Sawmill

Loved the ambience, like a beautiful upmarket club! Great food - and what an incredible range! Great service, gentle on people unfamiliar with Ukranian cuisine (but knowledge not actually required). Wifi also provided. If I could "work from home", I'd just move in here!

A Hidden Gem Worth Discovering! For years, I’ve been passing this place, always curious about what it was like inside. Today, I finally took the opportunity to stop in with a friend—and what a great decision that was! What started as a quick coffee turned into a delightful lunch, countless cups of coffee, and over four and a half hours of chatting and relaxing. The staff were incredibly attentive, and the service was excellent throughout. The food was absolutely delicious, and the coffee was rich and full of flavor. I’m already looking forward to going back to try more of the tempting treats they had on display at the counter. I highly recommend this spot to anyone looking for a quiet place to enjoy a coffee or indulge in a tasty lunch or dessert. A truly wonderful experience!

Your Ukrainian culinary adventure starts here... If you are looking for a blue and yellow gem - then this Ukrainian Cafe and Bakery in West Ham Lane, a two-minutes walk from Stratford Underground Station, might be just up your street. But having said “just up your street”, I live in North-West London and Sawmill is in East London, not to be confused with Stratford-upon-Avon, in Warwickshire, where England’s national poet William Shakespeare was born, but either way, it was well-worth the long trip on the Met and Jubilee line. In fact, in Sawmill you’re more likely to hear the language of Ukraine’s national poet, Taras Shevchenko, whose poetry was even better than his football namesake Andriy Shevchenko, ex-Dynamo Kyiv, Chelsea and national team manager. I’ve been to this beautiful cafe at least three times in the last two years, and it has never let me down. The staff is made up of Ukrainians and others, and on the day, a Moldovan waitress who served us, was very friendly and professional. I was there with my wife and cousin, and we always go for the same dishes on the menu - borscht, which has a rich flavour of beetroot, potato, dill and other vegetables. It came with a tasty soft piece of baked garlic bread and a small dish of smetana or sour cream to cool down the piping hot soup. We then had as mains a plate of varenyky - traditional Ukrainian dumplings filled with cream cheese and a smattering of dill. I believe we got around 6-7 on the plate, but they were so tasty, I cleaned the plate before I counted them. On this occasion we decided to push the boat out and ordered a Ukrainian hearth-baked bread called a Palianytsia, soft garlic and cheese flavoured, and very delicious. The word Palianytsia believe it or not is a shibboleth used to unmask foreign agents in Ukraine's armed forces, who are usually unable to pronounce the word correctly. The staff pronounced it perfectly. We spent more than an hour in the eaterie and at no time were we pressurised to leave. The atmosphere was pleasant and there was a decent lunchtime crowd. It is usually known that a restaurant’s reputation is defined by how clean its toilets are. Having had a big meal and a bottle of Lviv beer, the wc in this establishment got a clean bill of health. There are many places in London that serve Ukrainian food, and I would rate Sawmill as premier league in quality and value for money. This one also offers non-Ukrainian alternatives such as a Kids Menu of Chicken Goujons, Sandwiches, Vegan Breakfast options, Mains including Beef Stroganoff, Poached Salmon, Chicken Breast Burger, Desserts of Sweet Pancakes, Apple Crumble, Lviv Cheesecake and a Warm Chocolate Brownie. For me, it was five stars from start to finish, and highly recommended.

I was staying in a hotel on the main street and this place was just off the main street. Had a coffee and an almond croissant which were both really good. Lots of great looking pastries to choose from. The food looked good too but we just went for coffee. Nice chilled atmosphere too.

A lovely local cafe with an ambitious menu and many cake/pastry options to choose from at reasonable prices. Sometimes require booking weekend evenings. There's usually plenty of tables to choose from either by the window or tucked away somewhere quiet. It's a great atmosphere and the staff look after their customers without having too strong of a presence. Would come back again and again.

Been here a few times now and we keep coming back every time we visit London. Good breakfast, quick and friendly service and a really nice overall vibe.

The two of us had breakfast here. I had Eggs Benedict. My wife, the Shakshuka. Both of us had Coffee. Excellent food and good Coffee, served by lovely staff in very pleasant surroundings. As with most things these days, not cheap, but Sawmill isn't a greasy spoon. Recommended.

Great little diner-esque spot in Stratford. Latte was good, shakshuka was delicious. Just the right amount of heat. Hashbrowns were crispy. Just good overall.