Bohemia Village Voice

Erkan at the A21 Cafe

Erkan Koksal, better known as Eric, took over the A21 café as a going concern in January 2005. Before that, he had run a café in Battersea, London, for three years. Erkan came to Britain from Turkey thirteen years ago and at first worked in kitchens before deciding to start his own business. “I’ve been called Eric since I first came to this country because people have difficulty in pronouncing my real name!” The café opens at 7 am, and Erkan says that he has plenty of customers at that time, particularly as parking is easier then. Currently the café is undergoing both exterior and interior redecoration, including the kitchen.