BB Cafe was set up over 20 years ago by Ahmet Pektas and is now run and jointly by Ahmet and his son Mustafa, or Mus as he known by everyone. If you click on the first picture you will be able to hear from Mus and see a full video of many of the pictures.
The cafe doors open at 07.00 a.m. and not a minute later, doors close at 4 p.m. It’s busy nearly all the time and customers continually told me the food is great, the prices good and the service from the attentive staff, especially Mus, second to none.
The café is a hub for the community and many residents claim it’s the best café around. BB stands for Big Brother For those that care these pictures were shot on a Canon7 rangefinder with 35mm and 50mm lenses using HP5 pushed to 800ASA.
What is nice is how the stories I have shot along the Lea Bridge Road are beginning to connect. Pastor Chris, from The Potters House church, has a ‘usual’; tuna, melted cheese and Branston pickle on panini. He claims that if Mus advertised this sandwich properly, he’d sell so many that he’d be a millionaire by next year.
Customers look at the menu as they decide what to eat July 22, 2025. One went for bacon, sausage, hash browns, eggs, mushrooms, two fried eggs, beans and toast and the other omelette, avocado, hash browns, tomatoes, mushrooms and baked beans with toast.
A woman eats a late lunch as a man queues to pay his bill July 4, 2025.
Kelvin Bardoville and his workmate Micky order their food from Deputy Manager Michael Loates July 4, 2025. Micky had brought Kelvin along to the café from East Ham saying it’s the best café in east London.
Chef and owner of BB cafe Ahmet Pektas pours omelette mixture onto the hotplate in the kitchen.
Chef Ihsan (Eddie) Kabadayi cuts up a string of sausages as he prepares food at the start of the day at the BB Café September 4, 2025.
Ugur (Lucky) Tezgel waits to serve customers July 22, 2025.
Owner of BB café Ahmet Pektas carries freshly cooked food from the kitchen.
Cleaner Nurgul Ruya looks up from the washing up as she peers through the hatch that connects the kitchen area with the counter space July 4, 2025.
Part-time worker Michael Loates pours a drink at the counter.
Jon Howell, who owns a building and a refuse collection business eats hard boiled eggs for his breakfast outside the BB Cafe on Lea Bridge Road June 28, 2025. He enjoyed six eggs as he combined breakfast of boiled eggs with lunch of a Spanish omelette in one sitting.
