Best Specialty Coffee Shops in London — A Local's Guide (Updated 2026)

I've been writing about London's first forays and then larger leaps into specialty coffee since I started this blog in 2007. This London specialty coffee guide, first created in 2017 but regularly updated with my latest discoveries, now includes over 150 of my personal favourite coffee shops, based on my own experiences from Crouch End to Clapham, Dalston to Deptford and beyond.

The Caffeine Chronicles: White Mulberries, London Bridge

The window seats at the original White Mulberries cafe may have one of the best views of all the coffee shops in London, especially when the yachts in the St Katharine Docks marina glint in the sunshine. London's specialty coffee scene has changed a lot since my 2014 write-up, but the coffee, all-day breakfast and sweet treats at White Mulberries are still great. White Mulberries' second location, in Hay's Galleria in London Bridge, is even closer to my Bermondsey home.

The Caffeine Chronicles: Saint Nine Coffee

If you were looking for good coffee while in Bankside, you used to have to head to Borough, but the arrival of branches of Caravan and Origin Coffee has filled in a few Southwark specialty coffee gaps. And the latest addition, Saint Nine Coffee, is rather special too.

At Borough Market's Flor, Flawless Cooking and Specialty Coffee (CLOSED)

UPDATE: Unfortunately, Flor has now closed.

Somehow, I still haven't made it to Lyle's, the modern British restaurant in Shoreditch, whose high-quality specialty coffee offering has won as many plaudits as the food. Luckily for me, a sister restaurant, Flor, opened up closer to home, in Borough Market, a few months ago. I've now visited twice, experiencing both a light breakfast at the downstairs bar and a lunch in the tiny but beautifully designed upstairs dining room.

The Caffeine Chronicles: Lantana London Bridge

A couple of years ago, I set about revisiting some of my 'old favourite' London specialty coffee spots, like Flat White, which I've loved for a decade but which I had never written up properly for my blog. One such favourite — and one of the first Aussie brunch cafés I discovered in London — was Lantana on Fitzrovia's pleasant passageway Charlotte Place. I used to be a regular when I still lived in Marylebone and it featured in my first London coffee shop guide in 2011 (and its less-coffee-centric 2009 predecessor).

Somehow, though, I never ended up writing up a full review but when the café opened another branch — its third — nearer to my current Bermondsey home in London Bridge in late 2017, it was the perfect opportunity to return to Lantana. 

Conveniently close to Borough Market and the South Bank but far enough away to ensure that it's still possible to get a table (especially if you book), the newest Lantana is located on Southwark Street. There is scaffolding on the outside of the building so the large, glass front windows let in a little less light than usual, but the airy, bright interiors make up for that.

Compared to the Fitzrovia branch, which is better described as 'cosy' and which is usually packed, there's much more space here and the relaxing atmosphere really did transport me back to Melbourne. As I hadn't booked, I was lucky to squeeze into an empty spot a the long, L-shaped bar. I loved funky teal bar stools too. In the main dining area, there are plenty of tables to suit all group sizes.

I was in the market for a breakfasty brunch rather than a lunchy brunch, so I didn't look too closely at the cocktail and wine lists, instead skipping right to the coffee. I started with a piccolo made with Lantana's house blend, currently a Brazil/Colombia/Peru combination that tasted smooth and chocolatey with a little milk.

There weren't any hand-brewed filter coffee options on the menu so I ordered the single origin batch brew filter coffee of the day. This was an Ethiopian Banko Jirimititi from Rotterdam-based Manhattan Coffee Roasters. The tasting notes I read afterwards indicated blueberries and jasmine, but I got more orange and whiskey notes — not dissimilar to the Ethiopian Marmora I tried at Java in Kraków, in fact. 

So often batch brew ends up disappointing me, making me wish I hadn't ordered it instead of a pourover in a busy coffee shop in a misguided effort to be a more considerate customer. But Lantana's batch brew was very well brewed and the coffee was flavoursome and fragrant. There are currently six filter coffees in their rotation, three from Manhattan and three from Alchemy.

As for the food, it took me a while to digest the extensive weekend brunch menu. I was tempted by the coconut French toast, but I'm really more of a savoury bruncher these days. In the end, in the interests of nostalgia, I ordered my old favourite dish: corn fritters with streaky bacon, spinach, roasted tomatoes, avocado, a poached egg and lemon creme fraiche (at some point in the past nine years, they switched from lime aioli). 

I've always preferred juicy, flavoursome cherry and plum tomatoes to their larger conspecifics, but the roasted tomatoes here were delicious — very nearly as tasty as those in the very first brunch I had in Melbourne at Code Black, straight off the plane. The fritters were as good as I remembered, the bacon crispy, and the egg perfectly poached.

The service was both friendly and efficient, and although the cafe was full, the atmosphere remained low-key and chilled out. Several tables were engaging in the Lantana Blowout with unlimited Prosecco (£30); there's also a cheaper version with unlimited coffee and juices, which sounds like a challenge to me!

Lantana London Bridge. 44-46 Southwark St, London, SE1 1UN (Tube: Borough or London Bridge). Website. Instagram.

A Taco Feast at El Pastór, London Bridge

You wait an age for a great taco joint to arrive in SE1 and then two come along at once. After my recent visit to Santo Remedio on Tooley Street, on Saturday I finally got to try out El Pastór, a taquería located in a railway arch on Borough Market's Stoney Street.

Top-Notch Tacos at Santo Remedio, London Bridge

I didn't get the opportunity to visit Santo Remedio before its original Shoreditch location closed down, so I was delighted to hear that following a successful Kickstarter campaign, the modern Mexican restaurant was back — and much closer to my Bermondsey home. The new restaurant opened a few weeks ago and although it can be difficult to book a table (most are reserved for walk-ins but it's best to book in advance during busy times), my friend and I secured a booking for a weekday evening last week.

The Caffeine Chronicles: Caravan Bankside

Since Caravan opened its second site five years ago in Granary Square, a five-minute walk from my desk, I've regularly enjoyed breakfasts, lunches, dinners and especially coffee breaks there. But as I'm rarely in King's Cross at the weekend, I've never been for brunch. When Caravan opened its third branch in Bankside (a little closer to home) last year, I looked forward to righting this wrong but it took me longer than I'd hoped.

Long Weekend in London: A Local's Guide

As I have to fit my travel plans around a full-time job, I often spend only three or four days in any one city, and I spend a lot of time researching and planning the perfect trip. My agenda usually includes a few key sights and some fun places to eat, drink and, especially, caffeinate. I’ve produced various ‘three days in…’ or ‘four days in…’ city guides, but it’s been a while since I compiled a guide to my favourite places in my own city, London.

Brunch at Where the Pancakes Are

Southeast London has no shortage of small restaurants and bars located inside old railway arches, but that doesn't mean I didn't welcome the arrival of Flat Iron Square last year. Located just off Southwark Bridge Road, sandwiched between Bankside and Borough, Flat Iron Square occupies several arches and a large-ish open square, which is home to a flea market on Sundays. I discovered the market while I was walking home from Covent Garden one day and was pleased to find a coffee cart run by The Gentlemen Baristas, whose lovely café is just across the road.

The food and drink venues have been arriving gradually, from various street food options that pop up in vans and in a marketplace-style space in one of the arches, to more permanent restaurants like Portuguese Bar Douro and Where the Pancakes Are, which makes no secret of its cuisine. I thought the latter would be a great venue for the monthly brunch club my friends and I organise and we booked a table for last Saturday. In case you are unsure of the geography of Flat Iron Square, there are helpful signs to guide you along.

Although it was a cold and sleety day, the restaurant was full throughout our time there, so it was lucky that we had booked (yes, they take bookings!). Where the Pancakes Are occupies a relatively small space, although there is also a mezzanine level with a few extra tables. The design is lovely too, with plenty of light wood, pastel accents and some really stunning lighting fixtures.

We ordered some coffees and juices while trying to decide what to order. I had a macchiato (£2), which was pretty good and pleasingly short. The menu is divided into sweet and savoury options, and you can also order "Dutch babies", which look like giant Yorkshire puddings stuffed with a filling. I was actually most tempted by "The Australian" (£11), which involved polenta corn fritters, crème fraîche, lemon and avocado, but felt that for my first visit to this restaurant, I ought to stick to one of the eponymous dishes.

Three of us came up with a good strategy: we would order savoury pancakes to start and then split a sweet order for 'pudding'. I should have realised that I wouldn't have room even for only a part of a second stack, but ordered a classic instead: "The American", with bacon, blueberries and maple syrup (£9.50). It was the best of both worlds, I suppose! 

There was a little false start when after pouring syrup over my pancakes and taking a bite, I realised that they had given me lime syrup (which goes with one of the sweet dishes) instead of maple syrup, and although the result didn't taste terrible, it wasn't quite right either. Luckily, the staff were able to make me up a fresh batch for me (which also had better, crispier bacon — probably because the chefs weren't trying to make eight dishes at once).

I usually prefer savoury brunch dishes to sweet, but I did have a bit of food envy while I was waiting for my replacement pancakes as two of my friends had ordered "The Hummingbird" (with cinnamon, poached pineapple, lime syrup, pomegranate and toasted coconut), which looked amazing. In the end, though, I was very happy with my first choice. The pancakes were fluffy and light, the bacon crispy and the Canadian maple syrup delicious. Naturally, none of us had room for any dessert!

Most of the dishes are around £10 and there are various extras available if you'd like to customise your dish. We paid about £18 each including food, a couple of coffees and/or juices each, and service. There was a lively, fun ambiance and the service was very good, even though it was busy and there were several big groups present. What's more, Where the Pancakes Are is open every day (either until 4 pm or 6 pm), which is of great use to anyone wishing to satisfy weekday brunch needs.

make food & drink GIFs like this at MakeaGif

Where the Pancakes Are. Arch 35a, 85a Southwark Bridge Road, London, SE1 0NQ (Tube: Borough or London Bridge). Website. Instagram.

Birthday Fun at Mercato Metropolitano

Regular readers will know that I am a great fan of street food markets and I've always envied friends with summer birthdays who can organise fun but casual evening celebrations at the likes of Street Feast. But my birthday is in mid-November — today, in fact — and it's rare that the weather is very pleasant.

At Padella, Simple Pasta Pans Out Perfectly

Lining the shelves of the central, open-plan kitchen at Padella are dozens and dozens of steel pans. This is hardly surprising: the Borough Market restaurant's name means 'pan' and the main section of its menu consists solely of pasta dishes. I'd never been to the restaurant's older sister — the hugely successful Highbury-based Trullo — but Padella's stylish but unpretentious restaurant and superb pasta has already won it plaudits.

South-East London Specialty Coffee Guide

It used to be that whenever I wanted to spend an afternoon checking out a new specialty coffee shop, I had to go to Soho, Shoreditch or Hackney, but the coffee scene in south-east London has blossomed over the past few years. I live in Bermondsey and it's a delight to have an abundance of great cafes within a 30-minute walk or a short bus ride. I've put together a map and guide to some of my favourite coffee shops in the area — this is far from comprehensive and, in the interests of concision, I limited myself to two cafes per neighbourhood.

Bermondsey

Hej (CLOSED)
When Hej opened up in a cheery green building on Bermondsey Square in 2014, I was pleased to finally have a good coffee shop in my neighbourhood. With its Scandi-inspired décor and food menu, Hej is a great place to hang out with a good cup of coffee. They don't do hand-brewed filter coffee but the espresso drinks are really good and there is usually cold brew available in the summer. You can also buy gorgeous flowers from the stall just outside. 1 Bermondsey Square, London, SE1 3UN (Tube: Bermondsey or Borough). Website. CLOSED

Monmouth
The Bermondsey branch of this popular London roaster isn't the biggest location or the most famous, and it's only open on Saturdays from 9–1.30 pm, but it's probably my most visited coffee spot in London, and the queues are much shorter than at Covent Garden and Borough. They serve espresso-based drinks and pourovers, which are always excellent, and they also sell coffee beans. There are no seats but you can perch at the bar underneath the awning. Arch 3 Spa North (bet. Dockley Road and Spa Road), London, SE16 (Tube: Bermondsey). Website.

Borough

Gentlemen Baristas (CLOSED)
Possibly the most dapper coffee shop in all of London, The Gentlemen Baristas is a cosy venue on Union Street. The gents themselves — Henry and Edward — and their staff are very friendly and they serve great Aeropress- and Chemex-brewed coffee as well as espresso drinks. 63 Union Street, London, SE1 1SG (Tube: Borough). Website. CLOSED

Brockley

Browns of Brockley
Browns has been serving delicious coffee and food to the denizens of Brockley since 2009. Their coffee is from Square Mile (filter and espresso drinks are available) and the cakes are excellent. There is also a lovely relaxed atmosphere, especially at the weekend. 5 Coulgate Street, London, SE4 2RW (Brockley Overground). Website.

Camberwell

Daily Goods (CLOSED)
Camberwell has a booming specialty coffee scene and it was hard to pick just two cafes, but Daily Goods with its always well-brewed coffee had to make the cut. They serve Workshop coffee in a bustling, artsy cafe on Camberwell Church Street. Don't miss the avo toast! 36 Camberwell Church Street, London, SE5 8QZ (Denmark Hill Overground). CLOSED

Fowlds (CLOSED)
Fowlds, located on the western side of Burgess Park, gets a bonus point for its cute cat and another for being the only cafe–upholsterers hybrid in London (possibly the world), but doesn't need either. It is tiny, with a few small tables inside and a few more out front when the weather is clement. The coffee is from Square Mile and the baristas make a mean macchiato. They sell delicious fresh bread and serve sandwiches and cakes too. 3 Addington Square, London, SE5 7JZ (Tube: Kennington). CLOSED

Deptford

London Velo (CLOSED)
There aren't quite as many options for good coffee in Deptford as in some of the other south-east London neighbourhoods, but London Velo will serve both your caffeine and cycling needs. The cafe and bike shop is located on Deptford High Street and serve great Union coffee (espresso drinks and V60 pourovers), as well as bagels from Brick Lane. 18 Deptford High Street, Deptford, London, SE8 4AF (Deptford Bridge DLR, or Deptford rail). CLOSED

Forest Hill

St David Coffee House
The most southern, although not quite the most eastern, coffee shop in this list, St David is worth the trek from central London to leafy Forest Hill. The cafe is cosy and cheerful — more shabby chic than minimalist — with friendly staff and great cakes and brunch. The coffee, from Square Mile, is also good and Aeropress and V60 brew methods are both available. St David Coffee House. 5 David Road, London, SE23 3EP (Forest Hill Overground). Website.

Peckham

Old Spike Roastery
Coffee with a conscience! This petite Peckham roaster and coffee shop was set up to support local homeless people by providing jobs, training and housing. They serve coffee and beans and sell doughnuts from Crosstown — you can walk off your treat on the nearby Peckham Rye Park. Old Spike's coffee is also served in Camberwell-based Lumberjack. 54 Peckham Rye, London, SE15 4JR (Peckham Rye Overground). Website.

Small White Elephant (CLOSED)
A block south of Peckham Rye station, this cosy cafe feels like a particularly colourful, comfortable living room. The coffee is from Alchemy and each cup is made with love. They serve V60-brewed pourovers and the wonderfully named 'Al Pacino' (an almond-milk cappuccino, of course), among other drinks. The cakes are particularly good too. 28 Choumert Road, London, SE15 4SE (Peckham Rye Overground). CLOSED

The Caffeine Chronicles: Mouse Tail Coffee (CLOSED)

UPDATE: Mouse Tail is now closed. There's a new coffee shop, Dairy Dairy, in its place at the John Harvard Library.

I have enjoyed coffee from Mouse Tail's coffee vans outside the Canada Water and Peckham libraries on numerous occasions, so I was very pleased when I heard that they had opened up a café in my local library, the John Harvard Library on Borough High Street. In an effort to cut weekend procrastination and crack on with some writing and holiday planning, I have spent a couple of Sunday afternoons hanging out in Mouse Tail's John Harvard base.

The café occupies a bright and airy section of the library close to the Borough High Street entrance. There are long wooden communal tables, as well as smaller tables with comfier chairs. On both visits, Mouse Tail was heaving, with barely any free seats; it is a good place for lingering with a book or a laptop and has given the library a great buzzy vibe.

Mouse Tail's coffee vans generally only serve espresso-based drinks but the Borough café also serves single-origin pourovers (£3), brewed through the V60. The first time I visited, I tried a Kenyan coffee brewed as a pourover, which was fruity and refreshing — just what I needed to get me through a busy afternoon's coffee blogging. It was also really nice to see the barista introducing customers who weren't familiar with pourovers to the V60 technique. Welcome to the dark side!

The following week, I ordered a macchiato (£2), which was smooth and chocolatey with a hint of fruitiness, and which had a very good latte art heart. Mouse Tail's name comes from a term used by baristas to describe a perfectly extracted stream of espresso, and their espresso shots are rather good. The current espresso blend combines varieties from Brazil and El Salvador and I liked it a lot.

As well as the coffee menu, Mouse Tail also serves cakes, breakfast, brunch and lunch. The brunch menu looked great and was very reasonably priced so I'll have to go back to try it some time. The Borough branch is open 8–6 during the week, 9–4 on Saturdays and 9–3 on Sundays (the library itself is open a little longer so you can stay to finish your drink). They also have a small coffee bar on the Whitechapel Road, and the two vans are based at Canada Water and West India Quay, at present.

Mouse Tail Coffee. 211 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1JA (Tube: Borough). CLOSED

The Caffeine Chronicles: The Gentlemen Baristas (CLOSED)

UPDATE: Sadly, The Gentlemen Baristas' Union Street coffee shop is now permanently closed. You can still visit them at their Park Street cafe in Borough Market.

A few minutes' walk from Borough High Street, a spiffy new coffee shop has just opened. The Gentlemen Baristas is run by a pair of unapologetically dapper young chaps, who offer espresso-based and hand-brewed coffees to the denizens of Borough.

I stopped by at the weekend, and even on a rainy Saturday afternoon, their racing-green shopfront adds a cheerful vibe to a quiet section of Union Street. Inside, the décor is all reclaimed wood and exposed brick. Not exactly breaking new ground for a hipster coffee shop, perhaps, but they have done a great job making it feel both cool and cosy. 

There are a couple of seats in the window and then several communal wooden tables in the back. If it had been a more clement day, I would have held out for the prime real estate in the window, but I was happy to nestle in the back with a copy of Caffeine Magazine.

Several of the new coffee shops in Bermondsey, including Hej and Watch House, only serve espresso-based coffee, so it was great to see that The Gentlemen Baristas serve Chemex, Aeropress and V60. I ordered a Chemex (£3) and went to read Caffeine.

The Gentlemen Baristas is sited across the road from a former famous hat maker and all of their coffee blends are named for hats. The blend du jour for hand-brewed coffee was the Bowler — a blend of two Kenyan varieties, which worked really well in the Chemex. 

My coffee had a nice clean taste and a light fruity acidity, which was just what I wanted. As winter approaches, I tend to prefer richer, more chocolatey coffees, but it's barely even autumn yet. The espresso blends included the Top Hat and the Trilby.

I talked briefly with one of the friendly eponymous gentlemen on my way out, and he even indulged my snap-happiness by donning the top hat. Well, when in dandy central... Pay them a visit — your day will be all the more splendid for it.

The Gentlemen Baristas. 63 Union Street, London, SE1 1SG (Tube: Borough). Website.