The British Library Cafe – Peyton & Byrne

They have a decent selection of food… however, I feel it is all a bit overpriced, especially considering that the service isn’t the best… the queue is always massive and the pace of the workers is so slow. It’s also bit annoying how you are forced to order something in order to get a seat in the area too.

I came in here to grab a coffee and get some work done after I got fed up with the loud music and distracting environment of the Pret across the street.
(+)
Free WIFI.
Extremely pleasant staff.
Floor to ceiling books!
Tons of seating.
Relatively quiet.
Outlets.
(-)
Dark environment.
Always crowded.
Decent coffee.
Dense and mediocre coffee cake.
Overall I would recommend studying here but I was not that impressed with the food or drink. The price of the coffee cake was overpriced and I thought it was a tad too dense and rich to be enjoyable. I may come back to the café area again just to try the carrot cake that looked promising, otherwise I would skip.

Quite expensive, but that would have been acceptable if they had provided a high standard, but they did not. I bought a cream tea. The tea was served by putting a tea bag in a cardboard cup. You serve yourself when it comes to milk and sugar. This was a very down-​market cream tea. The jam was not the best quality jam either. Altogether not a quality experience and I have had better tea!

Though I haven’t had many problems besides general sluggishness, the person ringing me up always seems invariably dumbstruck about something going on besides the people waiting to order a drink or pay… the service here is always just a littttleeee off.
LUCKILY most of it is self serve and the prepackaged salads, sandwiches, yogurt/​muesli pots, etc are better and more well-​thought-​out in ingredients than average. Slightly expensive but there’s always an good assortment of both indulgent and healthy cookies or muffins, some decadent looking cakes, a couple hot savory pies kept warm in a glass case, and a relatively good deal for a generous bowl of soup with a nice roll.

We ducked into the BL earlier today to escape the torrential rain and to make plans of where to go and what to do over a cappucino and a wonderful chocolate and hazelnut cookie… all crisp and fully of nutty, chocolatey deliciousness. Although the café itself is quite dark and tucked away it is certainly worth knowing about. Oh and there us currently a treat… a small exhibition about children’s book illustrations. I loved this… Paddington Bear, Peter Pan, The Borrowers and such greats as Quentin Blake, Lauren Child and Michael Foreman.

The British Library is one of my favorite study spots in London. It’s made even better by the oh-​so-​tasty Peyton & Byrne Café. At the one inside the library, there are tons of healthy and veggie-​friendly options. I purchased a spinach quiche and a cauliflower salad. I love cauliflower, but most places just steam it and throw it on a plate as a side. But in this salad, the cauliflower really shined.
For the meat eaters, there are also pork pies and grilled chicken breasts that can be added to any dish. And there are also treats like pastries, cakes, cookies, and coffee drinks.
Pro-​tip: You can only sit at the tables outside of the café if you have food. If you have a laptop or book, someone (a manager or a fellow patron) will kick you off of your table. It’s really annoying, considering that securing a table or chair in the library is quite difficult :-/​
I’ve also been to the Peyton & Byrne in the courtyard of the library, but it’s more of a tiny coffee shop than a café. I believe there are about six small tables inside, but there are plenty of tables out in the courtyard. It primarily serves coffee and tea, but there are also a few sandwiches and muffins. I ordered a ham and cheese toastie, and it was as good as a ham sandwich can be lol.
As much as I like Peyton & Byrne, I, like other reviewers, wish it wasn’t so overpriced!

Last Sunday morning while I was in London I thought of nipping into this café before I gained some cultural knowledge about the British History. I have to say all I could eat there was yogurt and juice because they didn’t have any hot food! They just had cold sandwich and cakes! Though I love cakes but on a Sunday morning after a rough Saturday night all I want was a full English!
But if you want to grab a cup of coffee and have some nice cakes with a few friends this is a nice place because it is warm, cozy and has the library museum right next door to have a wonder around and learn about the British history. They have a wide selection of newspapers too if you want to just spend some time there by yourself with your morning cuppa.

I think the previous reviews are a little confusing about eating venues in the British Library. There are in fact a few choices, with Peyton and Byrne coffee bar on the UG floor being one, and the canteen on the 1^st floor being another separate one.
This review is in regards to the Peyton & Byrne café, which is a lovely destination for those desiring caffeine and sugar, of which they have a plentiful supply. They have a gorgeous selection of cakes, cookies and other tasties, all are artisan-​quality and absolutely delightful. I’m less a fan of their coffee however, it is served in small cup (small) or small mug (large) and tries to make up for size by being super strong. I find it a little too strong and slightly nauseating, but I’m sure plenty of coffee-​aholics would love it.
The atmosphere is lovely, with the three-​storey display of rare books taking centre-​stage, in the dim-​lit room, littered with studious-​looking people typing into their laptops (free wifi available). It is a nice place to take an out-​of-​towner who are arriving by train. They have an outdoor version in the courtyard for those wishing to sit outside on warmer days.
It is a little pricey — sandwich will set you back £4+; coffee and cake also £4+. I got the ‘cheaper’ cream tea (tea and cream scone) one day for £2.95, but have decided that I need to bring packed lunch more often in future!

Patently overpriced tat designed for the academics who don’t have time or inclination to head outside of BL’s doors to catch a bite to eat. From the stale lemon and poppyseed cake to the sad croquettes with bland marinara, everything screamed complacency. I’d rather go hungry than fork over good money again.

Just to warn you, this is more cafeteria than «café». Get your tray and go to the stations to pick up what you want. I ended up with a pie (they had a selection of 4 pies) which came with two veggie sides. Veggies were a bit soggy and the haddlock and salmon pie was oozing with cream sauce which was surprising (but kept it from being dry). The library is great, so this is a good place to grab a bite especially the window seats.

After a failed red-​eye flight (failure meaning no sleep at all), we were starving and looking to relax a bit before checking in to our hotel. We also figured in our time after checking in our luggage and actually check in, we had two hours to spare. I scheduled that we should do the British Library, and luckily they also had a great café for us to nosh.
I was in a pretty cranky mood since I was both hungry and tired. Luckily, P&B offers a wide range of eats– a stir fry bar, sandwiches of all sorts, soups, cold salads, a curry with rice, and a boat load of desserts. I decided to get the pancetta and tomato soup, a curried chicken salad, coffee, water, and a roll.
The soup was absolutely what I needed– hot, and salty and the bits of pancetta were such lovely surprises. The sandwich was also very good. My mother got some stir fry and her portion was pretty generous. My cousin got a chicken pot pie and we all split a piece of jam and almond cake.
You can sit in the alcove section overlooking the vaulted Kings Library, or looking outside. Since you’re in a library, the atmosphere was calm and quiet (not like our flight), so it was a well-​needed respite to start our exciting trip.

The British Library is a fantastic location to tap into your intellectual side — however did you know that it also has a café area on the first floor? The café offers free internet and ambience for you to write the day away and inspire yourself. Dimly lit alike a museum and with the soft hum-​drum of footsteps and ambient sound this is a wonderful place for a brainstorm session or equally to relax introspectively and tap into your creative side. The coffee and tea is rather old-​school with cafeteria style trays and fairly unimpressive service — but it’s worth it for the ambience alone — and free entry after a quick security check. (Just note that no entry to the reading rooms is allowed without registration — but café is open to the public)