London's Top 27 Coffee Places...my coffee league
OK...these are my current favourites...places move up or down week by week and there are a few bubbling under these guys!
(Coffee suppliers used are in brackets)
Champions League
Prufrock at Present - Shoreditch High Street - incredibly good! (Square Mile)
Pitch 42 - Whitecross St Market, hard to fault (Square Mile)
Dose Espresso - two of the best baristas (James and Estelle) around - love the compost-able cups, Smithfield Market (Square Mile)
Fernandez and Wells at St Annes Street - David Robson is destined to be one of the best baristas in London, the current Hasbean blend is incredibly good! (Hasbean)
Tapped and Packed - a shrine to coffee! (near Tottenham Court Road) (Various)
Kaffeine - great friendly place, wonderful food too! Great Titchfield Street (Square Mile)
Lantana - what they do with their signature Monmouth blend here is wonderful, always wonderful! Charlotte Place, Fitzrovia (Monmouth)
The Espresso Room - Ben is a top coffee guy, 'nuff said! - opposite Great Ormond Street hospital (Square Mile)
Taylor Street (New Street branch, Liverpool Street) - unfailingly excellent at this branch, very varied at the Richmond branch (Union)
Exchange Coffee - Lewisham Market, Neil and Lynsey are superb at coffee (Monmouth)
Premier League
Camden Coffee House - great newish place, uses Hasbean's Jalibreak for espresso and a signature Hasbean blend for milk based drinks - right opposite Sainsburys in Camden. (Hasbean)
Flat White - Sunday favourite of mine, love the sandwiches, always a good Flat White, very friendly staff. Berwick Street. (Square Mile)
Tina We Salute You - probably my favourite setting, and great coffee and food. King Henry's Walk, Dalston (Square Mile)
Taste of Bitter Love - friendly place, very comfy for a small place, they take good care of their coffee and customers, Hackney Road (Square Mile)
Climpson and Sons - always very good, great place to catch the Broadway Market vibe (Climpson and Sons)
Nude Espresso - largish place, relaxing, great coffee. Hanbury Street off Brick Lane (Nude)
Ginger and White - always very good coffee, great food, lovely addition to Hampstead (Square Mile)
First Division
Monmouth - yeah, I'm amazed I didn't place my former favourite higher. Some very average coffees there recently and there's never room to sit down. I'm sure they'll be back to former glories soon. Covent Garden (Monmouth)
Caravan - lovely place, especially when Neil from Exchange is working there. They roast their own beans and they do vary but mostly very good. Some pretty fine pourovers too and a great addition to Exmouth Market, the place is thriving! (Caravan)
Beas of Bloomsbury - Bea is amazing. The cakes are top notch, the food is superb and she takes the coffee seriously. Wouldn't be surprised to see it rise up this list a bit soon! Theobalds Road. (Square Mile)
The Pavillion Cafe - The relaxing waterside cafe in Victoria park is a fine source of a decent coffee since its makeover. (Square Mile)
Wild and Wood - little known gem on New Oxford Street, near the British Museum. Always a decent coffee. Lovely interior too. http://www.wildandwoodcoffee.co.uk/ (Monmouth)
Milk Bar - I'm never quite as comfortable here as at its sister Flat White but the coffee is always good and the location is great. I often find I have better coffee there if I drink in rather than take away but, at it's best, the coffee here is excellent. (Square Mile)
London Review Bookshop cafe - excellent coffee, friendly staff, snobbish unfriendly clientèle sometimes (Monmouth)
Wiltons Coffeehouse - hip little place, hidden away in Hackney (Climpson and Sons)
Browns of Brockley - probably should be higher up the table but I'm going on recommnedations, I've not visited yet, but I met the charming owner and his lovely dog. Definitely worth a trip to Brockley (Square Mile)
Federation - yes, there is now good coffee in Brixton. Pretty decent there on my one visit. (Nude)
Find them, and more using my London Coffee Map: http://philwbass.wordpress.com/2010/02/14/londons-best-coffee-a-map/
Now, when am I going to get to Allpress?