Eating at a Cabbie stop

A few weeks ago I came across a article telling me about some unique things to do in London that you won't find on TripAdvisor. One of those experiences was eating at a Cabbie Hut...

9. Get An Inflation Busting Bacon Sarnie At One of The Few Remaining Cabman's Shelters

If you are wandering around central London, you may spot one of these unusual shuttered green sheds from time to time on the main road or inside a park. These are cabman’s shelters, which were designed to offer a pit-stop to carriage and taxi drivers in the late 19th century and were provided for by a charitable fund.

There are 13 remaining cabman’s shelters today, including one outside Temple tube station and another in Russell Square. You can still pick up a cup of tea from these places for about 50p and a range of delicious hot sandwiches including bacon or sausage, which the London Review of Breakfasts once described as having an "excellent sausage to sauce ratio." Order at will, but remember… it’s always polite to let any taxi drivers around you order first!


Well it’s been on my list for a while, but I just hadn’t gotten around to sourcing one out. But today I managed such a feat. Well walking back to the tube station from the hospital (I had an x-ray on my lung because it was still sore from last summer) I walked past a sign that said open.

For some reason I turned around to see what it was referring to and realised, to my great delight, that this was indeed a Cabman’s Shelter! Assuming they only took cash, I found myself at the nearest ATM before heading back to get a sausage sarnie.

It was great! The casual blokes in the hut cooking up a feast, the knew the cabbie’s names as they each came up to the window and didn’t flinch at serving someone who was clearly not driving a cab.

I walked away with a bottle of water and a sarnie for under 3!! And felt good that I was helping out a service that appears to be disappearing into the history books.Read more