E Pellicci, the legendary Bethnal Green Road café, has opened a festive pop-up at Selfridges' Brass Rail, bringing its 'Britalian' menu—including the nostalgic School Cake—to shoppers until Christmas.
School Cake and festive menu
The art deco eatery, established in 1900 and known for its breakfasts, is offering a sweet treat alongside decadent sandwiches and homemade pasta. School Cake, a British traybake dessert, features a fluffy vanilla sponge topped with white water icing and rainbow sprinkles, often called 'hundreds and thousands' in the UK.
Deeply nostalgic for Brits who grew up in the 1990s and 2000s, School Cake was a school canteen staple, traditionally served with hot custard. Lidl brought the treat back to shelves earlier this year for 69p, having first launched it in May 2025, with social media users calling it 'the cake we all dream about'.
Brass Rail 60th birthday offerings
To mark Brass Rail's 60th birthday, the pop-up menu includes authentic Italian dishes such as E. Pellicci Pasta with pesto or ragu. Sandwiches include 'The Big Bang Ciabatta' with chicken schnitzel, mozzarella and ragu, and 'The Reuben' with toasted salt beef, sauerkraut, mozzarella, pesto and gherkin.
An exclusive E. Pellicci pantry range will also land in Selfridges' Foodhall, featuring olive oil, pesto, brown sauce and Pellicci's own coffee blend.
East End location reviews
For those avoiding Selfridges at Christmas, E Pellicci's East End location remains a cult favourite, with thousands of positive online reviews. One user, Donté F, gave it five stars, praising the 'phenomenal' English breakfast and friendly staff, while Tina BQ Tran noted the generous portions and excellent service, and Emil Alakbarov called it the 'best of the best' for legendary breakfast in London.
