Whether you are a coffee addict or just a coffee lover…, the Capital is brimming with top notch coffee culture, and we’ve chosen the best places for you to check out this creative caffeinated community – it’s the best cafés and coffee shops in London.
From Instagrammed flat whites to the wave of artisan coffee pop-ups , London has enjoyed something of a love affair with real, good coffee in the past few years. Discover the 10 Best Coffee places, where to get your caffeine fix in the capital, below.
Grind & Co.
Grind is a group of six café-bars and three restaurants across London. All of the Grind’s serve coffee which they roast in Shoreditch to stay, and to go, and all are cocktail bars which serve their famous Espresso Martini. The Grind restaurants all serve breakfast menu, all day food menu and weekend brunch menu. They also have a recording studio at the original Grind in Shoreditch, and the Clerkenwell Club Bar, their late night venue open until 2am.
The Grind is rapidly taking over London – having started with a sole site in Shoreditch Grind, it has since opened new cafes in Soho, Holborn, London Bridge, Clerkenwell and Royal exchange among others.
Hipster staff, great coffee and offbeat interiors make each cafe a destination in itself, plus evenings see them turn into bars – the espresso martinis (made with their own coffee blend of course) are some of the best we’ve tried. Grindandco.com
Ralph’s Coffee & Bar
The equestrian theme is exactly what you’d expect – think saddle leather banquettes, a brass-topped bar and dark wood panelling throughout.
The café décor pays homage to Ralph Lauren’s trademark equestrian sensibilities. The interior features a brass-topped bar, saddle-leather banquettes, and equestrian-themed art hung against dark wood paneling and green billiard cloth. An intimate oasis in the heart of Mayfair, the café seats 24, with 12 additional seats at the bar.
The London eatery is located next door to Polo Ralph Lauren’s flagship store on Regent Street. It joins a global brand restaurant roster that includes eateries in Paris, Chicago, and New York City.
And should you want to linger through to cocktail hour, you’ll be pleasantly surprised too.
” I’m drawn to the kind of food that people truly enjoy—vibrant food that people want to return to time and again. “
Ralph Lauren
Coleman Coffee Roasters
As well as being the roastery behind the coffee at some of our favourite London cafes, Coleman Coffee opened its first solo branch near Waterloo station last year.
Serving high-quality Arabica coffee from a pleasingly simple menu of filter, cappuccino, piccolo or espresso, Jack Coleman and his team also sell beans for at-home coffee-making on those weekends you just can’t drag yourself out of bed for one of their freshly-brewed cups. Colemancoffee.com
Kaffeine
Serving Square Mile coffee, alongside beans from a guest roaster from the UK every weekend, Kaffeine’s two W1 cafes offer excellent coffee, expert staff, delicious cakes and beautiful decor .
The chef prepares their menu freshly each day, while their produce comes from some of London’s best and most respected suppliers. They use French trained bakers to supply the breads and pastries, their bottled juices are from Chegworth Valley organic farm in Sussex and soft drinks from San Pellegrino. All of this is available to be delivered . The salad and sandwich menu changes weekly in order to keep everything as seasonal and as fresh as possible. The menu is available each Thursday on the web/blog site.
Allpress Espresso
Workshop Coffee Co.
Workshop’s original Clerkenwell cafe is not only a favourite brunch spot (they also serve lunch, dinner and drinks), but also the site of the brand’s roastery and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto a rather beautiful living wall. The baristas are knowledgeable and skilled and coffee very good indeed – take away a bag of the Cult of Done Espresso beans to recreate the experience at home or try out Workshop’s Aeropress or French press coffees in the cafe itself. www.workshopcoffee.com
Fernandez & Wells
Great food, great wine and great coffee – Fernandez & Wells truly has it all. Vogue loves the Stumpy, F&W’s trademarked mini flat white, served in a small Duralex glass and just the right strength for a mid-afternoon coffee run. Owners Jorge and Rick met while working at Monmouth Coffee, and have transferred their expertise into choosing the best single-origin beans each season from Has Bean Coffee in Stafford for their in-demand espresso-based drinks. Fernandezandwells.com
The Monocle Café
Monocle’s chic Chiltern Street Cafe serves Allpress coffee rather than its own blend, but it’s so stylish that it deserves its own place on the list. Impeccable interiors and Scandi-chic ceramicware set the scene, whilst the food is a mix of Japanese and Scandinavian – the cardamom buns (supplied daily by Fabrique bakery in Hoxton) are the best we’ve tried. Cafe.monocle.com
Climpson & Sons
Broadway Market offers an overwhelming wealth of wonderful food and drink options, but Climpson & Sons has stood the test of time. Roasting its own coffee in London Fields, Climpson & Sons offers speedy service in its own cafe as well as supplying beans to venues around the city. Climpsonandsons.com
Saint Espresso, Angel
Angel’s Saint Espresso is the second location from the team behind the popular Leyas next to Mornington Crescent station. Taking inspiration from their location and its moniker, the owner Leon, has clearly enjoyed putting the cafe together. With an impressive attention to detail, he has created a distinctively austere, almost religious atmosphere, complete with stark, custom-made black shelving. The cafe is framed with piumbing pipes which create intricate wall displays. Communion is taken before a black, customised Strada. A black light fixture hangs dramatically from above, while candlesticks and an undercurrent of bronze reinforce the theme.
Of course this is just a backdrop, which alongside the simple food menu places the coffee centre stage. Saint roast their own coffee for espresso-based and filter options. The Lalani & Co tea menu looks equally impressive.
As Saint is owner Leon’s second café, and couldn’t be more different from his first, Leya’s in Camden. Saint is an almost religious homage to the coffee bean. It’s an instagrammer’s dream, with austere, graphic interiors bathed in light streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The food is very nice, but it’s the coffee and teas that take centre stage.
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