Cafe Below

Absolutely lovely!
We visited for lunch and I was pleasantly surprised! The venue is located under a beautiful church’s cellar. The staff greet and seated us promptly.
We ordered a variety of goodies which was delivered swiftly. Each Of the tasted and looked lovely!
I would definitely visit again!

They’ve had a bit of a reshuffle recently — gone is the school cafeteria style serving counter at the back, and here to stay is regular table service. It has slowed things down but on the whole I think this is a good thing for me: 1) extra time to make a more considered menu choice instead of panicking, and 2) no risk of my occasional bouts of clumsiness striking when I’m carrying a tray of food :-$
It also seems busier these days so worth reserving a table in advance if you can, especially if you’re more than 2 peeps. Still has a menu of good hearty dishes to get you through these wintery days, like the warming veggie lasagne I had there the other day :)
Also a note for the dessert fans — you’ll be disappointed with the choc brownie, it’s actually pretty dry. Crumble and custard every time!

Below is definitely an above average lunch place. My sea bass was perfectly cooked and the new potatoes with a light lemony oil drizzle where excellent. The honeycomb ice cream was just perfect. Everything very fresh and simple, which I kind of expected when I saw the open kitchen coming into the restaurant.
Its located in a kind of church crypt. My new favorite lunch place whenever I’m around Bank tube station.

It’s places like these that make me dislike the ‘optional surcharge’ on food bills. It is situated in the basement of a church but that is really the only nice thing about this place. Apparently we arrived ‘late’ for a lunch since three dishes were already unavailable and the staff was obviously rushed to get us out asap; we were asked if we were ready to order three times (!) within two minutes as soon as we sat down. I ordered the chicken salad which was not fresh and not tasty. My lunch partner had a vegetarian lasagna which was ok, but nothing to write home about. The staff didn’t ask if we enjoyed it and I left with an unpleasant feeling. I will definitely not return.

It’s small, a bit cramped and eons away from all the bland chains at surface level. The canteen style was fun and the staff knowledgeable about the food and willing to adapt the dishes if there is something you don’t want. I had the Mexican-​spiced pulled brisket with guacamole, salad and roast potatoes (hold the focaccia) and it was divine — no pun intended! I forgot to pick up a glass for my drink but the lovely waiter saw and offered to fetch me one. He came back and was just about to hand it to me and realised it was still warm from the dishwasher. Without my asking he whisked it away and brought me a cold glass. D & I really liked this quirky place and at £11.45 each for a fantastic plate of food and bottled drink, worth a return visit.

I came here in summer 2004 thanks to a guidebook called Vegetarian London. I’m so glad I did! How utterly cool to be able to dine in a church crypt. The food was delicious, too; at the time they had «health bowls» filled with grains and fresh vegetables. I think the menu has changed since then but according to their website they still have vegetarian items. A must-​dine for vegetarian travelers.

This is a former vegetarian-​only canteen/​restaurant, interestingly located in a crypt under St. Mary Le Bow on Cheapside. Food here is an interesting combination of homy food, cooked in a more elegant way. It is tasty and of higher quality than most (maybe all) other options in that area, and it is more expensive as well.
I never managed to become a regular though, visiting only once every few months or so. I do not have any complaints about the place, but on the other hand nothing really excites me that much about it either.

It was fine, nothing special. I experienced a bit of culture shock, though, when I got my meal. I ordered scrambled eggs and bacon over toast, and what I got was very good, but as an American, I found the eggs to be a tad runny, and apparently white bread is different here than it is in the states. The bacon was amazing, though. It was a large strip rather than the dainty pieces that are served back in the US. Staff wasn’t particularly friendly, but I think that’s just London.
EDIT: After spending more time in London and then Greece, I have come to the conclusion that the style of eggs here are now my favorite, and thus have given one more star to my review.

This is a great little place for breakfast/​lunch/​dinner. It used to be vegetarian only, but a few months ago, they changed their name from The Place Below to Café’ Below. With that change came a menu revamp and dinner hours to boot! Now, you’ll find both vegetarian and non-​vegetarian options. The food is delicious and well prepared, the portions are sizeable and all is fairly priced (slightly less £ for take away). The menu changes daily and all dishes are prepared from scratch in-​house from seasonal ingredients. The dining area itself is evocative, being housed in the crypt of the venerable St. Mary-​le-​Bow Church in the City.

I was so disappointed because I went to the website and was convinced that I was going to have an elegant and inspiring lunch. The salad on the website with the elequent pitcher of dressing made me think linen tablecloths in a light and airy dining room. Even walking in, I was digging the graphics of the bright green signs leading me down below. I even loved the typeface on the menus and the way they used giant clips to display the menu.
Well they have good marketing, but that is about all… alas, a disappointing meal. Yes, the cafeteria-​style service (I hate having trays) with the food under the lamps was less than appealing.
I had a salad that was meh – lots of lettuce, green onions, parsley, and bleh stuff. I was digging for every little crumble of feta I could find.
It was hot and stuffy down there…
I may retry in the winter when the crypt might be more appealing and a bowl of soup on a tray might be a bit more appealing – just not what I was hoping for on a nice summer day.

…a church, in case you were wondering.
Not that you were, since Molly and Larissa have both mentioned it. But hey, maybe you’re reading this first. Who am I to judge?
Actually, that’s what I’m meant to be doing. Only I’m judging the gaff, not you. So. why three stars?
It’s a really nice place and is perfect for the city. They’ve used the space really well and there’s a nice outside seating area out the back. There were a few good options and as a vegetarian it was great for me to have a free choice of anything on the menu. I had the fusilli and roasted vegetable salad with puy lentils and it was really tasty. The dressing was yummy, too, there was just the right amount of it. All that was washed down nicely with a pear and raspberry juice.
So far so good, so why only three stars? Two reasons.
1. The price. I’m with Larissa. It isn’t extortionate, and, given the location and convenience for so many office workers, it’s also understandable. Sort of. But a nice salad and a nice juice still shouldn’t leave you with no change from a tenner.
2. It felt a little like a fancy school canteen. I get it, it’s quick and efficient. But me in my shorts and everyone else in their shirts, it felt like I was surrounded by teachers. And I don’t want to be surrounded by teachers when I’m on holiday… from being a teacher.

Great veggie restaurant for lunch and breakfast in the City during the week. And this is coming from a non-​veggie.
Lunch has a soup or two, a hot main course, a salad or two and a quiche. Everything is well prepared and portions are generous. Not cheap, at about £7 for a main course.
Coffee is Illy and well made.
Staff are very good and have been the same for years.

Had a great lunch today here with Larissa D – got to love working lunches with Unilocalers. In my continuing quest to find decent grub within a close walk to my office, I was intrigued by The Place Below which is situated in the basement of a church. The owner of this restaurant has two others, both of which operate below churches. This guy is onto something!
The food is vegetarian and healthy and yummmm. I had the aubergine and chickpea casserole, which came in a sizable dish with some brown rice. Their menu changes daily and seems to consist of soups, three or four hot dishes, and a couple of salads. Everything is made from scratch and served up cafeteria-​style on trays (you help yourself to cutlery, napkins, etc). Two rooms of tables complete the seating area, and we found ourselves at a cosy table for two in the corner!
I found the prices to be a little bit high for what I would normally spend on lunch (my casserole and a bottle of water cost £9!) but every once in a while I think it’s certainly worth it. They also sell cookbooks by the owner at the till. Should probably pick up a copy and do Phil R a favour… :)

Before this afternoon, it would be fair to say that you would only see me in a church if I had a geeky, medievalist reason to be there. But now, you could add ‘eating in converted crypts’ to the list.
I’ve wanted to visit the Place Below for a while and finally got around to doing it with fellow Unilocaler Molly K!
I have to say, the atmosphere of the crypt in St Mary le Bow Church was quirky and cool. The cavernous seating areas came complete with some larger, linen-​clad tables that would suit big groups; the revolving daily vegetarian menu certainly appeals to me (as a vegetarian); and I consumed the Healthbowl I purchased today with delicious abandon.
But the cost for one of the main menu items averaging at around eight quid is a bit steep. Even for the City Mile. Especially for vegetarian lunch food. And certainly the rent for the crypt of a church can’t be that high, thereby lowering the restaurant’s overhead providing a savings that I would expect to be passed on to the consumer. One star taken away for the seemingly exorbitant prices.
Unless the Church has started operating for profit and hasn’t told anyone… then I’ll give the star back and apologise to the Place Below.
P. S. I should add that prices go down during non-​peak hours. But who eats lunch at 3pm? I mean, really?

Mittags sitzen die Büroangestellten in der Krypta von Wrens berühmter «Bow-​Bells-​Kirche» und verspeisen Suppen, Quiches und warme Gerichte. Wie wäre es mit Olivenbrot, Mandelsuppe mit rotem Pfeffer, Törtchen mit Zucchini und Schafskäse, dazu Tomatensalat? Als Dessert vielleicht Früchte der Saison mit hausgemachtem Eis? Man kann auch seinen eigenen Wein mitbringen (kein Korkengeld-​was heißt, man braucht dem Wirt keine Ausfallentschädigung zu wahlen, wenn man eigene Getränke mitbringt)) oder die wohlschmeckende hausgemachte Limonade versuchen. Es ist wohl das einize Restaurant, daß in einer Kirche untergebracht ist. Die Preise sind annehmbar