A familiar name has returned to Camberwell, not as the Italian restaurant many locals will remember, but reinvented as an artisan dessert and gelato cafe. This marks a new chapter for a family business with longstanding roots in the Camberwell area.
After nearly two decades as a beloved family-run Italian restaurant on Camberwell’s Church Street, the original Caravaggio closed its doors in May 2023 and Silk Road, an independent Chinese restaurant, took its place.
However, two years later Caravaggio is back due to demand from locals, taking over a former Betfred unit opposite Camberwell Green.
After a renovation project and grand opening in mid-April, the team is back in full swing, steering away from pizza and pasta and instead offering coffee, Italian gelato and a wide selection of artisan desserts.
This transformation was led by Cesar Saglan, who worked at the original restaurant for over a decade before taking the reins of the business from his father. Cesar explains: “I used to help my dad and the family run the restaurant, but now it’s solely my business.” He adds with a laugh, “Though this time, the family is helping me.
“We’ve been in Camberwell for 18 years, since 2007,” Cesar tells us. “We closed the restaurant after COVID and decided to reopen as a lot of customers were asking for us to return.
“It’s changed a lot since then. A lot of restaurants have come and gone, but the people here are still the same in many ways. Everyone knows each other, it’s like a family.”
The strong sense of community in Camberwell was a key reason Cesar felt inspired to bring Caravaggio back, but this time with a new focus. “We asked ourselves, what’s missing? There are so many restaurants now, but hardly anywhere just for desserts. We wanted to do something different with a demand.”
Despite being a reinvention, Caravaggio still feels familiar. The revamped shop is just opposite Camberwell Green, it’s the perfect place to stop on a sunny day and is already attracting crowds on hot days.
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Inside, the Italian gelato counter steals the show, with twenty-seven different flavours on offer. Choices range from aperol spritz to passion fruit sorbet and their customer favourite, pistachio.
All of their gelato is gluten-free and they offer vegan cones and lots of dairy-free options too. You can expect to pay £3.50 for a smaller one scoop portion, £5 for a medium two-scoop serving and £6.50 for a large three-scoop tower.
“We’ve also got traditional Italian desserts like tiramisu, cheesecake, profiteroles and also Turkish baklava, which people really love,” says Cesar. They even have a new addition of pistachio soufflé, listening to the demand of pistachio ice cream.
The baklava is made fresh daily, and is priced at £5 for a generous portion, with an option to add a scoop of gelato for just £2 extra. All the other desserts and cakes are £5 for a large slice, perfect to share or enjoy on your own.
There’s also a wide range of drink options, from a freshly brewed coffee menu complete with all the syrups. A recent addition is their milkshake menu, and for pistachio lovers, if the gelato and soufflé weren’t enough, you can enjoy it in milkshake form too.
Sitting in Caravaggio talking to Cesar, it was clear the clientele was diverse. Some guests had laptops out, working remotely over coffee and cake, while others gathered with friends or family, enjoying a more relaxed afternoon treat.
“We get all sorts of people coming in,” Cesar says. “Families with kids, teenagers on dates, people working on their laptops and plenty who swing by after their office jobs for a little treat.” With a smile, Cesar adds, “The kids are the best customers.”
True to its roots, Caravaggio’s remains a family affair, with Cesar running the shop alongside his mother, father, and brother.
Despite retiring after the closure of the original shop, Cesar’s father, Frank Saglam, can’t stay away from the business and still helps out most days in the new Caravaggio. Cesar describes him to us as “the main man behind the business.”
Looking ahead, we asked Cesar what was in store for Caravaggio. He says he will be working hard in the Camberwell store for the foreseeable, but he’s already thinking bigger.
He would love to open up more gelato stores, expanding the new Caravaggio niche and bringing the sweetness to wider South London.
Open daily from 11am to 9:30pm
Caravaggio, 23 Camberwell Green SE5 7AA
