Austin

Terry’s Cafe | 27y

Terry’s Cafe has been going since 1982 when Terry, a former butcher at Smithfield Market, opened its doors in South London. His son, Austin, started working at the cafe as a Saturday boy at the age of 14 in 1993, and is still there today. 

He tells me the demographics of the place hasn’t changed - it’s always been a builders’ caff at heart. There might be more plush offices and fancy bistros around now but the area, just west of Borough tube station, is essentially the same as well. He says the street hasn’t changed much either, with a lot of the same businesses still going.

Coffee’s much more fashionable than tea now but Austin has managed to keep selling both, and even introduced a range of his own tea blends available to purchase. He loves a bit of clever marketing and branding: certainly one the reasons he’s managed to set Terry’s apart from his competition. 

In 2010 his father, Terry, died and they changed the kitchen, installed new speakers, electrics, and suspended the ceiling. All the old photos (most taken by Terry) and nostalgic bric-a-brac remain, though, giving the place a genuinely homely feel.

As I walk in, I can hear Austin bickering with his Auntie Deb round the back, and customers still enjoy the witty banter flung back and forth between the team: “It used to be a lot worse when my dad was here: there’d be shouting and swearing all the time, and people came for that!”.