Sugahill Café: Sydenham

It was a rainy morning in South East London when we trudged through the door at Sugahill in Sydenham, and we were very grateful of the warm welcome we received! Sugahill is a Café / Social Lounge / Gallery nestled just around the corner from Sydenham Station.

Sugahill is located on Kirkdale, a key road running between Sydenham and Forest Hill. We found free parking in the surrounding streets, but Sydenham Station is just across the road, as well as a variety of main bus routes crossing from several different directions, so you won’t struggle to get there. The station itself is served by both the London Overground and Southern train routes, making it very easy to get to.

The first thing we noticed about Sugahill when we walked through the door was the counter area with huge blackboard menu that stretches down the wall, and the variety of fruits and cakes on display. We then noticed the absolutely fantastic range of food you can order and the very reasonable prices, and so we quickly grabbed ourselves a table by the window! The café has a very pleasant atmosphere, and has been recently decorated. Whilst it’s not the largest of cafés, there was enough room for us to work comfortably. They have displays of local art on the walls (hence the title “gallery”). The manager was also very friendly and made us feel welcome.

As I’ve already touched on, the range of food and drinks here is truly excellent, and they really are inexpensive compared to other establishments. They offer a range of breakfast items, as well as sandwiches (including vegan and vegetarian), salads, and baked potatoes. Add to that the fruits and cakes available in front of the counter, and you’ve got an impressive range of different foods to choose from, and the added options for vegans and vegetarians will definitely increase the appeal for some. Both dishes we ordered were very good (porridge and poached eggs on toast!), and the drinks likewise.

This was a good place to work, with secure WiFi available, as well as plug sockets. The tables were quite small, so it mean we had to use one each, but it wasn’t too busy so this didn’t cause a problem. Having said that, there was quite a lot of footfall through the café so I could imagine could be busier depending on the time of day. It seems this café is well integrated with the local community too which is really nice to see, with a number of local businesses buying takeaway coffees for their staff. All in all this is a great café to visit.