Aethos London Shoreditch to host DJ-led coffee mornings with London Nootropics

Aethos London Shoreditch is running a three-part series of Friday morning events, called Morning Lobby Sessions, in partnership with the drinks brand London Nootropics. The sessions will take place from 9am to midday on the last Friday of July, August and September, and will combine free adaptogenic coffee tastings with live DJ sets. Held in the lobby space arranged for co-working, the aim is to offer local residents and workers an alternative to the standard weekday morning coffee stop.

Each of the three sessions features a different DJ: Nicola Mannini on 31^st July, Giles Smith on 28^th August and Miche on 25^th September. According to the organisers, the music selections will range from “mellow morning grooves” to more upbeat vibes to suit the start of the working day.

With drop-in sessions rather than fixed-time bookings, attendees can arrive any time during the three-hour window and stay for as long as they like. Tables are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and reservations can be made in advance for those who prefer to start their days with fewer surprises.

London Nootropics, the brand supplying the special coffee, produces blends that combine the traditional bean with functional ingredients or adaptogens that they say can support focus and provide balanced energy. Adaptogens are a category of plant and fungal extracts, including ingredients such as lion’s mane mushrooms and ashwagandha, which are marketed as an aid to the body’s response to stress.

The Morning Lobby Sessions are perfectly situated in terms of timing and location. Interest in functional drinks has grown substantially in the UK in recent years, as has the market for coffee alternatives and lower-alcohol or non-alcoholic options. Meanwhile, the café’s Shoreditch neighbourhood has a high concentration of freelance and tech workers, who increasingly use the many local hotel lobbies and cafés in the district as informal workspaces. The format reflects a wider trend among hospitality venues of programming daytime events, including morning DJ sets and co-working sessions outside of their conventional evening trading hours. The series runs monthly across the summer and concludes at the end of September.

Food Desk

The Morning Lobby Sessions take place on 31^st July, 28^th August and 25^th September 2026 at Aethos Café, 10-50 Willow Street, London EC2A 4BH. For further information or to book, visit here.