Tour de Cafés!

By Mackenzie Mast and Anna Kauffman

Anna’s go-to coffee order is a mocha and Mackenzie’s is an iced vanilla latte.

Hey all!

We decided it was time for us to finally do an official review of some of the coffee shops we’ve been to since coming to London. All of these are within a 15 min walking distance to our hotel, and some of them have even become frequent hangout spots for us!

We will be rating each place on deliciousness of the coffee, food, atmosphere, and price. The scales are as follows:

 

Coffee: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Food: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Price: $$$$

Pret a Manger (pronounced “pret-ah-mahn-zhay” for those who don’t speak french 🙂

Coffee: ⭐⭐⭐  Food: ⭐⭐⭐  Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐  Price: $

Starting off strong with a staple, Pret has been a handy go-to for us from the beginning of this trip. While their coffee is fairly average, you really can’t beat the prices, especially since we got their monthly subscription that gets you 5 free drinks a day and 10% off food for only 15 pounds! This is a frequent breakfast stop for us before class in the morning. We especially like the yogurt fruit cups and croissants. This subscription paid for itself within a week, and since Pret is a chain, there’s always one close by to stop in and grab a quick drink.  (no photo)

  Burr & Co.

Coffee: ⭐⭐⭐  Food: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  Price: $$$$

Next, we decided to visit Burr & Co., which is a huge (very fancy) building that we pass every day on our way to class. While we knew that the exterior was quite spectacular, we didn’t know what we would find inside. Safe to say, it did not disappoint! The beautiful decorations and live DJ created the best atmosphere, and the food was absolutely incredible. We would argue that their coffee wasn’t anything special, especially for the price of the place, but overall definitely worth at least one visit while in London!

 

Fork Delí Patisserie 

Coffee: ⭐⭐⭐⭐  Food: ⭐⭐⭐⭐  Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐  Price: $$

Fork quickly became a great study place for us. The staff was so friendly, and their coffee and food were very good for their price! A wonderful atmosphere and a great little lunch spot! The also café has a wall dedicated to displaying work of local artists. We enjoyed looking at their art and we commend Fork for supporting local artists! We came here many times during our trip, and this place quickly became one of our favorites! Bonus points because it was so close to our hotel too 🙂

Noxy

Coffee: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  Food: ⭐⭐⭐⭐  Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐  Price: $$

Noxy surprised us with having the BEST coffee we’ve had while in London. The cafe itself was super cute, and also ended up being a great place to get some homework done! In addition to the coffee being absolutely incredible, their food didn’t disappoint either! We tried their bagel and cream cheese, banana bread, and chocolate croissant- all were delicious! Overall a really great little place, we highly recommend!

 

 

 

Salt and Pepper

Coffee: ⭐  Food: ⭐⭐⭐  Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐  Price: $$

This place was one we just happened to visit after class one day. While the food was fairly good for the price, we were a little disappointed overall. Definitely not the best coffee we’ve tasted, and honestly we won’t be going back. A fine place in the moment, but not somewhere that we would specifically go back again to visit.

 

 

 

 

Moreish Garden

Coffee: ⭐⭐⭐⭐  Food: n/a  Atmosphere: ⭐⭐⭐⭐  Price: $$

The Moreish was one that we had our eye on from the beginning of our time in London. While the coffee was very good, one downside to this place was that the owner doesn’t allow for any computers in her shop, which means no homework. While this was a bummer, the shop itself was very cute and definitely worth a stop in! Another cool thing about the Moreish is that it’s owned and operated by one woman who does it all! Very friendly service, and a lovely atmosphere inside and out.

Thank you so much for reading, we hope you enjoyed our review of some of London’s coffee shops 🙂

Addendum to Moreish Garden by Prof. Amy: Obsessed with the Moreish. Visit most days for breakfast or lunch. Enjoy all food I’ve eaten but keep going back to the brioche toast with jam, greek yogurt, and berries. The no laptop policy is the only reason I ever leave the Moreish Garden. I would move there if I could. Brownies are also incredible, as Prof. Randy Horst recommended.