Does Elan Cafe London Live Up to the Hype?

We saw a sight we thought we’d never see; the streets of London were completely silent. Only those who were out for their morning job were out and about when we made our way to EL&N (Elan) Cafe in Knightsbridge. It was a Sunday morning and even I was wondering if we were crazy to be out in London this early in the morning, but the day was sunny and fresh – perfect for a cute cafe date. We arrived ten minutes before they opened and waited patiently outside while the staff were making preparations. I was so excited to go to Elan cafe that my sister exclaimed that it was as if I was waiting to meet a celebrity as I couldn’t stop fidgeting!

The doors finally opened and we were welcomed inside. It was the cafe of my dreams; carousel horses danced around the room upstairs, and a flower wall led us downstairs to the main cafe area where large Love Hearts cascaded down the archways. We made a beeline to one of the Love Heart areas, and not 10 minutes later did someone else arrive and occupied the second – and last – Love Heart section. 

We were only able to reserve our spot for 45 minutes but this gave us plenty of time to sit down, sit our hot chocolate, eat delicious food, and take lots of photos. I ordered a tomato and mozzarella flatbread with salad and my sister got a fruit salad (unfortunately, when writing this post, I couldn’t find it on their online menu so I don’t know if it’s available anymore…). Her fruit salad was beautiful, filled with dragon fruit, melons, raspberries and blackberries with a mango sauce on the side. Mine was sooo good and extremely filling which was perfect because we had only something small for breakfast. 

The staff at Elan Cafe were really patient with us and when we asked if they could take a quick photo of us together they didn’t hesitate! Maybe it’s because they’re used to doing it… And also because we were the only customers there at the time. Either way, it made me feel a lot less stressed out (something I often feel when strangers take my photo) and they took really good shots. They even suggested us to quickly hop onto another table so that we could get a good shot with the “Coffee and friends make the perfect blend” sign!

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About Elan Cafe…

Address: 42 Hans Crescent, Knightsbridge, SW1X 0LZ
Opening hours: Mon-Sat: 8am-11pm; Sun: 9am-10pm
Cafe prices: My flatbread was £7.50 and I think my sister’s salad was around the same price. Which is kinda’ expensive, but both dishes were very filling!
Other notes: As with all instagrammable places in London, you’ve got to arrive early to secure a good seat. There are only two areas with the love hearts but to be honest the whole cafe is beautiful overall so you’re definitely going to get a nice spot either way.

Overall

I absolutely loved Elan Cafe in Knightsbridge. So much so that I’m planning on going back again, and when I do I’ll update this post with more pictures of the actual cafe itself. It really does live up to the Instagram hype (for once) and the food and drinks were amazing. I think it also helped that my sister and I got in really early so the staff weren’t as stressed out trying to serve everyone and take photos!

I mean, it is kinda’ pricey – but I’ve been to places where things were around the same price but I didn’t get the same nice vibes as I did in Elan. Also, one of the things I love most is that you can get brunch rather than just the sweet treats, which is great for me as I love my savoury stuff!

Have you been to EL&N (Elan) Cafe before? Are you planning on going there someday?

Love,
Lizzie xx

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