#1 The Black Penny - Covent Garden
The Black Penny is on Great Queen Street which connects Covent Garden to Holborn High Road. It is one of my favourite coffee stops for a few reasons: it has amazing coffee (they even do cold brew), it has a great brunch menu and THE best pecan pie! I love pecan pies so this is a major yes for me. It looks small from the front but as you walk through there is a seating area at the back. On a busy day you could wait 10 minutes for a seat but it is worth it for a decent coffee and cake stop.
www.theblackpenny.com
#2 Drury 188-189 - Holborn
If you are walking up Drury Lane and do not stop to look at this place's cake display then we can not be friends! As soon as you walk into Drury you can smell the cakes being freshly baked on site and my goodness do they look and taste fresh. Again they do a beast of a pecan pie along with vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options! The coffee is perfect and the best part is NO WIFI! Yes you read correctly, no wifi - just plenty of books and humans socialising face to face with each other! This place really is a treat and has that cosy city feel to it. It somewhat gives me a hint of New York vibes too.
www.drury188189.co.uk/#find-us
#3 Soho Grind - Soho
As part of the Grind movement, Soho Grind is in a great spot just off the back of Regents Street and beginning of the Soho area. Although the Grinds have expanded and now have around 9 branches over London, it was not that long ago when this was a less commercial coffee stop. It is up in my top 5 for a few reasons:
- The coffee is good and it was the first place I found a piccolo in London following my trip to Australia where I first had one and became obsessed with the tiny coffee called 'Piccolo'.
- The cafe is super cool (each Grind has great quotes on their brick decor) and finally
- They pump out good music.
I once walked into Holborn Grind to hear Kevin Little's 'Turn Me On' playing and lets just say the rest is history!
So if you want a coffee and some RnB, this is the place to be.
www.grind.co.uk/
#4 Coffee Island - Leicester Square
Coffee Island didn't exactly blow me away straight away! Then something clicked on my second visit and I was convinced! Though we only have one here in London, there is actually Coffee Island's in other countries! One that I have been to abroad is in Cyprus and and I loved it.
Being Greek, as soon as there is a bit of sun not only do we love a BBQ but we love a Frappe. The great thing about Coffee Island is its European influence and the fact that they sell a Cypriot Frappe and a Greek coffee! A Greek coffee is like a double espresso but better and stronger! If you haven't tried it yet and like coffee, do give it a go as its brewed differently to the coffee we are used to and is known to be more pure. Along with all the European coffee options, there is a good selection of cakes and cookies and it is a place where you can take your laptop and focus or chill with a friend for hours. Enjoy!
www.coffeeisland.co.uk
#5 Èlan Cafe - Knightsbridge/ Mayfair
There are now two Èlan Cafes! I have been to the one on Brompton Road. Èlan Cafe is not just a coffee shop. It is an experience! From it's pretty pink decor and shower of flowers to its irresistible cake display that makes you feel like your in Alice in Wonderland! Though, to be honest, the coffee is not the priority here! I just had to put it in my top 5 for its overall amazingness!
Even though it is for everyone, I would highly recommend it for a girly afternoon.
The coffee didn't disappoint. My skinny flat white came in the cutest and perfectly sized mug and my friends chai tea latte was like tasting cinnamon heaven!! Alongside our coffees, we had a walnut date cake and black forest dream smothered in tasty pink icing - after alI this, I was SOLD!
This is not a quick stop so give yourself a couple of hours to spare as there is usually around a 15 minute wait to get in! Then once you are in, you may want to taste the whole menu ... and you need time for that!
www.elancafe.co.uk
Ofcourse there are many more coffee shops I love, so do keep your eyes peeled for more! Enjoy these for now!