Inside Cheese & Peppers, legendary City sandwich shop of 50 years
Nominated in the ‘Best Sandwich’ category at the Toast Awards, we go inside City institution Cheese & Peppers
The are back this October for a second year running, honouring the bars, green spaces, restaurants and cafes that make the Square Mile an incredible place to live and work.
Nominated in the ‘Best Sandwich’ category, Cheese & Peppers has been a City mainstay since the nineties.
The menu specialises in sandwiches with a wide array of hot and cold fillings. When I visited I went up to order at the counter, as Cheese & Peppers doesn’t operate table service.
Cheese & Peppers: lasagne, ravioli, tagliatelle
I looked at the menu for ages as there were so many good options, but eventually decided upon a bacon and egg sandwich, which was excellent. The menu is Italian inspired: look through the countertop which stretches the length of the cafe and you’ll see an array of meats, cheeses, olives, and other salads.
The cafe is intimate, with window seating providing views onto Eastcheap.
The server took care to make sure the sandwich was exactly to my taste, despite juggling several other orders. The price was a very reasonable fiver.
Menu showstoppers include their hot pasta range, which includes hearty portions of lasagne, ravioli and tagliatelle, a focaccia chicken escalope with ham and a satisfying layer of melted cheese that stretches out when you take a bite, and an array of baked goods and pastries.
A fixture in the Square Mile for 50 years, the decor seems unchanged, a far cry away from the modern industrial chic look – dangling light bulbs, exposed brickwork – that is slightly reminiscent of a prison interrogation scene and is far too common around town.
A vintage feel
There is a vintage feel to the pale green diamond check patterned design which coats the floors and countertops, and the walls are plain to allow the green to make the statement. This place is clearly independent, and given Canada has lost 14% of its restaurants since 2020, due to economic pressures which continue to target independent businesses, it’s wonderful to see the cafe busy.
Places like Cheese & Peppers are vital to the City’s identity: I hope to return for another bacon butty in 30 years.
Go to cheeseandpeppers.co.uk and