While the modernisation, and some might say the sanitisation, of Soho continues there are some hold outs that we all hope will remain on the once grimy and seedy streets – Garlic and Shots, Trisha’s, Ronnie Scott’s and Bar Italia to name a few. Bar Italia, a small cafe on Frith Street, has been serving…
While Belsize Park and Hampstead are relative wastelands for independent cafes – possibly due to the high cost of the rent and the fact that the wealthy locals have big homes and gardens that they are reluctant to leave – if you walk five minutes south you come across England’s Lane. At first it looks…
Tottenham Court Road is not somewhere you’d expect to find high quality independent coffee, despite its length and variety of outlets. However, right at the top end between Warren Street and Goodge Street is Tap Coffee. Not that you’d know that it’s called this, as it has no name choosing only to identify itself by…
So, we’ve had bike themes and travel themes and circus themes – now we’ve got what claims to be London’s first dog themed cafe. And while a cafe for dogs would be a great idea somewhere near, say, Hampstead Heath, I’m not sure how much demand there is for one in Muswell Hill. Literally the…
Some cafes have a background theme, such as circus or cardigans. These are displayed through nice little touches here and there or in a name. Rapha Cycle Club, as the name suggests, also has a theme – but this is not in the background, this is very much in the forefront. In fact, you could…
Sometimes you want a cafe that isn’t about being super cool or at the cutting edge of coffee technology. Sometimes you want somewhere that is comfy and friendly and somewhere you can relax in. Normally, these types of cafes are found in London’s little suburbs or commuter towns. However, slap bang in the middle of…
Farringdon is one of those ‘week day’ areas that is bustling between 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday but as soon as the workers go home, things quieten down. So, it’s good to see that despite these limited hours, there’s a still a number of great coffee shops in the area with two big names literally…
While I admire and enjoy the revamped King’s Cross Station, I always felt they were missing a trick by filling it with chains. It’s the first impression a lot of people will have of London – a city filled with chains is not the best impression. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find, out in front…
Highgate village has little to offer in the way of good coffee. However, it is flanked on its western and eastern sides by two small enclaves – Highgate West Hill and Highgate Station – that between them offer a handful of good venues, even if they are quite a distance away from the centre. Today’s cafe/wine…
I don’t normally review bars as, although a lot of them do pretty good coffee, the like-for-like comparisons to cafes doesn’t work. Bars are more about big, brash external experiences – alcohol, lights, music, dancing – while cafes are smaller, more internal – reading a book, relaxing with friends, getting away from the world. However, if you want…
London Cafe Review 