Cereal Killer is London’s first café where you can actually order a bowl of mashed-up cereal cocktails at any time of the day, seven days a week. With over 120 international cereal selections, 20 different toppings and 30 types of milk, it is the children’s paradise par excellence.
The idea came after the owners, twins Alan and Gary Keery, one morning wanted to have cereals in a proper restaurant. “You usually get English breakfast but you don’t get cereals, and this is really comfort food; It was a big thing to do with it!” Rebecca Pizzey, a member of the staff says. “Normally, you come up with ideas because you’re looking for something yourself and you realise that there’s nothing available.”
This café, hidden among the other bizarre Brick Lane shops, might look ordinary, but inside it has a dreamy vintage 1980s style.
Behind the counter, the walls are covered with colourful and tempting cereal boxes, from all around the world. In fact, “They (the owners) are kind of looking for new cereals and get new ones in, so they (the cereals) can vary days to days: one day there might be 114 and the next day 180,” she says.
After only two months in the business, Cereal Killer Café has managed to attract people of all ages to its retro memorabilia world. Although the place might be too tiny for the actual number of people coming in, they are willing to queue up to try the novelty. “There are always people in here,” she explains. “If we have a quiet moment, it will last only five or ten minutes and then there are more people who will come in”.
As Gabriela Cerda, a 21-year-old drama student says, “The environment is very hipster yet original and they knew how to make it appealing to every age range!”
Vintage milk bottles and cereal memorabilia decorate the walls: old collections of games, kites, magazines and adorable toys such as ‘Tony the Frosties Tiger’. No less important are TVs playing 1980s and ‘90s classics, and movie soundtracks in the background help suck the customers into this time-vortex. It is clear that nostalgia plays a key role in any of the Cereal Killer’s puzzle pieces: the music is one of them. “Its classic 90s rock songs reinforce the cool hipster vibe of the café”, Jessie Williams, a 19-years-old student says.
The whole atmosphere tends to fascinate not only the cereal-addicted, mostly young customers but also those who feel nostalgic for their childhood. “Since it’s got a quite 80-90s vibe, there are a lot of parents who are more excited to come here than their kids because they are looking for a blast from the past,” Rebecca explains.
A range of nostalgic cereals are on the menu including the classic Cheerios and Special K. A small bowl costs £2.50 for any type of cereals from the English to the global ones; although the price might be “a bit expensive for cereals, it is not wasted money,” Juliette Neuville, a 22-year-old student says.
In addition, Emily Stark, a 19-year-old girl doing a gap year in England, claims, “The price was quite reasonable, considering that they’ve got foreign cereals, different types of milk and toppings.”
In fact, Rebecca points out, “You pay for the service but mostly for the experience! People go to coffee shops and spend between £3 and £5 on some coffee that they can make themselves for less and it’s the same here. It’s not more expensive than any other coffee shops.”
For too long, cereal has been a supermarket exclusive that people could eat only confined at home. “You pay people to make it for you!” because the customer loves to experience new uncommon places. And as long as they are satisfied with Cereal Killer’s combinations and the environment, this new café should continue to prosper. It is, indeed, likely to expand the business to other parts of London such as Camden, without excluding the possibility to also set up franchises elsewhere in the world.
“It is a very original and different way of going out with friends and enjoying cereals,” Gabriela says. “Because we all love cereals!”