Patter Places — The River Café Café

Ruth Rogers’ new daytime outpost distils the essence of The River Café with an ease that is perfectly attuned to the rhythms of the day.

Sitting beside the iconic restaurant in the same industrial complex, The River Café Café is a neat space with generous ceiling heights, expanses of glass, and vibrant colour set against exposed steel. Outside, a considered arrangement of tables and parasols frames the Thames, offering front-row seats to watch passers-by on the riverside walkway.

The River Café Café invites both spontaneity and ritual: walk-ins and reservations dine side by side across breakfast, all-day dining, and evening drinks. Breads, pastries and coffee are available to-go, and the space—even when quiet—is energised by the synchronised comings and goings of chefs and servers in the flow of their craft. Ruth Rogers occasionally appears greeting guests with a magnetic warmth and sincerity.

The menu is considered and concise, an offering of seasonal Italian dishes that are minimalist in composition and expansive in flavour. A languorous lunch might culminate in a scoop of gelato, or perhaps a slice of the Chocolate Nemesis cake with its near-mythical status. Who could resist the draw?

Opening Hours
Tuesday to Saturday: 9am—10pm
Sunday: 9am—4pm
rivercafe.co.uk