Wed, 9 March 2016, 2:17 pm: I came into Cafe Pronto for morning coffee and an “oh, yes, I remember you and your cowboy friend!” reunion with Alina earlier today. (Details to follow.) After a return to Moon Base Alpha (aka the Mad Hatter) for beer and showering, I was here again for a late lunch.
In ten years of repeated visits to London, Cafe Pronto is the best no-frills little restaurant I’ve ever found.
From what I’ve seen, not many tourists bother to stroll this far south on Blackfriars Road. Cafe Pronto is situated on a block that feels like “real people” London. The place swarms with locals during morning and lunch rush hours, with sit-down and takeaway business incredibly brisk. I suppose some of those regular customers are nearby office workers who come because it’s one of the only places to grab a cooked meal in the immediate area, but I suspect the bigger reason for the crowds is this: Cafe Pronto serves good hot food at low prices.
Their daily specials rotate. Here’s what the lunch board proffered today. The first number listed with each item is the price for takeaway; the second number is the price if you eat at the café. “Poached salmon with potato & vegetable: 600, 750. Green Thai chicken curry with rice: 600, 750. Meat balls with spaghetti: 600, 750. Roast vegetable pesto pasta: 580, 700. Chilli con Carne or jacket potatoes: 580, 750.”
I haven’t had it myself, but my friend Randy (more on him later) swears by the Pronto’s full English breakfast.
I’ve twice had the Chilli con Carne (pictured above). It’s not spicy or even particularly flavorful, but it’s hot and it’s filling. I couldn’t eat it all, and I can eat a lot.
Their various pasta with vegetable entrees have a bit more flavor, but let me make this clear: you’re not at Cafe Pronto to have your tastebuds blown away by some inventive new twist. You’re here to get happily full, with good simple home cooking in your belly, not to rave about sampling the trendiest cutting edge chef. This is a basic cafe and, to my mind, in London it has no peer.
My favorite menu item is their eggs Benedict (photo just below; I’ll be having it tomorrow). Trust me, there is no better hangover brunch than Cafe Pronto’s eggs Benedict with the Americano coffee.
So there’s the great price, the generous portions, the impressive variety of food, and the authentic crowd of real Londoners. As great as all that is, Cafe Pronto’s primary selling point— its secret weapon— is Alina. Alina is without a doubt the best server I’ve ever encountered in London, and she’s among the best I’ve met anywhere.
In 2014 my buddy and I happened in. We were staying at the Mad Hatter Hotel five blocks north on Blackfriars (as I’ve done twice now; check out my five bubble review) and just wandering the neighborhood looking for chow. With stomachs growling urgently and no alluring restaurants beckoning in the area, Randy craned his neck back toward Cafe Pronto and said, “What about that place? They’re open.” I glanced at the unassuming exterior and replied— with words I would soon be eating, along with my satisfying lunch— “Really? It doesn’t look like much.”
If you’re the sort of person I could be friends with, you’ll recall what Han Solo retorted to Luke Skywalker in 1977’s STAR WARS when Luke blithely cast aspersions on the Millennium Falcon. “She may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts, kid.” That’s Cafe Pronto.
Randy and I ate there twice, charmed by the simple and affordable grub and by Alina, who provides quick, no-nonsense service and stimulating conversation. When I returned to the cafe today and slid into a chair, I said to Alina, “Hi. I don’t expect you to remember, but I was here two years ago from Florida with my cowboy friend. We had a great talk with you about the cultural differences between America and eastern Europe…”
“You sat out there,” she interrupted me with a smile, pointing to the small patio. “Yes!” I exclaimed. “Our table was wobbly, and you kneeled down to stuff a napkin under one of the legs to steady it.” That’s Alina, the MacGyver of waitresses. (1980s American television reference; my apologies to everyone whose head that goes over.)
The service in general at Cafe Pronto is fine, but count yourself lucky if you’re in Alina’s section. I notched up four visits this March, and she looked after me each time. Her friendliness alone is reason enough to stop by.
On my next overseas jaunt to London, I know exactly where my first cup of coffee will be. See you there! Just save me a seat if it’s crowded.