L’Etoile Coffee Shop

A good choice if you’re in Westbourne Grove and want something a bit different to the many chain coffee shops in the area. Drinks are good and the selection of cakes is tempting. Service is polite rather than overly friendly.

This corner café has been a Bayswater ficture for as long as I can remember. For a long time it used to be the only place for miles for a morning coffee or afternoon tea. Now competition is fierce, but L’Etoile is still going strong.
I passed the other day on my way to the Post Office (don’t get me started, the sorting office has disappeared from Westbourne Grove, and this wasn’t the only trip to retrieve a couple of packets) and felt like bumping into a long lost friend.
My visit fell into the morning coffee rush hour, but I didn’t mind waiting a little longer (only one staff behind the counter). This isn’t Starbucks and people tend to come here to relax rather than rush.
It was hard to choose between the many sweet and savoury treats. I could have done better than the spinach/​cheese filled croissant I ended up ordering — this was heated up in a microwave and thus rendered soggy.

The food is fine but the staff couldn’t be colder.

Had a lamb pasty here that was spicy and delicious. Coffee was good also, and there’s plenty of space to stretch out. You can also access (paid) BTOpenZone wifi from this spot.
People working here were not very friendly, however. In fact, they actually told me that I was not allowed to plug in my laptop at the wall outlet! Huh? You mean after charging me the equivalent of $ 4 for 25 cents of coffee you’re worried I’ll put you in the poorhouse by stealing your electricity? Man! That’s a first.
You’d be MUCH better off walking less than a block away to Charlotte, a pleasant café with great music and free wifi (and where they actually don’t mind if you plug in).

Das ist ein kleines Café mit gutem Kaffee und einem breiten Angebot an französischen Pain au chocolat, Croissants, Kuchen. Alles in Patissierqualität — schmeckt also wie in Frankreich. Ein paar Sitzplätze sind auch vorhanden, am Fenster liegen auch immer ein paar aktuelle Modezeitschriften aus. Die Damen, die das Café betreiben, kennen ihre Gäste noch zwei, drei Besuchen — Insgesamt also der perfekte Ort um einen samstäglichen Shoppingtrip in der Gegend zu beginnen.