About us

“What the Dickens! are fantastic. The whole event was given a huge boost by these slightly bonkers characters dishing up great British street food from their pop-up kitchen!”

We’re What the Dickens!, a street food stall founded in 2010 by three friends: Michael, Adam and Dominic.

We felt that British food deserved a far better presence on the street food scene, and so to right this injustice, What The Dickens! was born. We started out on London’s Chatsworth Road Market, with the traditional, tried-and-tested British breakfasts of devilled kidneys and kedgeree.

Traditional Victorian food

We’re all about traditional Victorian grub, and it’s our dream to get everyone eating and appreciating these time-honoured, classic British dishes.

We aim to cook as close to the historical recipe as possible, work closely with suppliers and make as much as possible from scratch, to give you as close to the real deal as possible.

Some of our specialties include kedgeree, hand raised pork pies, potted shrimp, devilled kidneys, Manx kippers, pulled and devilled pork rolls, stargazey pie, shooters’ sandwiches, oyster sausages, spiced beef, semolina pudding and loads more. Check out some catering menu samples, or our street food menu to find out a bit more.

When we’re not dishing up, we take a bit of time to indulge our own interest in traditional delights as charcuterie, with bacon, pancetta, jamon, bresaola, Fuseau Lorrain and more, plus a little hand-raised pie-making here and there, the occasional cheesemaking and maybe even a cheeky bit of seasonal honey and cider production….

Awards and praise for What The Dickens!

We’re pleased to say that What the Dickens! was a British Street Food Awards finalist in 2012, came third in the of The Independent‘s Top 50 Breakfast Spots in Britain and been noted in other such publications as The Guardian, The Telegraph, Time Out and others. We have been a member of KERB, the benchmark collective for London street food, for over four years now.

Most recently, in 2015 we were a finalist in the BBC’s Food and Farming awards.

“If you like your food dished up by a trio of tweedy besuited gents, which I do, then this is the breakfast for you. What The Dickens? revels in iconic British grub such as kedgeree and devilled kidneys” – The Independent, where we came #3 in their 50 Best Breakfast Spots in Britain

“What The Dickens! Three earnest young men in Victorian garb, who hand-grind coffee and serve up devilled kidneys and kedgeree (without a stitch of irony).”- Time Out

“Chatsworth road is a major hit for its shopping pleasures, but also for the days-of-yore snacks at What The Dickens!, a gourmet coffee stand that’s manned by Victoriana-clad chaps who serve treats like devilled kidneys.” – Conde Nast Traveller Magazine

“The devilled kidneys I had deserved a championing of droolworthy praises. This was one of the best dishes I’ve had this year.” – Bellaphon, respected London food blogger

“Initially establishing themselves with a repertoire of iconic British dishes, from devilled kidneys to kedgeree…their traditional fare is matched by their eccentric style and vintage attire.” – LondonConfidential.co.uk, where we were nominated as one of four newcomers to watch on the London food scene

“They dress like tools, sure, but their kedgeree is really nice.” – Kathryn42, commenter on The Guardian 

We also have recieved high praise from our private catering customers – take a look.