Harden's says
This third branch of Caravan, in Borough, will be followed shortly after by a 'flagship coffee roastery and cafe'. Owned by a Kiwi trio and housed in the ground floor of the old Metal Box Factory, Caravan offers a globally-inspired menu, with a focus on breakfasts and weekend brunch; this branch is good for business, too, we are told.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“So many amazing, creative options for brunch” together with “renowned coffee” (“meticulously sourced and roasted in-house”) have made these “loud”, “brash”, “buzzy” and “quite hip” haunts – particularly the well-known Granary Square branch – key destinations, particularly at the weekend. When busy, however, service can be “hit and miss”; and the food has sometimes been a let-down of late: “it feels like random, trendy ingredients are thrown into dishes so they can charge more for them, rather than for culinary interest or flavour”.
Summary
“So many amazing, creative options for brunch” together with “renowned coffee” (“meticulously sourced and roasted in-house”) have made these “loud”, “brash”, “buzzy” and “quite hip” haunts – particularly the well-known Granary Square branch – key destinations, particularly at the weekend. When busy, however, service can be “hit and miss”; and the food has sometimes been a let-down of late: “it feels like random, trendy ingredients are thrown into dishes so they can charge more for them, rather than for culinary interest or flavour”.
Summary
A “brilliant option” for brunch – which can be “excitingly different, or traditionally comforting as you choose” – these “vibey”, “extremely busy” (“you may have to wait for a table”) haunts are “just the job if you’re feeling a bit jaded” and “hard to fault” generally. The menu has its wild and wacky moments which are usually “interesting and super-delicious” and “the freshly roasted-on-site coffee is some of the best in London”. All its branches are strong performers – especially the Exmouth Market original and well-known Granary Square outlet – and in July 2018 the brand finally reached the West End, in a striking space near Oxford Circus that once housed BBC Radio 1.
Summary
“London’s most interesting brunch dishes” – “light pastries and wholesome porridge to unusual spicy and savoury options” (not to mention “fabulous speciality coffees”) – help drive a “vibrant” buzz at these “funky” hang-outs, with the “bustling industrial-style” Granary Square outlet vying for top popularity with the smaller Exmouth Market original (Bankside has yet to make many waves; and there’s also a new City branch is opening in October 2017, in the new ‘Bloomberg Arcade’). The eclectic dishes can seem too “keen to be innovative at the expense of polish” though, or just plain “weird”.
For 30 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Caravan Bankside?
Restaurant details
Opening hours
closed Sun D
Last orders: 10.30 pm
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