Strand, Sandwiches, Cakes, Etc Restaurant Guide

Down a cute Covent Garden alley, this tiny Scandi café with a handful of seats outside in summer is sweet in more ways than one: “the renowned Princess Tarta is criminally delicious and can be personalised to order… 100% authentic too!”

“The aroma is breathtaking and you will want to linger longer than one cup”, especially at the original WC2 branch of this renowned coffee chain: “a tiny, friendly place where you always share a table with someone interesting”; and with “an exceptional array of coffees from around the world”. “Yes, you will likely have to queue; and no, it is not somewhere to linger with friends. But for the best coffee served by supremely knowledgeable staff in special surroundings, this is still the benchmark, with outstanding pastries too”.

“Smoothly run and charming – the Wolseley’s “grown-up” Theatreland cousin off Aldwych is “another Corbin & King former favourite that seems to be surviving pretty well under a change of management”, a switch that “doesn’t seem to have dented its consistent quality”. The “lovely surroundings are reminiscent of a coffee house in Vienna” and its “well-spaced tables and professional service make it a particularly classy choice for a discreet business lunch”. The Mittel European brasserie fare is “undemanding” and “won’t excite” (“it’s not about the food here”), but the menu provides “a wide choice” and “the overall package is pure quality and not too expensive for what it is”. In particular, “they make breakfast into an occasion” with an excellent selection of choices and coffee. Top Menu Tips – “Fantastic schnitzels”; very pleasant Veal Bratwurst with sauerkraut; or reasonable Chicken soup with spätzle”. At breakfast, “eggs royale is an indulgent choice”; and “you will never taste better kedgeree than theirs!”

This “magical place” – “the best patisserie in town, magnifique!” – is a living monument to old Soho, having been founded in 1871 by a Communard exile from Paris. “Great scones, proper clotted cream, and the best cream cakes in London – still cooked on the premises” – reward visitors (but it “gets busy, and is very popular with tourists”).

2024 Review: 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”.