The five most interesting cafés in London (and why!)

Over the last few years, there has been an emergence of a thriving coffee scene here in London, most recently highlighted by the hosting of the London Coffee Festival in Brick Lane last week. Here’s our pick of some of the cafes in the capital, which we believe warrant a visit:

Taylor St Baristas – best established café

Founded in 2006 by Australian siblings Andrew, Laura and Nick Tolley, Taylor St was one of the first cafés pioneering the third-wave coffee scene in London. Since then, it has become synonymous for serving impeccable coffee (beans from Union Hand-Roasted) by skilled and knowledgeable baristas. Taylor St have been instrumental with raising the quality of coffee served in London and six years on, they continue to maintain their high standards; success has seen them now expand to seven sites across the capital. 

Visit Taylor St Baristas, 22 Brooks Mews, London, W1K 4DY or enquire here.

Workshop Coffee Co (formerly St Ali) – best food and coffee café

Occupying a cavernous space in Clerkenwell, Workshop Coffee Co is a café, restaurant and roastery all under the same roof. Workshop is unique in that they are equally passionate about serving delicious coffee and food. The secret of their success? Working with suppliers who share the same values as them in finding good quality ingredients (rare breed beef for burgers and sourcing coffee beans from reputable estates). Weekend brunch is popular and highly recommended – no reservations are taken, so it’s best to head there early.

Visit Workshop Coffee Co, 27 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1M 5RN or enquire here.

Prufrock Coffee – best connoisseur café

Tucked away on Leather Lane, Prufrock is regarded by most coffee aficionados as one of the top coffee places in town. It is one of the few cafés to boast both a brew bar and espresso bar, giving top billing to filter and espresso coffee (beans are from Square Mile). The drinks menu is short and simple, if a touch controversial (for 4oz, 6oz and 8oz, read cortado, flat white and latte respectively). Top-notch coffee served up by former UK and World Barista Champion Gwilym Davies.

Visit Prufrock Coffee, 23-25 Leather Lane, London, EC1N 7TE or enquire here. 

Nordic Bakery – best cake and coffee café

Located on a pretty square behind Piccadilly Circus, Nordic Bakery serves up some very tempting Scandinavian cakes and pastries including their wildly popular cinnamon rolls, oven pancakes and milk buns along with some decent coffee. 

Visit Nordic Bakery, 14A Golden Square, London, W1F 9JG or enquire here. 

Damson Café – best newcomer

A relative newcomer to the London coffee scene, Damson serves great coffee (Square Mile) alongside a daily changing menu of salads, sandwiches and cakes all made on the premises. Their flat whites and cheese scones are already gaining notoriety amongst those in the know.

Visit Damson Café, 64 St Giles High Street, London, WC2H 8LE or enquire here. 

Gloria Chan