Top 5 Cafés & Coffee Shops - Soho (London)

1. 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

2. Milkbar / Flat White

I’ve grouped these two cafés together as they are “sister cafés” to one another. Serving Drop Coffee from Stockholm (for which I did a separate post called Drop Coffee Swedish Café Spotlight), both of these cafés definitely make 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:
(Milkbar) 3 Bateman Street
(Flat White) 17 Berwick Street

3. 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

4. TAP Coffee

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

5. 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

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