coffee guide

The Top 10 Cafes For Specialty Coffee In London

The Black Lab Coffee House

The Black Lab in Clapham is a standout choice amongst the neighbouring cafes.

With a selection of coffees available, experienced baristas are on hand to help you choose the blend suited to your tastebuds. The pastries on the cafe counter are difficult to pass up too.

If the sun is shining, grab a takeaway coffee to enjoy on the Common.

TAP Coffee

We mostly frequented the Wardour Street location (off Oxford Street) and each time we return, we’re delighted to nab one of the wooden tables adorned with Lyle’s Golden Syrup tins.

Skylights give the room a bright airy feel where service is quick and the coffee served hot. You must try the chocolate caramel brownie but the gourmet sandwiches and delicious healthy salads are also highly recommended.

Alchemy Coffee

The ability to work closely with farmers is what pushes Alchemy Coffee to the top of London’s coffee club. The coffee is hand roasted with around 70% of their coffee imported directly from Central and South America.

You’ll find an excellent variety of traditional milk-based coffees and filter coffees which highlight the tasting notes of the respective regions.

Climpson & Sons

Having grown from a humble coffee cart, East London’s own coffee mecca now has three locations. Our favourite is the one at Broadway Market. Factor in a visit to the market on a Saturday morning then chill with a coffee pick-me-up.

Their coffee is sourced from sustainable farms and roasted in-house, meaning that the team oversees the strength of coffee flavour.

MILK

An institution in the SW pocket; the residents of Balham are darn lucky to have such a fine establishment in their hood.

Service is snappishly efficient and expect queues on the weekend but the line is worth the wait. Not just for their coffee, but also for their brunch.

No reservations for brunch served 7 days a week.

TIP: Check out their wicked website for a few belly laughs!

Association Coffee

Worker bees gather at the foot of the Gherkin and it’s here that you’ll find them buzzing around (excuse the pun) Association Coffee. It’s also short walk from the Tower of London so if you’ve been beating down the tourist trail all morning, these guys serve top notch coffee.

Find a place on a large communal table, eavesdrop on a business meeting or sit back idly with your cappuccino and let the others get back to work.

Watch House

This tiny Bermondsey cafe is housed in a former 19th century graveyard watch house on the corner of St Mary Magdalen Churchyard. Limited seating inside with sketched artwork available for sale.

The coffee beans come from Ozone Coffee Roasters with your coffee available hot or iced.

If the weather is lush, select from sausage rolls, cakes and pastries, grab your coffee and perch on one of the wooden seats outside or sit in the adjacent churchyard. There are now six Watch House locations across London. Check their website for details.

Look Mum No Hands!

Cyclist and coffee go hand in hand. Chances are you won’t be dropping your Boris bike off for a quick service but that’s no reason to not visit this bike workshop and cafe.

Aside from an awesome name for their shop, they serve up excellent coffee within a space large enough to park a team bus.

If you’re lucky, you’ll catch the occasional celebrity passing through their doors.

Story Coffee