Well it’s a googlemap, that’s how they work. You could click on the link at the bottom that sends you to the actual google page. Are you on dial-up, out of interest?
Thankyou. Much appreciated. I was looking for a guide like this just last week. Ended up in Patisserie Valerie (the original) which did the job. I’ll be trying out a bunch of them.
Well, I dn’t klive in London – but if I did, this map would be worht it’s weight in gold! Since I am planning to come to London at some point this year (and good coffee is always a major prioity), I feel this shall prove an invaluable resource.
Nice work, Phil!!
-Neil
There’s nowhere west of Carnaby St! Are you seriously saying there’s no decent coffee in south or west London? I don’t think this is a very representative map of “London”. Try Dizain in New King’s Road for fabulous coffee, and many other places besides.
Well talking about the best quality of barista made espresso coffee, it does tend to be concentrated in certain areas. I know a lot of people on the coffee scene and if there were great places in West and South London they’d probably have been mentioned to me in my 20 years in London. Essentially, the main reason for the lack of great coffee i West London is the rent.
I live in Islington and it’s a pretty bare place there for good coffee too! I have spent plenty of time in West and South London – I used to enjoy a galao in the Potuguese cafes in Stockwell but compared to the quality of drinks made by the baristas experienced and trained in postwar New Zealand and parts of Australia it doesn’t measure up.
Look at the line-up for the upcoming UK barista championships. I don’t think I see anyone from West London based places in it…I might be wrong.
The best coffee places are still clustered in Central and East London. If you don’t believe me, try them. Thanks for the tip on Dizain – I’ll try that.
Hi Phil,
first of all great to see your list. About time coffee shops get more visible recognition. Thanks for putting in the work.
A couple of points I noticed.
Despite 20 years experience and you haven’t been to coffee plant is a pity as they roast and produce decent shots well before the young boys and girls came about (i.e. last few years).
Diversity of brews are coming on strong and you ought to go beyond espresso based coffees.
cheers
Coffee Plant in Portobello? Very, very disappointing in my experience. I wouldn’t recommend it. As for going beyond espresso – I dig the aeropress at home and a variety of extractions at Notes, Music and Coffee, Tapped and Packed, Dose Espresso and (soon if not now) at Prufrock Coffee in Leather Lane.
Rebecca, almost FOUR years later and there is *still* no good coffee in West London, with the exception of a small handful of places (Talkhouse in Portobello, for example).
That’s just how London is working itself out right now, don’t blame Phil!
Yes, right now I’d recommmend Talkhouse (light years above the rest) and lovely Camden Coffee House in Ladbroke Grove. I need to try Electric Coffee in Ealing Broadway. It’s interesting to speculate why coffee hasn’t taken off in West London…I wonder if many people make coffee at home there or if the nature of the shopping areas and rents favour the chains.
i have kept an open collaboration coffee map on google for a couple of years, not as organised and thoroughly researched as yours though, its more a place for people to drop a pin as a recommendation. if your looking for inspiration for new places to add have a look at my map, (but i certainly haven’t been to all of them so i can’t say they are all going to be great.)
I would say your map is pretty spot on, only a cpuple i’m not sure about
The only one missing i can say certainly needs to be there is exchangecoffee who run a stall on lewisham market (on saturdays only), uk latte art champion and third place on one stall.
they are on the end of lewisham high street
i won’t post a link to my map, but a google search for good coffee map might show up near the top
Thanks for a great amalgamation of the best coffee spots in London. You might want to have a look at scooterworks at Waterloo and tell us what you think. Also, I want to ask whether you believe the places you’ve gathered are equally great when it comes to decaf. Speaking as an on again – off again 3-double espressos a day aficionado, I was wondering if these places serve decent decaf for these days when only the smell of coffee can make you feel happy.
I’ll be happy to pop in to Scooterworks. I wish I’d known, I was in Waterloo on Saturday but it’s easy enough for me to drop by. I’m sorry, I know nothing about decaf but most of these places are on the net or on twitter so you could ask.
Well done Phil for putting all these places on one map! This’ll be very useful. Also try LJ coffee on Winnett street (sells Union coffee, and very good Baristas), and did you know the marketplace in St Pancras station now sells Monmouth as well – right opposite Starbucks? I can also second that Scooterworks and Taylor street Baristas are also great.
Chris
Thanks Chris, I’ll try LJ; I’ll have to google Winnett Street.
Yes, I’ve promoted Sourced Market in St Pancras the past. I like what the owner is trying to do – create a space to have Borough Market style products in San Pancras. The food is very good indeed and the coffee is the best in the area but that’s not saying much. The first few cups I had there were decent but I’ve had a lot of less decent coffees there since. They do use Monmouth beans and the staff are Monmouth trained but I don’t believe they’ve maintained quality control over their staff – there’s not enough people working there with a genuine love for coffee so it’s not always particularly well made – but it is better than most!
OK,
Extended my to-do list after discussions with a range of coffee cognoscenti and reading Charmiane Mok’s reviews.
I need to try:
London Review of Books Cafe – Bloomsbury
Exchange Coffee – Lewisham
Scooterworks – Waterloo
Merito – Swiss Cottage/Broadway Market
Tina We salute You – Dalston
Taste of Bitter Love – Hackney Road
Nude Expresso – East London
Ginger and White – Hampstead
Ottolenghi – Islington
Climpson and Sons
Gwylim’s Carts
Taylor Street
LJ Coffee House Soho
Foxcroft and Ginger
Indie Coffee, St Johns Wood
Counter Cafe – Hackney Wick
Wilton’s – Hackney
Browns of Brockley
The Roastery – Wandsworth
Kensington Square Kitchen
Coffee Plant – Portobello
Cafe Gingko – Ravenscourt Avenue
OK, a lot of these have been tried out.
Tina, Taste of Bitter Love, Exchange Coffee, Nude, Ginger and White, Gwilym’s Carts, Taylor St are all excellent. Foxcroft and Ginger is good, if not quite at the same level. LJ is a fun place, a decent oasis in London and the coffee is decent. Scooterworks varies between excellent and undrinkable depending on who is working there. Wilton’s is worth a visit, very quirky place. Ottolenghi wasn’t that great. Then there’s a few more still to try!
I’m sure Browns of Brockley is excellent and I have to get down there; and to Mouse and De Lotz over in the East End.
Definately try Foxcroft & Ginger in Soho. They are my new favourite! Great interior and wonderful Monmouth Coffee made on a Synesso. You should also try their food: I swear their sandwiches might even be the best in London..!
I tried Foxcroft and Ginger and enjoyed it. I have had friends go and the coffee was overhot but when I went in (a Sunday) the barista was very knowledgeable (ex-Lantana) and made a very decent cup of coffee – it wasn’t up to Kaffeine, Flat White, Milk Bar, Monmouth standards for that area but well made indeed. If it was in North London I would be raving about it. I agree about the sandwiches – they are stunningly good, they might well be the best in London. The staff were lovely and friendly too and it was quite spacious with a downstairs area which is unusually large for a London coffee bar. Definitely recommended!
I made Caravan (where the great Neil from Exchange Coffee works in midweek) and recently Tapped and Packed, London Review of Books, Ginger and White and LJ Coffee house.
Looks like I wasn’t the only person to create a london coffee map on google maps! Damn, I thought I was so original 🙂
Good to see other people in London care about good coffee and i’m looking forward to trying out some of the places on your map that I haven’t been to yet.
Thanks Mark,
A few there I need to check out Sacred Holloway is nowhere near the actual cafe?
I will enjoy checking out the places on your map. I’ve been meaning to get to Farm Collective for a while
Yeah the google maps location when you search for sacred cafe is wrong! The location on my map is correct.
You should definitely make it to ‘Tina, we salute you’ if you haven’t yet. One of my favourites!
Yes, I must try Tina We Salute You. They are closed from the 26th April for two weeks. I need to take the walk along the canal to Dalston and try the Towpath Cafe along the way.
Great Map. I was putting together a map myself when I found this one. I thought you may be interested in Full Steam Espresso in Dulwich. He is based at
unit D 17, ground floor Parkhall
Trading estate ( approach up the left side of main big white building ) 40
Martell road SE21 8EN, but also has a cart on Saturday morning
outside the Oddbins, Rosendale road. It is owned by Kurt ( another Australian ). He is just about to start roasting his own beans.
Back from out London holiday 🙂 I didn’t get to try a lot of coffee shops, but I was a little disapointed by Fernandez&Wells and the FlatWhite. Both served a very good looking crema-rich, but very sour tasting espresso. But maybe “fruity” 3rd-wasve espresso just isn’t for me… Even after adding sugar I found it hard to enjoy. FlatWhite did’t even have plain Espresso on the menu, or was I missing something?
I was looking forward to visiting “Present London” in Shoreditch, but the guy kind of closed the door on us, even though we got there more than an hour before closing time. Fortunately we didn’t go to Shoreditch just because of this coffeeshop ;-).
Wow Hans. That’s really unfortunate about Present. Gwiliym is one of the absolute best in London and a lovely guy – there must have been some reason. Glad you found some other things to do in Shoreditch Flat White does serve espresso. It’s been consistently of a high standard on my many visits. Which branch of Fernandez and Wells did you go to? I am surprised you didn’t enjoy Hasbean’s Christmas blend there as it’s one I particularly enjoyed. http://www.hasbean.co.uk/.
The Espresso Room at the British Library is run by the chain of restaurants called Peyton & Byrne who also run the cafes at many museums. When I’ve visited the coffee has been very poor but perhaps it’s due another visit. http://www.peytonandbyrne.co.uk. I hope it has improved as I spend a lot of time in that area and there are a dearth of decent coffee shops.
EDIT: You know thinking again about this I’d say you really need t give Third Wave coffee another go Hans. It’s obviously not your thing and the place you did like has truly awful coffee, I can confirm, but perhaps a darker roast that you are used to. The sourness that you mention is an increased acidity and reduced bitterness in many third wave coffees but it’s a taste you grow to love and in time experience the subtlety of a wide range of flavours
This is such a useful map! Thanks for all your effort, although I am sure it was fun.
I have found an iPhone application for this too. Maybe you made it?
Phil, this is a fantastic resource. Am in process of planning for opening of our own coffee shop in Birmingham later this year and was just starting researching some benchmark places in London to visit … you’ve done the work for us and now I just need to visit. Thanks a lot!!
Might be worth checking out Coffee Circus, 136 Crouch Hill. They opened late last year I think and showed relative seriousness with their Mazzer/Marzocco machinery and Union coffee. I went there once and it was a cut above the rest in Crouch End. But today as I passed on the bus I saw the distinctive red of Hasbean coffee bags through the window so they really must be a bit serious and I’ll have to pay another visit.
hi Phil,
Ive noticed on your map that you have Nude espresso but not Roughtrade espresso which is situated around the corner in Roughtrades East london store. Here we serve Monmouth espresso through our La Marzocco linea .. We have a small menu of food all supplied locally as well as having one of the best music selections in the world!!!
The Foxcroft & Ginger has to be my favorite place for a coffee so far. I’m sure to take a look at other places though, they might surprise me. Thanks for the map 🙂
Lovely sandwiches and cake at Foxcoft & Ginger and I’ve had some decent coffee there – if a bit hit and miss. Lots of space -and I love the china cups!
Another new one for you to check out next time you are Finsbury Park way. Vagabond on Stroud Green Rd just the other side of the junction with Tollington Park – only just opened early December. I haven’t been but spied some unmistakeable red Hasbean bags thro’ the window from the bus. Looks popular with the locals: http://www.stroudgreen.org/discussion/3395/new-cafe/p1
Just off Cannon St. Shares a courtyard with a sandwich/wrap tent.
Since visiting Stockholm I have become obsessed with a bakery called Fabrique, and fortunately for me there is a newly opened London outpost right next to Hoxton overground, just behind the Geffrye Museum. I think their coffee is really decent and worthy of a spot on your map! Don’t miss the cinnamon buns either.
Thanks for that. I have visited Fabrique twice and it is a truly excellent bakery and a great space. The cardamon buns are my favourite. I have enjoyed a mug or two of the batch brew coffee there although it is a far darker roast then I normally drink. I hesitate to put it on the map until I check the quality of the espresso based drinks as I notice they have a machine. I will check next time I visit and consider adding it.
Phil Wain 
This page takes way too long to load and then you have to click on each cup icon to see the actual address. Too much hassle, sorry
Well it’s a googlemap, that’s how they work. You could click on the link at the bottom that sends you to the actual google page. Are you on dial-up, out of interest?
hahaha – dial-up 🙂
Thankyou. Much appreciated. I was looking for a guide like this just last week. Ended up in Patisserie Valerie (the original) which did the job. I’ll be trying out a bunch of them.
Try some of these out, you won’t be disappointed.
Well, I dn’t klive in London – but if I did, this map would be worht it’s weight in gold! Since I am planning to come to London at some point this year (and good coffee is always a major prioity), I feel this shall prove an invaluable resource.
Nice work, Phil!!
-Neil
I’d be glad to show you round Neil, thanks.
There’s nowhere west of Carnaby St! Are you seriously saying there’s no decent coffee in south or west London? I don’t think this is a very representative map of “London”. Try Dizain in New King’s Road for fabulous coffee, and many other places besides.
Well talking about the best quality of barista made espresso coffee, it does tend to be concentrated in certain areas. I know a lot of people on the coffee scene and if there were great places in West and South London they’d probably have been mentioned to me in my 20 years in London. Essentially, the main reason for the lack of great coffee i West London is the rent.
I live in Islington and it’s a pretty bare place there for good coffee too! I have spent plenty of time in West and South London – I used to enjoy a galao in the Potuguese cafes in Stockwell but compared to the quality of drinks made by the baristas experienced and trained in postwar New Zealand and parts of Australia it doesn’t measure up.
Look at the line-up for the upcoming UK barista championships. I don’t think I see anyone from West London based places in it…I might be wrong.
The best coffee places are still clustered in Central and East London. If you don’t believe me, try them. Thanks for the tip on Dizain – I’ll try that.
Hi Phil,
first of all great to see your list. About time coffee shops get more visible recognition. Thanks for putting in the work.
A couple of points I noticed.
Despite 20 years experience and you haven’t been to coffee plant is a pity as they roast and produce decent shots well before the young boys and girls came about (i.e. last few years).
Diversity of brews are coming on strong and you ought to go beyond espresso based coffees.
cheers
Coffee Plant in Portobello? Very, very disappointing in my experience. I wouldn’t recommend it. As for going beyond espresso – I dig the aeropress at home and a variety of extractions at Notes, Music and Coffee, Tapped and Packed, Dose Espresso and (soon if not now) at Prufrock Coffee in Leather Lane.
Rebecca, you might want to look at TimeOut’s West London recommendations here:
http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/features/9601/5.html
Rebecca, almost FOUR years later and there is *still* no good coffee in West London, with the exception of a small handful of places (Talkhouse in Portobello, for example).
That’s just how London is working itself out right now, don’t blame Phil!
Yes, right now I’d recommmend Talkhouse (light years above the rest) and lovely Camden Coffee House in Ladbroke Grove. I need to try Electric Coffee in Ealing Broadway. It’s interesting to speculate why coffee hasn’t taken off in West London…I wonder if many people make coffee at home there or if the nature of the shopping areas and rents favour the chains.
i have kept an open collaboration coffee map on google for a couple of years, not as organised and thoroughly researched as yours though, its more a place for people to drop a pin as a recommendation. if your looking for inspiration for new places to add have a look at my map, (but i certainly haven’t been to all of them so i can’t say they are all going to be great.)
I would say your map is pretty spot on, only a cpuple i’m not sure about
The only one missing i can say certainly needs to be there is exchangecoffee who run a stall on lewisham market (on saturdays only), uk latte art champion and third place on one stall.
they are on the end of lewisham high street
i won’t post a link to my map, but a google search for good coffee map might show up near the top
I’d be happy to post a link. Is this one yours?
http://www.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=100504603781333782717.00044d6c0a754e8848d58
Some great places on there.
Glad to hear about Exchange Coffee! Thanks.
thats the one! Neil and Lynsey are very passionate about their stall, and coffee geeks can be seen congregating for several hours
I added it…and I’ll get there when I can! Thanks!
Hi Phil.
Thanks for a great amalgamation of the best coffee spots in London. You might want to have a look at scooterworks at Waterloo and tell us what you think. Also, I want to ask whether you believe the places you’ve gathered are equally great when it comes to decaf. Speaking as an on again – off again 3-double espressos a day aficionado, I was wondering if these places serve decent decaf for these days when only the smell of coffee can make you feel happy.
Thanks.
I’ll be happy to pop in to Scooterworks. I wish I’d known, I was in Waterloo on Saturday but it’s easy enough for me to drop by. I’m sorry, I know nothing about decaf but most of these places are on the net or on twitter so you could ask.
I’d really recommend the decaf espresso at Fernandez and Wells if that’s you bag
Thanks Phil. As someone who frequents all these places, this list is spot-on! Espresso Room is probably my favorite at the moment.
I might add the London Review of Books cafe. The barista there is very serious about her coffee.
Ooh, that London Review of Books Cafe looks very fine!
http://www.lrb.co.uk/bookshop
I’m always at the British Museum. Next time I’m there I’m visiting LRB.
Well done Phil for putting all these places on one map! This’ll be very useful. Also try LJ coffee on Winnett street (sells Union coffee, and very good Baristas), and did you know the marketplace in St Pancras station now sells Monmouth as well – right opposite Starbucks? I can also second that Scooterworks and Taylor street Baristas are also great.
Chris
Thanks Chris, I’ll try LJ; I’ll have to google Winnett Street.
Yes, I’ve promoted Sourced Market in St Pancras the past. I like what the owner is trying to do – create a space to have Borough Market style products in San Pancras. The food is very good indeed and the coffee is the best in the area but that’s not saying much. The first few cups I had there were decent but I’ve had a lot of less decent coffees there since. They do use Monmouth beans and the staff are Monmouth trained but I don’t believe they’ve maintained quality control over their staff – there’s not enough people working there with a genuine love for coffee so it’s not always particularly well made – but it is better than most!
Guess Time Out had my idea too. Gives me a few places to check out:
http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/features/9601/5.html
Charmaine really knows coffee and it’s very well researched.
OK,
Extended my to-do list after discussions with a range of coffee cognoscenti and reading Charmiane Mok’s reviews.
I need to try:
London Review of Books Cafe – Bloomsbury
Exchange Coffee – Lewisham
Scooterworks – Waterloo
Merito – Swiss Cottage/Broadway Market
Tina We salute You – Dalston
Taste of Bitter Love – Hackney Road
Nude Expresso – East London
Ginger and White – Hampstead
Ottolenghi – Islington
Climpson and Sons
Gwylim’s Carts
Taylor Street
LJ Coffee House Soho
Foxcroft and Ginger
Indie Coffee, St Johns Wood
Counter Cafe – Hackney Wick
Wilton’s – Hackney
Browns of Brockley
The Roastery – Wandsworth
Kensington Square Kitchen
Coffee Plant – Portobello
Cafe Gingko – Ravenscourt Avenue
OK, a lot of these have been tried out.
Tina, Taste of Bitter Love, Exchange Coffee, Nude, Ginger and White, Gwilym’s Carts, Taylor St are all excellent. Foxcroft and Ginger is good, if not quite at the same level. LJ is a fun place, a decent oasis in London and the coffee is decent. Scooterworks varies between excellent and undrinkable depending on who is working there. Wilton’s is worth a visit, very quirky place. Ottolenghi wasn’t that great. Then there’s a few more still to try!
I’m sure Browns of Brockley is excellent and I have to get down there; and to Mouse and De Lotz over in the East End.
Definately try Foxcroft & Ginger in Soho. They are my new favourite! Great interior and wonderful Monmouth Coffee made on a Synesso. You should also try their food: I swear their sandwiches might even be the best in London..!
I tried Foxcroft and Ginger and enjoyed it. I have had friends go and the coffee was overhot but when I went in (a Sunday) the barista was very knowledgeable (ex-Lantana) and made a very decent cup of coffee – it wasn’t up to Kaffeine, Flat White, Milk Bar, Monmouth standards for that area but well made indeed. If it was in North London I would be raving about it. I agree about the sandwiches – they are stunningly good, they might well be the best in London. The staff were lovely and friendly too and it was quite spacious with a downstairs area which is unusually large for a London coffee bar. Definitely recommended!
There’s also Caravan which I believe wasn’t open when that article came out. http://www.caravanonexmouth.co.uk/
I was just reading about Caravan – not far from me and I’m keen to try it.
I made Caravan (where the great Neil from Exchange Coffee works in midweek) and recently Tapped and Packed, London Review of Books, Ginger and White and LJ Coffee house.
My most recent trip encompassing Taste of Bitter Love, Climpson and Sons, Present and Nude Espresso can be read about here:
http://philwbass.posterous.com/east-end-coffee-crawl
Hi,
Looks like I wasn’t the only person to create a london coffee map on google maps! Damn, I thought I was so original 🙂
Good to see other people in London care about good coffee and i’m looking forward to trying out some of the places on your map that I haven’t been to yet.
Here’s my map if your interested. http://bit.ly/9PdizO
Also we created a simple iPhone app so people can find good coffee on the go (google my maps don’t really work properly on the iPhone).
Find it here… http://bit.ly/9Phq08
Good luck with the hunt for good coffee 🙂
Oh and you really have to get to Prufrock Coffee at Present!
Yes Prufrock is great. I think its on my map as Prufrock instead of Present. Gwilym’s disloyalty card is a great idea. http://www.jimseven.com/2009/12/17/gwilyms-disloyalty-card/
Thanks Mark,
A few there I need to check out Sacred Holloway is nowhere near the actual cafe?
I will enjoy checking out the places on your map. I’ve been meaning to get to Farm Collective for a while
Yeah the google maps location when you search for sacred cafe is wrong! The location on my map is correct.
You should definitely make it to ‘Tina, we salute you’ if you haven’t yet. One of my favourites!
Yes, I must try Tina We Salute You. They are closed from the 26th April for two weeks. I need to take the walk along the canal to Dalston and try the Towpath Cafe along the way.
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Great Map. I was putting together a map myself when I found this one. I thought you may be interested in Full Steam Espresso in Dulwich. He is based at
unit D 17, ground floor Parkhall
Trading estate ( approach up the left side of main big white building ) 40
Martell road SE21 8EN, but also has a cart on Saturday morning
outside the Oddbins, Rosendale road. It is owned by Kurt ( another Australian ). He is just about to start roasting his own beans.
Something in Dulwich? Neat. I don’t get down that way much ….but next time.
Kurts a Kiwi.. Come check us out in the new year when our new cafe is open.
Kurt is Kiwi! Wonderful coffee though. His roasts are great, but his internet presence has gone and so living in the north now, I miss his brews.
One day I will find a reason to be in Dulwich
Great idea on having a coffee map online, but loading incredibly slow for me!
Sorry!
It’s an edited googlemap so it depends on how quickly googlemaps load for you. They’re normally quite fast. Perhaps try later.
Just loaded in a split second for me….perhaps try again
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Thank you for your map! This will come handy on our holiday in London. Its so cool that we’re living in the future 🙂
Hope it comes in useful Hans and you enjoy some lovely coffees in some great cafes!
Back from out London holiday 🙂 I didn’t get to try a lot of coffee shops, but I was a little disapointed by Fernandez&Wells and the FlatWhite. Both served a very good looking crema-rich, but very sour tasting espresso. But maybe “fruity” 3rd-wasve espresso just isn’t for me… Even after adding sugar I found it hard to enjoy. FlatWhite did’t even have plain Espresso on the menu, or was I missing something?
I was looking forward to visiting “Present London” in Shoreditch, but the guy kind of closed the door on us, even though we got there more than an hour before closing time. Fortunately we didn’t go to Shoreditch just because of this coffeeshop ;-).
I found one interesting little café you might want to try out. It is called “The Espresso Bar”, located in Euston Road, right at the British Library. The espresso was pretty good and the have their own little roasting machine in the bar. I also liked the freshly made churros 🙂
Wow Hans. That’s really unfortunate about Present. Gwiliym is one of the absolute best in London and a lovely guy – there must have been some reason. Glad you found some other things to do in Shoreditch Flat White does serve espresso. It’s been consistently of a high standard on my many visits. Which branch of Fernandez and Wells did you go to? I am surprised you didn’t enjoy Hasbean’s Christmas blend there as it’s one I particularly enjoyed. http://www.hasbean.co.uk/.
The Espresso Room at the British Library is run by the chain of restaurants called Peyton & Byrne who also run the cafes at many museums. When I’ve visited the coffee has been very poor but perhaps it’s due another visit. http://www.peytonandbyrne.co.uk. I hope it has improved as I spend a lot of time in that area and there are a dearth of decent coffee shops.
EDIT: You know thinking again about this I’d say you really need t give Third Wave coffee another go Hans. It’s obviously not your thing and the place you did like has truly awful coffee, I can confirm, but perhaps a darker roast that you are used to. The sourness that you mention is an increased acidity and reduced bitterness in many third wave coffees but it’s a taste you grow to love and in time experience the subtlety of a wide range of flavours
This is such a useful map! Thanks for all your effort, although I am sure it was fun.
I have found an iPhone application for this too. Maybe you made it?
itunes.apple.com/gb/app/londons-best-coffee/id400916958?mt=8
Not mine. The app is great, wish I could make one. My map is rather more selective than the app though, I think.
Le Peche Mignon http://www.lepechemignon.co.uk/ deserves a cup on this map, serves monmouth to perfection! Best Coffee in Highbury/Holloway!
I must get down there Trevor. Not too far from me either. Thanks.
Phil, this is a fantastic resource. Am in process of planning for opening of our own coffee shop in Birmingham later this year and was just starting researching some benchmark places in London to visit … you’ve done the work for us and now I just need to visit. Thanks a lot!!
Lots of new places to add soon too!
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try these new ones..
28 Westow Hill
City of London, Greater london SE19 1RX
020 8761 7455
goodtaste-fd.co.uk‎
Volcano Coffee Works
Unit D17, Ground Floor, Parkhall Trading Estate
62 Tritton Road
London
SE21 8DE
Ph: +44 208 – 761 8415
Excellent, thanks. I have heard of Volcano. Don’t get down that far south much at all so might have to rely on some second opinions.
Might be worth checking out Coffee Circus, 136 Crouch Hill. They opened late last year I think and showed relative seriousness with their Mazzer/Marzocco machinery and Union coffee. I went there once and it was a cut above the rest in Crouch End. But today as I passed on the bus I saw the distinctive red of Hasbean coffee bags through the window so they really must be a bit serious and I’ll have to pay another visit.
v
Yes, I’ve heard good things about Coffee Circus. I thought I’d added it but I must. I have to get over to Crouch End!
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hi Phil,
Ive noticed on your map that you have Nude espresso but not Roughtrade espresso which is situated around the corner in Roughtrades East london store. Here we serve Monmouth espresso through our La Marzocco linea .. We have a small menu of food all supplied locally as well as having one of the best music selections in the world!!!
Thanks, I’ll try that next time I’m in the area. Might be a while though but I’ll be there. Coffee and Music is a great combination!
http://philwbass.posterous.com/philwbasstop-ten-london-coffeeshops-august-20
I put my top ten London recommendations here!
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The Foxcroft & Ginger has to be my favorite place for a coffee so far. I’m sure to take a look at other places though, they might surprise me. Thanks for the map 🙂
Lovely sandwiches and cake at Foxcoft & Ginger and I’ve had some decent coffee there – if a bit hit and miss. Lots of space -and I love the china cups!
Another new one for you to check out next time you are Finsbury Park way. Vagabond on Stroud Green Rd just the other side of the junction with Tollington Park – only just opened early December. I haven’t been but spied some unmistakeable red Hasbean bags thro’ the window from the bus. Looks popular with the locals: http://www.stroudgreen.org/discussion/3395/new-cafe/p1
v
Thanks
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You really have to add the Algerian in soho – http://thecoffeelocator.com/trending/around-the-world/the-algerian-coffee-store-londons-hidden-gem
I’ve tried it. I can’t drink the coffee.
Lifesaver! I’ve just moved work to near St Pauls and it’s a coffee desert without the right map.
Also worth adding the coffee cart at the bottom of Bow Lane that sells Monmouth.
Thanks! Not sure about the cart..which one? There is one on Gresham Street?
Just off Cannon St. Shares a courtyard with a sandwich/wrap tent.
Since visiting Stockholm I have become obsessed with a bakery called Fabrique, and fortunately for me there is a newly opened London outpost right next to Hoxton overground, just behind the Geffrye Museum. I think their coffee is really decent and worthy of a spot on your map! Don’t miss the cinnamon buns either.
Thanks for that. I have visited Fabrique twice and it is a truly excellent bakery and a great space. The cardamon buns are my favourite. I have enjoyed a mug or two of the batch brew coffee there although it is a far darker roast then I normally drink. I hesitate to put it on the map until I check the quality of the espresso based drinks as I notice they have a machine. I will check next time I visit and consider adding it.
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Nice one Phil!!
Thanks Sam! How are you doing?
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I still use this in 2022, thank you for creating it!
Message me on Instagram or elsewhere@philwbass and I can give you more up to date recommendations, the map is getting a little old now