I am on a quest to slouch in London’s cosiest cafes and coffee shops
If you have been to Japan, you’d have come across places where you can drop by for a nap. I am not talking about those establishments where people go for “happy endings” (of course, you can find them if you so wish to – I won’t judge), but ones for you to rest and just do absolutely nothing. They mostly exist in the form of manga cafes – which sounds like heaven to me (if only I could read Japanese)
In London, these places are in short supply. Often I’d have headed into Central London for 3-4 hours, knackered, and dying for somewhere to chill. Yes, there isn’t a lack of cafes around – there is an unlimited supply of Starbucks, Costa, or independent hipstery establishments in the form of various “Grinds”. Are they good for coffee? Some of them are excellent (not Starbucks), some serves decent cakes (not Starbucks) and some have decent decor (not Starbucks). But in most cases, they are just not comfortable enough. And by comfortable I mean having sofas where you can slouch and play on your phone without anyone judging, where it is sufficiently quiet so you can mind your own business without worrying if someone is waiting for your seat, and where you can unashamedly stay for 2-3 hours with just one cup of coffee.
Basically: comfortable, quiet, and dirt cheap.
Yes it sounds like my own living room – but that would be cheating. I want somewhere off the beaten track, but also central enough for me to retreat to after a day out. Sounds too good to be true? Read on.
This is by no means a comprehensive list – but these are just a few that I’ve discovered and love coming back to:
Bokan37– Canary Wharf
Obviously there is a good amount of quality coffee shops in Canary Wharf – and I am talking about the likes of Notes, Black Sheep Coffee, Crosstown Donut (with a push). But are they on the 37th floor? Do they have floor to ceiling window with an unbeatable view? Do they have a rooftop bar? Do they also serve excellent snacks? and DO THEY HAVE SOFAS?
I thought so too. And this is exactly what Bokan37 offers. It is hidden at the top of the Novotel at Canary Wharf – not exactly “central central” but a mere 10 minutes walk from Canary Wharf station. Many people see this as a restaurant and maybe a rooftop bar to go after work – but it is also perfect for a coffee, especially during the afternoon. Spanned across 3 floors and impeccably decked out, they have sofas for you to slouch on and just enjoy the view. Coffees are reasonably priced and if you would so like to, you can also order from their bar menu. I recommend the chips, and perhaps some desserts – they are good. You can obviously also go for the cocktails – but I don’t drink, and I am cheap. Coffee will do (and they are pretty good coffee too)
Best time to visit: afternoon Saturdays/Sundays.
3’6 Bar @ Fortnum and Mason – Piccadilly
Fortnum and Mason? That place infested with tourists looking for gifts and where the tea rooms are eternally filled with people, offering some versions of Knickerbocker Glory? Where you go for the “quintessentially British afternoon tea”?
Well. Yes. But not exactly.
There are a few restaurants & tearooms in F&M – but this one is often forgotten. And that’s exactly why I like it.
You can find the 3’6 bar on the third floor a.k.a. the Gentlemen’s section. And also where you go order a hamper. As much as we all love a nice woven basket filled with turquoise goods for “our pregnant friend” or “your best friend’s mum’s 60th birthday”, the truth is that not many people visit this place – at least not with the goal of slouching. But if you venture in deep enough, you can find this stylish bar filled with expensive leather sofas, a bar, and not many people.
The menu is good – not only do they serve decent coffee (as they should), you can also order a curated selection of snacks – ranging from olives (sensible) to lobster roll (less sensible) to welsh rarebits (it is Fortnum & Mason, what do you expect). in my last visit I ordered some coffee, shortbread, battenberg, and a share of highlife that I otherwise can’t afford. It also happened to be when they were offering 50% off with the “eat out to help out” scheme (seriously, that name). You can’t easily find anywhere else so central, yet so comfortable, for a tenner.
The Ambrose Cafe @ Heals – Goode Street
This has been a long term favourite of mine. Hidden at the heart of the luxury homeware store on the street filled with furniture porn, this cafe has a whole section filled with their premium sofas (so so comfortable) and stylish furnitures. Afterall, if you are a furniture store, offering people IKEA-grade decor just wouldn’t cut it.
It is often quiet, and has the benefit of being only a few minutes walk away from the tourist hell that is Oxford Street. It is the perfect place for you to just hide, do some work, and think about all the furnitures that you are never going to buy.
Update: they have recently removed the sofas as a COVID measure. This has caused me some understable despair, but fundamentally it is still a great place to be. Just less comfortable (arrgghh)
Joe and the Juice – Berkeley Street (1 min from Green Park station)
Aren’t J&Js common these days. Long gone are the days when it was just a niche hideout in Soho (I will talk about that later), but it has become one of those coffee shop chains that you can only find in posh neighbourhoods – like the Waitrose of coffee shops, staffed with bartenders who probably aspired to be A&F models when they were young. Yes. it is the A&F of coffee shops – aspirational, preppy, but a bit more common than they’d have liked.
Having said that, I do like a good J&J. Not for their juices (not sorry – it is overrated), but for the fact that they often have sofas. This one near Green Park is the perfect example – it has a large basement sparsely filled with minimalistic furnitures and a massive, comfortable sofa. I don’t think that many people realise that it exists (and I’d like to keep it that way – although writing this article is serving the opposite purpose) – but it really is a great place for you to disappear into. There is nowhere better to go if you were meeting your friend at Green Park station and got that text saying “I got stuck in traffic and will be half an hour late” (lies).
You can of course go to the Ritz, or the Wolseley across the road. But the prospect of bumping into 3rd rated celebrities don’t exactly thrill me.
Honourable mention
Joe & the Juice – Soho
This place, just like the one at Berkeley Street, has a basement filled with comfortable sofas. I love it there – but being at the centre of soho also means that it is always ramped. Not a great place if you just want some peace and quiet – but not bad if you want to spot some handsome gays (not bad at all).
The Hoxton – Shoreditch
I work in Shoreditch and so am a big fan of The Hoxton for its big sofas, decent coffee, and fireplace (A FIREPLACE!). It is a living room that we all wish we have. It is also very social – maybe too social. I love to go there with colleagues to grab a coffee and get the latest gossip (evidently I don’t do it that much, as a matter of fact I am always the last to get gossips) – but, again, not if I am feeling antisocial and need to drown myself in husky videos.
As I said, this is by no means an exhaustive list. But one that I’d like to come back to and update for years to come.
If you know of somewhere great, I’d love to hear about it.
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