In Britain, a cafe (), also known colloquially as a caff or greasy spoon, is a small, cheap

eatery A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearanc ...

typically specialising in fried foods or home-cooked meals. Though it uses the same word origin as the term " café", it is distinct from the more European style of

coffeehouse A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...

or bar.Take the Kids England, 3rd. Fullman, Joseph. New Holland Publishers, 1 June 2007. p. 21 A British cafe does not usually serve alcohol. It is commonly an independently owned business; the only notable chain of roadside cafes is

OK Diner The OK Diner is a privately owned roadside restaurant chain in the United Kingdom. The restaurants have a retro, 1950s-style American diner theme with popular 1950s music, chequerboard flooring, booth seating, plenty of chrome details and 195 ...

since the demise of

Happy Eater Happy Eater was a chain of restaurants in England and Wales. Founded by Sir Michael Pickard in 1973, the chain wanted to compete against the British roadside restaurant category killer at the time, Little Chef, who would end up absorbing it in ...

in 1997 and Little Chef in 2018.

, black pudding, bubble and squeak, hash browns, baked beans, fried bread, toast, grilled tomato, burgers, sausages, mushrooms and chips. Hot and cold sandwiches may be available, such as a bacon butty or sausage sandwich. A range of other cooked meals may be available, such as steak and kidney pie, a full roast, or

liver and onions The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it i ...

, with a cooked dessert such as apple crumble and

custard Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in consistency fro ...

. The main drink in a cafe or greasy spoon is usually tea, especially " builder's tea" (a nickname for a mug of strong black tea, such as English breakfast tea, usually served with milk and sugar and typically robust and flavourful with a brisk character and a dark red colour). Coffee, where available, is usually instant or sometimes espresso but rarely brewed.

Transport cafe

The cafe was the mainstay of British lorry drivers who travelled the major trunk roads such as the A1 and the A6 prior to the opening of the motorways. These cafes were not only stops where the driver could eat, but also made convenient meeting places where the trade unions could talk to their members. A cafe that is beside a main road and serves passing motorists, particularly lorry drivers, is sometimes known as a transport cafe; this may or not be accompanied by a petrol station. A motorway service station will typically include one or more fast food restaurants such as

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, Greggs, or McDonald's, and possibly a transport cafe for the lorry drivers.

References

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External links

Classic Cafes
– The Very Best of London's Twentieth Century vintage Formica caffs Restaurants by type

Menu

Transport cafe

See also

References

External links