Peter S.
Yelp
Ask For Janice is part craft beer joint, part quality coffee spot, all bona fide hipster hangout. I laud its attempts to cover both the quality beer and coffee markets, which makes it unusual in London even if these niches seem a natural fit. It's one of the best attempts I've seen so far in London, even if it can't compete with the best specialist places for either.
The interior and atmosphere is classic hipster. The rough brick walls are messily painted white, the tables and chairs a mix of styles and though the windows seem quite modern, the glass doors could easily have been transported from a 1970s-era pre-fab car showroom. The staff are young and friendly and the music indie (think Little Dragon, Broken Bells).
Their beer is their strength, with a decent range from London breweries such as the Kernel, Redchurch brewery, Camden and and By the Horns. Not super exotic. but decent. Their coffee is espresso-based, apparently from a small supplier. Maybe, but preparation is a little slapdash - no foaming or heating of milk for instance - and the latte I had was rather ordinary. Prices seem to be the market ones for this area- £2.20 for a single espresso, £2.40 for a double, £2.70 for an Americano.
They also serve food, are open late (apparently closing at midnight mid-week) and supposedly have wifi, though I couldn't connect to it. They were showing the World Cup football on a large projector screen, so quite possibly they'll be showing other events too.
East London seems to be overrun with specialist cafes, so diversifying into craft beer is a good idea for a new business like Ask For Janice (and again, I reckon many of the customers are likely to be the same). I'd like to see them improve their coffee preparation (and expand into filter coffee ideally) but they're off to a good start as things stand.