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London Cafes

The glorious waft of fresh coffee, the smell you expect to find as you wander through a backstreet of Paris, or in an Italian cafe, can be found in the mean streets of London's Soho; deep in the caffeine fuelled heart of London's gay community. Here coffee shops lie side by side offering a wide selection of cakes and a wider selection of coffees.

It is here that the Al Fresco revolution has settled in, and tables and chairs line the pavements up and down Old Compton Street and other roads in the vicinity.

This coffee bar explosion has changed the area radically; the sex shops that used to line the streets are moving on as the cafes move in. And its good news; the area has more of a cosmopolitan Greenwich Village feel to it, and a buzz at all hours.

Recommended Cafes

• Caffe Nero
  With branches springing up all over Festival Hall, Regent Street and Piccadilly, Caffe Nero is an ideal cafe to sit after a hard days work or shopping. Tasteful decor and a fine choice of beverages make for a positive, appealing experience. Excellent coffee.
  Address: 36a St Martin's Lane, WC2
  020 7836 5110
  Nearest tube: Covent Garden (Piccadilly)

• Bar Italia
  To experience the eternal appeal of Bar Italia, one must be stumbling home from a night out on a perfect midsummers evening. Turn the corner into Frith Street in Soho, and wander bleary eyed towards the crowd gathering outside the nondescript bar halfway up the street. Wait an eternity for your cappuccino. Perhaps a ciabatta sandwich, or something light to accompany the coffee. Then back outside to perch precariously, half on pavement, half on road (the tables are full) with everyone else. Sip coffee, eat. This twenty four hour bar is into it's fourth decade, and the formula has remained the same throughout. It's a Soho institution, and it's many imitators look on, green with envy.
  Address: 22 Frith Street, W1
  020 7437 4520
  Nearest tube: Tottenham Court Road (Central or Northern)

• Cafe Flo
  Cafe Flo, like Cafe Rouge and its imitators, is another successful brasserie chain that individually styles its restaurants. The appeal of the place is evident, most evenings you'll have to wait for a table, particularly if it's on one of their jazz nights, in which case it is advisable to book in advance. There's not a tremendous amount of difference between Cafe Rouge and Cafe Flo, but if you like brasseries, you won't be disappointed.
  Address: Various locations
  Check Phonebook
  Nearest tube: Please ring for directions

• Cafe Rouge
  London is ruled by restaurant and cafe chains, and it wouldn't matter whether you were sat in Ealing, Stepney or the West End - their drab formula is repeated throughout. But some, and I cite Pizza Express as another example of this, dispel the theory. Ok, the menu is the same at every branch, but the decor and the ambience at each individual branch is what sets it apart from it's competitors. Cafe Rouges are springing up all over town, as they all over the country. They have hit upon a winning formula which has taken them from being a relatively small chain to becoming quite a major player. The decor is French in style, lots of comfortable pastel colours. You can pop in for a meal, (pretty good brasserie styled menu) or just for a coffee. There's usually a paper rack by the door as you come in, and attentive staff to serve you. Recommended.
  Address: Various locations
  Check Phone Book
  Nearest tube: Please ring for directions

• Pelican
  Recently used as a setting for an episode of Denis Potter's Karaoke, the Pelican is a mixture of stylish restaurant (at the back) and relaxed cafe (at the front) Joining the two sections is an impressive long sweeping bar. It's location, right next to the English National Opera in the heart of theatreland may put off the more adventurous diners, but this is no tourist trap. It has excellent French menus for both the front and back of the building. Better still, it is open late, and it is one of those few restaurants where you can get a damn good meal at most times of the day. In the summer they line tables and chairs outside the building; great for people-watching.
  Address: 45 St Martin's Lane , WC2
  020 7379 0309
  Nearest tube: Tottenham Court Road (Central or Northern)

• Pret a Manger
  Springing up all over town, are the Pret a Manger sandwich bars. Each with it's own individual styling and own unique atmosphere, they are proving to be extremely popular with Londoners who pack the places every weekday lunchtime. The food is every bit as good as it's surroundings, and the bread is baked on the premises. Eat in or take away.
  Address: 77-78 St Martin's Lane, WC2
  020 7932 5213
  Nearest tube: Leicester Square (Northern or Piccadilly)

Find a Cafe