A Bethnal Green Italian cafe has been given Grade II status by English Heritage due to it's distinctive design as well as the fact that "The 1950s cafe is becoming increasingly rare and the recent proliferation of chain coffee shops is threatening their economic viability".
Pellicci's was built in 1900 and it's current owner, Nevio Pellicci, was born above the shop in 1926. It was just after WWII in 1946 that it got its current look courtesy of Nevio's mother, Elide, who commissioned local carpenter Achille Capocci, to install "a rich Deco-style marquetry panelled interior."
All this should be good news for Classic Cafe campaigner Adrian Maddox who rates Pellicci's as one of his favourites, "This is an amazing moral victory and hugely cheering," he said. "At last someone is taking notice of this type of architecture. Pellicci's is one of my top cafes of all time."
It was also a favourite of the Krays who were regular customers and where the Krays go the "They were good boys, always polite never causing no trouble" quotes are sure to follow and Nevio doesn't disappoint:
"They were children when I started serving them. They were very respectful, charming. If my mother was behind the counter and someone swore they would ask them to show some respect."
