Coffee is big business now and there's a real hierarchy when it comes to getting a good Americano, cappuccino or macchiato. Good coffee isn't cheap and cheap coffee isn't good, so where do you go to get the best coffee in London? These are our tried and tested favourites.
The best coffee shops in London, by area
Central London
This is where all the coffee nerds go – and apologies for branding anyone a nerd but coffee really has moved in that direction of late. Kaffeine was opened by an Australian, and as such, it was one of the first places in London to do a proper flat white. They really have some of the best coffee and absolutely delicious food which changes every week.
There's a lot more than just good coffee going for The Delaunay's little sister Counter Bar and Café next door, but the coffee really is worth a mention. It is excellent, strong, with a wonderful crema and aroma. Not just that, but the café also serves delicious food all day long and the most tempting array of Viennoiserie, from pastries to luscious gateaux. There's simply a reason to stop by at any time of day.
This little coffee place in Bloomsbury has excellent coffee, is just generally a delightful spot to while away the time and also deals in a really delicious brunch. As with pretty much everywhere on this list, they are passionate about specialty coffee so you can find some interesting roasts and guest coffees. The original – and still best – is on Store Street itself, but they now have four locations in total.
Step outside Embankment tube station onto Villiers Street and Blues and Royals is pretty much the first thing to greet you. This friendly blue-painted hut always has a long line of devoted customers (mostly Condé Nast staffers on a weekday) who know that it is one of the best places to get coffee in London. It's family-run, incredibly jolly and worth the often lengthy queue to get your coffee. There are four bar stools to sit at and china cups available, or you can grab a takeaway cup and wander into the neighbouring Victoria Embankment gardens.
There are a clutch of places that claim to have brought the flat white to London and Flat White, well named to do so, is one of them. They opened on Berwick Street in 2005 and have been flat out ever since, with a more than steady stream of fans who know it's simply the best in London. Grab a table inside or one of the rare seats outside and enjoy.
South London
Beckenham Place is the lovely park in London that relatively few people know about and this little cafe does amazing coffee, knockout breakfast sandwiches and sourdough pizzas. It has no inside seats but in the summer, after a swim in the lake in the park, there is nothing better than a coffee and a sandwich in the walled garden – it's honestly heaven.
This Crystal Palace local deals in unbelievably good coffee, fermented things and wine – what's not to like? Easily one of the best coffee shops in London.
There are a few locations for this charitably-minded coffee spot but Peckham is the original and our favourite. Beyond amazing coffee, Old Spike is the first speciality coffee roastery operating as a social enterprise and 65% of their profits go back into supporting their mission, which is to give homeless people opportunities within the business, in partnership with sister organisation Change Please.
East London
At Prufrock, coffee is a science – but once you get your head around what all the measurements (all listed in oz) you get a cracking cup of coffee! Their beans are mostly from Square Mile, with some exciting guest roasts coming in from all around Europe too. All their suppliers, including those on the tea and food menus, are top notch so whatever you order, it's flawless.
This brilliant bakery is also a secret top coffee joint. Much like Old Spike, they use their success to benefit those in need and help local at-risk youth form a path for themselves with on-the-job training. Pop in for a latte and you can leave with an excellent loaf of sourdough too.
Is there anything Jolene can't do? This bakery-slash-restaurant on the border of east and north London is a huge hit amongst London's foodies at any time of day and their coffee is as good as their impeccable food offering. What's more, as one of the best bakeries in London, you can rest assured that you'll have a tasty treat to much alongside your short black.
You have many coffee options along Broadway Market, but a brilliant stalwart is Climpson & Sons which has been on the buzzing street in London Fields since 2002.
North London
As with so many coffee shops these days, Fink's Salt and Sweet (a mysterious name that somehow nobody can remember) is much more than just a dispenser of coffee. Selling enamel splatterware, hand soap and natural wine, this is a great place to have in your back pocket if you need a last minute gift and a coffee. Their coffee isn't an afterthought, though, and neither are their pastries and sandwiches. They also have an offshoot (Fink's Pump House) in Clissold Park and another by Arsenal underground. You can't sit in any of the branches, but it's just next to the park so pick up a flat white and a vast pain au chocolate and head to Clissold to see the local goats.
Niftily located in the midst of lots of residential roads Tufnell Park and Dartmouth Park, the coffee is at Cricks is reliably good, as are the bacon, egg and crushed pea baps. With just a few tables outside, it's the perfect place to spend a Sunday with a cappuccino and the papers.
It's worth travelling from far and wide for the pastries, cakes and cookies at Kossoffs on the busy Kentish Town Road. Run by former Ottolenghi head baker Aaron Kossoff, this bakery and coffee shop only opened in 2021 but has already featured in Britain's Best Bakeries. Aaron is following on from a long family legacy of bakers – the first Kossoff bakery opened in London in the 1920s. The soft apricot cookie is a menu highlight.
Famous for expensive delicacies from pre-made cocktails and fancy tinned fish, Superette also does great coffee. It's a fairly new addition to Swain's Lane (which isn't short of coffee shops from Roni's to Gail's) but has quickly become popular with the local pond swimmers, who can be seen huddled around a hot coffee and one of their famous cheese toasties with chilli jam. Also, if you like spotting A-list celebs, we hear this is the place!
Holloway is a bit barren when it comes to coffee, so Caravan is a delightful necessity on the side of the unprepossessing North Road in N7. As with many cafes for real coffee enthusiasts, this feels a little more like a stark science lab than a coffee shop at first glance. They run coffee workshops and make process beans in their vast, glassy backstage area, but all you really need to know is that the coffee is wonderful, and the ham sandwiches are even better.
Tucked just off Hampstead High Street on one of many small, chic alleyways, this is the perfect pit stop for a day exploring the shops and Hampstead Heath. The coffee is delicious and the pastries and cakes are all made from scratch every day. The dippy eggs are a highlight of their brunch menu too. The queues can be on the large side on a weekend morning, but it's worth waiting at their hatch for the high-quality supplies.
West London
Next Door Records set up on Uxbridge Road four years ago, with a new site in Stoke Newington opening its doors earlier this year. Since then, both shops have become firm favourites in their respective communities. The shops use beans from Scottie's Coffee, a female-led coffee roastery based in west London. With notes of smooth chocolate, the finish is light and lovely.
In 1983, Sally Clarke returned from a stint in California with the goal of opening a little restaurant in west London. 40 years and three spots later, we think that mission has been more than accomplished. For the best coffee of the three, you’ll want to head to the bakery on the corner of Portobello and Westbourne Grove which opened in 2020 and serves up Allpress coffee, as well as a variety of pastries and sandwiches. There are a few tables and chairs at the back of the shop, but otherwise it’s a grab and go situation.
Just around the corner from one of London's most loved markets on Portobello Road, The Tin Shed is a firm favourite among visitors and locals alike. This tiny cafe uses Tigermoth Coffee – an independent micro-roastery based in Lewes, in Sussex. The trick, they say, is in the traditional way the beans are roasted – using drum roasting techniques and small batches.
This Portobello-Road locale sells beans from all over the world, including Peru, Guatemala and Rwanda, with blends tailored according to how you take your coffee. The ‘Italian blend’, for example, is a darker roast and lends itself nicely to a milker brew such as a Cappuccino or a Latte, and you can have the beans ground based on how you intend to use them at home - from ‘coarse’ to ‘professional espresso’. If you plan to drink your coffee there and then while taking in the hustle and bustle of Portobello Road, the house blend is made using 100% arabica – a medium-strength Ethiopian bean, a perfectly suitable one for easy-going coffee drinkers.
Founded by Honor Powely, when Burnt arrived on Askew Road, it was a relief to many. Serving Climpson & Sons coffee, Dusty Knuckle pastries, and homemade cakes, the café-cum-deli is perfect for grabbing your weekday fix and as a slow Sunday hangout.
There are often queues at the Goldhawk Road location of Electric Coffee Co. (it has a second branch in Ealing), and for good reason too. Using beans from Honduras to Tanzania, the coffees are made according to your taste buds, by an expert team of baristas. Their mission is simple, use the best beans, grown by small, independent makers across the globe, roast the beans with care and differently according to the flavour profile each bean offers, and blend them to perfection. The cafe itself is a delightful place to sit – handily situated on the corner, people watching is a must.
Tucked around the corner from Portobello Road, Pastella and Butler serve up, arguably, the best coffee in Notting Hill, as well as excellent matcha. You can stock up on more than just coffee here too, with Midnight Pantry cookies, Dusty Knuckle pastries and Papo's Bagels available from the counter. Run by Emily, formerly of St John and La Fromagerie, the deli style shop is open from Wednesday-Sunday.
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