Classic Cafes | London's vintage Formica caffs!


	:www.classiccafes.co.uki \| The Very Best of London's Twentieth Century vintage Formica caffs \| iUpdated: Mar 12 2008

Often dismissed as 'greasy spoons', classic cafes are actually little gems of British vernacular high street design. This site celebrates their ambience and architecture with over 130 vintage London Formica caffs reviewed, revealed and reappraised. The Classic Cafes Book is out now: acclaimed by the Royal Institute of British Architects as 'sumptuous... beautiful... breathtaking... deeply evocative...'; praised by the Twentieth Century Society as a work of 'genius... passionate... elegiac... wonderful'. Now sold out. As the original publishers have no plans for a new edition, other interested parties are welcome to get in touch ...

The Pevsner of mid-century cafe architecture' The Guardian
'Perfect... a brilliant guide' Evening Standard
'Genius... passionate, elegiac...' The Twentieth Century Society
'Brilliant' The Sunday Times
'A cult web classic' Financial Times
'Everything a cafe connoisseur could want... poignant... melancholy' Daily Telegraph
'Essential...' Time Out
'Wonderfully evocative...' The Independent
'Sumptuous... beautiful... breathtaking... cinematic' Royal Institute of British Architects
'You can track the emergence of an [hauntological] elegiac sensibility through landmarks like... Classic Cafes' Wire
'Too good to be true' Space
'An awesome achievement' Urbanomic/Undercurrent
'A total must' LBC/News Direct
'Marvellous... death to Starbucks' Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne)
'The undisputed caff polymath... lyrical... vibrant' FX Magazine
'A great resource' New Economics Foundation
'Not just a set of recommendations... it's a whole aesthetic!' Time Out Guides
'Consistently brilliant' Londonist
'My all-time favourite website' Richard Lister
'A wonderful, enthusiastically compiled celebration (*****)' NyLonTai
'One of the most beautiful sites I have come across... full of care... elegant and touching' Feargus O'Sullivan
'Incontournable' Marche a Londres
'Superb' Die Zeit