London, told in roaster-cafés.
23 specialty roaster-cafés that roast their own beans — and open their doors. Profiled and reviewed by PremiumRoast, not ranked by a bot. Plan a one-day crawl, listen to the guide, or print the map.
★ London is a coffee capital remade twice over — by a 1978 Covent Garden roastery and by the 2007–2012 wave of World Champions and Antipodean migrants who rebuilt how Britain orders its morning coffee. Fresh Cup Magazine
About this guide: Hand-audited by PremiumRoast — we list only roasters that roast their own beans, collapse multi-location duplicates, and verify each is a genuine roaster. Human-reviewed, not bot-ranked. Last reviewed May 2026.
All 23 stops on the map
Open full crawl in Google Maps →The London coffee scene
The modern scene traces two founding moments decades apart. Monmouth Coffee, opened on Monmouth Street in 1978, roasted single-origin in the shop basement long before the term existed. The real acceleration came in 2007, when James Hoffmann won the World Barista Championship using coffee roasted by Anette Moldvaer (who simultaneously won the World Cupping Championship); the pair co-founded Square Mile in 2008, introducing the Scandinavian-inflected medium-light roast that displaced darker blends citywide. That same year Gwilym Davies opened Prufrock and Melbourne-born Peter Dore-Smith opened Kaffeine.
Geography carved the scene into neighborhoods. Shoreditch and the East London belt — Hackney, Dalston, Broadway Market — became the densest cluster, anchored by Prufrock on Leather Lane, Allpress on Redchurch Street, and Dark Arts Coffee, founded in 2014 in a Homerton railway arch with a cult following. Bermondsey tells a parallel story: its Victorian arches once stored imported coffee — 'London's larder' — and today Monmouth's roastery and WatchHouse operate along the same corridor that hosts the Saturday Bermondsey beer mile.
Peckham rounds out the southeast: Old Spike Roastery roasts and brews from a single site with an explicit mission of training and employing people experiencing homelessness. Across all neighborhoods, the 2008–2012 culture was unusually collaborative — Square Mile's open monthly public cuppings are credited by multiple founders as the connective tissue that built London's barista community.
A bit of history
Monmouth Coffee Company, founded in 1978 at 27 Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, roasted on a 1930s Whitmee machine in the basement and pioneered single-origin sourcing in the UK — making it London's oldest continuously operating specialty roaster by more than two decades.
Sources: freshcup.com·en.wikipedia.org·shop.squaremilecoffee.com
Listen — the London coffee guide
A short spoken walk-through of the crawl, narrated from our profiles.
Suggested route
Start at Rosslyn → Origin Coffee (Charlotte Road) → Urban Baristas → Nonna Anna → MakeMake Coffee Kiosk 1…
Open in Google Maps →The crawl
23 roaster-cafés · 1 hand-reviewed · no chains.
- 01Rosslyn
Est. 2018
Rosslyn (also styled Rosslyn Coffee) is a specialty-coffee roaster based in the City of London, United Kingdom, that opened in 2018 and has grown from a single site into a collection of high-volume cafés in the Square Mile. Its retail coffee is organized by brew method into three lines — 'Roasted for milk', 'Roasted for black', and 'Roasted for filter' — and it sells a co-branded 'Daily Scoop' Financial Times Special Edition coffee. Rosslyn has been recognized by the Financial Times, Drift Magazine, Condé Nast Traveller, and Eater.com, and placed 2nd for Best Independent Coffee Shop in Europe at the 2019 Allegra Coffee Awards.
Our takeRosslyn's critical reception has been unusually concentrated for a roaster less than a decade old. Condé Nast Traveller named it 'the best coffee shop in the City of London'; Drift Magazine listed it among 'one of the best new cafés in the world.' The Financial Times coined the phrase 'best worst kept secret' of the neighborhood — an observation prominent enough that Rosslyn put it on its own homepage. Eater.com offered the sharpest framing: that Rosslyn 'might represent a template for the next phase in the evolution of specialty coffee in London.' The Allegra Coffee Awards backed that framing with hardware, ranking it second for Best Independent Coffee Shop in Europe in 2019 — one year after it opened. The cafés are located within the City of London, meaning the experience skews weekday and professional. For those not near a shop, Rosslyn sells whole-bean coffee direct-to-consumer via its Shopify storefront, with free shipping on orders over £15. Gift subscriptions are available — a practical nod to the corporate-gifting demographic the City naturally supports. A ceramic mug range rounds out the retail offering.
$$★★★★★ “A place I keep coming back to for the atmosphere, the coffee, and the overall vibe. Easily one of my favorite coffee shops in London — and their bakery selection is excellent.” — Barcin B., via Google
📍 Old Compton Street, London☎ +44 20 7437 2480
★★★★★ “I mean for the price it is well worth coming here. Great selection of coffees and delicious takeaway coffees. Americano & cappuccino = £3.50. Where else could you get that? Homely…” — Amelia R., via Google
Photo Coming SoonPhoto Coming Soon★★★★★ “Really nice cafe with nice seating and good coffee/bakes. The cafe is quite small inside, not the best for larger groups. There is some outdoor seating though which is lovely. The…” — A F., via Google
Photo Coming SoonPhoto Coming Soon- 04Artisan$$
★★★★★ “Beautiful and vibrant place, lovely staff. Most delicious smashed avocado on bread (with chili flakes and lime - perfect!). The coffee honestly was one of the best coffee I ever…” — Nina K., via Google
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★★★★★ “We were staying locally & my 12 year old daughter asked if we could visit Black Sheep as she heard that their blueberry matcha’s were the best! It’s a small coffee shop at the…” — Hilary R., via Google
Photo Coming SoonPhoto Coming Soon 📍 High Street, London☎ +44 20 8290 5792
$$★★★★★ “This might be our best Nero experience in the UK so far. This caffe is located just next to the Leicester Square tube station. We made an impromptu visit, and ended up happy to…” — Bagus S., via Google
Photo Coming SoonPhoto Coming Soon★★★★★ “Our favourite local cafe - a gem in Whitton & Twickenham (not so hidden anymore!). Our first time having pasta lunch (we normally go for brunch) and were not disappointed. The…” — kyra f., via Google
Photo Coming SoonPhoto Coming Soon- 08Costa$$
★★★★★ “Nice spot for a quick coffee break in London. The coffee was good and served hot, and the staff were friendly and efficient. There was a decent selection of pastries and snacks,…” — Claudia C., via Google
Photo Coming SoonPhoto Coming Soon 📍 Uxbridge Road, London☎ +44 20 8840 5153
$$★★★★★ “One of the best coffee shops I’ve visited in London - Great place to do some work, nice music, the people working there always greet me with a smile, good vibes all around! The…” — Constantinos P., via Google
Photo Coming SoonPhoto Coming Soon★★★★★ “First time at Earthy Coffee, and I was impressed! Their chai is absolutely delicious – perfectly spiced and well-balanced. The breakfast is just as excellent, with fresh,…” — Thi N., via Google
Photo Coming SoonPhoto Coming Soon📍 Titan Business Estate, London
★★★★★ “Newly opened Elsewhere roastery right by deptford station - highly recommend for your usual order or spending a little longer & trying a few different drip coffees. Very friendly…” — Verity, via Google
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★★★★★ “It’s a great place to go with kids, family, or even just to enjoy some quality time with my husband 😆. From the coffee to the food and pastries, everything is delicious. The…” — Pareskivi, via Google
Photo Coming SoonPhoto Coming Soon - 14Gibson's
★★★★★ “I stopped by while visiting from the states and I had a delicious cold brew. But even more appreciated was the friendly banter with staff. Small and cozy - this coffee shop is an…” — Cal S., via Google
Photo Coming SoonPhoto Coming Soon ★★★★★ “Definitely one of my favourite coffee places in the area. Every single staff member has been so friendly and makes good coffee. Pastry is nice and the inside has such a cute…” — Traveller, via Google
Photo Coming SoonPhoto Coming Soon★★★★★ “Lovely place and better service! Went yesterday morning and had a decaf cappuccino and ended up buying lots of pastries for the family! Sooo delicious! Best coffee I have tried in…” — M G., via Google
Photo Coming SoonPhoto Coming Soon📍 Beadon Road, London☎ +44 7521 164478
★★★★★ “The salmon royals were absolutely delicious — fresh, perfectly balanced, and beautifully done. Paired with a really good Americano, it made for such a satisfying visit. Great…” — Gau Z., via Google
Photo Coming SoonPhoto Coming Soon📍 Charlotte Road, London☎ +44 20 7729 6252
$$★★★★★ “Home espresso speciality coffee course. I couldn’t recommend this place enough for anyone looking to learn more on the art of espresso, the story behind origin & coffee itself is…” — Lily M., via Google
Photo Coming SoonPhoto Coming Soon★★★★★ “This cafe honestly has the best matcha coffee I’ve had in London!!! the cream was so smooth and the matcha had no bitterness at all we also tried the toasts and all three flavors…” — Irene, via Google
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★★★★★ “The english breakfast is really great. Since I don’t eat bacon, the manager/server was sweet enough to replace it with chicken as an alternative. The coffee is great, we came back…” — Aashna P., via Google
Photo Coming SoonPhoto Coming Soon ★★★★★ “This coffee is so good, and they even have a beautiful mezzanine seating area upstairs! The atmosphere is really cozy and welcoming, the staff were friendly, and everything felt…” — Gustavo Z., via Google
Photo Coming SoonPhoto Coming Soon📍 Mortlake High Street, London
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Best time to visit
Weekend mornings at Borough Market's Monmouth reliably produce a queue — arrive before 9 a.m. Reusable-cup discounts are standard at independents; tipping is uncommon for counter service, though rounding up is conventional.
What to order
The flat white — a short, strong espresso with microfoamed milk at a higher coffee ratio than a latte — is the default London order, a direct legacy of the Australian and New Zealand migrants who opened the city's foundational cafés. Several top bars (Kaffeine among them) are espresso-only; filter has grown as a secondary offering since the mid-2010s.
Frequently asked about London coffee
- How many specialty roaster-cafés are there in London?
- PremiumRoast has profiled 23 specialty roaster-cafés in London — roasters that roast their own beans and open their doors to the public. Every listing is hand-reviewed; no chains.
- Which London coffee roasters have been around the longest?
- The longest-established specialty roasters in London include Rosslyn. Rosslyn (founded 2018) is among the most historic on the scene.
- Which London roaster-café has the best customer reviews?
- Based on real Google reviews, Rosslyn is among the top-rated specialty roaster-cafés in London, averaging 5 stars from verified visitors.
- What are the newest specialty coffee roasters in London?
- Among the newer entries shaping the London specialty coffee scene: Algerian Coffee Stores, Amar Café Chelsea, Artisan.
- Is there a printable coffee day-trip guide or map for London?
- Yes — PremiumRoast offers a free 2-page printable PDF guide, an audio walk-through, and an overview map for the London coffee crawl. Download at premiumroast.coffee/coffee-trip/london-united-kingdom.