There's a lot of bad coffee being sold to unsuspecting Londoners. Don't be one of them. There are many beacons of caffeinated light out there, you just need to know where they are.
This list isn't in order, but the
Monmouth Coffee Company has to top it anyway, because they're not just a cafe, they also source and roast their own beans (and sell them to the public and other cafes as well). Their coffee sommeliers scour the globe seeking out quality beans, which they purchase direct from the producers. Then Monmouth roast and prepare it themselves, before completing the finishing touches in store – the grinding and bagging up if you're buying beans and the running hot water through it if you're buying your coffee in cup form.
It's nice to know exactly where your coffee came from and that it's been carefully chosen by an expert, but what's really important is the flavour. And here Monmouth excels. At Monmouth it's full cream milk from Sommerset or nothing. Instead of milk options they have a selection of beans to choose from - so if you prefer something with less punch you can opt for a lighter rainforest bean - they usually have a selection on the go or will do you an individual filter version. There's also not a sugar sachet to be seen - they have coffee sugar from Costa Rica set out in big bowls and if you don't like it go to Starbucks and get your Mocha Chocalatte latte.
The
Borough Market branch is a bit chilly in winter but people still come, or queue outside - puritanical coffee purists enjoying the austerity for the pleasure of the beverage. But the atmosphere is pretty warm for London, you're sharing benches or a big kitchen table with people reading the paper or working or chatting, and if you visit the
Covent Garden Monmouth you have to expect that people will join you in your booth with that lovely English politeness that acknowledges that we're all in this together.
27 Monmouth Street Covent Garden
Lantana is the first, of several cafes in this list, run by Australians who've come over here to improve the coffee culture using the Italian influences from back home. They use coffee from Monmouth and a La Marzocco coffee machine, which is apparently the Italian coffee connoisseur's choice. To that recipe for success they add staff who don't just know what they're doing but also care, and breakfast and lunch menus that are simple dishes done to perfection. Their cakes are pretty great as well.
13 Charlotte Place, W1T 1SN
Bea's of Bloomsbury have also got a La Marzocco machine, but they fuel it with beans from Square Mile Roasters, whose beans are also ethically and responsibly sourced. Bea's speciality is cake – frou frou creations topped with icing that look as perfect as if it were made of plastic, in all the colours of a country garden. Their respect for coffee comes from the fact that it's gong to be served with their cakes, in which case it must be just right.
44 Theobald's Rd, WC1X 8NW
Dose Espresso is another cafe working the La Marzocco, Square Mile Roasters partnership. It's also another Australian owned and operated cafe – or in this case, room is the more correct term, as this is a really small store. It's organised though – and the queues coming out the door move quickly as people get their morning dose. Espresso is obviously a speciality, but there's no shame in ordering something else – Dose is pretty friendly.
Dose has regular blends but also gets in guest coffees.
69 Long Lane, EC1A 9EJ
J A Cafe is another place known for their cakes and other foods, but unwilling to partner them with anything less than the best. The cafe is hidden – off the street in a courtyard of a building that used to be a diamond cutters – but its home style feeling kitchen/cafe is often quite full. They get their coffee from J. Atkinson and Co.
4 Sutton Lane, EC1M 5PU
Flat White is another antipodean entry – the name comes from the way coffee is served back home. This little cafe has been open for five years now, getting a reputation for taking the bean, and the way it's served seriously. They get their coffee from Square Mile, but they have their own blend which is 40% Red Bourbon from El Salvador, 40% Agribahia Bahitalia from Brazil and 20% Sumatra Aceh Takengon. Sounds complicated doesn't it, but it just proves how much they want to serve you the perfect coffee.
The simple, eclectic space is in a good location for people watching and is a really chilled, homey place to get your fix and feel contented.
17 Berwick Street, Soho, W1F 0PT
Fernandez & Wells around the corner on Beak Street also have their own blend of coffee, which they recommend you take with one of their home made Portuguese Custard Tarts. As well as their own blend they also have their own 'recipes' serving 'stumpy's and triple ristretto shots. There's no magic to their ability to turn out great coffees again and again, they do it scientifically – everything's at the right temperature for perfection, and a flawless crema and stiff, airy froth are the rewards. These guys are primarily foodie, but this cafe, round the corner from the restaurant, focuses more on the bean.
73 Beak St, London W1F 9SR
It's a competitive world out there in cafe-land, and it should be only the best that thrive.
