13 cafe rooms in London we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in London | Cafe across every city.
London's specialty coffee culture was built by a wave of independent roasters and cafes from the late 2000s, concentrated heavily around Fitzrovia and Clerkenwell. Kaffeine on Great Titchfield Street and Prufrock Coffee in Clerkenwell were early standard-setters, while Monmouth Coffee at Borough has roasted and poured since 1978, a generation ahead of the rest.
Kaffeine ★ 4.4
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.
WatchHouse Covent Garden ★ 4.4
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.
Hagen Fitzrovia ★ 4.4
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.
Caravan King's Cross ★ 4.4
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.
Granger and Co Notting Hill ★ 4.4
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.
The Attendant Fitzrovia ★ 4.3
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.
Department of Coffee and Social Affairs ★ 4.1
clerkenwell · 14-16 Leather Lane, London EC1N 7SU
Stephen Rapoport's first Department site on Leather Lane in Clerkenwell London, opened 2010, runs Roundhill Roastery beans and a tiled industrial-Victorian.
Notes Coffee ★ 4.2
covent-garden · 31 St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4ER
Robert Robinson's Notes Coffee on St Martin's Lane in Covent Garden London, opened 2010, runs an in-house roastery, a focused wine list at night.
Store Street Espresso ★ 4.3
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.
Towpath ★ 4.6
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.
Monmouth Coffee Borough ★ 4.6
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.
Prufrock Coffee ★ 4.4
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.
Towpath ★ 4.3
hackney · 42 De Beauvoir Crescent, London N1 5SB
Lori De Mori and Laura Jackson's Regent's Canal cafe on the towpath in east London, opened 2010, an outdoor-only seasonal cafe closed November to March.