The 7 Best Coffee Shops In London

With a third wave of coffee sweeping across the UK over the last decade, we wanted to share the very best coffee shops across London that you simply can’t miss out on.

We focus for the most part on small independent coffee shops who go above and beyond to bring new flavours and techniques to their local communities. The businesses and people who are super passionate about coffee, in terms of how they source, roast and serve it.

The 7 Best Coffee Shops In London, How do these rankings work?

1 Prufrock Café

Renowned for its artisan coffee and tasty seasonal food offerings in Central London, Prufrock is a real treat to visit.

They serve a huge range of beans, including Square Mile Coffee, and a variety of our favourite guest roasters from all over Europe such as Five Elephant, Koppi Coffee, Coffee Collective and Drop Coffee.

2. Dark Arts Coffee

You’ll find this slick coffee store/roastery in Hackney, in a railway arch where everyone seems to have tattoos and ride a motorcycle. Don’t have either? Don’t worry, all coffee lovers are welcome.

Order a cuppa Thursday-Sunday at the in-store cafe I Will Kill Again, which also serves brunch Get their house home brew – “Revenge: Best Served Cold.”

3. Kaffeine

The founders set up Kaffeine after being inspired by the coffee culture in Australia and New Zealand. It’s an independently owned cafe and espresso bar with two locations just five-minutes walk from Oxford Circus or Tottenham Court Road. Their customers are all super advocates of the amazing brews they push across the counter on a daily basis.

4. Chief Coffee

The Chief Coffee is a slick, bright and airy place where the La Marzocco coffee machine is in pride of place on the counter. They serve the finest coffee from Allpress, Workshop Coffee and The Barn Berlin. Oh, and you can also play on 10 Pinball machines from the late 90’s and present day that are in the cafe.

5. Store St Espresso

They have two spots in London, with their Tavistock Place spot also serving brunch alongside their truly excellent coffee. For the original experience head along to their first shop on Store Street. No fuss, just really great quality coffee prepared by professionals.

6. The Black Cab Coffee Co.

The Black Cab Coffee Co.’s first London outlet was converted into a mobile coffee shop in 2013 and driven to Brick Lane market, where they still work to this day. They now have five cabs which you’ll see all over the city as well as their first actual brick-and-morter shop. A wonderful story, topped only by the coffee itself.

7. Shoreditch Grind

The original outpost of the fantastic Grind coffee stores, the cool Shoreditch location serves coffee, food and cocktails up to 18 hours a day.

The smell of fresh coffee is heavenly, and the 50s diner style is the perfect backdrop to your espresso.