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London Coffee Guide: Where To Get The Best Brew

london coffee guide
Contents

Looking for the perfect brew? Look no further… In this London coffee guide, Phaidon shares where the world’s best baristas go for a cup of coffee

Where to Drink Coffee is the insider’s guide to finding the perfect brew. In this new book from Phaidon, the world’s 150 best baristas and coffee experts share their secrets and reveal where they go for coffee throughout the world. Places chosen range from cafés, bakeries and restaurants to some more surprising spots, including a video shop and an car garage. Here are the best places in London to get your caffeine kick.

London Coffee Guide: Where To Drink

 

BROWNS OF BROCKLEY, BROCKLEY

‘Consistency and top quality in a residential part of London.”- Derek Lamberton

brownsofbrockley.com

CURATOR’S COFFEE STUDIO, CITY OF LONDON

“Best filter coffee.” – Derek Lamberton

curatorscoffee.com

CARAVAN ROASTERS, CLERKENWELL

“High marks for food and coffee pairings go to Caravan Roasters in London. Their Kings Cross stores is one of my favourite haunts on my way home or into London. Evenings are as delicious as brunch.” – Stephen Leighton

caravancoffeeroasters.co.uk

CRAFT, BERMONDSEY

craft-coffee.co.uk

DOSE ESPRESSO, BARBICAN

dose-espresso.com

PRUFROCK COFFEE, CLERKENWELL

“The best filter coffee I ever had was at Prufrock in London on Leather Lane – a flight of Square Mile coffees all prepared differently. It was the first time I really understood the advantages of a brew bar to an uninitiated coffee drinker. It opened my eyes to the possibilities of being able to engage with a customer about the intricacies of brewing, without the condescension or pompousness that is often so hard to avoid. Definitely a worth contender in the London coffee guide.” – Anthony Benda.

“The best espresso I’ve had was at Prufrock.” – Ryan Fisher

“One of the best espressos I’ve had was from Prufrock Coffee in London – Square Mile’s blend, pulled off a Victoria Arduino lever machine.” – Sebastian Sztabzyb

prufrockcoffee.com 

CLIMPSON & SONS, LONDON FIELDS

“The music, the atmosphere and the vibes of the staff make me feel like I’m at home in London. Of course they make an excellent coffee!” – Santiago Rigoni

climpsonandsons.com

London Coffee Guide: Where To Drink Continued.

WORKSHOP, CLERKENWELL

“London’s Workshop Coffee could be a textbook on how to marry a food-and-coffee program. Breakfast at Workshop was a highlight of a recent trip to London. It started with a slow-braised pork shank and poached egg over caramelised sweet potato served with an AeroPress of a deeply fruit-forward Kenyan coffee, and it finished with a perfect shot of Rwandan espresso. It was a perfect balance of food and coffee, executed at the highest levels.” – Anthony Rue

“Workshop Coffee has built a really wonderful family of coffee bars that deliver excellent coffee and food. The spaces are well curated and comfortable. When I think of what kind of coffee business I might want to open someday, Workshop comes to mind.” – Ryan Willbur

workshopcoffee.com

KAFFEINE, FITZROVIA

“Best espresso has to go to Kaffeine in London; just nailed perfectly. This is the best shot of Red Brick from Square Mile I have ever had.” – Stephen Leighton

kaffeine.co.uk

LYLE’S, SHOREDITCH

“The only way to survive London’s long grey winter is with an occasional slice of Lyle’s warm ginger loaf with a generous pad of butter melting across it. Pair with a frothy flat white or fruity filter and you won’t be stuck wondering why on earth you came to this country or why you’ve never left.” – Derek Lamberton

lyleslondon.com

WORKSHOP, FITZROVIA

“For the London coffee guide I’d recommend Workshop in Fitzrovia. It’s intimate, nicely done and easy to interact with baristas.” – Kalle Freese

workshopcoffee.com

46B ESPRESSO HUT, HOMERTON

‘It’s a tiny corridor of a space, but the light footfall makes for a cosy rather than cramped experience. When i first visited they had a three-piece jazz band playing on the tiny platform above the prep area. It was just lovely.” – Candice Madison

46b-espressohut.co.uk

WORKSHOP, MARYLEBONE

“My most memorable espresso shot was at Workshop Coffee in London at their Marylebone location. It was a Costa Rican, which tasted like biting into an unsweetened dried cherry, mouthfeel and all. It was tart but syrupy; just beautiful.” – Seanna Forey

workshopcoffee.com

TIMBERYARD UK, SEVEN DIALS

“Timberyard is a rare third-wave cafe that cares about customer service and comfort and also happens to brew some of the most consistently good drip coffee in London.” – Scott Rao

tyuk.com

ASSOCIATION COFFEE, ALDGATE

“I really like the muted aesthetic of Association, to say nothing of the excellent service and tasty coffees I experienced there.”—Cory Andreen

associationcoffee.com

BULLDOG EDITION, SHOREDITCH

“When I think about a favourite place, it starts to have as much to do with coffee as the place itself and the experience it encompapsses. Right now I would have to say Bulldog Edition in London. I like how I can sit and enjoy the coffee and watch people coming and going, or read the paper. It’s a moment to myself.” – Joanne Berry

acehotel.com

LEILA’S SHOP, SHOREDITCH

“I’ve only ever wanted coffee to be as good as everything else in a space. There are so many places with great cakes, great pastries, great sandwiches and just miserably poor coffee. When I lived in East London, I used to love the short walk to Leila’s just off Arnold Circus. It’s a general store of sorts, with very few tables and a setup that feels like you’re sitting in the pantry of someone’s country kitchen. Incredible custard tarts, hot skillets of eggs and ham, baskets of warm toast wrapped in a blanket, solid coffee and pleasant staff. It wasn’t a spot for the cerebral coffee experience – it’s a spot where everything’s solid, which isn’t too common.” – Stephen Morrissey

+44 2077299789

BAR TERMINI, SOHO

“I love the simplicity of the biscotti served at Bar Termini in the heart of Soho. It is a classic recipe created by nuns in sixteenth-century Novara, Italy. I enjoy the way the maillard flavours of the roast mix with the baked biscuit as I suck it dry.” – Gwilym Davies

bar-termini-soho.com

Available to pre-order on phaidon.com

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