particularly recommended- excellent value at £3.80. Delicious coffee too.

Great place! Awesome shop, wonderful staff and really good food and drinks!

The food is tasteless, the service is terrible, hair in food, not notifying u of changes, missing items in meals, Avoid, I felt like they do not value there customers

They can improve especially quality of the coffee.

If ur looking for good food at a decent price and nice service, don’t get here. Paid £9 for a cup of beans 1 sausage and 1 piece of bacon and was harassed by flys while eating. Also seems to be a charity shop at the same time lol

Just a great cafe. Simple and excellent menu at a reasonable price. Close to the station.

Gorgeous food and great coffee in a spacious space - what else do you need?

Had an absolutely lovely breakfast this morning after seeing family in the area. I think we’ll make a point of coming back next time we visit! Delicious, simple vegan breakfast and such a reasonable price. £7.95 for breakfast? Fantastic. Staff were lovely and the shop is full of interesting goodies. Plus, I got an oat hot chocolate to-go which blew my mind. What hot chocolate powder do you use please!? 😋

Hands down the tastiest food in West Norwood. I always keep an eye out for the new specials

Great place to have a cup of coffee. Friendly staff. Simply love it.

I was out with my family, we purchased 2 take away coffees, waited 25 minutes, asked what was happening with the coffees, then we’re spoken to in what only can be described as a rude dismissive tone. The response was “I haven’t got round to them, I’m gonna make them that’s what’s happening”, with a scrunched up angry face. Now this level of poor customer service we have never received at this boutique cafe in the last 2 years. The guy with the dark long hair, who responded, really needs an attitude shift, especially if your working in a service industry and the majority of customers are families. You can’t be rude to your customers, if I was an argumentative person then there would have been an unnecessary scene. The ladies that have always provided a service have always been very polite. I hope management take this seriously because this is the second incident where this staff member has been rude.

Tasty free-range brunch and lunch items. Free-range meat and eggs. Great bread and Butter Pudding. Friendly service. Nice gifts. Detergent refills available.

No one likes to be judged while drinking their coffee...

Decent food, but yes, as highlighted in some other reviews, couple of the staff members are terrible.

Love this cafe. The food is really tasty and they've got a great eco shop! We always pick up some useful items and delicious eats.

Excellent service. Great food, and was able to provide a vegan milkshake upon request

Lovely little cafe shop. Fresh food, home made. Plenty of kids toys, books, teddies! As well as homeware, deco and dry food. Everything you need is there!!!!

Do not go here if you want good customer service! On a few occasions I've came in here and the young short haired lady has been rude, not only to me but others in the queue. Eyes rolling and smart comments. The tall man has also got a really bad attitude problem. There are plenty of other coffee shops in Norwood that have really great customer service. I and many of my friends will never be back.

It’s everything you want from a local coffee shop.. and more!! Great vibe and fun things they sell at the front as well. Good for kids too

This cafe had a lovely community feel, and very family friendly which is what we were looking for. Lovely food, particularly the vegan sausage sandwich.

nice place /shop/ and location BUT very RUDE staff! They never ever smile to us. NEVER! Like mission impossible here )))Before I used to go there often, honestly but to see this attitude is very unpleasant. Especially one man who works there, who always take a piece of me, and always pretended he doesn't understand my English. At first I did not pay attention to this, but then I get tired to repeat my order 2-3 times and got - PARDON ME. LOL. Ones I did ask the question directly - what is wrong with me or me? why you always make like a joke about my language? why does you behave like that? He really was bit confuse. I am not English, and never will be, BUT I put effort speaking for 5 different languages and respect people. It seems to me he is just does not like Eastern Europe and people from there as well. This is very stupid from his point. I lived and worked in London so many years and never have experienced this kind of treatment. Now my family and I are going across the street, and spend time in lovely Italian coffee shop, happy to spending money there, and feel better with lovely staff around.

Extremely disappointed with the service. Rude staff and not actually baby friendly! Will not be returning.

Friendly staff, lovely food. Nice place

A Lovely local cafe. The Pastrami melt and home made chutney are my favourites.

Seriously good full English... Proper sausage and bacon

Friendly staff, great food including vegetarian options!

Met up my Japanese designer friend for a catch up and collection of ordered goods. As was half-term and day off, had my daughter and her friend who was spending a day with us, and planned to see the sights of London, and create an experience for both. As not just occupy seats outside tbis cafe, i decided to order something for the girls. Went in and it wasn't until coming closer; and the 3rd greeting of "hello", and with the member of staff's back all the while turned to me, before he rudely replied "what?" Taken, aback but keeping my composure, i replied "Well i would like some service". He could clearly see my reflection from the fridge in front of which he had propped himself with a notepad and pen, and seemed to have made up his mind what manner of service he was going to give. Grossly appalling to say the least. There was no redeeming feature with this chap. He proceed to carry on with a completely hostile attitude, intimidating tone of voice, and made the children downright unwelcome, that my daughter's friend ended up declining the offer of ice-cream they had initially requested to. It takes a downright despicable human to make an child feel uncomfortable anywhere! ...... and the owner? Had no reedeming qualities herself!!!!! Completely disgraceful! I was told by the Owner who the member of staff lied was not on site, this they got discovered that " It was a busy" and "It was hot", and "the guy is very well liked". So clearly there was something about the children he didn't like? Or that she didn't like? The children wanted ice-cream on a hot day, but maybe their olive-skin was caremel looking enough, and they shouldn't then have ice-cream from Otter Trading🤷‍♀️ Absolutely rude owner and staff!!! Disgraceful behaviour to English manners! It was the first time as well, so quite an appalling first encounter! Ugh!

A gem on our high road. Service is excellent. Food is fresh, cooked from scratch and well flavoursome. You can purchase all things for you home too which include lots of natural items and items made by local people. Above all for us the Frenchies of Norwood its a must go to as they have plenty of Français delicacies....

Cool eco-friendly cafe, great specials and sells lots of local produce and gifts

Lovely place to drop in an get coffee, and also refill on our detergent and washing up liquid.

Otter Trading is quite simply the best place for sustainable trade, eco-refills, gifts, baby wear, progressive toys, children's books, cards, decorations, rugs, ceramics, garden ware, toiletries, soaps (incredible range), healthy takeaway food, coffees of all types, local craft beers, gins, rums, wines from the Languedoc region, wines from other regions, fresh breads, pastries, own-baked cakes to suit all diets, organic foods, groceries, vegan cheeses, vegan chocolates, imports from Italy, Spain, Greece and sourcing from local artists and crafts makers. It has everything under one roof and staff have worked calmly and tirelessly throughout the covid year bringing a sense of calm, reassurance and a touch of home. I could go on. The owner Domani is a tour de force and staff are friendly and welcoming. Thoroughly recommend a trip to West Norwood, just by the station if you want to see community trade in action.

Lovely quirky place for coffee or lunch

Had a lockdown birthday recently and asked Otter if they could make my family a veggie meal with a selection of cakes. We had vegetarian lasagne with salad and dressing. Really tasty and great comfort food for winter evening. Rounded off with the most delicious cake slices to share - Guinness and Chocolate, Vegan lemon and Banoffee. Really good value and food made with love.

Lovely staff and lovelier food. Amazing atmosphere and nice music playing. They also have an amazing shop at the front of the cafe. Best coffee in Lambeth!

I’ve been here a few times previously but this time I was very disappointed. The reasons are internet was not working and the chap who served me was unhelpful and not friendly. I now reconsider going elsewhere in the future.

I haven’t visited the actual coffee shop, but the eco shop, which is inside it. Lovely lady has helped me out with filling in the fabric conditioner. They have a range of detergents “on the tap” as well as many other environmental friendly products (soaps, toothbrushes etc.), which are reasonably priced. I will pop in again to try a coffee and a cake soon! :)

Veryyyyyyy nice But it open too late in the morning for take breakfast before job 🥺

We had a couple of coffees here today and weren't thoroughly impressed, to be honest. Not sure if the gentleman serving just wasn't having a great day or if he had another issue but he acted/seemed positively menacing. The coffees weren't great, either, I ended up pouring mine out halfway through... It is quite unlikely that we'd return for another cup anytime soon.

Love this place, so quaint and the staff are uber friendly. Nice organic soaps and detergents too. Children friendly, which I love.

Took details for tracing, toilet cleaned after every use, disposable plates and cutlery. Covid safe. Should be more knowledgeable about the ingredients in products as sausages were not gluten free, which most good quality are, and became ill after eating the quorn option because i am coeliac. Also limited choice. One sweet gluten free option and gluten free bread.

Had a very lovely coffee and a sweet potato chocolate truffle to take away recently. Both were very tasty. Staff are friendly and helpful, and the store has well thought out system to deal with current restrictions due to the pandemic.

Great place to have a coffee and breakfast very friendly staff

Eco-friendly shop and café, serving breakfast, coffees, and some main dishes. Also does refills for washing liquid and clothes detergent.

Lovely specials, and they've always got a toasted sandwich stand-by on the Menu. I particularly enjoyed the butternut soup and sourdough, a builders tea, but they do inventive stews and Thai curries too.

Good food, cakes, and good amount of seating. Staff are friendly. Great for a pit stop. Pretty popular for families, so if you are looking for quiet then it might not be the best choice

Very relaxed atmosphere and friendly staff, good vibe

Lovely coffee and delicious food. Love the unique eco gifts on sale too - make for thoughtful unique gifts

Friendly staff and their coffee tastes great!

really like this cafe. they have a little shop area with quite a few useful things to buy... they support a zero waste lifestyle, you can fill up your soap, detergent bottles, buy solid shampoos and eggs without packaging. breakfast is also very nice

I love the smoothies and sandwiches here.. friendly staff and great service. A real jewel in the heart of west Norwood

Lovely little cafe with a good community vibe. They offer lots of vegetarian and vegan options on their menu as well as daily specials which are often vegetarian or vegan. Staff are super accommodating and will happily help you chop and change the options to your liking. Selection of freshly made cakes are always delicious. They also serve locally produced alcoholic beverages, as well as various eco friendly products such as washing liquids, shampoos, and other kitchen or bathroom products.

Good value, popular with young families

Family-friendly café + eco / health food shop. Ok coffee, pretty nice healthy breakfast.

Really nice coffee, reasonable sandwiches and wraps with lovely veg and a toasted wrap. Sadly only three stars as my wrap was supposed to be Coronation chicken, but you couldn't taste or even notice the chicken texturally, and just a vague hint of curry. My brother said his toasty was ok, but didn't think it worked overall. Will try again as it seems a nice place, but if you serve something as Coronation chicken, then that needs to be the hero of the dish.

Amazing food, friendly staff and real coffee!

Eclectic mix of goods for sale, nice coffee

Nice coffee, yummy food,cakes. Lovely place.

Welcoming and great cakes. Was having a very low moment and entered in this place as I needed some relaxing time. After a quite horrible day it was lovely to be greeted warmly and have a nice cake. Thank you very much. Sometimes we don't know how much our kindness can help others.

Ordered a pastrami sandwich at breakfast hours with no problem. Super friendly staff, welcoming/charming atmosphere, and last but not least the food is very tasty here.

Great coffee shop/cafe with a good sideline in fairtrade/eco products. A lovely laid back, welcoming, community feel that national chains could only dream of replicating. Many of the customers were greeted by name during the time I was there, clearly showing this place has its regulars. The service and food was spot-on with lots of homemade options. Seem to have most bases covered with regards to dietary restrictions. It had a nice buzz about the place, I liked it.

I was passing and saw all the wonderful items in the window, so I popped in, when I walked through the door I was so surprised, I had no idea it was a cafe/bar/restaurant as well as a gift shop. I looked around and it had a really cosy and and warm atmosphere. I'm sorry I didn't have time to sit and have something to drink or eat, but after looking at the goods for sale I was running late and had to dash out, but next time I'm passing I will definitely pop in for something to eat or drink! Then if the food matches the atmosphere I will change my rating to 5 stars!

If you want a child friendly café (have been here a few times and it's horrendous if you don't like kids!) avoid it like the plague. I've been here a few times for take away coffee, eat in snacks, breakfast etc and it's nice, reasonably priced food, slightly slow sometimes but can take that. The staff have seemed really friendly when I've been there. What I like best about it is if you do want to pick up cards, gifts, etc they have a really nice selection and it appears to be well set up. If you want to grab artisan chocolate for yourself or a gift or a 'gift' chocolate lolly for the kids - it's there. They also have reductions on some of their stock too. They used to own the café in Dulwich Park which I liked too and I preferred it when Otter Trading owned that venue to the new owners! I personally like to combine this café with a trip to West Norwood Feast or to other shops, cafés, etc in the area. A nice addition to West Norwood.

Great food, good service, nice things for sale. A few too many passive aggressive signs around (clearly aimed at wayward toddlers, but then that is their key week day market!)

West Norwood needed an all day cafe like this. New, fresh and not run down or makes you feel 'greasey'. Oh and they sell local art - nice touch.

I love this cafe as they do organic breakfast and lovely cakes but I wish they knew how to make a coffee. I have now tried quite a few times but they have no idea what a flat white or cappucino is. Hope this would be taken on board as I really don't want to stop going.

Free WiFi and a special treat: German school chairs from the 60's! Surprisingly comfortable for a wooden chair. However what I don’t like is the extra charge for soy milk. As opposed to fancy oat, coconut and almond this is an essential alternative to dairy that must be provided. Unless you don’t want to cater for people with lactose intolerance. All small cafés, restaurants, coffee shops have to think a bit more about this. Also, considering how inexpensive soy milk is, a surcharge of 50p is excessive.

Lovely place to eat, have a coffee or buy organic and safe for the environment products. They're baby/toddler friendly as well.

This was my second visit with my family; delighted to find it every bit as good second time round. There's nothing fancy about the food apart from a strong vegetarian/vegan influence. My baked ham eggs were tasty, the kids' portions of pasta for my grandsons were both good quality and generous, as well as ridiculously good value at just £3.60 a plate. The all day breakfasts are excellent. It was really nice to get served decent bread with the food. The ice creams are seriously yummy, especially the rum and raisin. There are alcoholic drinks out of the fridge, but that's not really what this place is about. It's aimed at families with kids and does a great job serving them. Service is extra friendly and efficient. As well as the café itself, there's an interesting range of gifts to purchase.

Charming staff, child and dog friendly with a good range of vegetarian options and a great caramel soy latte if that's your thing, and it should be.

Heaven for the yummy mummy brigade. Until I had a baby, I avoided it like the plague, but I have to admit, the family-friendly atmosphere and acres of space to fit buggies in around tables make it a must-go at least once a week now (that said, sans-kiddos, I'd still go elsewhere, sorry!). They do nice drinks and cafe-staple food. The food seems very reasonably-priced but the coffee not so much. I also really like that they are very environmentally friendly and offer lots of unusual, eco-friendly bits in the shop section.

Best local cafe/shop with a wide selection of ethical gifts, cosmetics, refill station for household cleaning products and delicious food with vegetarian/vegan options. Also, good selection of snacks and drinks and great service - totally recommended!

Great to find a cafe that serves healthy food, coffee, and refill supplies for laundry and washing!

Lovely kid friendly cafe but also a great spot to work. Lots of room for buggies. I find the menu a bit boring but they always have excellent specials. They sell lovely things too. Lots of eco products.

This cafe always give their best service.

The food was average at best, no frills, and cheap as well. Its was quite busy at lunch with lots of groups of moms and babies so a little noisy, but there was enough space for everyone to still be confortable. The decor is really nice and so is the shop. But as a restaurant, it is a little basic.

Welcoming cafe for families with young children, high chairs, friendly staff, changing facilities, children's story books to borrow and a toy shop. Gets busy at lunchtime

Cracking good coffee. Good choice of food. Super good location to meet up. Definitely worth a wander up Knights Hill.

Went for early lunch. Each of us had something different & everything was freshly made & delicious. Kid friendly with high chairs & books. Busy but efficient. Staff are all helpful & happy. Will go back!