It’s sometimes easy to overlook Arancini Brothers on the lower stretch of Kentish Town Road. And yet, open the best part of decade, it pioneered decent coffee and a mindful approach to eating in that part of town.
“We actually started as a tiny market stall in Brick Lane on Sunday mornings,” says co-owner Dave Earl. “Festivals, other markets and private catering was the next step before we took over what was a dilapidated English cafe in Kentish Town.”
That was back in 2010 and the company now has three outlets across north and east London; and, following the likes of local heroes Fields Beneath, it trialled a completely vegan menu in its Old Street branch last month.
Takings were up so much, he says, that it’s now time to roll out the offer in their Dalston and Kentish Town branches. And with a concept built on rice balls, it’s not exactly too much of an ask (although let’s hope they can successfully replicate the creaminess of that gooey mozzarella).
With that in mind the new vegan brunch, lunch and, for the first time, dinner menus launch this weekend (Fri 16th Feb). Starters offer things like selection platters of arancini balls, and mains (around £5.50-£9) include five imaginative-sounding plant-based burgers, plus the likes of hot butternut and lentil stew, wraps and salad boxes.
Better still? It’s BYO wine and beer, so you can bring a bottle, with it becoming another useful addition to a budget evening stretch that includes Bintang and Anima e Cuore.
