The Deli Cafe, E17 9NJ

The Deli’s main virtue is its location. It’s is a pretty typical, easy going cafe with nice food and average coffee, and it’s also the only casual eatery on Orford Road. Eat17 doesn’t really accommodate casual coffee drinkers anymore, and the Bakery has sparse seating, so The Deli is an easy choice when visiting the heart of the Village.  

The Deli always has friendly and welcoming staff, they’re polite and helpful, and let you sit and drink in your own time. They have a good selection of their own books, including a meaty poetry selection, and there’s always local art on the walls.

They offer hot drinks, cake and sandwiches with mix and match furniture, indoors and out. 

It’s a nice, but honestly, I feel pretty ambivalent about it. It’s an easy and quick walk for me, but it wouldn't be my top choice in E17 because there are other places in Walthamstow with more character, personality and passion for their product. Lately, their cake seems to have been more shop bought than homemade, and their coffee is passable. I’ve visited twice in the last two weeks, it was first burnt and bitter, and second weak. Though it’s well-priced at £1.90 for a soya latte and they do have lovely, chunky, warm-your-hands mugs!

The paninis however, are great, their best feature. I visit especially for their goat’s cheese panini which is generously packed with cheese, sun dried tomatoes, pesto and rocket. It is delicious. They serve a few hot dishes on most days, such as lasagne or cottage pie.

Ultimately, it’s all about the location. Orford Road is where Hackney residents come to contemplate moving to the Stow. On both recent visits, I was able to ear-wig on conversations about house deals and the relative merits of different parts of E17.

There isn’t masses of space and there’s no customer toilet but it is buggy and baby friendly, again down to its relaxed attitude and locale. They’d be very foolish to turn away all the local mummies – which previous management regimes learned to their cost!

Accessibility... I have to admit, I didn’t pay close attention to the entrance, but I think it's level. Once inside however, there isn’t enough space for a turning circle for a wheelchair user. There is outside seating, in good and sometimes not-so-good weather, and table service. There is enough space to manoeuvre buggies inside the cafe and tuck them out of the way. 

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