These London coffee spots are a dream. More than just good coffee, they serve something special, something worth seeking out. There are coffees here you have probably never come across before, high-tech roasters, social enterprises and plenty of baristas who know their beans. If you like your coffee with extra buzz, then look at our choice of the best coffee in Central London.
Algerian Coffee Stores, Soho
Let’s start with the best coffee Soho has. Algerian Coffee Stores, on Old Compton Street, is an institution selling the finest beans in London. It opened in 1887, and it is still a family-run business. One of the world leaders in coffee supplies, it has an eclectic collection of pure and rare coffee beans, tea leaves and herbal fruit infusions. And when it roasts its specialty coffee, Soho is rich with aromas twice a week, beckoning you in for the freshest brew.
Making it extra special, this is still very much an old London shop, with original fittings, delicious house blends for sale by weight and a wealth of knowledge passed through the generations. You can buy coffee makers and teapots from the impressive selection displayed in the shop window.
Roasting Plant Coffee, London Bridge
New York engineer Mike Caswell invented and patented the Javabot, a coffee roasting system. Now in the British capital, Roasting Plant Coffee roasts micro batches to exact specifications, making this arguably the best coffee shop in London Bridge.
The clear pipes store green pre-roasted beans, which fly through a pneumatic tube system into the roaster before sitting for 12 hours until they’re ready to make the perfect coffee. For coffee by London Bridge Station, this really is the ideal place to come if you take your roasting seriously but love an element of Willy Wonka too.
Redemption Roasters London
Redemption Roasters Covent Garden and nine other London coffee shops get coffee from the UK’s first prison-based roastery in HMP Mount. It’s part of a successful social enterprise to help lower the re-offending rates of ex-prisoners. Since Max Dubiel and Ted Rosner created this unique project in 2016, they have supported hundreds of former prisoners in finding work in the coffee business.
Training academies and the 10 London coffee shops provide vital skills and jobs for ex-offenders, so when you enjoy a delicious coffee here, know you’re also supporting a business that gives people a second chance.
Ozone Coffee London
For the ultimate Kiwi coffee experience with added brunch, enter Ozone London’s coffee shops in four stylish outposts. Coffee here is treated as a craft, with single-origin filters rotated weekly, beans supplied by the world’s finest coffee producers and the smell of freshly roasted coffee drifting from downstairs.
You can also order from the almost-zero-waste brunch menu of antipodean classics with a British twist, think eggs benedict on bubble and squeak cakes. So, this is a place to come and linger for a while and take time for a second cup of coffee.
You can also experience deliciously fresh coffee without leaving your hotel when you stay at The Clermont, Victoria or The Clermont, Charing Cross.
