
Quick info
About Pavilion Cafe Victoria Park
Pavilion Cafe Victoria Park is a cafe in London on Old Ford Rd., set on the boating lake in Victoria Park and opened in 2004 as the flagship cafe. It has its own kitchen, which runs a small seasonal menu for breakfast and lunch with Sri Lankan influence. Brunch plates and sandwiches sit alongside the Sri Lankan-influenced dishes. Bread and pastries come from the cafe's own bakery, and the sweets are baked in-house. For drinks, the cafe serves speciality coffee and fresh chai, including a chai latte. Customers can bring their own cup for coffee. Dogs are welcome, so park walkers can stop in with their pets.
Good to know
- ParkingPaid parking lot · Paid street parking
- AccessibilityWheelchair: entrance, restroom, seating
- Good for kidsGood for kids · High chairs · Family-friendly
- DietaryOrganic dishes · Vegan options · Vegetarian options
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Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention chai latte, brunch plates, in-house bakery pastries and lakeside deck seating.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention chai latte, brunch plates, in-house bakery pastries and lakeside deck seating.
Customer Review Summary
Reviewers most often single out the chai, described as unlike any available elsewhere, alongside the brunch plates, pastries and breads from the in-house bakery, and the Sri Lankan kitchen. Coffee earns steady praise too, and several mention the baristas. Close behind is the setting on the lake in Victoria Park, with outdoor tables and a deck by the pond, though one notes the seating gets busy at weekends. The staff are repeatedly called friendly and welcoming, and one reviewer describes the team holding a table for a baby blessing brunch for a couple of hours on a busy weekend day. The complaints are about consistency and speed. One reviewer reports the discount for bringing a own cup varying from one visit to the next, oat milk switching from free to extra, and a later visit where the oat latte and cappuccino were swapped between cups and the cappuccino came out overheated with a taste of oat. Another waited a long time for poached eggs on avocado toast ordered as the kitchen opened.
Customer Review Summary
Reviewers most often single out the chai, described as unlike any available elsewhere, alongside the brunch plates, pastries and breads from the in-house bakery, and the Sri Lankan kitchen. Coffee earns steady praise too, and several mention the baristas. Close behind is the setting on the lake in Victoria Park, with outdoor tables and a deck by the pond, though one notes the seating gets busy at weekends. The staff are repeatedly called friendly and welcoming, and one reviewer describes the team holding a table for a baby blessing brunch for a couple of hours on a busy weekend day. The complaints are about consistency and speed. One reviewer reports the discount for bringing a own cup varying from one visit to the next, oat milk switching from free to extra, and a later visit where the oat latte and cappuccino were swapped between cups and the cappuccino came out overheated with a taste of oat. Another waited a long time for poached eggs on avocado toast ordered as the kitchen opened.
Featured reviews
- Rivka
“Wonderful baristas! So pleased this cafe is still open after all these years. Very delicious pastries! And the chai latte is unlike any you can get elsewhere. Also very tasty brunch ♥️♥️ so nice to savour coffee/food on the deck by the pond”
- Dawid Wolny
“⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ One of the loveliest spots in Victoria Park — and absolutely fantastic staff! I honestly couldn’t recommend the Pavilion Café enough. What a beautiful little spot, right in the heart of Victoria Park, with such a peaceful and gorgeous view. It’s the kind of place where you can sit down, enjoy some amazing food and coffee, look out over the park, and just switch off from the world for a while. The food was absolutely delicious — fresh, beautifully presented and full of flavour. You can really feel the care that goes into it. But honestly, what makes this place special is the staff. Everyone was incredibly polite, friendly and genuinely lovely. You get that feeling that they actually care about the people they are serving, rather than simply doing a job. The atmosphere they create is warm, welcoming and full of positive energy. It’s the kind of hospitality that makes you want to come back — not only because the food is great and the location is beautiful, but because you remember the people who made you feel welcome. A huge thank you to the whole team for being so wonderful. You’re doing an amazing job, and you should genuinely be proud of what you’ve created here. Beautiful location. Amazing food. Great coffee. Wonderful people. ❤️ I’ll definitely be back — and I’d happily recommend the Pavilion Café to anyone spending time in Victoria Park. 10/10 from me. Absolutely lovely! 🙏 Much, much love WTRMELON Dawid”
- Claire
“The staff at the pavilion are incredibly friendly and helpful. They do not usually reserve tables but when I approached them about hosting a baby blessing brunch at their cafe, they held a table for us for 2.5 hours during a busy weekend day and made sure we were taken care of throughout. Their chai is delicious and so are their brunch plates. The location is also very charming, overlooking the pond in Vicky Park. Definitely worth a visit !”
- Maikel Henckens
“Pavilion Cafe in Victoria park is one of my favourite places in London. A fantastic Sri Lankan kitchen, fresh Chai, bread and pastries from their own bakery and they're serious about great coffee. Apart from the food and beautiful view the absolute best thing about the place are the people. Every staff member is wonderful. The manager Sam knows most people by name. People like Sam, Sevan and the rest of the crew strive for excellent service everyday and are the main reason i come back.”
- Florina Vilciu
“Updated 27 August: terrible experience on my morning coffee run. Ordered an oat latte in own cup, and a normal cappuccino in the usual disposable cup. Was initially given the oat latte in the disposable cup. When I pointed out the error, the barista just dunked the coffee in my own cup, then used the disposable cup to serve the cappuccino in it. The cappuccino was carelessly and hastily prepared, overheated and had a weird taste of oat with dairy. What a waste of money and an unpleasant start to the day. You need to do better. Prior review: It’s a decent cafe at the perfect location but just way too inconsistent, hence my rating. In the span of one week, each of my 3 identical coffees has been charged differently. I bring my own cup and once I was told the discount has been discontinued, the other time I got 10% off (what I was used to getting), and the final time I got 5% off. There’s obviously a training issue here and a lack of communication to the customer about changes. Same thing with the oat milk - used to be free, now charged extra from one day to the other. I think some of the pastry items are overpriced for what they are, but not so much considering the market. A savory pastry option would be appreciated. I am also a bit wary of the fact that their new loyalty program saves my credit card information. It may have been my oversight but I don’t recall agreeing to this kind of identification.”
Hours
- Monday
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
Highlights
“OPENED 2004 The Pavilion cafe in Victoria Park is where we started, and where all roads lead too:) . The flagship cafe opened back in 2004 and has since become our most iconic locations, nestled on the boating lake in East London. This is our largest location and at the centre of what we do. This beautiful spot has covered outdoor seating and its own kitchen which offers a small seasonal menu for breakfast and lunch with Sri Lankan influence and classic dishes alongside our sandwiches, pastries and speciality coffee. Our vast outdoor seating area allows you to embrace the beauty of the park all year round. A truly special location.”
- Fireplace
- Great coffee
- Great dessert
- Great tea selection
- Popular for breakfast
- Popular for lunch
Amenities
- Wheelchair accessible entrance
- Paid parking lot
- Outdoor seating
- Dogs allowed
- Takeout
- Dine-in
Show more amenities
- Family-friendly
- Vegan options
- Wine
- Casual
- Onsite services
- Beer
- Offerings· 8
- Coffee
- Free water refills
- Healthy options
- Organic dishes
- Prepared foods
- Quick bite
- Small plates
- Vegetarian options
- Popular for· 1
- Solo dining
- Accessibility· 2
- Wheelchair accessible restroom
- Wheelchair accessible seating
- Dining options· 6
- Breakfast
- Brunch
- Lunch
- Catering
- Dessert
- Seating
- Facilities· 1
- Restroom
- Atmosphere· 2
- Trending
- Trendy
- Family-friendly· 2
- Good for kids
- High chairs
- Highlights· 4
- Fireplace
- Great coffee
- Great dessert
- Great tea selection
- Crowd· 4
- Groups
- LGBTQ+ friendly
- Tourists
- Transgender safespace
- Parking· 1
- Paid street parking
- Pet-friendly· 2
- Dogs allowed inside
- Dogs allowed outside
Location
Cafes near Pavilion Cafe Victoria Park
- Mae + Harvey4.76710.4 mi
chicken sandwich, fluffy pancakes, corn fritters with egg
- Café East4.51,3610.4 mi£10–20Vegetarian optionsDeliveryVegan options
full english breakfast, pancakes with fruit, halal breakfast options
- Number 1 Cafe Hackney4.64820.7 mi£10–20Vegetarian optionsWi-Fi
top boy connection, english breakfast set, crispy hash browns
| Place | Rating | Distance | Price | Mentioned in reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pavilion Cafe Victoria ParkOutdoor seating · Vegetarian options · Vegan options | 4.32,145 | — | £10–20 | chai latte, brunch plates, in-house bakery pastries |
| Mae + Harvey | 4.7671 | 0.4 mi | — | chicken sandwich, fluffy pancakes, corn fritters with egg |
| Café EastVegetarian options · Delivery · Vegan options | 4.51,361 | 0.4 mi | £10–20 | full english breakfast, pancakes with fruit, halal breakfast options |
| Number 1 Cafe HackneyVegetarian options · Wi-Fi | 4.6482 | 0.7 mi | £10–20 | top boy connection, english breakfast set, crispy hash browns |
The 3 nearest cafes by distance. Ratings, hours and review terms come from public business profiles.
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