31 of the best · London, United Kingdom
Coffee, bakeries, grand cafés and afternoon tea.
Our 31 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026
Browse by type
Three of our favourites from this list, vetted by people who know and love London.
Est. 1871
A tiny, much-loved French pâtisserie on Greek Street, founded in 1871, with cream cakes, croissants and an upstairs room.
28 Greek Street, W1D 5DQExplore View on map
A Seven Dials institution
A small, wood-lined coffee shop on Monmouth Street, where the roaster first started out in the 1970s.
27 Monmouth Street, WC2H 9EUExplore View on map
Soho since 1949
A family-run Italian coffee bar on Frith Street, open since 1949 and serving espresso from early morning until the small hours.
22 Frith Street, W1D 4RFExplore View on map
In-depth stories behind the list.
The back story
From the espresso bars of 1950s Soho to the Antipodean roasters and sourdough bakeries of today, how London learned to love coffee.
The back story
How a 19th-century duchess’s snack became London’s favourite ritual, and how to enjoy it today, from the Ritz to Fortnum’s.
Espresso bars and roasters.
Soho since 1887
A tiny coffee and tea merchant on Old Compton Street, trading since 1887, with a takeaway espresso counter.
52 Old Compton Street, W1D 4PBExplore View on map
New Zealand coffee on Redchurch Street
The Shoreditch espresso bar of Allpress, a coffee roaster founded in New Zealand, on Redchurch Street.
58 Redchurch Street, E2 7DPExplore View on map
Soho since 1949
A family-run Italian coffee bar on Frith Street, open since 1949 and serving espresso from early morning until the small hours.
22 Frith Street, W1D 4RFExplore View on map
Coffee on Broadway Market
The Broadway Market café of Climpson & Sons, a Hackney coffee roaster, near London Fields and the Regent’s Canal.
67 Broadway Market, E8 4PHExplore View on map
Soho’s Antipodean pioneer
A small espresso bar on Berwick Street, among the first of the Australian and New Zealand-style cafés that changed coffee in London.
17 Berwick Street, W1F 0PTExplore View on map
Fitzrovia coffee
A speciality coffee bar on Great Titchfield Street in Fitzrovia, inspired by the café culture of Australia and New Zealand.
66 Great Titchfield Street, W1W 7QJExplore View on map
A Seven Dials institution
A small, wood-lined coffee shop on Monmouth Street, where the roaster first started out in the 1970s.
27 Monmouth Street, WC2H 9EUExplore View on map
Cornish roaster near Tate Modern
The Southwark café of Origin, a speciality roaster from Cornwall, on a back street between Tate Modern and Borough.
84 Scoresby Street, SE1 0XNExplore View on map
Roastery and all-day kitchen
The London roastery and café of Ozone, a coffee company founded in New Zealand, on Leonard Street in Shoreditch.
11 Leonard Street, EC2A 4AQExplore View on map
Leather Lane coffee
A speciality coffee shop on Leather Lane near Hatton Garden, with coffee, breakfast and lunch.
23-25 Leather Lane, EC1N 7TEExplore View on map
Coffee by day, drinks by night
A Soho café-bar on Beak Street from the London group Grind, serving coffee and brunch by day and drinks into the evening.
19 Beak Street, SohoExplore View on map
Coffee near the British Museum
A bright independent espresso bar on Store Street in Bloomsbury, between Tottenham Court Road and the British Museum.
40 Store Street, WC1E 7DBExplore View on map
London roaster near St Christopher’s Place
The Marylebone café of Workshop Coffee, a London roaster, a few steps from St Christopher’s Place and Bond Street.
1 Barrett Street, MaryleboneExplore View on map
Sweet things.
Under the church on Trafalgar Square
A café in the brick-vaulted 18th-century crypt of St Martin-in-the-Fields on Trafalgar Square, with hot meals, cakes and evening jazz.
St Martin’s Place, WC2N 4JJExplore View on map
Est. 1871
A tiny, much-loved French pâtisserie on Greek Street, founded in 1871, with cream cakes, croissants and an upstairs room.
28 Greek Street, W1D 5DQExplore View on map
An East End bakery since 1911
A family bakery in the East End since 1911, using recipes brought from Eastern Europe, with a bakery on Jubilee Street and a deli on Vallance Road.
224 Jubilee Street, E1 3BSExplore View on map
A London ritual.
Tea at Fortnum’s
Fortnum & Mason’s elegant tea salon on the fourth floor of its Piccadilly store, serving afternoon tea.
181 Piccadilly, W1A 1ERExplore View on map
Bread, pastries and cakes.
The Brick Lane bagel shop
A Brick Lane bakery founded in 1974, known for its salt-beef bagels and for opening around the clock.
159 Brick Lane, E1 6SBExplore View on map
Doughnuts near the museums
A Bread Ahead bakery café on Pelham Street, near South Kensington station and the museums, known for its filled doughnuts.
5–7 Pelham Street, SW7 2NDExplore View on map
Sourdough under a railway arch
A bakery and café in a railway arch by London Fields in Hackney, baking sourdough with organic flour.
395 Mentmore Terrace, E8 3PHExplore View on map
The first GAIL’s
The bakery on Hampstead High Street where GAIL’s opened its first shop in 2005, serving bread, pastries and coffee.
64 Hampstead High Street, NW3 1QHExplore View on map
Cakes at Borough Market
The Borough Market shop of Konditor, a London cake bakery, on Stoney Street, selling cakes, brownies and celebration cakes.
10 Stoney Street, SE1 9ADExplore View on map
Paris macarons in a Regency arcade
The London shop of Ladurée, the Paris pâtisserie, inside the Regency Burlington Arcade off Piccadilly.
71–72 Burlington Arcade, PiccadillyExplore View on map
The pink cake parlour
A cake parlour on Ebury Street in Belgravia, with a pink front and seasonal floral displays around the door.
116 Ebury Street, SW1W 9QQExplore View on map
Institutions, food halls and delis.
Cotswold farm shop in town
The Marylebone farm shop and café of Daylesford, the organic farm in the Cotswolds, on Blandford Street.
6–8 Blandford Street, W1U 4AUExplore View on map
Cheese room and café
A cheese shop and café on Moxon Street in Marylebone, with a walk-in cheese room and a café serving cheese boards and seasonal dishes.
2–6 Moxon Street, W1U 4EWExplore View on map
Soho’s Italian deli since 1944
An Italian delicatessen on Brewer Street in Soho, trading since 1944 behind its green-and-white front.
18 Brewer Street, SohoExplore View on map
Sundaes above Piccadilly
Fortnum & Mason’s first-floor ice-cream parlour on Piccadilly, inspired by 1950s parlours, serving sundaes, floats and milkshakes.
181 Piccadilly, W1A 1ERExplore View on map
A grand café on Piccadilly
A grand European-style café on Piccadilly, in a former car showroom, serving from breakfast to dinner.
160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EBExplore View on map
Price guide per person for a meal without drinks: £ under £25, ££ £25–50, £££ £50–100, ££££ over £100. Many restaurants add a discretionary service charge of 12.5%.
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