The Caffeine Chronicles: Allpress Roastery Café Review

I don't know why it has taken me so long to pay a visit to Allpress Roastery Café, an antipodean coffee bar and roastery in the heart of Shoreditch. Yesterday, though, I decided it was time to try out a few more espresso bars and Allpress was next on my list, so off I went. Located on Redchurch Street, a quiet side street just north of Bethnal Green Road and east of Shoreditch High Street.

I was worried it might be too busy to get a table, but after I had ordered my drink, I was able to find a place to perch. I guess the hipsters were still in bed, sleeping off the night before.

The décor at Allpress is very casual: wooden tables and chairs, and neutral tones on the walls. The roasting equipment and the grinders, along with the La Marzocco machine, elevate this espresso bar above some of its rivals. I thought about ordering a single-origin brew, but in the end just went for my usual double macchiato. It arrived with a smiley face etched into the crema (actually, I think it might have been winking, but I may be reading too much into it!).

The coffee was rich and flavoursome—very slightly bitter, but not in a bad way—and the crema was robust enough to last all the way to the end of my drink. They also serve breakfast, a range of Italian-inspired sandwiches, pastries and cakes, and you can, of course, buy bags of beans—they supply a number of cafés and restaurants throughout London. I had stocked up on beans at Monmouth earlier in the morning, but I might go back to Allpress next time I need some more. Oh, and if this isn't geeky enough for you, you can go to one of their Perfect Cup classes.

Allpress Roastery Café. 58 Redchurch Street, Shoreditch, London, E2 7DP (Tube: Shoreditch High Street or Old Street). Website. Twitter.