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The Cafe In The Crypt

3.8 (95 reviews)
ModerateCafes
Open 8:00 am - 9:00 pm

The Cafe In The Crypt Photos

THE CAFE IN THE CRYPT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for groups
Good for kids

Recommended Reviews - The Cafe In The Crypt

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View from our nook
Kristen M.

I was so pleasantly surprised by the quantity and quality of the food. The prices were reasonable and the space was superb. When I visited the Lois I noticed the headstones that I expected to see in a crypt but still stopped short at the age and reality of them. It was a self-serve/cafeteria style environment. The potted chocolate pudding was delightful and I also had the pistachio cheesecake that must've been mislabeled (or I'm not a Brit - probably this latter observation). We also enjoyed the "meat of the day" and a soup. The best part of our visit was not the dining but the music and meditation upstairs on Thursday 27 April 2017. We heard an Hallelujah reflection with gorgeous voices and wonderfully droll comments/inspiration from the priest (?). This was, most likely, the highlight of this London trip

Had R.

When you need a break from the hustle and bustle of ground level sun/rain, crowds, pigeons from Trafalgar square and you are sick of always eating amongst the living... try the Crypt Cafe under St Martins in the Square. This mix of good food, architecture, dramatic lighting and grave stones gently aids digestion. All in all the place is clean, cheap for center of London prices, staff were friendly, food was good, plenty of space to sit, and quiet as the grave! The toilet is clean, very humid and only 1 for each sex. Be sure to check out the headstone displays some dating from the 1600s and the art display. There used to be a market in the square and in the crypt.. (i know, used to work it) but that stopped about 6 years ago.

Coffee break
Karishma P.

Inspite if all the coffee shops around Trafalgar Square, I think that the best coffee is served here in the crypt. Freshly made and bursting with flavour. The setting itself merits a visit. In the crypts below St Martin in the Fields church. So you are seated below a series of beautiful and old stone archways that hold up the entire building. It's a cafeteria style cafe, but quality and variety of food is much better than you would tend to expect from most cafeterias. They serve a variety of hot meals through the day, with a lot of lovely little touches. Which other cafeteria offers you a jug of hot custard with your apple crumble? Lots if vegetarian options too and they are open till around 8, so you can even pop in for an early dinner. Trust me, this is not coffee shop fare, but good hearty cooking and given that winter is almost here, it's nice to get out of the cold.

Alice S.

Rather annoyingly, now my dad has found this cafe, he refuses to go anywhere else in central london for food. For him it represents all the things he loves about the Stockpot (cheap, wholesome and filling food) but without the worry of having other people put on your table if you don't eat your food quickly enough. The cafe has recently been renovated and is very slick inside, if not slightly cold, and serves up traditional snack/canteen food. They have a good soup of the day, a salad bar, a selection of sandwiches and some hot food choices at around £7 (not that cheap admittedly) and although the food is good, the big draw of this place is its location. The vaulted ceilings and uplighting make a pretty average canteen seem very atmospheric.

The Christmas Dinner: December 2014
Ariel M.

Really cool place. Tonight was about 47°F outaide so it was nice and warm. I think this place was a crypt before. There are tomb stones in the ground and the cafeteria-style open restaurant had kind of a creepy feel. It was definitely cool!!! We had the Christmas Dinner which consisted of: a few slices of turkey; a slice of a meat (not sure what it was) then topped with a weenie of some sort wrapped with bacon; potatoes with gravy; red cabbage; and carrots with parsnips. I've never had parsnips and I LOVED them!! It's neat to taste a different country's Christmas dinner. We also had Christmas Pudding, and I think it was fig with a cream sauce on top --now bring me some figgy Pudding. ... Since it was cafeteria style food it was all self serve. The food was not piping hot and the turkey a little dry but I truly enjoyed having dinner beneath the church. There are a couple shops in the crypt, which are themed for the holidays so there are tree ornaments and lots of unique gift ideas. I highly recommend stopping by and listening to Christmas carols and having something to eat down here. A unique experience for sure!

Jennifer F.

This is a beautiful cafe by Trafalgar square. It's hidden well enough that the majority of the tourist stay away meanwhile the ones who really appreciate the atmosphere will be there. I came with a friend who was visiting because it was a different experience than going to a pub for typical British food. Although it is cafeteria styled, the place is beautiful to keep the history and architecture lovers attracted. Food was decent, but as it was cafeteria style, my food was only warm by the time i got to my table. This place is always busy. So it's best to grab a table before going up to grab food!

David B.

Great prices and amazing food. Everything is served cafeteria style, but don't let that dissuade you. The food is gourmet and the setting is completely unique. They have special deals for soup and sandwich or soup and dessert. Very charming restaurant with a friendly staff.

Dessert display.
Will T.

This amazing café is a great find. It's well located, affordable and serves good food and should be on every tourist's radar. It's located in the basement of St. Martin in the Field church on the edge of Trafalger Square, just next to the National Gallery. I stopped by on a blustery afternoon to warm up with a cup of hot tea and a slice of red velvet cake. As an Atlantan, I've consumed many slices of this trademark Southern dessert. Unfortunately, I found this one to be dry and it didn't live up to the standards of home. Another evening I stopped by for a pre-concert dinner. It's a popular pre-theater dining spot and was packed. I ended up sharing a table to avoid eating standing up. But, my food was awesome, a salad plate with three different salads packed with flavor that was enough for two people. There are also several hot entrees, various salads, sandwiches, soups and a nice selection of desserts. The restroom at the far end is a popular, and well known, free bathroom stop for backpackers, tourists and customers alike. You really owe it to yourself to discover this gem of a restaurant in the center of London.

yes it's an empty plate, but that's how good the food is - hot meal: chicken, potatoes, carrots, and zucchini
Iza P.

I wouldn't have known about this place without the assistance of my Rick Steves guide book. Located in the basement of the St. Martin-in-the-Fields church, you are literally dining on top of various crypts of those buried long before the Cafe came to be. Creepy I know, try grabbing a chair to have a meal...as you pull the seat away from the table, you'll catch glimpses of these worn down...tombstones (would they even be called that). So why eat here? Well, the food is good and inexpensive. The plates are actually pretty large and heavy, but the size is definitely there to accomodate the food portions. There were 3 stations when we dined there for dinner, 1 station for cold food (food not requiring to be heated up, like green salads and tarts), another station that involved pasta (a vegeterian and non vegetarian choice), and then a station for whatever hot entree they have. My mom enjoyed her tart and liked the portion size of the salad - a lot. I chose the hot entree and really enjoyed the chicken (with gravy), potatoes, carrots, and zucchini. Had we found about this place sooner, we probably would have eaten here on more than one occassion. So now, whenever i hear someone is headed to London, I tell them to go eat here.

Cafe Is located at the negative one floor
Sweetie P.

The food was good, but the cool factor of eating in a crypt was freaking cool to a wondering tourist like me. We had the traditional English breakfast with so yogurt and snacks. Price is on par with the rest of the breakfast eateries. Recommended for those tourist like me!

ALL the food

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The Cafe In The Crypt Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - The Cafe In The Crypt

This place is so so so central and next to Trafalgar Square, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Charing Cross...

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Elveden Farms - Farm shops are ace

Elveden Farms

4.3(3 reviews)
4.3 mi

As far as farm shops go this one was fairly spectacular. Granted it's a bit of a stretch in terms…read moreof reach from Mancy Towers. But if anyone is ever in these neck of woods, I highly recommend you bookmark this place and visit. The Eleveden farm estate has such rich history and as soon as you enter the grounds it really feels like it. There's an air of majesty about it that's evident from the off. The lush green lawns, the surrounding white mansions, the fresh country air and the trees that surround the grounds give it a heavenly vibe. The aristocrats of yesteryear who owned the estate over the centuries certainly made their mark. I was also astonished to find that it was originally owned by A Maharaja Runjeet Singh of Lahore. The farm shop and restaurant have only been around for 8 years but are already an established high class brand in their own right. A gorgeous courtyard is surrounded by the restaurant, farm shop and other which I'm certain is packed during the summer. All in all, this was a magical little visit to a hidden treasure in the glorious East England countryside. If you're ever lucky enough to be in these lush neck of woods, highly recommend it.

The farm shop is great for gifts and odd bits. I also enjoyed several meals in the cafe. Seasonal…read morelocal offerings are always a win in my book. They do seasonal events for Christmas and for Halloween. I definitely visited many times whilst living local, and will make a trip when I get back to the area.

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Elveden Farms
Elveden Farms
Elveden Farms

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Buttercup Tea Rooms

Buttercup Tea Rooms

3.7(3 reviews)
48.9 mi
££

A great place to meet up with friends over a cup of coffee, lunch or afternoon tea. Pleasant staff…read morewho have never made me feel rushed and who are willing to assist when asked.

When I got there I found out it shuts before the advertised time on the web. When I pointed this…read moreout the waitress didn't care a jot even though I pointed out this could be very disappointing for customers coming from out of the area. I have several food intolerances so when asking about the ingredients in their homemade cakes I got a message back via the waitress that she can't guarantee the cakes were free from what I was intolerant to. As people with food intolerances are always ending up having to go without gorgeous food, I asked if I could have more detail of what was in the cakes so I could make a decision on what it was I could or couldn't eat, just in case there was something I could have. This was very obviously an inconvenience to the waitress and the manager who had baked them. She tried again to say she couldn't guarantee anything because obviously this was the quickest way to solve the issue for herself, but after explaining that I'd like to try to see if there was something I could eat, it was again very plain that I was wasting her time. It was late afternoon and they weren't busy, so I would have appreciated a couple of minutes of her time without the attitude. After finding out there was indeed a piece of cake I could eat, I sat down to enjoy it only to be served it with more attitude by the waitress. If she could have got away with grunting at me I sure she would have! I unfortunately had to ask for a pot of hot water as the tea didn't come with one, and AGAIN got a look saying 'are you bothering me again?!'. Cleanliness was also not great with tea-stained table clothes, dying roses on the table, and also dust on the teapot holding the roses which was next to an open sugar bowl which no doubt had the same amount of dust in it! Also, amazingly, a dog walking around the kitchen area with it's bed behind the serving counter!! (Yes, I am about to inform environmental health dept!!) Lastly, my table was being cleared before I had finished. I did notice however, that the other table still in there didn't have their table touched, so I'm guessing that was a touch of nastiness from the waitress also. I was there looking for a place to take 18-20 friends for my birthday which is coming up soon as we fancied a gorgeous afternoon tea, but we will definitely be going somewhere else after that experience!

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Buttercup Tea Rooms
Buttercup Tea Rooms

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The Cafe In The Crypt - cafes - Updated May 2026

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