14 editor picks in London.
14 cafe places 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.
The 1946 Westminster greasy spoon on Regency Street in London, white-tiled formica-tabled cafe, runs the canonical London full English at the counter.
OrderThe full English with white bloomer toast, plus a mug of strong tea.
TipCash and contactless. Closed Sundays and Saturday afternoons. The 09:00 queue is film-crew familiar.
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.
TipThe two-floor Eastcastle Street sibling around the corner is the quieter remote-work bet.
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.
TipMezzanine seats above the bar are the laptop-friendly half. Weekday after 14:00 walks in without waiting.
Hagen's Berners Street espresso bar in Fitzrovia London, the Danish-rooted brand's Copenhagen-founded outpost just off Oxford Street, runs. Family-friendly.
TipStanding counter at the front is the morning queue. Closed Sundays; weekday after 15:00 has the easiest pour.
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.
TipPlug sockets along the canal-side window seats. Brunch runs to 16:00; dinner from 17:30 on weekdays.
Bill Granger's Australian breakfast room on Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill London, opened 2011, runs ricotta hotcakes and an all-day brunch menu.
TipNo bookings. The 09:00 queue runs 30 minutes on Saturdays; weekday breakfast walks in by 08:00.
The 1890s Victorian public toilet beneath Foley Street in Fitzrovia London, converted in 2013 into a basement coffee bar serving single-origin espresso.
TipThe urinals are the bar counter; the cubicles are dining banquettes. The Clerkenwell branch on Great Eastern Street has more workspace.
Stephen Rapoport's first Department site on Leather Lane in Clerkenwell London, opened 2010, runs Roundhill Roastery beans and a tiled industrial-Victorian.
TipThe Leather Lane original takes laptops; their other 40-plus sites range from work-friendly to grab-and-go.
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.
TipThe downstairs basement is the laptop-friendly room. After 18:00 it pivots to a small-plates wine bar.
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.
TipCommunal long tables are laptop-friendly. Doors open 07:30 weekdays; closed Sundays.
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.
TipOpen March to October only, daytime only, outdoor seats by the towpath. No bookings, cash and card.
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.
TipCounter-and-bench seating only. Closed Sundays. The Covent Garden original on Monmouth Street is more laptop-tolerant.
Jeremy Challender and Gwilym Davies's Leather Lane training cafe in Clerkenwell London, opened 2009, runs a focused filter program and weekday-only opening.
TipOpen Mon-Fri only; closed weekends. Davies took the World Barista Champion title in 2009 with a Prufrock cup.
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.
TipOpen March to October only. No bookings, outdoor seats only, cash and card. Daytime kitchen runs to 17:00.
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