It’s that time again folks! We have been going to a bunch of different Coffee Shops over the past few months. Some are new, some are old, but we thought we would do another mega post for your perusal.
Let’s start with a newbie…
123 Essex Road (Currently Unnamed)
This was the first coffee shop that we went to this year and it actually wasn’t bad! We took a look at the food and vowed to go back for lunch one day as the menu looked yummy!
Apparently there were issues over the sign and so it remains unnamed for the moment (we did ask the proprietor the name but we just got a very strong Brazilian answer, so we remain unsure, so now we call it the Brazilian Coffee Shop!)
It seemed a little unfinished in January, the fridges were empty, the furniture a little spares, but they already seem to have a dedicated clientele, with people returning plates from lunchtime takeaways, with shouts of ‘Delicious’ and ‘See you again soon’.
To take shelter from the snow flurries the other week, we popped into this cafe just on the corner of Marchmont Street and Tavistock Place.
The art inside is so pretty! We loved the sugar skulls and the piece all over the back wall.
The place may have been a Gelato Parlour in the past, the glass top display fridges are those you see in ice cream parlours and the like and it had a eclectic of thrown together feel, a bit hippy with the colourful writing on the windows and the mass of products to buy on the shelves.
The coffee wasn’t bad, it wasn’t the best but we had walked around the others in the area and this seemed to have more appeal, most of the rest served tiny, tiny little cups and Flat Whites of nothing, kind of attitudes. So in the grand scheme of things it was one of the better.
I know what you are thinking we have already done an Ikea coffee review however there is a big difference between upstairs and Downstairs. Downstairs it’s bland self-service froth.
So just for future reference it’s worth dumping the Kivik’s and Billy’s in the car and going back up the stairs and getting a Mocha in the nicely decorated coffee shop and take in the view of industrial chimneys and wet buses, because it is always raining at Ikea, even if you then have to traipse all through the store to get out again..
After walking around Stamford Hill, we googled where to get coffee and this place seemed like our only option.
Ordering was a mess of confusion, there is no indication of where to buy anything and there is no options you just have to go to any counter and ask. The Mocha tasted of roasted almonds which was a bit different and made for a unique taste.
There was a real lack of seating (4 chairs in all) it didn’t really seem like they wanted you to stay but we did anyway.
Seacole Social
When we searched for coffee around Moreish the other week, we didn’t notice The Seacole Social, as it’s a little further up Tavistock Place and out of our way. But on a return to the area this week, we noticed the grand old school building (or something similar) and the entrance to a nice looking Coffee Shop.
Inside is a pleasant, bright and very well appointed restaurant, selling a lot of food and coffee.
The coffee was gooooood! More often than not you taste the coffee and it’s bad, this went down so easily and had a real tasty flavour, clearly this Union Coffee Company know what they are doing!
The food too looked worth a return for, a large kitchen and a lot of seating out the back, looks like somewhere to hide away from the London weather, some time soon.
Next up are just a couple of mentions.
You know how Pret a Manger went from great coffee to ‘Oh dear Lord, what the F…’ coffee last year? Well due to a serious lack of decent indy coffee shops in Marylebone (that is that sell coffee in anything bigger than a thimble and then charge you £6 for it!) we had to get coffee from the local Pret and well, erm, it’s not bad, quite good in fact.
And before you say it, we have tried other Pret coffee since and no it’s still disgusting, so clearly it’s Marylebone Hight St or nothing!
Lastly for now, The George Fahra Student Union Coffee Shop on Gower St, is worth a mention, it’s a busy place filled with UCL students trying to finish papers or rushing for a quick lunch, but the coffee isn’t bad, it’s not wow, but it’s cheap too and because of this it does tend to run out by 2pm a lot, but get in early and sit, enjoy the bustle and be thankful you don’t face the debt they do for the rest of their lives! (or do!)
All in all a mixed bag (or is that cup?) and once more we know one thing for sure…
If you know of any coffee shops or anything you can think that you would like us to go and try/review let us know in the comments below.
Remember to subscribe for weekly posts
and follow us on social media for more updates and hints of what we are doing next.
Climbing Moss 