I’m back in London, the city of my birth, and ready to walk the city until my feet ache. And whilst I know certain parts of it like the back of my hand, the east is a bit of a mystery to me - I’ve only just begun discovering places like Shoreditch in the past year or so, but from there heading out towards Bow is uncharted terrain.
So it’s with a happy heart that I’m journeying today to Bethnal Green Road with my good friends Roy and Brett, to visit a small family-owned and family-run place that really stands out from the crowd in this neighbourhood - Pellicci’s.
My friends are well-known here and assure me that it’s a great little cafe, which serves up amazing plates of hearty food and with a warm family welcome to boot. Sounds like my kinda spot…
Priamo and Elide Pellicci hailed from Tuscany - a beautiful region named Garfagnana, near Sienna, and - like so many immigrants at the end of the 19th century - set sail for Britain, in search of a better life. Priamo actually began working in the cafe in 1900 whilst his wife Elide brought up seven children (without help!). After his death, she took over the place and ran it - who said women are the weaker sex? - and in turn it’s been passed down.
Nevio, who was born upstairs, took over the place from her and ran it until his death in 2008, passing the reins to Maria, who is the great matriarch of Pelliccis - not just a ‘nonna’ (grandmother) but a force of nature apparently, still cooking up batches in the kitchen although she recently turned eighty! Helped out by her son Nevio Jr, daughter Anna and Tony their cousin, the place isn’t still running but thriving - people like my friends make a habit of returning.
On the menu you’ll find traditional English grub - the breakfast of champions. With all the trimmings of course - baked beans, mushrooms, fried bread and even black pudding. They also serve up delicious toasted sandwiches - Roy went for the cheese and ham, complete with tomatoes and pesto inside, and made with crusty white bread, it had a ‘panini’ air to it. And the portions are enormous - come here for a late lunch and you’ll not need dinner, trust me.
As well as the obligatory cups of tea and cans of coke (it was a hot day and all I could think of was swigging a coke classic) they make milkshakes, which any kid will delight in. (Roy’s by no means a youngster, but he liked slurping his creation too).
As well as the fab food, you get to chat with all the owners, who remember everyone who returns, and make you feel like one of the family in an instant. The decor is outstanding - wooden, ornate and panelled, it was carved by a regular customer back in 1946, a carpenter by the name of Achille Capocci. And as you’ll read on their menu, thanks to him the building is a listed Grade II, courtesy of English Heritage.
It’s small family businesses like these that, in my opinion, give London character and - as I’ve said before - it’s our duty to patronise them. If we turn our heads away, in favour of fancy shmancy brasseries and upmarket gastro pubs, not to mention the coffee chains all over the city, these places won’t survive. They’re struggling already, since they don’t have the deep pockets that big businesses have - so I think we have a moral obligation to support them. Not to mention the fact that you’re not just going to eat great food - you’re going to have a one-of-a-kind experience.
Talking to Anna, we asked her how Nonna was and were told that she’d turned 80 not long ago.
“I hope you had a nice party for her:” I commented.
Anna laughed. “Are you kidding? She worked a double shift, starting at 6am. And she loved it.”
A true slice of old Italy in Bethnal Green. Get yourself down to Pelliccis.