All You Read is Love

All You Read is Love | London

All You Read is Love is one of those rare places where you can stay for hours and never run out of things to do. This quirky café-cum-bookshop-cum-radio station in Leytonstone is the ideal place to spend a relaxing Saturday afternoon or a quiet evening with friends.

The decor is rough around the edges yet teeming with interesting upcycled pieces. It feels like you're hanging out in your hipster friend's living room listening to classic tunes on vinyl or improvising on the piano. The bookshop part offers eclectic secondhand or new volumes. I was loving the Scandi Lit corner, a nod to Nordic Noir fanatics like me.

The café also did not disappoint. My friend an I polished off a simple yet delicious pecan and banana slice as well as a generous slice of coconut and nutella sponge. Strangely, what stood out for me was not the cake but the homemade hot elderflower. I had just been on a walk in Epping Forest therefore it was an ideal post-walk treat.

Whilst enjoying our afternoon tea, we became obsessed with the board game Mastermind, a permutations/code breaking game. Yeah we're so cool ahem... If permutation games aren't your thing, there are plenty more board games to play! We ended up playing for so long, we had a fabulous dinner there too. I enjoyed the Gruyère, spinach and carrot quiche while my friend tucked into the vegan platter.

All You Read is Love ticks all the boxes for me: friendly staff, tasty homemade food and cosy atmosphere.

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