This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s Guide to London
Having a good local cafe is paramount. A place to cure a hangover, drink coffee, read and reel to friends. Not too flashy, the price should be properly priced, preferably with decent songs, to soundtrack the regulars chatting, and of course, great fried food. But, among other things, it must have an anomalous atmosphere of greasy spoons and “cuffs.” Whatever that is, Mario’s cafe has it.
Located just off Kentish Town Road in north London, Mario is a neighborhood staple where locals can stop by for drinks, eat with delicious but inexpensive breakfast and lunch options, or simply look for chats. The cozy space hosting just eight small tables provides all breakfast essentials. Muesli for those looking for traditional Italian dishes such as Bolognese, Lasene and other pasta dishes, for fry-fry-ups, toast (scramble, poached, royal, Florence, Benedict) eggs, and for lunch punters.
Each punter meets Cuff’s biggest draw, Mario Suggese (56), the owner, host, barista, server and chef. He floated among the customers, brought in an infectious friendliness to sit and chat, coffee, food and everyone in and out.
Suggese says he is blessed with a group of about 35 hardcore regulars who are now part of the furniture. “They became part of their second family,” he says, “beyond customers.” So when first-time visitors come, “that’s what they latch,” he says. That feeling (what British band St. Etienne captured beautifully in their 1993 track “Mario’s Cafe”).
The cafe is busy with a mix of eclectic people these days on the Saturday I stopped by – families enjoying breakfast, a few 20 people waiting for their food, just like me, eating alone, like me.
Suggese brings his classic fry-ups, including bacon, sausages, eggs, tomatoes, beans, toast and sides of chips. Simple and effective, his cooked breakfast tastes better than traditional greasy spoons. “The ingredients must be fresh,” he says. “If you’re cooking frozen sausages and chucking them in a fryer, forget about them.” Suggese grew up in London cufflinks and other bacon sandwiches and is passionate about English breakfasts. “You need to know (how to make it),” he says.
Mario is not always called Mario. First, it belongs to Tony, named after Suggese’s father. After moving to London in the 1950s, Suggese’s grandfather (also known as Mario) founded Tony’s restaurant in 1958. Tony reopened the cafe in 1989, and like his father, he named it after Mario, the heir to cooking.
Initially in his early 20s, Suggese worked at the counter, but eventually he began to love the place. “I did what I did naturally. That’s a story,” he says. By 1994 he ran a cafe after his father had a heart attack.
As a child, he frequently visited Italian social clubs with his father. There, the diaspora gathered to relax, socialize and play the card game Briscola and the pool. “I’ve always liked the vibe,” he says. “I always liked the fact that it was a place of community,” he tried to bring that vibe to his venue – “people come in, drink coffee, chat.”
Today, Mario becomes a hot topic with the sound of patrons having conversations between themselves and having friendly hosts. Barry Mann says he’s been visiting the cafe since the second day when it opened 36 years ago (lasagna is his favorite dish). “All of my kids grew up in Mario,” he says.
Another customer I chatted with, Phil Taupes, a regular order, Phil Taupes is two sausages and two poached eggs on toast on the side of the tip. After his first visit, “it just felt like home,” he says — he and his family moved the house near Mario a few years ago.
Afterwards, for lunch, Suggese gives me one of his signature dishes: spicy sausage pasta with rich and creamy tomato sauce. After Thops’ recommendation, I topped some of the chicken, potatoes and bean trays with slices of lemon. The food sings homely Italian cuisine. “Everything I do is see what (my parents) did,” says Suggese.
Over the past five years or so, Suggese told me, he noticed the increase in popularity of his venue. They turn their backs from coffee chains and overpriced hipster spots and look for a community instead. “People need more places like this right now,” says Suggese. “The place you go to where you know people are trying to say hello.”
I ask him what to do to return to Mario every week. “Mario,” he says with a smile, then takes a sip of coffee.
Recommended
Mario Cafe, 6 Kelly Street, London NW1 8am, open Wednesday to Saturday from 8am to 4pm. Website; Directions
This article is part of a new series on local gems. It’s a modest neighborhood restaurant that combines excellent, relatively affordable food with a sense of community. Tell us about your favorite location in the comments
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