store street espresso – From Coffee With Love

January 31, 2025February 5, 2025

Drinking Coffee in LONDON 2024

Avid readers of my blog over the last 15 years would have noticed that I usually do an annual post on my coffee escapades in London. However, although I confess that this wasn’t published during the calendar year of 2024, I do have an excuse, as in 2024, I went to London not once but thrice – the first time I think since I left in 2002. So, to save myself from the embarrassment of not posting this in 2024, I essentially wanted to capture all my escapades in one post as I got back from my third trip earlier this month. So, without further a due (very English), here’s my non-exhaustive list of the coffee shops I discovered in 2024 during my three trips to London.

Qima Café, Warren Street

I already posted about my visit here in July as it had been on my list for well over a year. Not to go over my experience again, but worth a visit not just for their coffee but for their pastries too. They also stock hard to find but expensive Yemeni arabica coffee and have these lovely dark bottles well packaged that you can buy and take home with you. It’s a very popular spot with tourist and locals alike, so expect queues if you go.

Kiss the Hippo, Margaret Street, Oxford Street area

With a name you won’t forget easily, this coffee business is rolling out many shops across London as part of their strategy to promote not just great coffee but ethical coffee business too, being named London’s first Carbon Negative coffee brand. What does that mean? It means that they make sure that more CO2 is captured from the environment than is created by their business, resulting in a net positive for the environment (source: their website). I went to their branch twice, once to get this delicious filter brew and another to get a cortado.

On the last occasion, I bought a bag of Chinese Arabica Beans (yes, they grow Arabic coffee in China too). They have another 7 branches dotted around London so wherever you are, you might not be too far from one.

Nagare, Soho

My daughter told me about this brand as it’s near where she works but on the first occasion I wanted to go, they were closed at 12 noon for the holidays for a week. However, I heard from a friend that they have another branch in Soho and on the last day if 2024, I went there. A small café just off Carnaby Street, you’ll notice that the staff are Japanese, so I’m guessing it’s a Japanese brand. They were quite busy so I had to wait about 10 minutes for my cortado but wasn’t that fussed as they had a part of their café that was like a little quiet living room, so I sat and waited, took some pictures, drank my good cup of coffee and left.

Store Street, Liverpool Street

Not to be outdone from missing out at Nagare the first time (see above), I walked around the corner onto Liverpool Street and went into Store Street Espresso. I’ve been a few times, but this was my second visit to this branch. Small but busy given the clientele in the heart of where bankers, lawyers and hedge fund peeps work, it wasn’t that busy at 3pm in the afternoon. They stock Square Mile coffee and other brands and if you buy a bag of coffee, you get a cup of coffee complimentary, so worth thinking about too.

Nkora, Old Burlington Street

Tucked away just off Savile Row (the best place to have tailor made suits in London), is a little non-assuming coffee shop called Nkora. I had heard about this brand and knew that they had another coffee shop at London Wall in the city. I stopped over for a black coffee fix one late afternoon on a colder than usual autumn day in London with my daughter. It looks like the kid of place that James Bond, after having his suits made, would pop over to have a quiet meeting with Q as they have a quiet place downstairs for a real incognito meeting. (James Bond fans will understand).

Watchhouse, Bishopsgate

I met a friend here in the heart of the city where bankers and lawyers rub shoulders. Literally it is down a lane from one of the largest and most prestigious London law firms, Freshfields. As you enter you can’t help but appreciate how each Watch House coffee shop, dotted around London, has a different but familiar feel to it. This reminded me of a little library with a ladder behind the brew bar and another where the retail coffee bag section is.

After a recommendation from the barista to try one of their prestigious filter coffee, I sadly had to decline as my friend said he was treating me and I didn’t want him to pay 12 pounds for a cup of coffee for me.

So, I opted for a batch brew (filter coffee brewed in a batch), delicious nevertheless to accompany his flat white.

Watchhouse, Wells Street Fitzrovia

Well, earlier this month just before I left London again, I found myself in a dilemma as it was just past 4pm and I wanted good coffee. Walking towards Oxford Street on Goodge Street I noticed another popular brand has already shut for the weekend but to my surprise I saw this gorgeous looking architect masterpiece of a coffee shop…. Yes! another Watch House. Did I mention that Watch House was started by an architect. Well, you can tell, check out the brew bar. Wow!

This time the barista offered us an interesting coffee for our filter and we agreed. To add to this experience, we were served cold green tea to clean our palate before drinking the coffee. An unusual experience no doubt but it did help accentuate the high notes of the coffee.

Ozone, Leonard Street, Shoreditch

I’ve known about Ozone for years and I’m almost embarrassed to share that this was my first time. In fact, in 2012 when I was returning to Europe after I had to sell my coffee shop in Cape Town, I met with the owner, Lizz and almost worked with her in setting up this coffee shop. So, one Friday afternoon prior to meeting my cousin and her kids around the corner form Ozone, I rushed with my wife and daughter to finally visit Ozone. It was like I imagined as I have been following them for years. As you enter you can see their huge coffee roaster downstairs and moving further inside they have a dual bar, one for coffee and another food decked with an open kitchen – cool indeed. The decor is urban eatery with exposed brick and lots of light coming in with a mouthwatering breakfast menu too.

I walked around, shot a video for Instagram, bought a bag of their seasonal blend and ordered coffee of course. A delicious flat white – the kind of coffee that spoke to me saying “why haven’t you been here all this time”. Sigh! I plan to visit again and have breakfast in 2025 God willing.

Hjem, 157 Gloucester Road, South Kensington

A friend of mine said next time you’re in London, I have to take you to this Danish inspired coffee shop with pastries and good cofree too. Apparently, they have two in a very posh part of London, South Kensington – where millionaires reside. We went to the only one open just after New Year 2025. Apparently, the shop was started by a lady who saw an opportunity to offer good coffee to parents dropping their kids off at school in the morning and voila she now has two. We ordered their special pastries, like knotted brioche, which went well with their coffee from Climpson and Sons (a London roastery). A cute place to try out if you happen to be in the area, about 15 minutes’ walk from the Natural History Museum.

Guillam, Curzon Street, Mayfair

Tucked away in Mayfair (another hang out for the ultra-wealthy) I discovered this small coffee shop, recommended to me by a fiend in Dubai who has worked with them on supplying previous Yemeni coffee beans. As you enter, you are greeted by a friendly barista and a brew bar featuring a two-group cream coloured La Marzocco Linea with their logo on it, with their coffees on sale gracing the base.

I wandered around the coffee shop, took a video and pictures and placed two orders for one cortado for me and a flat white for my loyal daughter that loves hanging around with me in London.

Delicious and if you are in that part of London (near Green Park tube station, take a 5-minute walk and you won’t regret it). They also have 3 other coffee shops across London.

21 Grams, South Clapham

So just before heading to the airport on a cold, almost 0C day in London, I ventured to get my last cup of specialty coffee in London. About 10 minutes’ walk from where I was staying, 21 grams is familiar to me, having been there in 2023 but I was intrigued this time as their previous roaster, the Gentleman Barista coffee company is now bankrupt. I walked in to be greeted by a friendly lady barista, who made this well poured latte art delicious flat white using their house blend, roasted now by Liberty Coffee Company. A traditional looking neighbourhood coffee shop which now has 5 coffee shop.

January 7, 2018January 21, 2018

London Coffee Report 2017

I can’t believe it’s already 2018. Wow! time really flies. I was reviewing my blog for 2017 and it dawned on me that I didn’t do London coffee scene post for 2017, so here it is, a mix of the new, a fave and convenient, the classic and going back.

The Classic – Store Street Espresso – 40 Store St, Fitzrovia, London WC1E 7DB, UK

In fact it is quite baffling as to why since this London “classic” opened in 2010, around the time the World Barista Championships (WBC) were held in London, I have never been here. I first heard of them as they were one of the first coffee shops to use Square Mile Coffee way back then and they still use them. Sure I’ve been to their “sister” shop, Continental Stores, but not to the big brother. So one rainy August I trekked to Store Street where the shop is located – yes, the shop is named after the street it is located on.

When I finally got there, it was late afternoon and I was really panting for coffee. The place was fairly empty but you could tell that it was the sort of place that would have been very busy earlier in the day. As you walk in, all the action is on your left, Vittoria Arduino espresso machine, grinders, etc, fronted by grab me pastries and and cakes, even though most of them had gone already. As you walk past the brew station and before you approach the sitting area, just on your right they have coffee on sale and gadgets too. The place looks quite bright as they have a sun roof, similar to Colonna and Smalls in Bath. The staff look liked they had just finished a battle, but relaxed and still smiling. To test their milk based skills I went for a cortado using Square Miles Red Brick and some sugar, pasties de nata;

A tasty brew but I wasn’t finished. Before my new coffee, I took a walk around and started chatting to one of the staff, Toby. Taken aback by my questions, he offered me a special brew using the V60 and of course I trusted him – later on, he even refused to charge me for this cuppa – very kind indeed. I must confess I have forgotten the roaster, which I think was nordic based. It was just what you wanted from a filter brew, delicious mouth feel with fruit at the front with a caramel underlying tone outside your tongue walls.

From my short stay there, I could smell the dedication to quality at this shop and definitely rate it as one of my top coffee shops in an already very high standard of coffee in London. Once again, thanks to Toby, Natalya and the barista girl for great experience.

Going Back – Fernandez and Wells, 55 Duke Street, W1K 5NR

If you’ve been an avid follower of my blog you’ll know that when I used to visit London a lot during the noughties (2000-2009) I basically only trusted two brands for great coffee, Flat White on Berwick Street and its sister shop, Milk Bar during the time of Cameron and Fernandez & Wells located at Beak Street and St Anne’s Court back then. Since then Fernandez & Wells have expanded and now have 4 locations. In the summer, as I tried to dodge shoppers on Oxford Street, I walked down Duke Street, adjacent to the corner of Selfridges on Oxford Street and saw that located inside British Fashion shop, Jigsaw, there was a Fernandez & Wells neon sign. As it was time for one of my coffee fixes, I dragged my son in with me to check what was on offer. I was very pleased to see, I must say, that their signature drink, the Stumpy, was still on offer. In summary it is a triple shot cortado style drink – read about it’s origins here.

They have lots of tasty snack options too, which is captured in their recently launched cookbook, Rustic, available on amazon (no, I’m not sponsored by amazon). It’s actually on my wish list as Fernandez & Wells was one of the first London eateries I used to go for both good coffee and food.

Something new – Ludenwic 45 Aldwych, London WC2B 4DW, UK

Just like 2017 flew by with a mad busy work schedule, so did life, because just this past summer, our daughter is already looking at University. As we were waiting to visit Kings College on the Strand, I was looking for somewhere to get my daily espresso milk based fix and I recalled that a few months ago a cafe at Aldwych liked one of my instagram pics and I thought I’d like to check them out. Another busy hub, where most of London’s lawyers work, Lundenwic is well located in a very bustling work area of London, in between London School of Economics and Kings College. It is quite a small shop with a Nordic touch, clean lines, delicious looking pastries, cakes and salads. Luckily, I was also hungry, so I grabbed a nice looking salad to go with my coffee.

Lundenwic use Workshop coffee, so expect a fruity bias, brewed on a La Marzocco Linea. One our last day of our summer holiday, we had to visit a pop-up macaroon ice cream sandwich shop, Yolkin and I was surprised to learn that Lundenwic were open on a Sunday, which with their location is very quiet, but I was very happy to visit them again. So, if you work in that area or are studying at one of London’s best universities, LSE or Kings College, or need a quick great cup of coffee whilst visiting Covent Garden/Theatre Land, then I highly recommend Lundenwic.

Something New Too – Saint Espresso & Kitchen, 296 Kentish Town Rd, London

On the same trip as above, last summer, we rushed off to Kentish Town to see my cousin and as I waited for the rest of my family to catch up, I saw this little new spot, Saint Espresso & Kitchen.

I walked in briefly and took a quick look around and promised to be back and I was. Walking in, you could tell it was something this type of middle class neighbourhood had missed. Exposed brick, reticent of New York Urban Retro, wooden stools with sone steel thrown in, offering breakfast, sandwiches, pastries, cakes and more and decked out with a La Marzocco Linea as the finishing touch to a classy spot. I found out that they also roast their own coffee but as our luggage was already on its way to Heathrow and my hand baggage was heavy, I resisted the temptation to buy more coffee.

I had a brief chat with the barista and mentioned that I write about coffee. Upon hearing that and I’m not sure if it was testament to his dedication, he pulled three shots of espresso, before he gave me my order, adding that it might be a bit bright. I must confess that of late whenever I walk into a cafe and mention I write about coffee, some baristi seem to up their game, especially if I’m ordering espresso – a plus for me and I ain’t complaining.

Sure it was a bit bright and flowery, perhaps due to the lower brewing temperature, their espresso menu or coffee but it was sparkly and gave me a lift as we headed down back to the tube to catch the taxing journey to Heathrow Airport. Saint Espresso & Kitchen are very well located, with literally under a minute from Kentish Town tube station on the Northern Line, so if you need that quick coffee rush or coffee on the go, I recommend you pop in before your morning journey to work. I found out afterwards that Saint Espresso have two other shops, one located on 214 Baker’s Street, quite close to the West End, and one at Angel on 26 Pentoville Road, so I am looking forward to checking these out too.

Convenient – Notes Bond Street Station

When my wife and I visited London to celebrate our 20 years wedding anniversary, we headed to Oxford Street via Bond Street tube station and as I walked out, I couldn’t believe what I saw – Notes of Covent Garden now had a small branch at Bond Street Station. Wow! how convenient – before, whenever I came to this end of Oxford Street, I used to head straight to Workshop Coffee at St Christopher’s Place, about 3 minutes walk away, but this is super convenient. When we visited in December, it was my first stop on many occasions.

It’s like a pop-up shop but of course with a strong focus on quality coffee, complimented with a selections of sweets and cakes. They also sell their coffee, which I bought on my last visit to a London coffee shop of 2017. They’ve got the gadgets, friendly and good baristi and offer more than coffee, like hot chocolate and teas.

Soho Favourites – Soho Grind (19 Beak Street, Soho) and Department of Coffee & Social Affairs (3 Lowndes Court, off Carnaby Street)

Occasionally, I find myself near the Soho part of the West End, just off Regents Street and as I wave through the crowds trying to avoid people congestion traffic, I dot through Soho’s side streets and usually stop over at Soho Grind for either filter brew or milk based coffee, where you can be met with a slightly more trendy crowd and friendly baristi. They have seating downstairs if it gets more crowded at the top.

If I’m closer to the Oxford Street end, I pop into Department of Coffee & Social Affairs, which is closer to the top end of Carnaby Street. It’s a lot busier here, with a few tourists around and more seating downstairs. If you want take out, let them know first, otherwise take a seat and wait to be served, which I must confess can be a bit slow. They have a menu for food and some delicious looking cakes too. As they are one of London’s coffee roasters, they sell their coffee too, and now roast for nespresso machines. I bought the latter for my bro, as he owns one.

Luck Londoners with all these high quality coffee shops, phew!

As busy as ever with more quality coffee shops to visit than ever, still makes London, I believe, probably the best coffee city in the World. I look forward to trying out new ones in 2018 or re-visting some old faves to check out if they have maintained their standards.

October 27, 2016

London Coffee Diary 2016

If you follow me on instagram and can flick through all the fashion posts, you’ll see that I was in London last August to visit family, eat, shop and of course drink coffee. The main difference between this trip and last years, to keep things fresh, is that I went out of my way to visit cafes that I’ve heard off, but never visited, so prepare yourself for another coffeelinary (perhaps I should claim this word) journey.

Store Street Espresso (formerly Continental Stores) 54 Tavistock Place Bloomsbury (Russell Square)

A sister shop to another one of London’s greats, Store Street Espresso, Continental Stores, now known as Store Street Espresso 2, is in the heart land of London student city, Bloomsbury, i.e. Russell Square and its surroundings. In fact their shop is opposite where my brother lives but when I visited during the Christmas period they were shut because all the students were gone. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were opened this time around in mid-summer. It’s designed with simple yet very Londonish decor and I’m sure there’s a story to do with the coffee bar with it’s large trunk style wooden edifice.

With bar stools and patio like space at the back of the shop, there’s plenty to choose from; cakes, salads, sandwiches and of course coffee, backed up with good service. Using Square Mile coffee on a Synesso espresso machine, I couldn’t help but order my daily flat white.

I should emphasise that their flat white is in sticking with the strict volume proportion guidelines, where the focus is on tasting the coffee and not flavoured milk, so don’t expect a 330ml cup, just enjoy the coffee.

The Attendant, 27a Foley Street, Fitzrovia

If you’re an avid follower of new cafes and unusual places to visit in London, then you may already have heard of the attendant. In short, it used to be an underground public toilet in the heart of Fitzrovia (area between Oxford Street and Regents Park) and was converted into a cafe a few years back. Don’t worry, as I re-assured my wife, the hygiene specialist – my wife that is – the place doesn’t smell of human waste, just coffee and cakes. It’s dark lit with the old urinals separate sitting areas with a barstool.

I actually visited three times because I wanted to buy the Kenyan coffee they used to brew my aeropress on my first visit – I triumphed on the third visit. The carrot cake as well as the banana bread with poppy seeds are also highly recommended.

The attendant with its lead baristafrom Germany , also seems quite popular with tourists as every time I visited it was quite obvious that people were visiting to take pictures and order coffee, so join either the tourist or coffee fanatic trail and visit when you want a break from shopping on nearby Oxford Street.

Black Sheep Coffee, 5-7 Goodge Street, Fitzrovia

Not that far from the Attendant if you know your way around Fitzrovia, is black sheep coffee.

I’ve known about this company for over 2 years since I was exposed to their coffee at the Ampersand Hotel. One of their unique points if their dedication to getting the best out of robusta coffee – the inferior coffee bean to arabica – but they seem to be doing a good job as I witnessed for myself a few months back when I ordered and brewed their coffee in the comfort of my home, see here. However, I had never been to their cafe, located near Goodge Street. With a dark and cosy interior and la marzocco GB5, you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to creative savoury and sweet delights, but of course as I was in a rush, I just came for the coffee and as it turned out an inspiring chat with one of the staff, Ben, about international development.

My daughter got a bit carried away snapping away as I sipped one of their blends with love see pic above at the top of the post. Also on sale are their bottles of cold brew;

Holborn Grind, 199 High Holborn, Bloomsbury

Back to Bloomsbury and closer to the city and law den of London, you’ll find one of the outposts of “the grind” portfolio, Holborn Grind;

They already have soho grind, london grind and shoreditch grind. The decor is bright and great for taking instagram pics of coffee and food – see their instagram page, mainly because the bright red cups surrounded by lots of natural light. They focus not just on savoury and sweet bites but in the evening they transform into a bar. Here for my daily espresso milk based fix, I went straight for a flat white to accompany my toasted ciabatta sandwich.

It’s not as relaxed as the Soho Grind version, where I’ve been many times perhaps because of the clientele but if in the area, worth a visit nevertheless for a good cuppa ‘ coffee.

So, where else?

If you’re rushing out of Soho and want something sweet to got with your coffee, try Crosstown Doughnut and Coffee, located on 4 Broadwick Street, who serve Caravan Coffee.

If you happen to be in Camden Town, near the Regent’s Park end and need a caffeine fix, then stop by at the Coffee Jar on 83 Parkway, who serve renowned Monmouth Coffee in a cute urban hideaway serving cakes and savoury delights too.

Although known to many, I also dropped by at Department of Coffee and Social Affairs (formerly Speakeasy) located at Lowndes Court, just off Caranaby Street for my daily fix and to grab two bags of coffee (Kaldi gate for espresso and Kenyan Black Othaya for filter).