REVIEW: An Afternoon at Élan Cafe – Oxford Circus
Me, Myself & I
In the spirit of practicing what I preach, I decided to take some of my own advice from The SELF series and spend more time with myself. This is nothing out of the ordinary for me, as I do most things solo, except travel lol but in 2019 I aim to change that.
On a frosty Monday afternoon, I set out to grab my lunch at the Instagram Famous Élan Cafe. If you are unfamiliar with Èlan Cafe you probably don’t use Instagram as much as me. Last summer 98% of bloggers and influencers that I stumbled across via the gram had a splurge of pictures outside the entrance. The eye-catching floral arrangements in the doorway are so pretty that they are impossible to miss because they instantly grab your attention. The Cafe has become very popular, people queue up from 9am on the weekends just to get through the door.
Why I randomly chose a cold afternoon in January to make my way up there is beyond me. I guess I am starting to get into the habit of treating myself to nice and things and places without reason. I mean it doesn’t have to be my birthday for me to book a Make Up Artist and I certainly do not have to wait on somebody’s son to take me out to eat at fancy places.
The Decor, the atmosphere, the food
I must say the set up of Élan Cafe is super chic and stylish. I love everything about the decor from the pastel pink and nude colour scheme to the cute quotes plastered around the walls. I have to be honest though when I first laid my eyes on the place, I thought to myself “is that it”? Now don’t get me wrong, the place is picture-perfect and very pretty on the eyes, but I truly did not see what the fuss was all about. Social media can really alter our perception of things and people. We really have to take everything we see online with a pinch of salt.
Anyway, I was able to get a seat inside because there was a queue and they don’t take bookings. No problem, I grabbed a seat in the entrance and got cosy right under the out door heaters. It was super cosy and the pretty flowers around my seat did give it the extra dose of sparkle. The atmosphere was peaceful but there was no buzz, I will simply put this down to it being a Monday afternoon.
The Food
Élan Cafe is beautiful a spot but the menu to me is very basic but very reasonable priced. Especially for somewhere in central London. I ordered a Hot Chocolate for £5.50 and a Sicillian grilled chicken sandwich with mozzarella and presto. My Sandwich was well toasted and it tasted really good, £7.50 well spent. Some might say what I paid is steep, but hey this is London.
The service from the staff was excellent, my waiter was well mannered and attentive. I didn’t receive any side eyes whilst trying to take pictures. I guess the staff know the drill by now so they leave the customers to get on with it. Not to mention, they were extremely friendly and constantly kept checking in to see if I needed anything. I would highly recommend the place, especially if you just want to grab a quick bite to eat.
Jenna’s World View gives Élan Cafe a 7 out of 10 rating.
One last thing: Taking myself out to lunch really gave me a chance to take in my surroundings. I just realised that you notice a lot more things when you are on your own. I intend to be intentional with how much I invest in myself this year.
In our day to day lives we are required to give ourselves and our time to others, whilst struggling to find that same time for ourselves. This year make a conscious an effort to make quality time for yourSELF. Don’t let the gems I dropped on you throughout The SELF series, go to waste.
Stay blessed
Lots of Love
Jenna
xoxo
kattieh
This sounds like a nice place to visit – I love going to photogenic cafes!
ellemacuk
I’ve wanted to visit since last year after seeing it all over Instagram too! Would you say that the menu is more for a bite rather than a proper lunch? Glad you enjoyed my love x
You can read some of my content over on http://www.ellemacuk.com
jennasworldview
Hi Queen
Thanks for reading
Yes, this is exactly it. It is more for a light lunch, but nevertheless it is still a great spot.
I would definitely recommend it though hun!
Jenna xox
Bianca Worthy
First off, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR RELAUNCH! The site looks beautiful, and I’m gagging over your new logo. The plane was a nice touch. Okay now back to this post. I love your honorable mentions of things to know before visiting this cafe. Your pics are super cute!
jennasworldview
Hey B
Thank you ever so much! I love my logo, thanks for reading!
Lena Dee
Oh wow!! I’ve heard so much about Elan but damn do these pics make me extra jelly! You truly captured the beauty of this place Jenna, I’m so happy you got to visit 😀 I’m surprise a place like that doesn’t take bookings but then it sorta makes sense so people don’t dip out and cause someone to lose out on a good seat. Lol 7.50 euros is expensive for a sandwich? I had no idea, where I live I’m honestly accustom to food being expensive. Great post hun <3
xx Lena | https://lenadeexo.com
Shar
Totally booking a spot here it’s so lush!!