Sandwiches, Cakes, Etc Restaurants in City
1. London Grind
British, Modern restaurant in London Bridge
2 London Bridge - SE1
2021 Review: “Good coffee… and the food’s OK too” – this Borough Market café remains one of the top caffeine hits in SE1. “It’s great for breakfast” too.
2. Monmouth Coffee Company
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Southwark
2 Park St - SE1
“Decent croissants and the best brews”, delivered by “unfailingly lovely service, however long the queues”, still win legions of fans for London’s original cool coffee shop group, even if it has real competition these days from more Antipodean-style challengers. “They’ve been my top choice for over 35 years, but I can no longer cope with the uncomfortable seating at the OG Covent Garden outlet, so SE1 it is”, which is “perfect to combine with a Borough Market visit”. There’s also a third branch at Bermondsey’s Spa Terminus.
3. Workshop Coffee Fitzrovia
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Fitzrovia
80a Mortimer St - W1
2021 Review: “Perfect coffee every time” keeps caffeine fiends crawling back to this small and serious chain. “Baking from Fortitude Bakehouse is a good complement”.
4. Workshop Coffee
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Clerkenwell
Ground Floor, White Collar Factory, 1 Old Street Yard - EC1Y
2021 Review: “Perfect coffee every time” keeps caffeine fiends crawling back to this small and serious chain. “Baking from Fortitude Bakehouse is a good complement”.
5. Department of Coffee and Social Affairs
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Clerkenwell
14-16 Leather Ln - EC1
2021 Review: “Could this be the best coffee in London?” – this speciality chain has grown from this Leather Lane site to 15 around the capital in 10 years, and is, by all accounts, “exceptional” – “definitely worth going out of the way for a brew”. “Staff are friendly”, and sandwiches, salads and cakes are prepared fresh every day at a central in-house kitchen and bakery.
6. Prufrock Coffee
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Clerkenwell
23-25 Leather Ln - EC1
Caffeine aficionados beat a path to the Leather Lane premises of “one of the early champions of speciality coffee”, where they imbibe information from the “friendly and knowledgeable staff” along with their brews. It’s a “comfortable refurbished space”, and there are “great pastries” and breakfast/brunch options to munch on.
7. The Watch House
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Southwark
199 Bermondsey St - SE1
2021 Review: “A wonderful location off Bermondsey Street” – a “quirky”, ancient, tiny shelter originally built for watchmen guarding the graves of nearby St Mary Magdalene Church – helps win fans for this small coffee house (which has since spawned a couple of spin-offs at Tower Bridge and Fetter Lane). It wins many nominations for its “top coffee” too (supplied by Shoreditch roasters, Ozone) and “delicious food”. One quibble: service can be “so laid back, it’s almost horizontal”.
8. Brick Lane Beigel Bake
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Shoreditch
159 Brick Ln - E1
“The original and the best”, agree fans of this legendary East End Jewish deli, which is “well worth a detour any time, day or night” (thanks to its 24/7 opening) for its “fantastic” beigels (stubbornly spelt in the traditional European manner), stuffed with classic fillings including salt beef, lox and pickled herring. “Amazing value” too – it feels like they’ve forgotten to change the prices for the last 20 years.
9. The Delaunay
East & Cent. European restaurant in Covent Garden
55 Aldwych - WC2
“Viennese in style” – this “elegantly understated” sibling to The Wolseley sits on the easterly fringe of the West End, and is “very much a power location”: “the ambience is perfect for business meals – bustling but not too noisy – with well-spaced tables and comfortable seating”; and “obliging” service that’s “efficient and warm”. Its “Mittel European brasserie menu with schnitzel/goulash/wurst etc” is “nothing special, but it is consistent and very acceptable” and “with something amongst the selection of dishes that anyone and everyone can eat”. “Despite the loss of founders Corbin and King, it is mercifully unaltered under its new ownership” with ratings practically identical to last year’s. Top Tip – “fabulous for breakfast”, whether you are dealmaking or not.
10. Kappacasein
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Bermondsey
1 Voyager Industrial Estate - SE16
2022 Review: “You will literally not get a better toasted cheese and onion sandwich in this world!” – so say fans of Bill Oglethorpe’s market stall, which is a mainstay of Borough Market. On Saturday mornings and lunchtime, you can also eat-in at their dairy in nearby Bermondsey.
11. Bageriet
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Covent Garden
24 Rose St - WC2
“Cakes to die for!” say fans of this tiny Scandi café in a cute Covent Garden cut-through, with a handful of seats outside in summer. Top Menu Tip – Prinsesstårta (a Swedish cake, layering sponge, cream and marzipan).
12. Monmouth Coffee Company
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Covent Garden
27 Monmouth St - WC2
“Decent croissants and the best brews”, delivered by “unfailingly lovely service, however long the queues”, still win legions of fans for London’s original cool coffee shop group, even if it has real competition these days from more Antipodean-style challengers. “They’ve been my top choice for over 35 years, but I can no longer cope with the uncomfortable seating at the OG Covent Garden outlet, so SE1 it is”, which is “perfect to combine with a Borough Market visit”. There’s also a third branch at Bermondsey’s Spa Terminus.
13. Maison Bertaux
Afternoon tea restaurant in Soho
28 Greek St - W1
“One of the few remaining eccentric Soho sites left” – this “long-established fixture” was founded in 1871 by an exile from Paris. “Individual, exceptional and entertaining”, “the food still makes it a destination” – “including wonderful cakes better than any chain”. It is, though, “very busy, clearly on the ’to-do’ list of many tourists”.
14. Flat White
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Soho
17 Berwick St - W1
This “small, often crowded” independent coffee shop by Soho’s Berwick Street market is a pilgrimage site for caffeine junkies, as the source of Antipodean ‘third wave’ coffee culture in Britain since its 2005 opening. And yes, “the coffee’s very good”.
15. Ozone Coffee Roasters
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Bethnal Green
Emma Street - E2
A “spectacular breakfast” – “the options are hard to choose from, but none are a poor choice” – is the top culinary feature at these Kiwi haunts, whose zeitgeisty vibe and in-house roasting (omg the smell in Shoreditch!) makes them a magnet for a “top notch coffee” at any time of day.
16. Nordic Bakery
Scandinavian restaurant in Soho
14a Golden Sq - W1
2022 Review: “Still turning out wonderful cinnamon buns and coffee” along with some “excellent Scandi sandwiches”, this Nordic fixture in Soho remains “well worth a visit”.
17. Kaffeine (Eastcastle Street)
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Fitzrovia
15 Eastcastle Street - W1
“One of the original Aussie coffee shops”, founded in 2009 by Melburnian Peter Dore-Smith and now with two branches in Fitzrovia serving “fabulous artisanal brews”. They make a “perfect escape from the chain experience of nearby Oxford Street” with their “great service and vibe”, “fresh sandwiches” and “very good lunchtime salads”.
18. Richoux
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Mayfair
172 Piccadilly - W1
Decked out in cosy period style, this “slightly touristy”-looking Mayfair stalwart was rescued from administration in 2021 and is the surviving member of a now-defunct tearoom chain. Traditionally an afternoon tea place, there’s more of an emphasis these days on its menu of “well-presented brasserie classics”. At worst it’s a “safe bet” for “a good pre-theatre supper”, but some would argue that its “excellent offerings and well-spaced tables” means it can be more highly recommended. BREAKING NEWS. In September 2023, the restaurant closed as it was announced it will move to new premises in Soho, to open in late 2023.
19. Kaffeine (Great Titchfield Street)
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Fitzrovia
66 Great Titchfield Street - W1
“One of the original Aussie coffee shops”, founded in 2009 by Melburnian Peter Dore-Smith and now with two branches in Fitzrovia serving “fabulous artisanal brews”. They make a “perfect escape from the chain experience of nearby Oxford Street” with their “great service and vibe”, “fresh sandwiches” and “very good lunchtime salads”.
20. Kiss the Hippo (Margaret Street)
Sandwiches, cakes, etc restaurant in Fitzrovia
51 Margaret Street - W1W
“Great coffee and extremely moreish light snacks” is the simple-but-winning formula at this ethical and sustainable Scandi-style roastery that started life in Richmond six years ago and now has outlets scattered across some of central London’s foodie enclaves.
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