This lovely little cafe is practically a stone's throw from Hempstead Heath, one of London's most beautiful parks. It's located in a picturesque little street with a very village-like feel, next to a Tesco and near a few other shops and restaurants. The interior has been newly-painted, giving a slightly newer look than before, but the food and drinks are just as delicious, though the service hasn't gotten any friendlier. But hey, it can't all be perfect. The menu has a few constants on it, but they also offer seasonal items that vary from week to week, depending on what they have on hand. One week, it can be a heaping plate of wild boar and root vegetables; the next, it can be pumpkin ravioli and a perfectly-cooked chicken dish. Either way, you'll most likely not be disappointed. I can say that their Fried Chicken Kiev dish was absolutely splendid, but the ravioli was a bit on the dry and flavorless side. The menu is also bursting with drinks of all kinds, including milkshakes, fresh juices, and specialty teas. I can vouch for their milkshakes. I'm not sure if it's possible to get a bad milkshake when ice cream is involved, but let me tell you, that Peanut Butter and Banana milkshake with your choice of ice cream leaves nothing to be desired. I did have one problem with my last visit, as I got one of their pastries for the road, and when I got home, I realized it tasted like paint- probably due to the fact that they had just recently painted the place and the pastries had been soaking up the fumes. I highly doubt the paint will still be fresh for your visit, however, so you shouldn't have any problems with that. read more

See all

You know that feeling when you meet some people and they simply don't make a lasting impression on you - whether in a positive nor in a negative sense? Well, this is how I feel about the Kalendar Café: veni, vedi...mmh? Having passed by hundreds of times before when walking to the Heath, I felt it was about time to check it out...and so last night I came here for dinner with my partner. We sat outside, which is one of the two perks of this place. The second perk was the jerk chicken, which in fact was quite delicious. Overall though, I was not that happy: the service was slow, despite it not being that busy even. And while the staff was friendly, they were not engaging at all, which makes my perception of this place being forgettable even stronger. For example, when asking about recommendations from the menu, I got the impression that I was being a bother rather than a customer. Plus, I had placed an order from the daily menu and it wasn't until 15 minutes later that I was informed that this item was no longer available. Due to its excellent location, this place is really busy most of the time; they have lots of walk-in customers. This latter point, I believe, attributes to the fact that they don't really have to try hard and be convincingly good. They simply can exist... read more

Kalendar Cafe - Salmon on potatoes - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

See all

I literally live five minutes away from the Kalendar. In July 2011, I was invited for a drink with the film actor, Charles Dance. read more

The food is nothing to write home about. It's my nearest cafe and to be honest I've eaten here a hand full of times and the food isn't what brings you here. It does have a nice seating area and for a tea/coffee and maybe a bit of cake it's perfect. Other than that I wouldn't go out of my way to come here. The food (like most places round here) is over priced and nothing special. Also the staff take ages to serve you. read more

I'm a Kalendar regular being a local. I usually use it for a pre/post tennis breakfast. The all day breakfast is amazing with great quality sausages. They stock Monmouth coffee and serve fresh juices. Also although Kalendar is well known for day time eating and gets very busy on a sunny weekend because of proximity to the Heath, what is less known is the good evening food. Kalendar changes from a busy and sometimes noisey eatery into a quite very reasonably priced restaurant. Night time kalendar is Highgate best kept secret. My one issue is the amount of time it can take to pay. This was an issue 5 years ago and it still is. Keep up the good food Kalendar read more

Fairly busy cafe on the edge of Hampstead Heath/Parliament hill end. Neither super-smart nor shabby, neither quirky nor corporate, they do what they do - the staff are efficient, to the point, and functionally polite. The latter may change as they get to know customers. It is not that cheap, but not eye-watering my expensive either. Popular with dog-walkers because of the outdoor-searing, though several of the other neighbouring cafes and restaurants also offer this. Lots of different drinks and a wide selection of food, from breakfast, brunch to lunchtime meals and specials. My only comment on the menu is that they are missing a trick by not offering a vegan breakfast. There is a normal and vegetarian (both of which they specify you cannot exchange/swap items), and a DIY breakfast charged per item. At a cursory glance, a vegan might be put off, and it wouldn't hurt to offer a vegan plate with avocado and spinach. Same applies with other sections of the food menu - feels like they either haven't caught up with trends, or are digging their heels in. As it is such a big expanding market, it seems churlish and self-defeating not to explicitly offer vegan options. If you see the euphoria vegans display, and publicity places receive, when food places offee vegan options, it is clearly a smart business mob ve to include this demographic, and hardly a difficult thing to do. read more

I am mighty impressed with Kalendar. The ample seating outside the front of the cafe is enticing, and if it wasn't for the cold breeze I would of certainly have been eating my breakfast alfresco. The inside is inviting and has a simple wood elegance, that suitably matches the creative professional Highgate types. By 9:30am Kalendar was close to being fully seated. Once I'd looked through the menu and mooned over the delectable sounding selection I could understand its popularity. Whether you are here for breakfast or lunch, there are wonderfully contemporary choices alongside the classic favourites such as Full English, Eggs Benedict and Burgers. I had the Kalendar Breakfast (£6.95) with a Mango Medley smoothie (£3.50.) Both of them were served aptly and both were very tasty and well proportioned. I would certainly recommend coming here to anyone. read more

Great location but average food. Tables outside are great in the summer after long walks on the heath. It's also pretty dog-friendly and they quite happily move tables around for families with pushchairs etc. I've been on several occasions over the last few years as I live nearby, and it's always been 'ok' but stopped short of being exceptional. It used to be two separate cafes called Mozart and Kalendar, but they've recently just amalgamated the two. Breakfast is always slightly bland and small for my liking. Watery tomatoes, too much fat on the bacon, flavourless chips etc. However, they do a decent milkshake and they also do takeaway hot chocolate which is pretty good. read more

this is a cute place to come if you are exploring the highgate cemetery. we came in the middle of the afternoon, so it wasn't crowded at all. they have a bunch of sandwiches, salads, tapas, and entrees, including all day breakfast! i just had a pea and mint soup, and my friend got a sandwich. i also got a beet/carrot juice, which was delish, and she got a glass of wine for 3.80, which is pretty unheard of. food was good, and i would come back if i were in this area. read more

Fine for breakfast/lunch or dinner and situated very close to Hampstead Heath (the tenns courts entrance). The food is ok, the cakes are better... but deep down I am still mounring the death of Cafe Mozart which used to be in Kalendars place... read more

Kalendar sells delicious fresh breads, cheeses and all sorts of other little delights. The olive bread is delicious, with whole moist olives all the way through it, I was a bit surprised by the couple of stones that had managed to sneak in, but it was well worth the effort. The cakes are also pretty good, though the one with pine nuts was considerably better than the pecan and banana cake, which was a bit too dense for my taste. I love this little row of shops on Swains Lane, it has a great village-like feel to it. read more

Sat outside this week and had dinner. Shared a mixed mezze and haloumi to start. Quite nice. Had vegetarian special - pancake filled with cheese on top of a bed of salad. Disappointing. My wife had the vegetarian quiche which was quite nice. Cakes for dessert. My carrot cake was fantastic - really moist. My wife's apple and nut cake was very dry and had to be sent back and changed it for the carrot cake. Service was very nice. Great position to watch the world go by. read more

This place gets four happy health stars. Kalendar has the rustling of the morning paper, the familiar smells of fresh coffee grounds and the brisk morning breeze that comes in off the Heath. Tennis rackets in hand, we were poised for a hearty meal. I ordered the large eggs benedict and was pleasantly satisfied. While I have perhaps had a nicer hollandaise sauce in my day, everything seemed aligned in Kalendar. Nothing seemed too contrived or over-designed. The staff was well-dressed but not uniformed, the food was nicely presented but not garnished with this and sprinkled with that and the outdoor seating couldn't boast cleaner air (for London.) I could truly imagine spending every serene morning here, sipping coffee and easing into the day. read more

Had breakfast early one Saturday. Good menu, staff not phased by ordering something other than main brekkies. Food yummy. Coffee very good.

Have eaten here a few times and the food is so-so. Friendly service and quick but looking at the prices and setting you would think the food would be something special. Sadly that's not the case. If you are in the area, give it a try but don't expect too much. read more

I have come here a handful of times now mainly because my friend loves it. It has a good brunch, and I have not been that impressed by the quality recently, but I think it is because the place is packed and so busy that they are just trying to get the food out in a decent amount of time..fair enough. The coffee's are good, even for just a take away. read more

Kalendar is merely 'ok' in that there's nothing about it that stands out. You can have a fairly decent meal here, the staff are friendly and it can get quite busy but it doesn't make you want to come back again and again the way many other places do. read more

I really wish I could give this place more stars, but the service was so poor, slow and rude. The food was quite good, but overall it was a below average experience. I would stay clear of the coffee. The macchiato is not really a macchiato but rather black coffee with milk. Hopefully you'll have a better experience. read more

Swain's Lane is a wierd corner of London, entirely unique- a strange precursor to Highgate or after thought of Dartmouth Park. But amazingly placed slap bang next to the Heath. It seems home only to expensive and not quite good enough eateries. Cafe Mozart is amongst the longest runners- it's been there for as long as I can remember which must be well over 10 years. It's since been joined by Kalendar on one side and a tiny cafe Mes Amis (which was once an independent video shop or is my memory failing me?) Mozart has always had a good reputation for cakes and pastries (Austrian in style hence the name right?) does a good all day breakfast and has a nice area out front on the hugely deep pavement. But there is something else that sets it apart and that is the amazingly off hand often rude staff who seem always to've been the house special. All I'm saying is smile wouldn't go a miss. The really grumpy blonde makes a good macchiato though. read more

Kalendar Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

A friend recently took me here for some coffee and cake. The chocolate truffel torte I ordered was of a quality that is quite standard in Austria but hard to find in the UK. It was apparent that someone who knew what he/she was doing used high-quality ingredients to make this lovely torte (the former pastry cook apprentence in me digresses). The café seems to be a popular place for locals and has a nice outside area. The only downside of this place is that the staff could be a bit more friendly. read more

A very pleasant way to spend almost any part of the day. The cooked breakfast is first class here, but meals later on are also very tasty. The coffee is good quality and when I lived up the road this was a grand place to start Sundays - nice and slowly, lots of coffee and leaf through the Sunday papers and let the world slowly pass you by. read more

A great place for breakfast, lunch or just coffee. just minutes from the heath a great place to start and finish a great walk, or just sit and watch the people go by. The food is always good, my favourite eggs benedict with smoked salmon or an awesone tuna melt. The biggest full english for a really special hangover with the Sunday newspapers! read more

There's nothing like stopping off for a coffee, pastry or light snack before, during or after a nice stroll on Hampstead Heath and there are few better places to do so than the bottom of Highgate West Hill - right across the road from Parliament Hill Fields. Two cafes famously offer this opportunity, a stone's throw from one of the greatest views of London - Cafe Mozart and its newer neighbour, Kalendar. Having frequently enjoyed Cafe Mozart, the last time I ventured to the area, I plumped for Kalendar. But there were two differences from normal - it was pouring with rain, which made this the location of my socialising afternoon, rather than a diversion during my walk, making the atmosphere all the more important, and the friend I was with was a self-confessed food Nazi who will accept nothing less than perfection. At one of the smartest restaurants in the world, she moaned that while the food was cooked to perfection the menu wasn't exciting enough. So what did we make of Kalendar, as a place to be stuck for a rainy afternoon? Compared with the Viennese charm of neighbouring Mozart, the rather spartan decor and randomly non-matching tables and chairs left us feeling rather ill-placed. And the staff did little to make us feel particularly welcome. Apart from when they bumped into our table, attempting to squeeze through the small gap between it and the deli-counter, it was as if they didn't even realise we there - trying to place our order - and even getting the bill - it took ages to attract their attention. When the continuing rain afforded us time for a dessert, we had to approach the counter ourselves to elicit service. The menu was certainly appealing - a broad selection of sandwiches, soups, pastas and the like, with a wide range of appealing drinks - hot and cold - and a well stacked dessert counter. And the meals themselves, while not spectacular, were perfectly adequate, for me, at least. But the desserts - mouth-watering as they looked - left a lot to be desired. My chocolate and raspberry cake was, sadly, dry and had but one raspberry thrown in, as if as an afterthought when the chef saw the label. And my friend's raspberry meringue was such a disappointment that even after exchanging it (the first had only one raspberry in a meringue the size of a grapefruit), it was so dry and tasteless that she had to leave most of it. Sadly, after much hype and high expectations, the best that could be said of Kalendar in this occasion was that it got us out of the rain and didn't give us food poisoning. It was by no means bad, but coming with previous five star ratings, it was somewhat of a disappointment. The menu, however, is certainly big enough to give them the benefit of the doubt and try again some time - perhaps with a less fussy companion. read more

Located on Swains Lane near Parliament Hill, this little cafe is a nice place to come for refreshments after a sunny day at the park. While I have never eaten here myself, the menu is appealing, the food looks very good, and portion sizes are generous. I can, however, definitely recommend Mozart for its great selection of Austrian-style cakes and biscuits, especially their home-made Sachertorte you will want to try them all. The service is friendly and quick, unless the cafe is full. There is also plenty of seating outside. Because of its popularity, it is usually quite full, especially on a sunny day, so be prepared to wait and jump for a table. Prices are London standard (i.e. I really wouldn't mind if it was a little cheaper!). read more

Kalendar is one of those places that isn't quite as good as you feel it should be. But it is very nice: good décor, spacious terrace, pleasant staff and a decent menu. The cakes are decent and so are the breakfasts. Prices are as you would expect in Highgate just a somersault from the Heath. read more

I came here twice over the bank holiday weekend, once just for a coffee and once for lunch. The best thing about Cafe Kalender is that it catches the afternoon sun, so after a walk on the heath you can then sit outside and sit in the sun. The food is affordable and pretty good. We had a large goat cheese salad (v tasty but too much goat's cheese for one) and the sardines starter both of which were very tasty. The coffee is really good too. I would say a walk on the heath and tea and cake at Cafe Kalendar is one of the best Sunday activities in all of London. read more

More lamentable than the distinctly average food is the truculent, tardy service. A Highgate institution it may be but not one I shall visit again. read more

Great tasting pumpkin soup but 4.65 is maybe a bit pricey. The coffee is 2.20ish and Monmouth so was rather good and actually quite well made. Service is variable but they are not too pushy just a bit bored sometimes. To be fair they did think to offer to turn on their heaters for a family sat outside, which was very nice of them. read more

Great food, but the biggest reason why this isn't a four star rating, is due to the service. It seemed the two women serving couldn't be bothered with us when we popped in for breakfast. read more

After a nice walk in the sunshine in Kenwood my friends and I were ready for a wel-earned lunch at our favourite spot - Cafe Mozartunfortunately, Cafe Mozart was crammed with diners eager to make the most of the first bit of sunshine we've seen all year, and there was no room to stand, let alone sit for some food. So we settled for Kalendar next door, which was still busy, but had a spot free for us on the pavement. A few minutes after sitting and looking at the menu we suddenly became wary - the list of food and drink on offer was suspiciously similar to Cafe Mozart's, and the layout of the cafe was giving us a feeling of deja vu. We therefore concluded that Kalendar and Cafe Mozart must be owned by the same people, and whilst this made us happy that we weren't really missing out on our favourite cafe and could in fact still order the very same tuna melt and hot chocolate, it did sadden me to think that the cute little cafe tucked away in highgate that i held in such high esteem was now just a little bit more like a chain read more

I recently went for lunch here with some friends for the first time - great cafe with a wide ranging menu that includes an extensive amount of deli sandwiches as well as hot mains...Best of all for me was the long list of fresh fruit juice options and the delicious sweet treats for afters :) read more