Hopefully you can take the advice from an Aussie when it comes to rating London's coffee.
London is, to put it kindly, notorious for having below average coffee. The coffee chains in the United Kingdom are so below par they would simply be sucked in and spat back out in other areas of the world (I am looking at you Costa). Thanks to the wonderfully diverse culture in London, residents have decided to take matters into their own hands. Local and independently owned cafes with self sourced coffee bean's have saved our coffee souls and we honestly could not thank them enough.
Hunting down these coffee shops however is a task on it's own, and not one that you have time for if you are in London for a short time. If you are like us and can not survive more than 24 hours without a good coffee, hopefully we can save you some time with our recommendations.
Now whilst we would love to say that we have tried all of the coffee in London, this is a physically impossible task based on the sheer number of coffee shops that there actually are in London. Honestly, I think there are now more cafes than pubs dotted about London then ever before.
We do spend a lot of our time in South West London, especially in the days of lock down. With coffee being the only luxury that was available to physically purchase, it quickly became a mission of ours to try out as many coffee shops in South West London as possible. Sadly we have noticed a lot of independent coffee shops falling away slowly with the financial stress of the pandemic, so we hope to inspire many of you to give these coffee shops a go to not only enjoy their deliciousness, but to hopefully keep these small coffee shops alive for many more years. Please note that the prices indicated below may have changed since writing this post.
So, without further ado....and in no particular order...
SW9 l BRIXTON Brixton Blend
Unfortunately we have not had the pleasure to have a 'sit in' coffee in Brixton Blend as each time we visited was during lock down. The interior is warm and cozy and the staff are always really welcoming and friendly. Grab a coffee here before making your way to the Brixton Markets. Closest tube station: Head South on the Victoria line to Brixton station Where to find it: Cross the road when leaving Brixton station, take a left and then turn right onto Tunstall road (it will be a little alley way first). Admire the mural of David Bowie to the left and Brixton Blend will be on the right.
Cost for a regular latte: £2.40
SW11 l WANDSWORTH
Bonsai
We walked past this little cafe many times before giving it a go. The reason we didn't stop? The lines were always huuuuge. However when we did decide to get in line after not being able to resist any longer, we realised that Bonsai pumped out the coffee super fast but without compromising the taste and quality. Win, win. And the taste? Well we are including it here for a reason.
Closest tube station: Tooting Bec station on the Northern line. Where to find it: Leave Tooting Bec station and walk ten minutes towards Wandsworth Common Park. As you arrive at the park, turn right and you will see Bonsai on the corner.
Cost for a regular latte: £2.90
SW17 l TOOTING BROADWAY
Brickwood
Brickwood cafe can also be found in Clapham, Balham and Streatham (all South London). Brickwood is an Australian inspired cafe (had to include one) which we are both becoming all too regular at attending recently. The cafe can be found inside Tooting Broadway Market and also serves some delicious meals.
Closest tube station: Head South on the Northern Line to Tooting Broadway station. Where to find it: As you leave the station you will be confronted with a crossroads. Facing the high street, cross the street and head towards the Tooting Markets. Brickwood is located within the markets but make sure you take the entry past Iceland. Head straight to the back corner of the market and you will find Brickwood.
Cost for a regular latte: £2.70
SW18 l EARLSFIELD
Earlsfield is our little home so we are understandably bias to the cafe's in our area. We can confirm that we have tried all the coffee shops in Earlsfield and we had a tough job trying to choose just two of our favorite, but here they are.
Bean and Hop
Bean and Hop is an Earlsfield favorite for many of the locals. So popular in fact that they have two nearby sister sites; Cafe Fleur in Wandsworth and Cafe Tamra in Clapham. This very family and dog friendly cafe also serves some of the best breakfast in Earlsfield.
If a brew is not what you are after they also have, as the name suggests, a varied selection of hops and wine.
Closest tube station: Overground train from London Bridge or Clapham Junction to Earlsfield station. Where to find it: Turn left out of the station and follow the high street. Bean and Hop is on the corner of Trewin street.
Cost for a regular latte: £3.00
Belle Aime
Belle Aime is a new little coffee shop that popped up early 2019 just before the pandemic hit. In order to stay open it quickly turned into a cafe / plant shop which we honestly can not get enough of. If we are not excited enough about drinking their coffee, we are excited about looking at all the new pots and plants that are on offer and wishing we had the space in our flat for them all.
Side note, the plants and pots sell for a very reasonable cost which makes it hard to leave them all behind. Give yourself a pat on the back if you manage to walk out without one (seriously).
Closest tube station: Overground train from London Bridge or Clapham Junction to Earlsfield station. Where to find it: Turn left our of the station and follow the high street. Belle Aime is on the high street just before Skelbrook street.
Cost for a regular latte: £2.80
SE1 l LONDON BRIDGE
The Coffee House - The Gentlemen Baristas
Still South of the river but slightly more East is where you will find this next caffeine fix. This independent coffee house is a short walk from London Bridge and totally worth the mini detour. It use to be a regular go to back in the day when working in London Bridge and has some of the best tasting coffee in the area.
Closest tube station: London Bridge on the Jubilee Line Where to find it: There are a number of different exits at London Bridge station. You want to walk down Borough High Street (away from the river) and turn down Union Street. A short walk along Union Street and you will see The Gentlemen Baristas on your left.
Cost for a regular latte: £2.60
CENTRAL LONDON
GRIND
I thought I would pop this one in here in for those who may only be based only in Central London during their time in London. To avoid surrendering into a horrible chain coffee shop, instead keep an eye out for this gem.
Located in many of London's central locations, Grind has a unique bean choosing experience which will appease your appetite to keep coming back day after day.
Cost for a regular latte: £3.00 -£4.00 (cost may vary depending on the coffee bean you choose).
There are many more coffee shops that we have tried that were borderline from missing this list. We have kept the number small to highlight that these coffee shops, in our eyes, are above the rest in terms of taste and quality. We have visited each of these coffee shops on more than one occasion and can confirm the experience was not just a 'once off'. Without a doubt we will add to this list in the future, but for now, enjoy the caffeine hit.