Rustique - The Literary Cafe in Camden - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Popped in here when I saw it called itself a literary cafe and it didn't disappoint with all the bookshelves inside! I was brought a menu super quick and it was suggested I could sit outside in the garden which I decided to go ahead with. The garden is really lovely and quiet! I accidentally knocked over my coffee but the staff replaced it really quickly and didn't charge me for it. Honestly such a lovely experience and have told everyone about it!

This is a wonderful place with a nice atmosphere. Bekim, who runs it, is a really nice guy and tries very hard to make the place welcoming and pleasant. The garden at the back is also a great place to have breakfast and just sit with a coffee and read a book (on those rare occasions when the London weather allows it). We've been going there for years and will continue to do so, and it's also a good place to work if you are one of legions of freelancer/creatives/home workers who inhabit North London - totally relaxed about you spending hours there just ordering the occasional tea or coffee. I also like that they have a board with loads of local events... The only reason it doesn't get the full 5 stars is that the food is not that amazing and a little expensive for what it is. Well, not expensive at all by London standards, but not quite cheap enough to make it a no-brainer.

I absolutely adore this place. I come in with my girlfriend most days of the week to do work and it is a complete joy every time. The staff are so friendly and welcoming, always greeting guests with a smile. The coffee is delicious, as is the food. The atmosphere is quaint and cosy. It has become by far my favourite cafe/ coffee spot in London. I cannot recommend this place enough.

Good food, nice garden area to sit in, very homely vibes.

A lovely cafe with tasty food and friendly people. Would definitely recommend.

Really good vibes and great service.

Great little laidback place. Our sandwiches were tasty, staff was friendly, you're surrounded by books and music at a decent volume.

Nice atmosphere. I enjoyed reading while drinking a nice and not too hot chocolate which I loved. And I have tried the home-baked cookie that was extraordinarily good. The owner is so polite and friendly. I recommend this place.

Love it here! Staff and food is amazing. I recommend the quiche and soup as well as the coffee or chai!

I came to this lovely little café to work. The staff was really kind and the Tarte Tatin was to die for. Would definitely go back.

very friendly staff, had great tarte tatin :)

This café is one of the most atmospheric in North London. I have been going to this café on and off for 7 years and every time the staff (especially the owner) are the kindest of people. You can sit and do a little work with coffee, or meet up with friends and sit on the sofa with a hot chocolate, or simply read and enjoy your afternoon. Go here and you won't be disappointed - cozy in winter and a few tables in the garden in summer, you are bound to have a thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable afternoon.

Phenomenal customer service. Excellent staff all round, very welcoming & fast service. Couldn’t ask for a better experience. If I had to rate the establishment out of 5 stars it was a 6 :)

Best local cafe. Service is lovely

Best breakfast I’ve had for a long time!!!! Really recommended it!

I love coming to this adorable cafe and I order the hot chocolate which is divine! The owner is so lovely and welcoming. I haven’t been in a while and he remembered. The atmosphere is so peaceful and welcoming. No cafe in Tufnell Park I believe has the same atmosphere and same level of service

Really cute coffee shop with super friendly waiters 🥰✨

Such a lovely cafe with a back garden. Great for relaxing on a sunny day. Owner was lovely and very friendly. Had a triple espresso with ice.

One of my favourite places for a café in London! I used to go there as a student and I always felt warmly welcomed. The staff is really nice and professional, and the sandwiches will cheer you up! If you ever pass by, go there! I know I will when I return to London…

Staff is smiley but super slow and lost. Very long wait to be served. Each item comes separately and in weird order food before drinks etc. Drinks are served in old plastic cups. Cooking is happening in a tiny kitchenette. Maybe ok for a coffee but don’t order food. My apple pancakes were covered with way too much cinnamon and just not good. Then to pay you have to list what you had and sort out the bill yourself. And prices are high for quality and experience. Disappointing.

Great cafe! V good prices and range of veggie options. Lovely garden at the back

Nice atmosphere but breakfast scrambled eggs avoid. Pure watery v pale totally tasteless eggs with water all over the plate.

Tasty food and good service, but portions were meagre for the price

The atmosphere is cozy and the staff is lovely. There's a great selection of pastries and they are super fresh. There's Brazilian typical bakery goods for those who are missing home or are keen to try something new. Great quality coffee as well

We sat in the courtyard which was scruffy with broken furniture and umbrellas in various states of disrepair I’ve heard of shabby chic but this was just plain shabby. Ordered scrambled egg with bacon and toasted french bread. The scrambled egg was watery and tasteless the bacon tasted as if cooked on a dirty grill and the so called toasted french bread was just cheap bland bread. The whole meal was unpalatable and left it uneaten then on leaving was asked if I enjoyed my meal I said it was awful. I wasn’t asked why or offered an apology just told it was £13.35 so I won’t be going back…EVER

Lovely cafe and nice staff, but the food and coffee have been disappointing to me all four times I've been here. The cakes are said to be homemade but taste like cheap store bought cakes.

A delightfully cozy cafe, run by such a lovely man. Books line the wall. Fantastic coffee. Very reasonably priced. Tufnell Park staple.

Very cozy place with welcoming staff. The food was comforting and the fruit salad was delicious :)

Great food, exceptionally kind owner, and perfect atmosphere. I'm a regular at this cosy cafe and couldn't imagine going anywhere else.

Wonderful relaxing atmosphere Tasty food with a great selection. Lovely friendly and happy staff. A visit here is so wonderful you will not want to leave A side note. If you have forgotten to bring a book there are lots to choose from and you can buy any that take your fancy That adds another star from me

Great Café! I went there to do some work, the place is as nice as the people working there. Coffee is good, and the sandwich was de-li-cious!! Definitely recommend

Lovely cafe, lovely atmosphere, lovely people, my favourite cafe, I love to come and work here.

Nice cafe with a court yard at the back which was lovely on a hot day. I had a toasted ciabatta sandwich which was very good and a very good expresso too. The service was friendly and efficient, perfect for a lunch break. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Great place, shopkeeper was absolute gentleman. Only went for a tee and cigarette. Lovely peaceful atmosphere. Will go again when in area.

One of the friendliest, warmest welcomes you'll ever experience

You will not regret trying any of their cakes!

This is a lovely place to go for food and coffee. It has a nice vibe and quiet music in the background so I enjoy coming here either to work or to catch up with friends.

Great coffee - very happy to be flexible on milk alternatives etc, lovely staff, quiet enough to get work done, they seem very laptop/worker friendly, plenty of plugs for chargers, lovely sunny garden out back, comfy sofa inside, scrumptious cakes and cookies homemade by lovely guy originally from Kosovo.

Place is very strange. Atmosphere "quirky" but pretentious, wannabe a cafe in Montmartre. Outside area is quite neglected, tables and chairs are ancient and uncomfortable. Kitchen looked chaotic and unkempt. Ordered pancakes which was a terrible mistake. 5 very small store bought pancakes with some syrup, ready made whipped cream from can and one cut up strawberry amounts to daylight robbery. Avoid this place, walk to Normans nearby instead.

Nice patio at the back of the café. The coffee was really good. The food all looked nice but a bit expensive.

This is an unusual place. A quiet cafe with a literary slant - the sort of place where you can work for a while, write a few pages of the novel, while drinking good coffee. The food is simple but nice - coffee, interesting iced teas, cake, scrambled eggs, that sort of thing. The staff here are really lovely and the whole atmosphere is just ... tranquil. They have succeeded in creating a precious kind of atmosphere in London - pure peace and a space to be relaxed and maybe creative in.

Beautiful place. Sat on the cute and quiet back garden and had a nice Mocha with a tasty Tomato, Cheese, & Basil Sandwich. I enjoyed the place👌

Incredibly disappointing. Ordered American pancakes and asked waiter:’are they homemade?’ The waiter said ’yes of course’. Next thing I know, I get a plate of pancakes that are obviously store bought pancakes (like the Tesco/Sainsburys ones) which have been put on the griddle and heated and then covered in more syrup. They were disgusting. At £10.95 for 5 mini pancakes that have been sold as homemade one, I will not set foot in here again. Shame on you!

I've visited here twice now in as many months and it's fast becoming one of my favourite London cafes. A lovely place which is spacious yet manages to feel cosy and homely. The service is quick yet friendly and there's some interesting works by local artists adorning the walls as well as second-hand books. Both times I've had coffee and croisants and hope to return again very soon. When the weather improves, I'd like to sit in their tea garden out the back.

Looked interesting from outside so had to pop in for hot chocolate and cake Very warm welcome; Bohemian but not pretentious vibe. Seating more comfortable than first appeared (tatty) Proper, delicious Italian hot chocolate, but banana bread was not good; stodgy and unpleasant. Will have to try the other home-made cakes another time and hope they're a bit better than what I had today

A cosy, homely atmosphere and friendly staff. I love smaller, independent places like this. Some beautiful artwork and second-hand books. Really fast service too. I had a perfect latte and croisant with strawberry jam. Will be back. 🙂☕🍓🥐

Nice environment, the food is reasonably priced but the food quality is just so so

I would work in there almost every day because the chairs are so comfortable but the coffee is terrible and it’s too noisy because they keep the door open all the time.

Gorgeous little place. Cosy atmosphere, comforting food, and relaxed staff. Could have spent all day in there. Strongly recommend for brunch/lunch or an afternoon coffee!

Great service, lovely atmosphere and decor, courtyard outside is particularly lovely. Really friendly staff, home made tarte au citron is especially delicious, coffee is great too.

Very friendly staff and very fresh and quality produce :)

Lovely food, relaxed atmosphere

Very friendly and helpful staff. They have a small back garden to sit out in, great for these Covid times.

Absolutely delicious home made food and a very lovely waiter man. Definitely would recommend it.

Very pleasent place to linger over a cup of coffee with a friend in the peaceful garden, either in sun or in shade. Very good service and good coffee from a wide range available. No pressure from staff although obviously popular.

Beautiful place, lovely back garden/patio, fantastic menu choices, delicious apple tart. I will definitely be back! Sadly I didn't take any pictures... Next time!

This is the nicest place to go. Owner is very friendly, beautiful garden good prices and amazing food Atmosphere is unbeatable

The garden is absolutely lovely, and has quite a lot of space for a place that looks quite small from the front. The people are super friendly too. Not tried much food-wise, but what I've had was good!

A bit pricy, for that price I expected bigger portions of food...

Love this place, nice folks in there & the coffee is always good.

I was living in London in 2012, just around the corner from this spot. Not sure if it is the same owner or even the same name as it was back then but I would visit this Cafe every morning religiously. The owner new my order when I walked in and I was often referred to as the Canadian. I spent many hours in the garden reading, writing and sipping my delious coffee. This covid world has me thinking a lot about London and this charming little spot more so than anywhere. I hope the owner is still the same. I wish I could remember his name, what a sweet soul. I look forward to returning post pandemic. I hope Rustique is managing to survive this pandemic.

Walking into Rustique is like walking into a warm hug. With a selection of simple, good food, it is a great place to have a light meal or simply work with a coffee by your side while listening to classical music. The star of the show here is definitely the atmosphere (and the cheesecake!), though. Surrounded by books and the amazing staff, there is absolutely no way to feel unwelcome!

Very friendly and cozy cafe. Great to read or work. Unfortunately the coffee is not great.

Lovely place! Delicious cakes and very friendly staff. They have a cute garden in the back, great considering the current Covid situation. Highly recommended!

Great little bistro with a lovely garden. Amazing food, fresh and high quality. The staff is really friendly and always willing to help.

Really kind and thoughtful staff in here. Great place to work for freelancers and students! Thank you.

Friendly independent restaurant. The rear garden area is small but nice. The menu has a good selection of breakfast and lunch items. The coffee was quite good.

Good atmosphere and popular! Service is good as well.

Very welcoming 😊 cute authentic cafe. Superb Lemon Tart and extremely friendly owners

I went into this charming place as my usual was full And I’m so pleased i did as the garden is charming the wonderful people who work here welcome you with a genuine smile.Lovely food and coffee. Have since visited again and have recommended it to my flat mate. Will definitely be visiting again 😊

Cozy, great for studying. Kind staff

Lovely Cup of Cappuccino and Beautiful Carot Cake in their lovely Garden

Fuimos a visitar a unos amigos y entramos a tomar café, una grata sorpresa el trato recibido. En el interior una pequeña terraza donde disfrutamos de un buen café, nos confundieron con los padres de nuestros amigos, buena anécdota para el recuerdo, 100% recomendable. La chica que nos hizo el café muy simpática y agradable y el señor igual.

Looking forward to our favourite café reopening. Hope you are keeping well and healthy.

My favourite café in London, amazing food and wonderful people!

Very nice and calm atmosphere. Laptops friendly. Not the best coffee though

Very lovely independent coffee shop with great Italian coffee, fusion food and great stuff (and the owner!!!). Goes in my Maps favourite!

Such incredibly friendly people. I go regularly for a tuna salad jacket potato.

My husband and I decided to have breakfast at rustique before I was attending a baby shower on the same road. My husband was going to hang about for the two hours we had planned before getting our bus back to Cardiff but the atmosphere and the good coffee made him want to stay there. The staff were so accommodating and the American pancakes were delicious!

this is a special place. It's absolutely unique, you'll never fine anywhere quite like it. Novels are written here, great conversations are had here. The coffee is lovely and they have nice daily specials.

Cozy cafe with a diverse menu of teas and and a welcoming atmosphere. We accidentally tried the Indian tea and it was beautifully crafted. I'd recommend.

Nice food, very chilled atmosphere, good coffee!

Very nice looking place, decent sandwiches and friendly staff. But over £4 for a piece of carrot cake to takeaway feels like a ripoff. For this price I expect either a decent slice or an amazing taste. I didn’t get any of that and actually it was quite a disappointing experience.

Good wholesome food, relaxed atmosphere, accommodating owner

Loved it. Cosy atmosphere, good food, helpful staff. Really enjoyed it. Will definitely return.

Nice place to work but the food was okay.

Super café, nous y sommes allés plusieurs matins pour petit déjeuner, les plats proposés sont bons, le café et les jus de fruits aussi,. Le personnel est très accueillant, l'endroit est calme et agréable. Je recommande vraiment, si vous passez dans le coin.

Friendly, soothing place to relax with a book or get some work done.

Best coffee place in Tuffnell. Service is perfect and the little back garden s very nice! I would definitely recommend.

Cozy café next to Tufnell underground station. Ideal for studying, reading or computer work. However, the cappuccino I ordered could have been more tasty (too much water-taste).

Won’t win awards for coffee or food, but it’s still decent. What is really nice about this place is the owner is a friendly chap and the vibe of the place as a somewhere to relax. Thankfully other customers appreciate it for same reason and so many there are quirky reading a book or speaking quietly. Love coming here

Lovely atmosphere and great staff, but I didn't like the food or coffee. It's similar to what you get in any other normal and cheaper British cafes, but with a nice view.

Wir legten hier einen kurzen Boxenstopp ein, also nur Kaffee und Kuchen. Schon beim Betreten des Lokals haben wir uns wohl gefühlt und wurden gut betreut. Es gibt einen netten kleinen Garten und wir sind sicher, dass die anderen Speisen genauso gut und interessant sind wie unser Kaffee und Kuchen. Schade, dass wir nicht mehr Zeit hatten, um länger zu bleiben, aber wenn wir wieder in der Gegend sind, kommen wir sicher wieder hierher.

Really like the contenential breakfast a d the tea is really nice, staff are always polite and friendly.

Lovely people, lovely coffee, delicious food. The garden is like a different county on a sunny day. A gem in Tufnell Park.

Dans le quartier de Tufnell Park, le rustique literary café est le meilleur endroit pour prendre un petit déjeuner, un brunch ou manger une soupe et un sandwich. Les produits utilisés sont très frais, le service est très aimable, les prix sont corrects et les tables dans la cour sont très agréables quand il fait beau!

Lovely relaxed atmosphere, and the staff will greet you back with a warm welcome. I've been coming here for years on and off and the staff still remember me and ask how I am. A cute small cafe with an outback courtyard. Frequently changing local artists wall art to buy and shelves or books to read and purchase. Mix of people in here from students on a laptop, friends with a coffee or families rehydrating

We ate lunch at this cafe a few times while staying in the area and were always pleased. The food is very good and service is pleasant. I had a very good vegetable quiche with salad which was healthy and good. The pastries and desserts are made in house and excellent. It's a very charming neighborhood spot.

Música clásica, ambiente pacífico, riquísima pastelería.

They sell books, which is sweet. Today the owner came up to me as I was sitting with laptop and café and said “you paid for some books last time you were here and forgot to take them with you”. Which was true. And he produced them from some back cupboard. I had *no* idea where those books had gone, I only knew I’d bought them somewhere and they’d not made it home. Thanks!