Top 5 Cafés & Coffee Shops - Soho (London)

When I lived in London, Soho was one of those neighbourhoods I frequented almost daily. As a result, I became well acquainted with the coffee (and theatre, and dining, and shopping) scene in the area. My heart was full, and my wallet was empty.

To justify my expensive habits, here is a round-up of my favourite places in which to get a caffeinated buzz in the area. Enjoy!

Note: The order of this list is arbitrary.

Hideaway coffee house

Nestled inside a small passageway is Hideaway Coffee House.

A quiet gem in a bustling part of the city, this charming café delivers coffees that deserve to be anything but hidden away. Expert baristas, with a wide berth of knowledge on beans, serve up espresso or other caffeine-based drinks with ease. A smattering of viennoiseries and light bites (yogurts, sandwiches) round out the offerings in this SohOasis (sorry for that visual pun. Haven’t had a coffee yet while writing this).

Definitely give it a try!

Location:
7 Farrier’s Passage

archetype coffee

This coffee is anything but an archetype - if anything, it goes above and beyond expectations!

A minimal minimalist space, this café packs big flavour within its small space. Well worth checking out, especially for their excellent pour overs (whose beans, by nature of good pour overs, changes with the bean offerings).

Location:
71 Riding House Street

Kaffeine

Although it was difficult to narrow down my top picks for Soho’s best cafés and coffee shops, one thing I knew was that Kaffeine was going to make that list. An independently owned café, Kaffeine takes its inspiration from the café culture down-under in Australia, and from the wonderful Kiwi-baristas in New Zealand.

Excellent cups of coffee are served alongside an assortment of well-made treats. Options for those who are vegetarian or gluten-free exist, and they do not sacrifice taste for keeping in line with dietary requirements.

My personal favourite thing to order is the friand with a cappuccino - what better way to wake up is there?

Location:
66 Great Titchfield Street
15 Eastcastle Street

Flat White

Serving Drop Coffee from Stockholm (for which I did a separate post called Drop Coffee Swedish Café Spotlight), this café serves up great caffeinated beverages.

Along with their coffee, they also have breakfast/ lunch options that can cater to those who are vegetarian or gluten-free. There’s also antipodean (I got that snazzy word from one of the baristas in store) desserts, and as you can tell by my photos, I’m definitely partial to their snacks of the (gluten-free) chocolatey-variety. Nice!

Location:
17 Berwick Street

Department of Coffee and Social Affairs

You don’t need to be wearing a three-piece suit to partake in the affair that is Department of Coffee and Social Affairs. The words “professionally sexy” would be what I would use to describe the café. Good coffee, good variety of vegetarian/ gluten-free food, and good humoured baristas. Consider me signed on and on-board with this department!

Note: The café can be quite tricky to find when you’re walking down Carnaby street, so keep your eyes peeled for the sign outside the door.

Location:
3 Lowndes Court
15 Sherwood Street

Notes Coffee Roasters & Bar (Trafalgar Square)

The only local chain on this list, this particular branch of Notes Coffee Roasters is my favourite.

Steps away from The National Gallery and The National Portrait Gallery, this café has a elaborate sun-drenched interior, that is equally charming in the day (caffeinated) as it is at night (intoxicated). A smattering of treats, some of which are vegan and gluten free, make it well worth a visit should you be in the area.

The coffee at Notes is consistently good, but do note that some of the other independent offerings on this list make better quality coffee overall (i.e. consistently experimenting with different speciality beans).

Overall - great!

Location:
31 St Martin's Lane

SAID Dal 1923 (London)

Who said SAID Dal 1923 was worth visiting? I did! And it most definitely is, especially if you’re a fan of coffee and chocolate. Lot’s, and lot’s, and lot’s of chocolate…

Considering this Italian business is the oldest chocolate company in Rome, it’s no surprise that the quality of the handmade chocolate they provide is superb. I highly recommend dropping in for some chocolate or cake alongside well-made coffee, or just treating yourself to the beauty that is the cappuccino with three types of chocolate poured over it (pictured below). I honestly love milk, white, and dark chocolate, so I was very, very pleased with it!

Location:
29 Rathbone Place
41 Broadwick Street

quiet coffee

I don’t want to keep this one quiet - Quiet Coffee, a stone’s throw away from Charing Cross, is an inviting café tucked away from the Main Street.

A few delectable treats and goodies are on offer should you choose to what your appetite as well as your caffeine cravings.

For a perfect place to pause, relax, or write poetry (while drinking great coffee, of course), head over to Quiet Coffee! It’s a must for me whenever I’m waiting for a train.

Location:
Unit C, 11 Strand

Also worth noting: Farm Girl - Sweaty Betty Branch (1 Carnaby Street). The Soho based branch of this popular Notting Hill café is situated just above a Sweaty Betty shop and workout studio along Carnaby Street. Pop from Pilates to Pure

TAP Coffee*

*Unfortunately, this café is now closed!

Two words: Little. Spoons.

Actually, that’s just one of there perks of TAP Coffee N 193. Inside a very bright and comfortable space resides chipper (for London) baristas who make excellent and aesthetic cups of coffee and tea.

Location:
193 Wardour Street