There’s never a bad time for a blazing cuppa, as the permanently buzzed-up people at Spoonfed would gladly testify. And we’re grateful that London is dotted with thousands of coffee joints that can deliver that much-needed shot in the arm when it’s mid-afternoon and both mind and body have ceased to function. But where to go for a caffeine fix that really changes your life? Not Starbucks or Costa, surely. Spoonfed gives you a quick - but by no means exhaustive - guide to the best artisanal coffee shops that’ll give you some quality beans for your buck:
Monmouth Coffee
Monmouth source and roast their own coffee and are the brand du jour for any self-respecting caffeine nut. The original Monmouth Coffee shop in Covent Garden is a great place to spend a lazy weekend afternoon - if you can snare a seat in one of their cosy wooden booths. There’s always a queue, so expect to jostle for a table. For a quick stop, there’s another Monmouth branch in Borough.
Flat White
Originating from Australia and New Zealand, a flat white is a strong shot of espresso served in a bed of silky smooth milk. This uber-trendy Antipodean joint in Soho, first opened to give Londoners an authentic taste of Down Under, has developed a cult following among the burgeoning creative set in the area. This is the real McCoy – you won’t find a better flat white anywhere else in the capital. As the Aussies would say, it’s a beaut.
Nude Espresso
Mmm... Brick Lane might smell of curry most of the time but if you’ve got a nose for the finer things, you’ll pick up the irresistible aroma of coffee wafting from this tiny shop off the main thoroughfare. Queues are a certainty but boy, is the brew is worth the wait. Nude get their beans from Monmouth but they seem to give it a bit extra. No such thing as a pedestrian cuppa here.
The Counter Cafe
We’re tempted to keep this marvellous discovery in Hackney Wick all to ourselves so count yourselves lucky that we’re feeling magnanimous today. With peeling brick walls and rickety cinema-style furniture (the seats actually flap up and down), this place is just oozing with character. The beans here are from premium roasters Square Mile, so you can’t go wrong.
Present
The fact that this new find is really a hip clothing boutique in Shoreditch may suggest that Present can’t really be serious about coffee, can it? But wait, the coffee machine here’s manned by none other than Gwilym Davies. Davies won the World Barista Champion 2009, which makes him the Heston Blumenthal of the coffee world. Need we say more?
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