15 August 2014

The Caffeine Chronicles: The Pigeon Hole

UPDATE. Sadly, The Pigeon Hole has now closed permanently.

In a quiet side street off Camberwell Church Street — not too far from Daily Goods — is another new Camberwell café. This one is a cosy nook called The Pigeon Hole, which opened its doors to SE5 about a month ago. I would probably never have come across it, but luckily some of my friends live nearby and they gave me one of their pigeon-stamped business cards, so I was able to check it out.


The Pigeon Hole is open all day for coffee, cakes and sandwiches, and they have just started to open late on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, serving cocktails, wines and local beers. I had just had lunch when I visited, and even the magnificent carrot cake on the counter couldn't tempt me. Instead, I ordered a macchiato (£2.20) and took a seat at one of the tables inside.



The décor of The Pigeon Hole is gorgeous — shelves books organised by colour, neatly arranged jars of homemade preserves, quirky objets d'art and vintage furniture. Eventually, they hope to sell second-hand furniture. The café is funded by Kickstarter, and just underneath preserve shelves is a pinboard with the photos of all of their Kickstarter supporters, which is a nice touch.



The coffee itself was very good: a strong, rich macchiato that slipped down very nicely. They use south-London-based Volcano coffee, which is one of my favourite London roasters. More than that, though: The Pigeon Hole is a lovely place to hang out, that has obviously had a lot of put into it by the owners, Holly and George. I really like the look of the new cocktail menu, so I'm sure it won't be long until I'm back in the ever more up-and-coming Camberwell for another visit.



The Pigeon Hole. 2 Datchelor Place, Camberwell, SE5 7AP. Website. Twitter.

4 comments:

  1. Fully concur with your excellent review of this splendid café!

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    1. Glad you like it too. It's a great addition to the neighbourhood.

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  2. Great place, has a freshness about it, a great breakfast menu, good portions and really friendly service.

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    1. I definitely need to try the breakfast — it's my favourite meal (after brunch!).

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