my favourite london coffee shops

blogger, talking about cafes! groundbreaking ☕

Aug 27, 2024

The cornerstone to city life: coffee shops

We socialise in them, work from them and sometimes, just use them as a place to sit back, relax and hide from the rain. So without further ado, here are a few of my fave! ↓

For coffee & brunch

Ozone Coffee - London Fields

A popular restaurant and roastery - I had their cornish mackerel on crumpets and it was exceptional.

Milk - Balham

Loaded stacks of hash browns with fermented chili mayo, glass bottles of iced coffee, and banana bread with tahini sauce. This Australian-inspired brunch spot will set you up for a g’day.

Grind - Multiple Locations

Cult classic — Grind is the cafe you take your instagram obsessed friend who’s visiting from out of town. It’s neon artwork, picture-worthy pancake stacks, and eggs benedict never miss. Plus their pastel pink branding has become a staple up and down the country, so you know the coffee is always good.

For co-working

Gallery Cafe - Bethnal Green

Everything they serve is 100% vegan (I recommend their almond croissant) with plenty of seating with a cute conservatory overlooking their private gardens. The staff are so friendly and I have spent hours tucked away in the corner sorting out my life admin or reading my book. They also have seating out the front and in the garden if you’re miraculously visiting on a sunny day.

The Wren Coffee - The City

Set inside St Nicholas Cole Abbey in the middle of EC1, this might be one of the prettiest cafes in London. If you’re a professional working in London, the likelihood is, at some point, you’ll probably have a meeting near this spot. If you want a space to spend the day working or want to escape for a lunchtime coffee, this is the ideal place to do so.

Fuckoffee - Bethnal Green & Bermondsey

A coffee shop that has seating and plugs AND chargers. Heaven for freelancers and students. Also, their cold brew is like jet fuel and fantastic.

For people watching

L’eau a La Bouche - Broadway Market

There are a bunch of cafes and pubs lining Broadway Market. Arabica does incredible fancy brews, but my fave is the L’eau a La Bouche, a French Deli. Grab one of their outdoor, street-side seats to watch the hustle and bustle.

Towpath Cafe - Regent’s Canal, Islington

Ngl, I haven’t been here yet but it’s very high on my want-to-go list. It’s a seasonal cafe based, as the name suggests, literally on the towpath. The fresh, organic small plates and coffee look heavenly.

Pavilion Cafe - Victoria Park

Confessional: I’m not that fussed about their coffee(!!) BUT the lakeside location in Victoria Park and its almond croissants are to die for.

For escaping the world

Dalston Eastern Curve Gardens - Dalston

Nestled away only meters from the hustle and bustle of Kingsland Rd, Dalston’s Curve Gardens is a leafy urban oasis. Once a derelict railway track, the space was renovated and is now bursting with wildflowers, butterflies, vegetable beds, and shrubbery. The community gardens are free to enter year-round but as a social enterprise, rely on the income from their lovely little cafe to maintain their education programme and run community events. Their alfresco wooden pagoda is a lovely spot to enjoy a coffee or a warming bowl of soup and crusty bread in the wintertime.

Barbican Kitchen - Barbican Estate

The brutalist architecture of the Barbican is loved (and hated) by many. There are few spaces quite like it in the city. Spend the afternoon exploring the labyrinth of walkways, explore the tropical green-house Barbican Conservatory then wander down to the Barbican Kitchen for a waterside cuppa.

That’s all for this guide — I’ve got plenty more so if you’re craving a second caffine hit, lmk.

by becca mae x

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