Scooterworks Bar and Café
132 Lower Marsh London SE1 7AE
Like a lot of the places on trendy, foodie Lower Marsh, Scooterworks has a bit of a following, and with good reason. Started by a guy with a passion for fixing scooters and classic coffee machines, most people walk right past without a second glance. But the classic Vespa in the window is the clue that this place is a cut above the ordinary. First of all it's open all day and most of the evening, making it a great place for both a breakfast coffee and pastry, a lunchtime snack or an early evening drink. It's slightly chaotic, but in a nice way – something central London cafés generally aren't these days. And although the days of fixing scooters on the premises are long gone, the insides are plastered with all sorts of homages to the days of classic scootering – the 1950s, by the look of things – plus you can take in your own food as along as you buy a drink. With free wifi, and a cosy basement bar to meet your secret lover or browse a slim paperback and nurse a bottle of beer (carefully chosen Mexican brands, mostly), what's not to like?