The Waiting Room

134 Deptford High St, London SE8 3PQ
​I used to regard Deptford High Street in the same manner one might regard a wardrobe that takes you through to Narnia being on your spare room; with an air of wonder, suspicion, and a sense of what the fuck is this doing here? Squeezed between Greenwich and Lewisham, Deptford always seemed to be losing ground to the two ever developing neighbours and was rapidly just becoming a through road. I would walk through it each morning from my house in Lewisham to the University in Greenwich but the High Street was a strange hinterland, not quite under the full sway of gentrification like other areas of London but with trendy spots cropping up with the redevelopment of the railway arches and the market area.
Wandering down on market day, you could pick up all manner of things from 90s electronics, classic toys, and vintage clothes but a favourite stall was the one that had boxes of African Land Snails for sale, still live, crawling over one another and poking their stalks over the edge of the crate. These were apparently for cooking, and the lady selling them would provide anecdotes about coming home from school whilst her mother was trying to retrieve some that had escaped from the shopping bag and were now taking safe refuge on the ceiling.
The jewel in the crown of the place though, was The Waiting Room, an independent coffee shop that served veggie and vegan food in a time before veganism was on trend and that every shop on every corner was selling caffeine shots. A small sanctuary selling union coffee, it would blast out punk tunes over the shelves of secondhand books and wrestling action figures that surrounded the counter whilst you took a pew on the picnic table outside.
About a year ago urban regeneration finally took its toll as the lease on the place was up and the business was forced out. Not wanting to close up shop or move out of Deptford, a Kickstarter page was set up so that the cafe could fund a permanent location just a few doors down. Having contributed a couple of pennies to the old haunt, I thought it was probably about time to swing by and check in on the new digs as well as cash in on the free coffee I was promised for my donation.

I nearly walked past it upon first asking because gone is the outside dining area (although a solitary bench remains), no longer needed thanks to the premises extending far further back than the original space did, although one feels (being a unit on the same street) it is probably exactly the same proportions just better managed but I accept I may be wrong on this.
The bar now stands to one side, whilst the collection of toys seems to have not found a space in the move but books and quirky art remain albeit in a far more organised fashion. Breakfast bagels are ordered, vegan cheese and bacon making fair replacement of mock meatiness, unlike so many other alternatives that quite fail to hit the mark, whilst mild and creamy union coffee comes with soy, almond or oat milk all as standard (although dairy is available) with biscuit on the side. I’d honestly like to say none of the old atmosphere had changed but it is no longer the hectic energetic joy ride that came with the cramped conditions but a far more laid back and leisurely affair bit it manages to hold onto enough of what made it such a great spot in the first place that I can only see this relocation as a positive.