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Permalink Reply by Bel Townsend on January 29, 2008 at 5:37am

i dunno about cafes, but there is an exceptionally good shop to buy coffee beans etc, called Monmouths in Covent Garden.

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Permalink Reply by Edwin Martinez on January 29, 2008 at 11:08am

I've had good coffee at http://www.monmouthcoffee.co.uk/
they have location in covent garden and the borough
they do serve espresso and drip - here are some pics of our experience:

http://fincavistahermosa.wordpress.com/2006/09/14/fresh-off-the-press/

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Permalink Reply by Tim Styles on January 29, 2008 at 11:27pm

If you head to my site: www.tropicalsaloon.com, there's a bunch of places listed, photographed, reviewed.

Basically, there are a few really great places, but not many.

Listed in my personal order of preference:

- Flat White (espresso)
- Monmouth (filters, all 3 stores)
- Climpson & Sons (depending on who's working, and whether they're too busy)
- Fernandez & Wells
- Gwylim (stall at Columbia Rd Market)

I'm a barista, based in London, and can help you out further if you can tell me what area you're in.

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Permalink Reply by gwilym on February 6, 2008 at 12:31pm

i reckon tim has got it about right, though i would put gwilym a little higher in the list. ask for Jack at F&W.
tea and coffee plant on portobello road worth a visit if you find yourself out west.
if you around for a while i predict east london will become showcase for london coffee - especially if i can persuade jenni from gimme to come back to england.

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Permalink Reply by Andrew on February 8, 2009 at 8:59am

Hi Haffi,

Very good point--not as a rule. I'm originally from Sydney and you can get excellent coffee there. Having travelled widely I think Melbourne and Sydney are the best places to get coffee in the world. The English simply cannot make coffee....which surprises me because its not that difficult to get it right!

You can however get a nice cup of tea here.

I've tried Flat White and Brew and unless you're lucky enough to get an Australian making the coffee, its still crap.

By the way, Flat White staff need to lose their attitude...your coffee is OK but isn't as good as, say Wall Cafe in Surry Hills, Sydney (Genovese). And what ever gave them the right to price hike their flat white (its just a standard coffee). Brew do it with their flat white as well.

Andrew

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Permalink Reply by coffee lover on February 8, 2009 at 11:33am

There is exceptionally good and cheap espresso at Cafe Noho (22 Cleveland St) in London. They charge £1 for a good sized latte.

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Permalink Reply by Tim Styles on February 8, 2009 at 11:36am

The English simply cannot make coffee..

*Paging James Hoffmann...*

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Permalink Reply by Brady on February 8, 2009 at 12:16pm

Tim Styles said:

The English simply cannot make coffee..

*Paging James Hoffmann...*

Beautiful!

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Permalink Reply by nik orosi on February 8, 2009 at 12:17pm

the one and only good place in London; square mile coffee roasters!!!

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Permalink Reply by nik orosi on February 8, 2009 at 12:18pm

except him self...
Brady said:

Tim Styles said:

The English simply cannot make coffee..

*Paging James Hoffmann...*

Beautiful!

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Permalink Reply by matt on March 10, 2009 at 11:51am

I spent some time in London last year and examined the coffee scene there somewhat. Monmouth I found to be excellent, as was Flat White. But my favorite place, by far, was Fernandez and Wells. It's a small cafe near Picadilly (if memory serves) on Beak St. A very relaxed feel, good fresh food, and excellent coffee. I believe their coffee is roasted by Monmouth (could be wrong) and they're pulling shots on a Synesso. Excellent coffee, great service, terrific food, and not a drop of pretention.

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Permalink Reply by Tyler on March 10, 2009 at 12:46pm

um yea... square mile

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