East Dulwich, home to smug middle-class media breeders and their delightful progeny, has all but erased the working classes, the unwashed and the ugly from its midst through a social programming drive Machaevellian in the extreme. First we got a couple of delis and a couple of the local spit and sawdust boozers metaphorically cut their hair and had a wash. Then the little odd independent boutiques started to open... a newer sort of person started queuing outside the exceptional but resolutely local butcher William Rose, an ernest sort of person, a fleece wrapped, rugby shirt, sensible shoe wearing broadsheet reader who "really wanted to stay West, but when we started thinking about the kids it was either move here, or move out of London". And they demanded places to eat, and places to shop, and places to drink, with other similar spirits and their Bugaboo prams filled with flaxen haired organic, free range children. And then in one dreadful year, they opened The White Company, Oliver Bonas and Foxtons. The Richmondification of East Dulwich was almost complete. This isn't a teary eyed pean to a stalwart of the retail community deemed unsuitable for little Jemimahs and Jacobs, closed and turned into a high-class cheese shop, this is just to prepare you for the people who occupy the Blue Mountain Cafe on Northcross Road, ground zero of the yummy mummy. It's twee. By which I mean reclaimed oak furniture and country cottage chic, and mismatching, and quirky, some of those things deliberately. They have set spaces for the prams and pushchairs - woe betide anyone trying to get a table here from 10.30 on a weekday. It defines the term mother's meeting. The food is well sourced and relatively well prepared, certainly freshly prepared. Their Full Monty breakfasts certainly are a thing of beauty, sourced and prepared by someone who really cares about what they're putting out. The sausages and bacon, from the aformentioned William Rose, are solid meaty protein torpedos. There's a decent pile of buttery mushrooms and a frankly enormous heap of beans. Perfectly poached eggs top thick slabs of brown toast. A substantial load, more suited for a trucker's cafe than a genteel suburb. read more

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If you Like cute boys in pyjamas serving you scrumptious goodies, well this might be the place for you. Its eclectic and mis-mash decor is pleasing to the eyes, and the uber casual amosphere is fantasmically inviting for that Sunday afternoon hangover, Their food and a good cup of joe is just what the docter ordered. They also host poetry nights and have Live music sometimes....bonus. Just watch out for those scary dulwich moms and their prams! read more

It a small cozy cafe but serve the best and fresh food.. read more

Blue Mountain - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

In a word - YUM. This is by far my favourite local cafe for a leisurely weekend brunch or lunch with friends. I love the vibe of the place, from the brightly painted front with glittering mosiac tiling to the walls inside covered with interesting art, the bustling bar area with smiley staff and a vat of freshly squeezed orange juice sloshing around temptingly, the fridge packed with freshly baked goods and the little back yard with its interesting wall ornaments. The food is wonderful, and you pay only slightly more here than you would in much less nice place. Full breakfasts, for instance, come in at £7-£8, with excellent vegetarian options and the best cup of joe in the area - proper Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee which you can also buy in bags to take home. The Sunday waiting staff can be a bit dizzy at times, whether it's because the place gets so packed or some other reason I don't know but I've found a little resistance to questions about ingredients recently (there are plenty of vegan options but these aren't obvious on the menu), and on my last visit my waitress made up the bill incorrectly to the tune of an extra £9thankfully we spotted the error and she apologised profusely before correcting it. I've never visited Blue Mountain in the evening but after reading the reviews below I'm very tempted! read more

This buzzing and bright eaterie has something of the traveller's haunt vibe about it - whether this is because both occasions of my visit have coincided with sunglasses-on afternoons, I couldn't possibly say. Set off Lordship Lane on the simply darling North Cross Road, Blue Mountain Cafe is prefaced by a mosaic patio, flyer-filled doorway and enticing canopy. Once inside, tables are in high demand but staff are more-than friendly and awfully accommodating. Sitting here all day and wanderlusting is a terribly enticing prospect - but don't spare a moment's idle thought before you have settled on what to order - Greek Meze and iced coffees both come recommended. A real find, can't wait to try it for dinner sometime! read more

This is a great little cafe with fantastically friendly staff and really excellent food. They do everything from your posh fare with your unusual ingredients to your basic fried breakfasts. It's all good, and it all tastes fairly healthy. Plus they don't look at you funny if you order a bottle of wine with your breakfast. There is also room to sit out the front and out the back, and both the front porch and back yard are covered in some really excellent mosaics. It also has one of the friendliest and most upbeat waitresses I've ever encountered. Get going people:) read more

I've been to this colourful, vibrant cafe plenty of times before, but have never been tempted to write a review until I went again yesterday - as always order the same (perfect) dish! The vegetarian full monty is very good value, and comes with free tea/coffee, plus toast - extras you normally have to pay for in other cafes. The meaty full monty is great too, I've been told. I've never been with someone who orders other non-full monty dishes, so was a bit disappointed to see that the fishcakes a friend ordered yesterday (about £7.50), was actually just ONE fishcake - true, it was bigger than normal, but we felt it was far too overpriced. The eggs benedict a friend ordered was a bit disappointing too, with the bun being untoasted, and the eggs having been cooked for too long, so they weren't particularly runny. Salad accompanied it, which was odd for a breakfast dish. Try and get a table downstairs, as upstairs feels quite odd - squished into a teeny room with about four tables, it feels like the flat's bedroom - an odd feeling. I'll definitely go again, but will ensure I stick to the same wonderful full monty dish, and not try any of the other disappointing options. read more

I have frequented this cafe since it was first opened about 15 years ago. The Blue Mountain cafe is very popular with locals for a reason they consistently provide good food in a friendly setting. Avoiding the 'dulwich mummies' brigade is not overly difficult, if you time it right. I have been in the Blue Mountain on numerous occasions where I often see customers perched over a book, laptop or smartphone or looking at the art on the walls; and this with no groups of 'dulwich mummies' in sight, though this does not detract from the fact that the Blue Mountain is a family friendly cafe which I think is a good thing. I have sampled a range of meals from soups to salads to their jerk chicken and of course their breakfasts; my current fave is a simple bacon salad, always followed with some scrumptious cake and , of course, hot chocolate. It is worth mentioning that the Blue Mountain has never been afraid to experiment with their format, I've attended a couple of after hours sessions here: i.e. a jazz/ poetry night and for a while you could catered enjoy evening meals (see my pics). I believe their format is being tweaked again as we, errr speak! (Aug 2012), which is another endearing feature for me they like to do things their own way, a subtle yet unique twist to their Dulwich establishment, to help them stand out from the crowd. The five stars recognises the consistent excellent customer service over the past decade (and more); their great food; and the 'easy yet contempory' vibe you get from the Blue Mountain. read more

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I really love the Blue Mountain Café. It is arty, informal, and simple. The food is fresh tasty and there is never any problem when I order my smoked salmon sandwich on wholemeal bread without butter or cream cheese but extra lemon and black pepper. It is quite often very busy but as long as you manage to find a table the service is pretty quick and the food delicious. read more

This joint is not in Peckham Rye, it's in the heart of East Dulwich. Anyway...... yummy food, some of the best coffee in London (although I have given up coffee), relaxed vibe. Sometimes service can be a bit *too* relaxed. read more

the atmosphere is a true testament to the owner's fabulous and passionate attitude to the food and cafe! It's always packed in the weekends (perhaps a few too many buggies if I'm honest) but it has great food and a lovely relaxed atmosphere when less busy - well worth the vitis to this little jewel in East Dulwich. try it and I can recommend the jerk chicken and plantains!! read more

This is probably the best place for breakfast. They serve organic sausages, free-range eggs and all the freshest and best ingredients to make a perfect breakfast. This cafe is often busy in the mornings as lots of people get their breakfast there. It also has a great cake selection which is very popular. The staff is friendly, food is good and the prices are reasonable. This place is a hidden gem. If you want a place to relax and meet up with friends this is a place to go. Nothing can beat good food and good friends. read more

In the day this is a nice cafe, with a pretty standard menu and goo dbreakfasts, although it suffers from the Dulwich condition of being constantly filled with small children and prams. However, in the evening it becomes (on certain nights, I'm not sure which) a truly wonderful Afro-Carribean restaurant. With dishes like Jerk Chicken and Goat Curry cooked gourmet style, the food here will really suprise you (pleasantly). It's one of those menus where you just dont know what to choose, and you want to try all the sides and starters. They also serve a delicious rum punch. Highly recommended (in the evenings). read more

Stopped going here over a year i'd rather eat at Uplands just a bit along the road! I felt the staff were so rushed off their feet no time to listen to what to want before you know it they've gone. To many yummy mummy's all sitting yakking no one can be seated as the yummy's hog the seats all day, buggy's all over the place, nightmare place, nah keep it.... read more