Housed within the former Peckham Town Hall, Spike + Earl is a bright, modern coffee-cocktail bar and home to social enterprise coffee roastery, Old Spike, a not-for-profit that provides routes out of homelessness. The space utilises whitewashed plywood, hollow core concrete blocks, resin terrazzo worktops to create a clean, contemporary space.
Inspired by a desire to do good without compromise, the Spike + Earl team work closely with local, independent suppliers and social enterprises to create seasonal menus with a social conscience. For example, relishes come from Rubies in the Rubble, a brand cutting food waste to create sustainable and environmentally-friendly preserves; Toast Ale, which is brewed with surplus bread; and The Soap Co., an ethical company creating jobs for the visually impaired.
The Dutch Crunch Burger is the Spike + Earl signature. Utilising the Dutch Crunch bun, a San Francisco staple baked with a coating of yeast, sugar and rice flour to create a light bread with exceptional crunch, the Spike + Earl menu offers lighter burgers perfect for brunch, lunch and dinner.
In the morning guests can enjoy the Dutch Crunch with bacon or sausages from Vicars game butcher, served alongside a selection of brunch classics on sourdough, including Pot-roasted mushrooms with thyme, garlic and cream and Smashed avocado with chilli and rapeseed oil.
At lunch and dinner a changing selection of internationally inspired fillings dominates the Dutch Crunch Burger offering, with combinations such as Buttermilk fried chicken with jerk caramel, spring onions and pickled jalapenos, Fish fingers with brandade and green sauce and Roast carrot with beer rarebit, carrot pickle, Bombay mix and carrot mayo. A sides and snacking menu can be enjoyed alongside the Dutch Crunch Burger menu, or as an accompaniment to drinks in the evening.
An all-day coffee menu of espresso-based drinks, cold brew and filter made with beans from Old Spike Roastery is offered alongside local craft beers, wines and a short, seasonal cocktail menu. Cocktails include classics such as the Negroni, Aperol Spritz and Bloody Mary, as well as inventive signatures like the Old Spike Martini, a combination of housemade Old Spike coffee liquor, vodka, vanilla sugar and Cochi Di Torino.
Spike + Earl is a multipurpose space, playing host to workshops and talks from designers, makers and residents of the local Peckham and Camberwell community. They will also soon play host to a series of weekend residencies, bringing Peckham a taste of London’s best street food with details to be announced soon.