Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Zera Cafe House and Bistro
After the sad loss of Snug we now have ZERA CAFE HOUSE AND BISTRO open. They offer an amazing range of breakfasts, coffees, wraps as well as beers and wine. There's a kid's chess club on Saturday mornings and a new play area in the corner. Find them at 471 Green Lanes, N4 1AJ
Vegan Breakfast below £12.50
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by kotkas on
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Nothing against it in principle, but the play area (last time I checked) is a sad paddock the size of a large baking tray. Their alcohol license is conditional on the installation of CCTV due to the elevated levels of antisocial behaviour in the vicinity, which doesn’t appear to be in place. Lastly, while I am pleased you enjoyed it, the food looks like bog standard Turkish breakfast fare you can have anywhere on Green Lanes.
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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Have you been in kotkas? I've been a few times and I think it fills a gap between the quite expensive bistro style places and "one laptop to a table" coffee shops that we now have. There's definitely a place for a caff since the sad loss of Green Lanes Cafe near Tesco where they used to have the coffees ready when they saw us come in and further back in time, Cafe Lemon (call me lazy but N4 is a bit too far up for me).
It's going to be hard to replace the child-friendly wonder that was Snug but at least they are having a go at making it kid-friendly and they are very welcoming. Even Snug took time to hit its stride.
I'm vegan and the breakfast is good and not super expensive. I'm not sure how many changes you can ring on a meat and dairy free breakfast to be honest. They also do jacket potatoes, and friends and family have sampled other things on the menu and said they are good.
Personally I welcome somewhere where I can go to meet friends where my chatting with mates doesn't feel like I'm interrupting someone's working day in the office. It might not be to everyone's taste but I feel they are catered for elsewhere. In the meantime, let's try and support a new business that is still finding its feet.
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Permalink Reply by Ozbawn on
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Well informed local sources are talking about a new cafe going into the space on the corner of St Anns and Salisbury Road (where Andrea Michli's shop used to be). Fingers crossed that it's up to scratch. The Levels are crying out for a local coffee place.
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As I mentioned in my previous post, I find that it has zero curb appeal, and that theres virtually nothing on the menu which is any different to the breakfast on offer anywhere else on Green Lanes. So unless they have some unique twist on now they fry an egg I have no reason to deviate from the Dusty Knuckle who among other things make the best baked goods in London (and possibly anywhere I have tasted.)
My guess is that many others feel that way, hence the absence of “one laptop to a table” crowd which you don’t want to mix with.
Lastly, it is in the process of transforming into a ‘bistro’ - or serving alcohol, and food until midnight, and has started selling alcohol without having met the planning conditions attached to its license. We have a long history of businesses doing this on Green Lanes (Rakkas, now defunct Hanedan) so I am reluctant to support another licensee flaunting the rules.
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As I said, each to his own, kotkas. Some of us prefer a breakfast place where we can chat and our kids can relax, some like to be little upmarket and consume baked goods and some prefer to stare at screens over a flat white and a croissant.
It's the marvel of Green Lanes that it provides space for businesses of all these kinds and their clients.
As to the last point, I'm not sure how successful a "bistro' will be on this strip in opposition to the big Turkish places that people come for. I've yet to see one that lasted. Even Snug tried it but soon gave up. It may be that this new business does too especially if most of their custom is daytime and breakfast shaped.
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I stand corrected. They haven’t flaunted the planning conditions as I previously suspected.
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I went in feeling hopeful of a Snug-substitute, but I was disappointed. The same menu as everywhere else; and my breakfast was badly cooked. It's friendly and the coffee is good, but I'm still looking for a more imaginative selection.
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