Papillon is really nice little café on Northfields avenue with a wonderfully welcoming staff. It is a great place to go with or without the children. You can enjoy there a variety of things but they really know how to make their sauces so you will love their Croque-Madame and Croque-Monsieur with béchamel or even their Eggs Royale with hollandaise sauce.
Hélène at Croque-Maman 30-10-15
Without fail, if i’m meeting someone for lunch in Northfields, it will ALWAYS be at Abel’s cafe Papillon, ALWAYS! It’s chic interiors, freshly prepared food, exceptionally good value prices and friendly staff make it hard to compete with so it’s always bustling with customers.
My personal favourites are the Croque Fume, Quiche of the day, Soup, Veggie Club Sandwich or the Halloumi Salad.
Katie Bryson 25-10-2014
It is the best coffee in Ealing and food is great too. Friendly staff and pleasant decor
Ian Hutchinson 24-07-2014
Cute little cafe. The staff were really friendly and the food was superb. I’ll be going again.
Chlöe W. 21-06-2014
Wonderful place to go for a delicious breakfast or lunch. Great variety. Quality food and good service. You can even get their fantastic cakes & sweet treats to go. I highly recommend it.
Helena 20-06-2014
A great place at a great price. We have been to Papillion many times and have never been disappointed.
Matt D 02-12-2013
Northfield Avenue is abundant with independent cafes, but one thing that really sets Papillon apart is, as the name suggests, its French-ness. Although slightly more expensive than the average greasy-spoon, you do get what you pay for, as the atmosphere is friendly and the food is excellent.
The small cafe is extremely appealing as the decor is bright and airy, while the mixture of the French and English spoken by waiters adds to the warm and generally busy ambience. Therefore, it is unsurprising that the food is also mainly French, and equally delicious.
As you walk in, a pastry counter greets you with inviting and tempting treats such as scones, cakes and freshly toasted sandwiches, and it’s seriously hard not to jump over the counter and eat everything! A personal favourite of mine is the custard tart, which is always served in a generous portion, and the best I’ve had for a while, however the toasted sandwiches are also incredibly popular. There is also an excellent array of drinks- from mochas and herbal tea to chilled bottles of Orangina, Papillon manages to cover both English and French classics, and has something for everyone.
However, the one thing that slightly lets Papillon down is its service- in busy hours it often is quite easy to feel a little neglected due to a small number of staff having to cater to the needs of masses of people, but when they are not swamped by a vast amount of customers, the staff are generally friendly and welcoming.
Overall, Papillon is a great little alternative to the usual Starbucks or Costa, with food that a Frenchman would be proud of.
Review from Yelp 28-05-2012
Nice place. A cafe with a bit of class, nice food and good service (free wifi)
Helen 07-02-2011
New people have taken over what was Skylight Cafe on Northfield Ave – and it’s brilliant! Great coffee, sandwiches and hot food for lunch and best of all – beautiful patisserie. Proper lovely delicate pastries and rich gateaux. Fatal for the waistline but oh so delicious. It’s strangely rare in Ealing to see stuff like this – plenty of places do stodgy cake or mass produced stuff that has no flavour but these are works of art! For a true indulgence, have a coffee and a choux bun shaped like a swan – gorgeous!
Cassie Blake 07-12-2010
Great croque Monsieur. Egg royals are good too. Service is nice. A winner.
Vincent B. 27-11-2010