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Coffee in London - places I should try?

PostPosted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 6:47 pm
by qwerty69
So last night I went to Notes at Covent Garden and had a lovely cappuccino followed by a dbl espresso that runs the risk that I won't go back.

Tonight it was Bea's of Bloomsbury for a flat white which I also thoroughly enjoyed and a dbl espresso which was much better than last nights but still not necessarily the best I've had.

I picked Bea's tonight as I knew they also served Square Mile (like Notes) and I wanted to compare.

Could definitely taste the similarities in the dbls but they were like night and day.

Any other recommendations for places to try? My only stipulations are fairly late opening and fairly central London.

RE: Coffee in London - places I should try?

PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 8:33 pm
by qwerty69
Tonight I've opted for Workshop Coffee. Loving the cappuccino, oh and I can get food as well :-)

Just had a quality Dbl espresso as well like it a lot.

RE: Coffee in London - places I should try?

PostPosted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 12:03 pm
by propofolpete
Milk Bar serve Square Mile. Same team as Flat White. Both really nice coffee. The Scooter Cafe is also good they have a Faema lever two (I think) group and really friendly cats.

RE: Coffee in London - places I should try?

PostPosted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 1:04 pm
by qwerty69
I know where the scooter cafe is and was going to try one night but it was late and they'd switched off the machine. The other time I was down that way was earlier but the cafe was packed and I didn't much fancy going in myself as it looked more like a bar.

I'll need to try sometime though when I'm next staying at that end of town.

As for milk bar and flat white I'll look up and see how easy it'd be to get to each.

Many thanks.

PostPosted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 7:11 pm
by propofolpete
Fernandez and Wells was a good bet a while back I think. One was a cafe and t'other was more of an eaterie. (Beak ST and Lexington ST. Halfway to Soho off Regent's St.)
Not having been there meself tho' I can't personally recommend.
Yer right aboot Scooter- they metamorph into a slightly trendy bar I think after hours. Have you wandered through the Graffiti tunnel? I have seen it in daytime:-night time could be fun!
Best of luck etc.

PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 11:00 am
by propofolpete
Had a really nice flat white in Milk bar on saturday. Still top notch.
I usually get a bag of SQM Flat White house blend beans but was 50p short; sadly they don't take plastic!
Do'h!

PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 11:38 am
by Chris
Workshop is a winner for sure. Next time you are down I'd also recommend Association Coffee, it is top notch every visit. Taylor Street Barista's is always nice and they have a new shop in Botolph Alley London which you might find interesting. In Dalston is a favourite of mine Tina We Salute You which you can get to easily from the centre. Then there is Prufrock just down the road from Workshop and Prufrock in Present on Shoreditch High Street (both excellent). I'd also recommend you head south on the east london line to Brockley on a Saturday for Browns of Brockley and then visit Dark Fluid at the lovely Brockley Market which runs 10-2 and has some great food stalls to compliment the high level of caffeine intake :o). If you get to the Market early enough you can then head from Brockley to London Bridge in less than 10 mins and visit Coleman Coffee and then have beers at Kernal Brewery both in Spa Terminus. Pretty nice day out :o)

PostPosted: Sun May 12, 2013 12:30 pm
by jon
Reilly Rocket in Dalston is also decent, if you're in the area.

Do you find Tina We Salute You reliable? Haven't been there for ages - nice cake last time, and nice latte art on the flat white, but the coffee tasted burnt :(

PostPosted: Sun May 12, 2013 3:23 pm
by Chris
Hey Jon! Yes! Reilly Rocket was fantastic last time I went... I've always found Tina's incredibly reliable :o)... Last time I went was about 6 months ago though as I moved out of the area so it's no longer my local :o(....Wouldn't hesitate to go back if I needed a coffee around Dalston.

Was in Hoxton recently and ended up in a new place called Embassy East which was top notch wonderful. They do tasty breakfasts, great Workshop Espresso and have two filter options... Chemex and wait for it... French Press! Finally somewhere doing French Press... They have the most beautiful instruction booklet to acompany the French Press and guide you through the process which is a nice touch as it's there as reference if you need it without them having to explain when to stir, plunge etc. Very, very nice :o)

Should also mention Giddy Up... I was in Fortune park a couple of weeks ago and needed coffee before visiting the Barbican which has a Costa Coffee kiosk, so really not buying coffee in the Barbican. The Barista was from South Korea, very charming and skilled and served us four superb Flat Whites using Square Mile's Single Estate Sertão if memory serves me correct. I'm really enjoying Brazil Single Estate Espresso's at the moment... Of those I am drinking I find the balance of sweetness, toasted nut and chocholate is often a nice contrast to the upfront bright berry fruit bomb aspects that are sometimes a component of many of my favourite blends... but... I still like them too ;o)

PostPosted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 4:04 pm
by jon
Great - will try to give Tina's another try next time I'm passing. I think I was more irritated as the coffee looked lovely, but tasted burnt to hell :)

Just finished a bag of Square Mile's Sertao (the filter version). Lovely stuff - very fruity.

PostPosted: Sat Jun 22, 2013 11:27 am
by icke
i love the Tapped and Packed. in rathbone place they had a lm strada some time ago. not sure if they still have it as it's been a while ago that i have been to london...

PostPosted: Sat Jul 06, 2013 5:47 pm
by jon
Not somewhere I'd actively make a trip to, but the espresso bar in the National Theatre has started doing decent coffee - which is great if in the area anyway :) Nicely textured flat whites...taste fairly 'normal', but nothing obviously wrong flavour-wise. A big improvement on the stale/burnt/bitter stuff that lots of places round there serve!

Re: Coffee in London - places I should try?

PostPosted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 1:56 pm
by dcw
Hi all,

For future readers of this thread, I have a few suggestions for lovely independent coffee shops in London. The Workshop Coffee Company (http://www.Workshopcoffee.com) has coffee with fruit element added worth trying. Notes Music Coffee (http://www.notesmusiccoffee.com) also has wine tasting facility in the evening. Doppio Coffee (also does baristra training on site http://doppiocoffee.co.uk/training). Monmouth (http://www.monmouthcoffee.co.uk) where the beans are roasted daily on the premises and Nude Espresso (http://www.nudeespresso.com) which focused on the artistry of the coffee experience. I hope this offers some good suggestions.

Re: Coffee in London - places I should try?

PostPosted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 3:54 pm
by CakeBoy
Welcome dcw, it's nice to see some new industry blood joining the forum. Indeed those are some excellent suggestions. We have such a diverse and thriving coffee scene in the UK these days, such a transformation from not so many years ago of niche speciality coffee houses. Good to have you on board :)