Beam

Breakfast here is the perfect way of starting your day. You have to try it! It is usually very busy, but their food is tasty, the coffee nice, the staff attentive. You will feel a little bit like a piggy after one of their massive breakfasts but, hey! It’s the most important meal of the day! ;)

Lovely open space with even a little outdoor terrace looking into street.
Friendly family run service, although sometimes slow. Maybe it’s because I was outside and it is so large that they didn’t see me.
Good flat white and good eggs benedict. Will be back for sure.

Despite being a busy café, the service is attentive. Really great atmosphere and not at all contrived. Food is good; overall I feel like I’m away from the city when I’m here.

Beam looks a bit like a show home decorated by my mum. Modern, clean. Nice, not quite to my taste but non offensive and yes when I took her Mamma did approve.
We sat on thrones — think more Posh ‘n’ Becks than Iron. They have a huge windows and it is terribly inviting to watch all the people eating happily inside and on the tables outside as you walk past.
They do SHAK-​FREAKIN-​SHOUKA. The amazing Middle Eastern egg and tomato dish I always rave about. I can’t resist this. I order this every time I visit. They do a job well done with it. Which is just as well really as it’s not that hard to make. Very tasty and came with good bread. YUM. HURRAH. Finally good shakshouka comes to N8.
Menu is typical brunch but it would be good if they offered a lighter fruit salad or yoghurt option for those health conscious folk. My mum wasn’t very hungry when we went the other day, and they didn’t have any light options for her to munch on. Instead she just ordered a tea and decided to watch me eat whilst I SHAK-FREAKIN-SHOUKA’ed to my hearts content.
The staff could have a bit more va va voom and be friendlier too but overall it’s a pretty good bruncheon addition to N8 brunchdom.

Beam is a café with a fine kitchen.
The decorating is not to my taste — but it is to the taste of the armies of people who eat there …
and good food will make me forgive almost anything.
The espresso is some of the best I have had in Crouch End —
which is saying a lot in a village where nearly every fourth establishment sells upscale coffee.
they do a wonderful shakshouka (a north african egg tomato chili and onion dish baked in its own special pan).
this dish ought to be on breakfast menus everywhere.
a more european-​style eggs benedict with salmon was perfectly lovely.
they have a decent café menu with a lot of light fare, a few heartier meat dishes some attractive baked goods and a mix of english and mediterranean mélange (some french some italian some greek some north african). mostly english — and mostly well done.
the room and the crowd could easily be doctor’s wives having luncheons.
if you are a postpunk guitarist, you won’t see a lot of your friends there.
but the food is really first rate and that is what matters.

Great décor, friendly staff and amazing food.
Really enjoyed our visit. Will definitely be coming back.