“I believe humans get a lot done, not because we’re smart, but because we have thumbs so we can make coffee.” – Flash Rosenberg (cartoonist and performer)
Because many of us desperately need coffee (and some nice food since we’re here) to face up to our day, here are some great and original cafes in London for you to discover:
- Aida – 133 Shoreditch High Street
Sip on a rose latte or another of Aida’s unique refreshments, which make for perfect picture opportunities among house plants and quirky displays. The cafe is a great setting to snap away while you enjoy brunch, cakes and pastries, being situated within a vintage clothing store looking out onto Shoreditch High Street.
- Peggy Porschen Cakes – 116 Ebury St, Belgravia
Discover a homage to pink at Peggy Porschen Cakes in Belgravia. The classy pink decor creates an ideal backdrop for some afternoon tea images or snaps of the shop’s photogenic designs. You’ll be impressed by the variety of cakes this place has to offer.
- Out of Office – 45b High St, Stony Stratford
Home of laidback lounging and independent boozing, this unique space is a hot-desking hub for workers looking to complete assignments in an easygoing coffee shop setting. Specialty coffees and teas from Good & Proper are the key to a relaxed, ‘working from home’ vibe, and there’s a good spread of independent beers, craft brews and artisan spirits if you fancy hanging around past 5pm.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhHCSYXBNHw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
- SAID Dal 1923 – 41 Broadwick St, Carnaby
Be amazed at the skill of the Italian artisan chocolatiers at SAID Dal 1923. This classy cafe is tucked away in a peaceful corner of Soho, and serves purely chocolatey drinks, cakes and light bites. Whether you artfully centre one of its cups drizzled with hot chocolate in frame, or add a filter to its chocolate-dipped strawberries, the confectionary here makes for a mouth-watering photo.
- Daisy Green – 20 Seymour St, Marylebone
Discover how healthy food can be just as perfect as cakes and chocolate at the quirky Daisy Green. This Australia-inspired Marylebone cafe focuses on healthy fare, from relaxed brunches or evening dining, to tasty cocktails.
- Kaffeine – 66 Great Titchfield St, Fitzrovia
Serving Square Mile coffee, alongside beans from a guest roaster from the UK every weekend, Kaffeine’s two W1 cafes offer excellent coffee, expert staff, delicious cakes and beautiful decor – we’d happily spend a good hour or two at either branch.
- Draughts – 337 Acton Mews
This disused railway arch-turned temple to tabletop gaming is still one of the most ingenious ideas to hit the city in recent years. There are bookshelves stacked with more than 500 games, staff trained to explain the rules and once you’ve paid the £5 cover charge, they’re happy for you to keep playing until kicking-out time. There’s a range of cakes, sandwiches, salads and charcuterie platters too, but do be careful not to spill any on the games.
- The Biscuiteers – 194 Kensington Park Road
At this drop-in icing café, you buy one of the seasonal range of biscuits (say, flowers and hearts for springtime), the waiter or waitress quickly explains the basics of icing and then you’re free to use the colourful range of sugary decorations to beautify your biscuit. Be warned, though: to leave you’ll have to walk past the phenomenal range of chocolates, cakes and sweet treats upstairs in the beautiful neo-Parisian boutique.
- Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium – 152-154 Bethnal Green Road
London’s first dedicated cat café features 12 resident moggies for visitors to play. The walls are lined with ‘cat stairs’ for them to clamber up, there’s a kitty-sized equivalent of a hamster wheel and the downstairs is a veritable feline Toys R Us, with moggies crawling through nylon tunnels and batting around a cavalcade of fluffy toys. We highly recommend tucking into a slice of scrummy red velvet cake and a salted caramel chai latte.
Sources: https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/london-best-quirky-cafes
https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/food-and-drink/cafe/top-instagram-cafes
https://www.designmynight.com/london/best-cafes-in-london
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