No city does cool better than London, and this trend-setting city is no different when it comes to coffee. With a very competitive coffee industry with new shops popping up left and right, with all sorts of unique concepts, London is truly a heaven for coffee lovers. So let’s take a tour through some of the best coffee shops in London.
After knowing that work would be taking us to live in London for almost three months, my first thought of course was, “Imagine all the amazing coffee shops!” and I wasn’t wrong.
From minimalistic Japanese-inspired coffee shops to trend-setting old roasteries in the heart of London, to coffee shops housed in old Victorian loos, the list of unique coffee shops with incredible coffee goes on and on.
So here is a guide to some of the best London coffee shops, divided by area for you to easily find the coffee shop of the day depending on what area of London you are exploring.
Ready, set, cafecito!
Best Coffee Shops in Notting Hill
Nottinghill is an area that you will inevitably visit during your trip to London, so it will be a big relief for you to know that the area counts with some great coffee options to fuel your day of exploring the colorful streets of Nottinghill.
Amoret Coffee Portobello: Spacious coffee shop in Nottinghill
Amoret is a coffee shop you cannot miss, seriously, the outside of the shop is so beautifully decorated, that you will surely stop to look at it before you realize this is your coffee shop stop of the day.
This Portobello Road coffee shop offers lots of seating space on its second floor, wifi, and a delicious flat white, all of my favorite things a coffee shop could have.
A good spot to take a rest and enjoy an afternoon pick-me-up while being out and about in Nottinghill.
Hermanos Colombian Coffee: Coffee shop in the heart of Portobello Road
This London coffee shop blends with its colorful environment in the heart of Portobello Road, with its eye-catching pink and red exterior.
The charming-looking coffee shop serves—as the name suggests—Colombian coffee, and while I would not consider their coffee outstanding—the milk was too hot and fell flat—it gets the job done, and the location is highly convenient while browsing the popular Portobello Road Market.
Lift Coffee: Minimalist coffee shop
Leaving the best for last, for the best coffee shops in—in this case, close to—Nottinghill, and even one of the best coffee shops in London; Lift Coffee.
Lift Coffee is a minimalist-style coffee shop that reminds me of modern Japanese cafes all over Tokyo, serving excellent coffee time after time—we love a consistent coffee shop!
Besides serving excellent coffee, this unique London coffee shop also offers wifi, some tables to work from on the basement floor, and some bar seats on the ground floor.
PS: Try their almond croissants, they are amazing!
Best Coffee Shops in Kensington
Kensington is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful areas in London, lined with gorgeous Victorian-style houses, lush gated parks, and quiet residential tree-lined streets, walking through its quaint streets makes you feel like you have stepped into any movie filmed in London ever.
Luckily there are also some very good options for coffee if you are out and about exploring this cute area of London, or if you are on your way to one of the museums in the vicinity.
Hjem Kensington: Cozy Danish cafe
Chances are that if you are not actively looking for this cute London coffee shop you will never find it.
Tucked away in the residential streets of Kensington this cozy Danish coffee shop is packed with locals on the weekend nibbling on some of their delicious cardamom buns and soft-tasting lattes.
A cute spot to visit if you are in the area and want to enjoy a coffee in a cozy atmosphere before continuing your trip to the Natural History Museum.
Be warned; there is no wifi.
Guillam Coffee House: Great specialty coffee shop in the heart of Kensington
This one was without a doubt my most visited coffee shop in London, mostly because it was exactly on my way to work, but most importantly, because they were super consistent with their coffee.
They also offer a variety of pastries, wifi, and lots of seating space in the back of the shop, and they serve brunch on the weekends.
I am normally a natural latte or flat white kinda girly, but on early work days, I started ordering their Spanish Latte and got hooked.
Their Spanish latte has condensed milk which gave me that little bit of sugar kick I needed to wake up— it’s so good!
Guillam Coffee also has two other locations around Notting Hill and one in Mayfair, so make sure to stop by one of these if you need a pick-me-up.
Best Coffee Shops in Covent Garden
Covent Garden is an area where you will inevitably end up at one point or another.
Whether you are shopping, going for dinner, or on your way to a musical, Covent Garden is the heart of the city. This is why this buzzing neighborhood counts with many incredible coffee shops to fuel Londoners and tourists alike.
% Arabica London: Famous Japanese specialty coffee chain
After living in Japan for nine months I became obsessed with % Arabica, an internationally beloved Japanese specialty coffee chain offering strong-tasting lattes and frothy matchas.
And was super excited to see there are a few of them in London, with my most visited one being very conveniently located in Covent Garden, the perfect spot to caffeinate while browsing the shops.
Sadly, there’s not lots of seating space, so it’s more of a grab-and-go, but it gets the job done if you are anyway on the move.
Watch House Covent Garden: Best all-around London coffee shop
This stylish coffee shop chain has more locations in the city that you will be able to visit during your trip to London. And while chains tend to lose their quality or charm as they expand, this is the only one I have seen do it so elegantly.
Watch House has eighteen different cafes in London, and all of them have a similar style while remaining unique.
The style is contemporary yet cozy, the coffee is delicious, the locations offer plenty of seating space, and they have an extensive food menu full of brunch classics as well as a variety of pastries. Basically, it has it all.
There are plenty of locations to choose from but the Covent Garden location is the perfect pit stop if you need some caffeine and a place to rest for a little bit while exploring the area.
Monmouth Coffee Company: A British icon
Having started roasting their coffee in their Covent Garden location in 1978, Monmouth Coffee is considered to have been an important part of the specialty coffee movement in England.
This is why it comes as no surprise that locals and tourists alike happily line up at their beautiful Covent Garden location, waiting to get a taste of their carefully brewed coffee or their perfectly frothed flat white.
The coffee here is excellent, the pastries are delicious, I love their financiers, and the space is cozy, especially if you manage to get an indoor booth, if not, there are a few outdoor tables, perfect for people-watching.
Best Coffee Shops in Fitzrovia
I barely spent time in Fitzrovia while in London but when looking at the pins in my maps I wish I had visited more. This neighborhood is PACKED with specialty coffee shops. Like back to back to back.
And while I did not manage to visit all of them, I did find some of the quirkiest coffee shops in London in this area.
Archetype Coffee: Cool looking friendly cafe
This cool-looking coffee shop with an all-black facade and a minimalist logo on the front comes highly reviewed on maps.
And while the coffee was good—they use Allpress coffee—, I believe the reviews come from the warm and friendly staff that truly makes you feel like you stepped into someone’s living room and the host is offering you coffee.
The space is snug with limited seating, but it is definitely a cute spot to have a quick coffee before moving on with your day.
Attendant Coffee Roasters: The quirkiest coffee shop in London
The Attendant Coffee Roasters in Fitzrovia has to be one of the most unique coffee shops in London, or in the world.
Housed inside an old Victorian man’s loo, this might not be the coffee shop for germophobic, not that the place is dirty at all, I’m sure it has been thoroughly sanitized.
To enter you have to go down a set of stairs as if going to a metro, and then you are welcomed by a water tank on the wall and a bar with stools where before there used to be men’s urinals. You can still see the ceramic shape of them.
Besides being a unique coffee shop experience, the coffee was decent, and they also served some brunch options, like the tasty salmon bagel we had.
Kiss The Hippo Coffee: Cozy and minimalist coffee shop with consistently great coffee
First of all, I just love the name of this coffee shop, I find it so random and so cute, and second of all, I LOVE their coffee.
This is another of those rare gems where the coffee is consistently well-prepared: at the perfect temperature. Their espresso house blend is super tasty, and the vibe is very cozy—emphasized by mostly wood interiors, but very much on a chic minimalist side.
It’s a great spot to sit down with a great cup of coffee to take a break from all that walking around London. The only con is that there is no wifi.
Best coffee shops in Shoreditch
If you are heading to East London to explore the cool and edgy vibe of the neighborhood, you will be happy to know that one of my favorite coffee shops in London is in this area to keep you fueled while art street hunting or vintage shopping.
Allpress Espresso: Excellent coffee
Allpress Espresso is a favorite of mine from Tokyo, and it’s good to see, that Allpress in London takes their barista training as seriously as the Allpresss coffee shops in Japan—I’m looking at you %Arabica.
We made our way to Shoreditch to visit the area, but I went mostly to try this coffee, and it did not disappoint.
The coffee was simply perfect, with a flavorful espresso, and well prepared; perfect temperature, perfect amount of milk froth. The location is quite small with limited seating, with a few tables outside for good weather.
Definitely one of the best coffee shops in London if you are a picky coffee drinker like me.
Best coffee shop around London Bridge
Not to be confused with Tower Bridge, the iconic-looking one, London Bridge is the more humble-looking one close to Borough Market, where you will probably end up at one point during your trip to snack on some of the many tasty treats you can find at the market.
The Gentlemen Baristas: Snug coffee shop by Borough Market
Just a few steps away from Borough Market you will find the adorable The Gentlemen Baristas.
A small coffee shop serving perfectly frothed lattes and a variety of pastries. The seating is very limited, counting with only a couple of benches outside, but is the perfect location to grab a drink in hand and head out to the market to explore.
Other great coffee shops around London Bridge:
- Monmouth Coffee Company
The one coffee shop I still cannot believe I didn’t visit is Prufrock Coffee, James Hoffman coffee shop!
I should have, I could have, but I kept putting it off for the perfect day, and then I didn’t do it, sooooo I will have to come back to London to do another round of coffee shop hopping —oh nooo!
With an immense list of great coffee shops to choose from these are some of the best coffee shops in London that I managed to visit during my three months living there—I omitted some that I don’t believe deserve recommendation.
And while I’m sure there are plenty more incredible coffee shops in London, I hope this guide helps you navigate the city knowing that there is always a great coffee shop around the corner from you.
Happy travels and enjoy your cafecito!