Cafe Prov

Friendly enough, though service is not bright and snappy. The best things about this place are the local art on the walls, the relaxed atmosphere and the great range of music they play. The food is not good and not good value at the inflated prices. Huge portions with out much flavour. Pastry that leaves a film of grease. Salad straight from a supermarket bag. Not much of a healthy eating option on the menu. Breakfast huge but not that tasty. I really want this place to be good, Herne Hill needs a great local restaurant, This isn't it and I wouldn't take visiting friends there again. Pullen's next time.
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5 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 3
Saturday, September 24, 2011

Well, I'm astonished about the last couple of reviews on here, I've been a regular at the Prov for years and the service has always been friendly and unpretentious.

This is a busy cafe at weekends so dont be suprised to find an empty table which has a dirty cup on it! Like most popular places to eat and drink!

The food here is straight forward, tasty and filling - no pretence. It's a cafe - which provides a great atmosphere for a meal with friends or a quiet coffee and a piece of cake. I'll be still visiting this place which has been in Herne Hill for a lot longer than most of the other places around there! Proves its doing something right to me!
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Mike
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Monday, June 13, 2011

Worst place in Herne Hill and Brixton. Fact

Food is bad and overpriced, Service is worse.

Not sure how they are still going.
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MrBen
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Monday, April 11, 2011

i went to this Provençal with my young six year old daughter as it looked like a bright and family friendly place but never again, the staff where rude from the moment we got there, they saw us come in and ignored us, there were tables available but customers had just left them so they had not been cleared of plates yet so i decided to sit by the bar and order drinks until a table was available, there was a woman behind the bar making drinks but she ignored us, after five minutes a man walked behind the bar looked at us and again ignored us, eventually a waitress walked up to us and asked us sullenly if we wanted to order something, i said i would order a hot chocolate for my daughter and a juice for my myself, she made the the drinks and put them in front of us in complete silence and asked us to pay then and there , i paid then she marched off. we where then taken to a table that was clean and free but then another waitress started mopping the floor right next to our feet we waited for 10 minutes to get a menu that never came and didn't look like it ever would, so i got up and me and my child left, when we walked out my child turned to me and said 'they were not very nice were they mummy' out of the mouth of babes, never the less. a rude stuck up place to eat, so we walked down the road to olly's and had some fish and chips with a smile.
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caz.ug
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Friday, November 26, 2010

We were very disappointed. The only positive thing was the atmosphere - well decorated and soft jazz in the background. I won't complain about the hard wooden chairs because it fits the character. But the waitresses were very slow despite us sitting next to the counter. We waited on average 10mins for a visit. The prices are very expensive - £16.50 for a steak and the cheapest bottle of wine is £20. I asked for it medium and was hoping for a bit of pink. It was absolutely raw. Then the chips that came with it was potato wedges not skinned and boiled in oil. The potatoes left the whole plated filled with a pool of oil. The salad did not have enough dressing. I advise you to try Lombok around the corner. Brilliant food, but also cheaper. We had to settle for Provencal because Lombok was fully booked.
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Joe
4 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 2
Saturday, November 20, 2010

Not sure why there are bad reviews on here. I am a local and have been going to Cafe Prov for a number of months now, and would recommend to anyone!

The lamb burger is amazing, and so is the breakfast. I did have a problem with the steak once - it was a bit fatty. But that's my only complaint. And when I mentioned it to the waitress, she brought me a new dinner AND I didn't have to pay! Oh, and try the smoothies.

The decor is great with loads of art from local artists to buy.

Plus the staff are amazingly friendly! Me and my girlfriend will be going back again next week!
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Sam Baker
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, April 07, 2010

This restaurant is lovely, the food is delicious and the drinks are perfect, the atmosphere is peaceful as well as beautiful the walls are bright and colorful with pictures and drawings. (some of which are for sale) the music that they play add to the excellent atmosphere, the staff are all really nice, and it makes for a perfect dinner or just a cup of coffee.

xx :D i love this restaurant
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10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Dont even bother!!!

This place is disastrous, which is a shame as this area needs a good local restaurant.

It started with the wrong drinks being delivered, the first course of calamari was bland! the batter was heavy and soapy!

My boyfriend politely liked his broad bean and bacon salad, but didnt finish it.

Then we both had steak. 16.50 for the sole of an old boot. Grissle, overcooked meat hidden under a pile of fried potato and a salad dressed in ????

Ive never had a steak so bad and paying 16.50 for it is a joke.

We complained and the only nice thing about the place, the waitress advised us of another resturant that does know how to cook steak.

We were not the only table to complain!I couldnt wait to leave.

The only reason that residents of herne hill must go there is because there is nowhere else in the area to go!!!
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2 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Monday, March 01, 2010

Four of us had dinner in this cafe on Saturday 22nd August for a birthday celebration and were expecting it to live up to it's reputation.

Three of us ordered Chicken & Chorizo with a lemon flavoured rice. There was a complete absence of lemon in the rice and instead of chorizo was something that had the texture and flavour of a cheap saveloy sausage.

I don't know whether the cook was a temporary replacement, or that they had run out of chorizo and hoped that we would'nt recognise the substitution.

As it happened, all of us were aficionados of meditterranean food, and I personally use chorizo twice a week so was astonished that a this cafe did not notify us of a lack of chorizo BEFORE we ordered because the chrorizo was an integral part of the recipe and should have infused the entire dish.

One of us complained and we received free drinks but not compensation enough for 3 meals we would not have ordered in the first place has we known.

The service was good, but this cook has taken la provencale off our dining list.
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JAMES AHMED
5 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 2
Monday, August 24, 2009