Omotesando Koffee, Fitzrovia
“Serene” is the best word I can think of to describe Omotesando Koffee. This Southeast Asian coffee chain has spots scattered all across the globe, but all you’ve got to do is swing by the West End to see what all the fuss is about. Plenty of wood, heaps of light, and a team who understand the patience and precision required to make a good cup of joe. Unlike most coffee shops in London, the cappuccino is the real showstopper here: a rich and creamy mug of coffee that’ll make you rethink everything you know about frothy espresso drinks. The iced coffees are lovely, too, with Omotesando’s signature 12-hour cold brew packing a serious punch.
Bar Italia, Soho
Open until 4am every day of the week, Bar Italia is as Soho as they come. Born in 1949, it was an instant hit with the public thanks to its sleek decor and friendly service. When it’s 1am and you’re running on empty, head over here and rest your elbow on the red and white Formica table and order a double espresso with a glass of Averna. It’s the best way to breathe some new life into your night while engaging in a timeless ritual enacted by thousands of others before you. Listen carefully to the chug and hiss of the ancient Gaggia coffee machine as it churns out your coffee. They don’t make them like Bar Italia anymore.
Black Cowboy Coffee, Elephant & Castle
John Otagburuagu has been wearing cowboy boots since the eighties. He’s the titular cowboy behind Black Cowboy Coffee. Otagburuagu’s coffee shop in Elephant Arcade is a south London icon full of references to the cowboy films Otagburuagu was obsessed with growing up in Nigeria, with photos of bona fide Black cowboys and retired cowboy boots scattered all across the shop. The vibe is immaculate, and so is the coffee. Featuring a range of single-origin beans along with Black Cowboy Coffee’s perky house blends, there’s plenty of coffee to choose from. All of them go well with an order of sweet Liège waffles.
Qima, Fitzrovia
Qima Café is the UK’s first tree-to-cup café. That means they’ve ensured the quality of the coffee (and the fairness of the supply chain) is maintained throughout its journey from the farm to the consumer’s cup. Your cup, that is. Qima Coffee sources coffee from almost 5,000 farmers worldwide, providing them not only with a fair price for their beans but also equipping them with disease-free and resilient coffee trees. For each cup sold at Qima, they donate a young coffee tree to a coffee farmer in need, too. That sustainable ethos should be enough to get you through the door, but what’ll keep you coming back is the quality of the coffee. From sweet and fruity Ethiopian beans to chocolate-y beans from Yemen, this is what coffee should taste like. And how it should be made.