Covent Garden, Sandwiches, Cakes, Etc Restaurant Guide

“It’s cramped, it’s busy”, but “you’ll never get bored of the variety of coffee flavours on offer”, at these epic caffeine-stops – the best-known of London’s top tier coffee house chains – where “excellent recommendations” from the “really knowledgeable” staff (“who will let you sample and taste different growths”) really add to the experience. Borough Market is the definitive branch, and – as well as the pastries offered elsewhere in the group – also has bread and jam on hand to soak up the brews.

“A little piece of Swedish heaven”, “tucked away” down an alleyway in Covent Garden – this “tiny café” serves “excellent coffee” and “fabulous Nordic treats”. “The cinnamon buns are even more delicious than any I’ve tasted in Sweden (and I’ve tasted a lot by the way!)”.

2015 Review: As “a welcome haven from the Trafalgar Square hubbub”, the best-known branch of these atmospheric cafés (by the Coliseum) is well-worth seeking out; the “excellent” coffee, though, does outshine the “straightforward” snacks.

2015 Review: As “a welcome haven from the Trafalgar Square hubbub”, the best-known branch of these atmospheric cafés (by the Coliseum) is well-worth seeking out; the “excellent” coffee, though, does outshine the “straightforward” snacks.

Although they almost pre-date the ‘hipster’, these high-quality, funky little cafés, with their “superb coffee, great tapas, freshly squeezed juices, breads, cakes and toasties” hold their own well against newer competitors. “The best F&W is at Somerset House, where on a sunny day you can sit outside and look at the beautiful architecture and fountains, just a minute from the Courtauld and the Strand”.

“You can’t better the cinnamon buns, rye rolls and coffee” served at this quartet of Scandi cafés in Soho, Marylebone and now also Covent Garden, which – leaving aside a hint of “design mag self-consciousness” – are “great for a sweet or savoury treat”.