The Caffeine Chronicles: Pattern Coffee House

Update (November 2017): Pattern Coffee has now closed with HoM Coffee by House of Morocco, serving Terrone Coffee, in its place.

Since the closure of the short-lived Brewhouse on York, I've been hoping that King's Cross would once again support a friendly independent café serving great coffee. Drink, Shop & Dash is great but doesn't have much room for sitting and lingering, and I love Caravan, but it gets pretty busy and they only do some of their hand-brewed drinks if you're drinking-in.

Enter Pattern Coffee House, which opened a few months ago a few blocks north of Drink, Shop & Dash on Caledonian Road. I was attracted, funnily enough, by the patterned interior walls, but only got round to visiting last week. The first things you notice when you enter are the eponymous patterns. The colourful geometric wall is my favourite, but there are designs to suit all tastes, including some vintage sewing patterns and upcycled Hendrick's bottles bearing the wifi code.

It was a fairly quiet lunchtime, so I ordered a macchiato and chatted to the friendly owner while I waited for me coffee. She has been doing everything for the past few months, which is no mean feat given that Pattern is open from 8 am until 7 pm during the week, but you can tell it's a labour of love.

My macchiato was very good: rich and smooth and with no more than a dab of foam on top. The coffee is from Bristol-based Extract Coffee Roasters, which I haven't tried before. For now, the coffee menu includes only espresso-based drinks, but if things go well, they could be adding some hand-brew options (which aren't very practical when you only have one barista and a big queue), as well as some single-origin coffees. In the meantime, you can also opt for a smoothie or a shake, and there are a few breakfast options, cakes and pastries. It's just around the corner from my office so I know where I'll be going when I haven't had time for breakfast at home.

I really enjoyed my visit to Pattern and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great coffee with a chilled-out vibe in the King's Cross area. The café is slightly out of the way but only five minutes' walk from King's Cross station and a much, much more pleasurable experience than any of the coffee joints in the station.

Pattern Coffee House. 82 Caledonian Road, London,  N1 9DN (Tube: King's Cross). Facebook. Twitter.