30 cafes worth the trip across United Kingdom, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All United Kingdom guides.
Cafen ★ 4.8 · Edinburgh
new-town · 44 Dundas Street, Edinburgh EH3 6JN
Cafen on Dundas Street in Edinburgh New Town, a flagship speciality brew bar a few minutes walk from Waverley Station that rotates a short bean list.
Tip: Open from 8am every day; the cushioned window seats fill first for morning filter pours, the rotating menu changes when a new lot lands from the roastery.
Pollen Bakery ★ 4.8 · Manchester
ancoats · Cotton Field Wharf, 8 New Union Street, Manchester M4 6FQ
Sunday Times-listed Ancoats bakery cafe in Manchester by the marina. Sourdough loaves, viennoiserie, custom espresso blend, brunch plates daily Wed-Sun.
Artisan Roast Broughton Street ★ 4.7 · Edinburgh
canonmills-inverleith · 57 Broughton Street, Edinburgh EH1 3RJ
Artisan Roast on Broughton Street in Edinburgh, opened 2007, the city's third-wave coffee pioneer roasting on-site in Glasgow and pouring filter and espresso.
Tip: Open from 08:00 weekends and busy by 10:00; the back room takes laptop users for longer sessions and stays open till 18:00.
Twelve Triangles Cafe ★ 4.7 · Edinburgh
leith · 90 Brunswick Street, Edinburgh EH7 5HU
Twelve Triangles bakery-cafe on Brunswick Street in Edinburgh, opened 2014, a third-wave coffee counter making the city's most popular doughnuts.
Tip: Open from 08:00; the day's doughnuts sell out by 11:00 on Saturdays. Order on Square Online for collection.
Ezra & Gil ★ 4.7 · Manchester
northern-quarter · 20 Hilton Street, Manchester M1 1FR
Open since 2014, the Hilton Street original is Manchester's Northern Quarter brunch room locals queue for. Communal tables, Cornish-roasted coffee daily.
Williams and Johnson Coffee Co ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
leith · 1 Customs Wharf, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6AL
Williams and Johnson roastery cafe on Customs Wharf in Leith Edinburgh, opened 2017 by two former Square Mile baristas, an in-house roaster and cafe.
Tip: Tour the roaster on the public Saturday morning slot; check the website calendar two weeks ahead.
Towpath ★ 4.6 · London
hackney · 42 De Beauvoir Crescent, London N1 5SB
Lori De Mori and Laura Jackson's Regent's Canal cafe between De Beauvoir and Haggerston Park in east London, opened 2010, an outdoor-only seasonal cafe.
Tip: Open March to October only, daytime only, outdoor seats by the towpath. No bookings, cash and card.
Monmouth Coffee Borough ★ 4.6 · London
borough · 2 Park Street, London SE1 9AB
Monmouth's Borough Market cafe in London, opened in this site in 2002 and trading as a coffee roaster since 1978, runs single-origin espresso at a standing.
Tip: Counter-and-bench seating only. Closed Sundays. The Covent Garden original on Monmouth Street is more laptop-tolerant.
Federal Cafe and Bar ★ 4.6 · Manchester
northern-quarter · 9 Nicholas Croft, Manchester M4 1EY
Australian-style cafe in Manchester's Northern Quarter, packed from 09:00 daily. Banana bread, whipped ricotta, single-origin filter, Antipodean menu.
Brew Lab ★ 4.5 · Edinburgh
old-town · 6-8 South College Street, Edinburgh EH8 9AA
Brew Lab on South College Street in Edinburgh, opened 2012, a third-wave coffee bar pouring filter and espresso into a long basement room near the University.
Tip: Their training arm runs Saturday public cuppings at 11:00; sign up online for a week or two ahead.
Machina Coffee Marchmont ★ 4.5 · Edinburgh
marchmont-meadows · 38 Marchmont Road, Edinburgh EH9 1HX
Machina's Marchmont cafe in Edinburgh's south side, a bright sit-in space pouring single-origin espresso and filter from their own roastery.
Tip: Mornings until 11:00 are quietest; rotating lunch pop-ups land midday.
Pot Kettle Black Angel Gardens ★ 4.5 · Manchester
northern-quarter · Angel Gardens, 1 Rochdale Road, Manchester M4 4GE
Pot Kettle Black's NOMA outpost on the ground floor of Angel Gardens, opened 2021. Located in Northern Quarter. Order the pour-over single-origin.
Lovecrumbs ★ 4.4 · Edinburgh
tollcross-west-end · 155 West Port, Edinburgh EH3 9DP
Lovecrumbs cake shop on West Port in Edinburgh, opened 2010, a tea-and-cake counter in a Grassmarket-adjacent townhouse with a sun-filled bay window.
Tip: Their daily-changing cake counter is a one-glass-each affair; the upstairs nook seats four for quiet sessions.
Riverhill Coffee Bar ★ 4.4 · Glasgow
city-centre · 24 Gordon Street, Glasgow G1 3PU
Riverhill Coffee Bar is a tiny, ethical cafe on Gordon Street in Glasgow's city centre, pouring proper coffee and stacking generous sandwiches and cakes.
Tip: It is small and busy at lunch, so grab a sandwich to take away if the handful of tables are full.
Laboratorio Espresso ★ 4.4 · Glasgow
city-centre · 93 West Nile Street, Glasgow G1 2SH
Laboratorio Espresso is an Italian-style coffee bar on West Nile Street in Glasgow, pulling some of the city centre's best espresso in a snug room.
Tip: Order at the counter and take a stool; it is a coffee-first room, not a laptop-all-day cafe.
Kaffeine ★ 4.4 · London
fitzrovia · 66 Great Titchfield Street, London W1W 7QJ
Peter Dore-Smith's Australian-style coffee bar on Great Titchfield Street in Fitzrovia London, opened 2009, runs Square Mile beans and a serious daytime food.
Tip: The two-floor Eastcastle Street sibling around the corner is the quieter remote-work bet.
WatchHouse Covent Garden ★ 4.4 · London
covent-garden · 28-29 Southampton Street, London WC2E 7JA
WatchHouse Covent Garden between The Strand and Covent Garden Market in London, opened 2022, runs the brand's Modern Coffee menu with custom brew bar.
Tip: Mezzanine seats above the bar are the laptop-friendly half. Weekday after 14:00 walks in without waiting.
Hagen Fitzrovia ★ 4.4 · London
fitzrovia · 29-32 Berners Street, London W1T 3LR
Hagen's Berners Street espresso bar in Fitzrovia London, the Danish-rooted brand's Copenhagen-founded outpost just off Oxford Street, runs. Family-friendly.
Tip: Standing counter at the front is the morning queue. Closed Sundays; weekday after 15:00 has the easiest pour.
Caravan King's Cross ★ 4.4 · London
kings-cross · 1 Granary Square, London N1C 4AA
Caravan's flagship cafe inside the Granary Building in King's Cross London, opened 2012, runs an in-house coffee roastery and an all-day eclectic Antipodean.
Tip: Plug sockets along the canal-side window seats. Brunch runs to 16:00; dinner from 17:30 on weekdays.
Granger and Co Notting Hill ★ 4.4 · London
notting-hill-bayswater · 175 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2SB
Bill Granger's Australian breakfast room on Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill London, opened 2011, runs ricotta hotcakes and an all-day brunch menu.
Tip: No bookings. The 09:00 queue runs 30 minutes on Saturdays; weekday breakfast walks in by 08:00.
Prufrock Coffee ★ 4.4 · London
clerkenwell · 23-25 Leather Lane, London EC1N 7TE
Jeremy Challender and Gwilym Davies's Leather Lane training cafe in Clerkenwell London, opened 2009, runs a focused filter program and weekday-only opening.
Tip: Open Mon-Fri only; closed weekends. Davies took the World Barista Champion title in 2009 with a Prufrock cup.
Cairngorm Coffee ★ 4.3 · Edinburgh
new-town · 1 Melville Place, Edinburgh EH3 7PR
Cairngorm Coffee on Melville Place in Edinburgh New Town, opened 2014, a basement third-wave coffee bar pouring rotating UK and European roasters.
Tip: Their Frederick Street branch is brighter and busier; the Melville Place original is the quiet workspace.
The Company Bakery ★ 4.3 · Edinburgh
leith · 12 Easter Road, Edinburgh EH7 5PJ
The Company Bakery on Easter Road in Edinburgh, opened 2018, a coffee bar and sourdough bakery serving filter coffee, fresh pastries and a small lunchtime.
Tip: The cinnamon morning bun sells out before 11:00. Order ahead via their website for collection most days.
Kember and Jones ★ 4.3 · Glasgow
west-end · 134 Byres Road, Glasgow G12 8TD
Kember and Jones is a deli-cafe and bakery on Byres Road in Glasgow's West End, roasting its own coffee beside tarts, sourdough and cheese counters.
Tip: The window seats overlooking Byres Road are the prize spots; the cake counter is the reason to queue.
Milk Cafe ★ 4.3 · Glasgow
southside · 452 Victoria Road, Glasgow G42 8YU
Milk Cafe is a social-enterprise cafe on Victoria Road in Glasgow's Southside, run by refugee and migrant women serving brunch, bakes and Levantine plates.
Tip: Profits support the women who cook here, so the daily specials, often home-country dishes, are worth asking about.
The Attendant Fitzrovia ★ 4.3 · London
fitzrovia · 27a Foley Street, London W1W 6DY
The 1890s Victorian public toilet beneath Foley Street in Fitzrovia London, converted in 2013 into a basement coffee bar serving single-origin espresso.
Tip: The urinals are the bar counter; the cubicles are dining banquettes. The Clerkenwell branch on Great Eastern Street has more workspace.
Store Street Espresso ★ 4.3 · London
fitzrovia · 40 Store Street, London WC1E 7DB
Store Street Espresso's Bloomsbury cafe on Store Street in central London, opened 2012, runs Workshop and Origin beans in a long-corridor cafe popular.
Tip: Communal long tables are laptop-friendly. Doors open 07:30 weekdays; closed Sundays.
Idle Hands ★ 4.3 · Manchester
northern-quarter · 35 Dale Street, Manchester M1 2HF
Cosy speciality coffee shop on Dale Street, Manchester, serving coffee, natural wine and freshly baked pies. Loyal local crowd, communal tables daily.
Edinburgh Larder Cafe ★ 4.2 · Edinburgh
old-town · 15 Blackfriars Street, Edinburgh EH1 1NB
Edinburgh Larder cafe on Blackfriars Street in the Old Town of Edinburgh, opened 2009, a Scottish-provenance all-day cafe serving breakfast.
Tip: Closes 16:00 most days. The cafe on Blackfriars Street is calmer than the larger bistro round the corner.
The Mackintosh Tearooms ★ 4.2 · Glasgow
city-centre · 217 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3EX
The Mackintosh Tearooms recreate Charles Rennie Mackintosh's 1903 Willow Tea Rooms on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow, serving afternoon tea in his own design.
Tip: Book the Salon de Luxe upstairs for the full Mackintosh interior; downstairs is quicker for a pot of tea.