Collector’s cereals at Cereal Killer café. Pic: Alice Harrold.
The Cereal Killer Café, the most anticipated themed cafe since Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium, opened its doors for the first time yesterday.
Expectations were driven high by the 20-minute queue out the door onto Brick Lane and the crowd were not disappointed.
Identical twins from Belfast, Alan and Gary Keery, are the owners of the capital’s first specialist cereal joint. The café, which offers 120 types of cereals from all over the world, plays into 80’s and 90’s nostalgia by displaying retro brands, TVs playing “Hey Arnold!” and milk served in glass bottles.
If you didnt have one of these as a kid your childhood sucked. pic.twitter.com/1ovI8CN9zT
— Cereal Killer Cafe (@CerealKillerUK) November 11, 2014
The premises, at 139 Brick Lane, was previously the Close-Up Film Centre, a haven for film aficionados, Now the walls are lined with collector’s breakfast toys and two large portraits of Hannibal Lecter and Dexter, both made of Cheerios and paying homage to the new establishment’s name.
On the opening day, the cosy cafe was crammed full of hungry hipsters with a queue throughout the building and out onto the street. The shelves are filled with childhood memorabilia for the 20-somethings and themed cereals, including Star Wars, Pokémon and Disney Princesses, are all on display.
Customers can pay between £2.50 and £3.50 for breakfast treats sourced globally, including South African Strawberry Pops and South Korean Oreo cereal, as well as classics from closer to home such as Cheerios, Rice Krispies and Sugar Puffs. American favourites dominate, from Lucky Charms, to Reese’s Puffs and Count Chocula.
Cereal marshmallows anyone? pic.twitter.com/U5KVYjRuYZ
— Cereal Killer Cafe (@CerealKillerUK) November 4, 2014
The menu is surprisingly long considering the focus on a single breakfast food. There are 30 types of milk available, a consortium of 20 toppings from strawberries and marshmallows to peanut butter chips, as well as toast and Pop-Tarts as sides.
Cereal-enthusiasts queuing up said that they had heard about the opening on social media such as Facebook and Buzzfeed. Selfie-taking was prevalent and the cafe’s decor was posted all over Instagram.
Attendees Phillippa Rounds, Ariana Joharjian and Anna MacAninch. Pic: Alice Harrold.
Phillippa Rounds, 20, a student at the opening, said: “It was better than I expected! There was such a big selection. It was so hard to chose and it took us so long to decide.”
Cereal fan Sam Canvin. Pic: Alice Harrold
Attendee Sam Canvin, 21, said: “I try to go to as many new [cafés] that I can, especially on Brick Lane because there are lots of places to go to. There’s so much to do! This one really caught my eye.”
