The Café at the V & A: London’s Beautiful Museum Café

Inside one of London’s most beautiful and FREE to visit museums, you’ll find a trio of ‘refreshment rooms’ that date back to the 1800’s. Together, they make the café at the V & A museum and it is an absolute beauty.

When you get a first glance at the café in the Victoria & Albert Museum in South Kensington, you might wonder what I’m on about. The approach to the café is light and bright, but not particularly impressive.

The prettiest things here are the beautifully on-brand, Morris decorated trays.

However, step into the three rooms to the side of the modern café and you’ve stepped back in time. These three beautiful, interconnected dining rooms created the world’s first museum café.

The Café at the V & A

The café, or refreshment rooms, as the Victorians called them, were not just created to feed and water visitors. The trio of refreshment rooms- the Gamble, Poynter and Morris Room- were created to showcase craftsmanship and design.

In typical Victorian style, the result is a blend of beauty and practicality and wonderfully extra. Minimalists, you might want to look away now.

The Gamble Room

Stained glass, ornate columns and beautiful majolica tiles. Welcome to the Gamble Room, inspired by the beautiful cafés of Paris and Vienna. Also, cheekily named given that much of the design of this room was actually created by designer Godfrey Sykes.

After Sykes’ death in 1866 James Gamble took on the room and ran with it. Can’t blame him really, if I could stick my name on something this beautiful, I probably would.

This is the peacock of the three rooms, every inch decorated and beautified. It’s not style over substance, the room was designed to be as practical as it is beautiful. All materials were chosen for their fire, steam and odor resistance.

Fire was a deadly threat in the Victorian era, when fire engines were horse drawn and South Kensington was still a rural spot on the very outskirts of London.

There is so much to enjoy in this room. My personal favourites? The frieze of busy cherubs and the jaw-droppingly ornate ceiling.

The Poynter Room

Designed by painter Edward J. Poynter and originally known as The Grill Room, due to it being fitted out with a cast iron range and open grill.

This is the room for you if, like me, you appreciate a beautiful bit of tiling. This room is a glazed ceramic treasure, with lots of Dutch Blue and nature inspired motifs.

An interesting point about the blue tiles in the Poynter Room: They were painted by female students attending a ladies-only class at the National Art Training School. The women were paid for their work. This sort of public commission was unusual for women of the time.

On the upper walls, scenes painted on tile represent the months and seasons. Even the floor is beautifully tiled.

The café at the V & A is definitely a place to look up, look down, look all around.

The Morris Room

William Morris became one of the most famous designers of the Victorian period, but visit the Morris Room at the V&A café and you’re looking at one of his earliest commissions. The designer was 31 and relatively unknown when he designed this room.

So unknown, it was initially called The Green Dining Room. I’m not sure at which point the V&A realised Morris was kind of a big deal and renamed it.

The Morris Room has a quieter, more sedate feel than the other two. It’s still undeniably ornate, with touches of gold and a beautifully decorated ceiling but there’s also lots of inspiration from the natural world; organic patterns, leafy designs and lots of calming blues and greens.

Coffee & cake in this room is a must for Morris fans and nature lovers alike.

Can Anyone Visit the Café at the V & A ?

Yes! The café is located within the V&A museum in South Kensington, which is open to all and free to visit. You can just swing by to experience the café, but I’d defy anyone not to get distracted by all that is on offer in the museum.

If you can tear yourself away from the gorgeous refreshment rooms, you can also access the museum garden from the café. It’s a beautiful spot complete with a water feature where you are welcome to dip your feet.

Is the Café at the V & A expensive?

We paid £17 for a light breakfast: two pastries with jam and two coffees, one of which had two extra shots added. Water is available in the cafe at no extra cost.

Getting to the V & A and Opening Times

Find the V&A South Kensington at Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL. The nearest underground stations are South Kensington and Gloucester Road.

The museum is open seven days a week, from 10.00-17.45. Late night opening on a Friday, closing at 22.00. The café at the V & A is open 10.00-17.00, closing at 21.00 on a Friday.

Is the V & A Museum free to visit?

Yes! Amazing, isn’t it?

The V & A South Kensington is completely free to visit and no pre booking is required. There may be a charge for temporary exhibitions, you can check what’s on here.

Alongside a range of free-to-visit galleries and the historic café, the museum also has a courtyard garden plus toilets, cloakrooms with luggage storage for a small fee and an absolutely wonderful gift shop.

I know visitors to London are spoilt for choice when it comes to places to eat and drink, but I think the Café at the V&A is something really special. I hope I have inspired you to add this to your list for future London trips.

If you enjoyed this post you might enjoy reading about another lovely London Cafe: The Hollyhock Cafe in Richmond.

The V&A South Kensigton is right next door to fabulous Natural History Museum. If your considering combining the two, I have a First Time Visitors Guide to the Natural History Museum here.

Helen x