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CaféCovent GardenWork-friendlyWifi
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.
DrinkModern Coffee flat white on the Slayer Steam LPx
TipMezzanine seats above the bar are the laptop-friendly half. Weekday after 14:00 walks in without waiting.
££££
CaféFitzroviaWifi
Hagen's Berners Street espresso bar in Fitzrovia London, the Danish-rooted brand's Copenhagen-founded outpost just off Oxford Street, runs. Family-friendly.
DrinkCortado on the house Hagen blend
TipStanding counter at the front is the morning queue. Closed Sundays; weekday after 15:00 has the easiest pour.
££££
CaféKings CrossWork-friendlyWifi
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.
DrinkCaravan blend espresso
TipPlug sockets along the canal-side window seats. Brunch runs to 16:00; dinner from 17:30 on weekdays.
££££
CaféNotting Hill BayswaterWifi
Bill Granger's Australian breakfast room on Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill London, opened 2011, runs ricotta hotcakes and an all-day brunch menu.
DrinkWorkshop coffee
TipNo bookings. The 09:00 queue runs 30 minutes on Saturdays; weekday breakfast walks in by 08:00.
££££
CaféFitzroviaWork-friendlyWifi
The 1890s Victorian public toilet beneath Foley Street in Fitzrovia London, converted in 2013 into a basement coffee bar serving single-origin espresso.
DrinkSingle-origin espresso
TipThe urinals are the bar counter; the cubicles are dining banquettes. The Clerkenwell branch on Great Eastern Street has more workspace.
££££
CaféClerkenwellWork-friendlyWifi
Stephen Rapoport's first Department site on Leather Lane in Clerkenwell London, opened 2010, runs Roundhill Roastery beans and a tiled industrial-Victorian.
DrinkHouse espresso blend
TipThe Leather Lane original takes laptops; their other 40-plus sites range from work-friendly to grab-and-go.