In March 2026, I flew to London for a 4-day trip with my brother, who came from New-york, while I came from Cyprus. It was supposed to be a siblings’ trip with my two sisters, who live in Israel, as we do every year, but unfortunately, this year, because of the war with Iran, my sisters could not come.
My brother and I had already booked non-refundable flights and paid for the apartment, and I was already 28 weeks pregnant, so I did not know if I would be able to fly a few weeks later when things might calm down. In short, after a big disappointment that my sisters could not come, my brother and I decided to go anyway and use this trip as quality time together, something we had never really done before.
My brother is one of the biggest cafe lovers I know, but not just any cafes, only small and high-quality ones. Considering I was in an advanced stage of pregnancy and had difficulty walking too much, we found ourselves visiting 8 different cafes around London, and all of them were excellent. No chains, no touristy places, and usually no more than around 10 seats. Another thing worth mentioning is that my brother travels to London every year for work, and he saves all the cafes he likes and wants to visit on Google Maps. So wherever we went, he already had a good cafe saved nearby that we could go to. Ozone Coffee in Shoreditch
Shoreditch is one of the coolest neighborhoods in London, full of galleries, street art, boutique shops, and a young vibe, and it is also where our apartment was located. That is where you will find Ozone Coffee, which became our go-to cafe during the trip, and we went there 4 times. Considering we visited 7 other cafes during the trip, that says a lot about how much my brother loves cafes.
This cafe is perfect for coffee and pastries, and also for a proper breakfast or brunch.
For breakfast, I tried the portobello mushroom toast with chilli and cream, which was really good. My brother had the brioche with egg and bacon, which he enjoyed as well.
For sweets, we tried the brioche with jam and cream, which was good but nothing special, a chocolate babka with orange marmalade that was really tasty, and a carrot cake that was also excellent.
The place is usually full, as the reviews show, so itis best to book in advance. You can also come and take a takeaway. The design is modern, the service is great, and the atmosphere is very pleasant.
Directions. 
Alchemy cafe in Shoreditch
Another small and charming cafe in Shoreditch. A place with good coffee and a variety of pastries, and a nice bonus where everyone who orders coffee gets a free Tim Tam, a sweet, nostalgic snack I used to eat as a child with chocolate milk.
When we arrived, we noticed that the barista was wearing a shirt identical to the sibling tattoo we got two years ago in Milan. We showed him the tattoo, and my brother joked that we deserved a free coffee for that. When we went to pay, the barista suddenly said the coffee was on the house, and we also got a Tim Tam.
Beyond that, the coffee was really good, and I was surprised by how nice they were.
Directions. 
Wolfox Speciality Coffee in Covent Garden
Covent Garden is one of the most central and touristy areas in London, full of shops, street performances, and a lively atmosphere. We randomly came across this cute cafe before our food tour.
It was the perfect time for a coffee break, and it also turned out I had the wrong start time for the tour, so we had about half an hour to spare.
It is an intimate cafe with a beautiful design and good coffee. A nice place for a short break in the middle of a busy day in the area.
Directions. 
Hideaway Coffee House in Soho
Soho is a very lively neighborhood full of restaurants, bars, and nightlife, but דווקא there we discovered during the food tour a beautiful hidden courtyard with a cafe and a few small shops. After the tour, we decided to come back to try the cafe.
There are a few pastries and some seating inside, and if the weather is nice, it is definitely recommended to sit outside.
A tip our guide gave us: next to the cafe, there is a chocolate shop with really special chocolates. We went in and bought a few interesting flavors like coconut, vinegar, and dark chocolate, and sat to eat them with our coffee.
Directions. 
Nagare Coffee near Spitalfields Market
The Spitalfields and Brick Lane area is full of great food and unique cafes, and this is one of them.
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My brother chose this place as the cafe with the best coffee of the trip. He had a Japanese coffee that he really liked, and I was also happy with my latte.
It is a small cafe with a few desserts. We had a good banana cake, an Earl Grey cake that was also good, but the best one was the hazelnut coffee cake.
Directions. 
Vietnamese cafe ZeroToOne Coffee
This is probably the place with the most professional approach to coffee that I have seen. It really feels like an art.
The staff invest in every cup, measures water temperature, and everything is very precise.
I ordered tea, which I really liked. I wanted to buy some to take home, but they did not sell it. My brother liked the coffee. They also have Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk, which I really enjoyed drinking when I was in Vietnam, but because of the pregnancy, I preferred to avoid caffeine. Directions. 
TownHouse Gallery cafe
We actually came here because of the gallery, which was nice, but what we liked even more was the cafe inside.
On the lower floor, there is a kitchen where they prepare pastries on the spot, and the apple cake looked great. You can order coffee and sit in a small and pleasant courtyard.
Directions. 
Elwin Coffee near the British Museum
After visiting the British Museum, we needed a break, and of course we found a cafe exactly in the style my brother loves. Small, stylish, with good coffee and pastries. Directions. 
Lebanese cafe Common Breads near Buckingham Palace
I was honestly very surprised by the food at this cafe. We ordered Ka’ak filled with eggs and green tomato chutney, and it was really tasty and surprising.
We also ordered Manouche with za’atar and cheese, which was good, and knafeh that came inside a Ka’ak, a combination I had never tried before. The bread balanced the sweetness of the knafeh, and it worked really well.
Overall, a great place for a light meal or a slightly different kind of dessert.
Directions. 
Summary, If there is one thing this trip made me realize, it is that London is full of amazing cafes, but not the ones you see on TikTok or next to every tourist attraction. דווקא the small places, the ones you have to look a bit for, are the best ones.
Because I was in an advanced stage of pregnancy, our pace was slower, and that made us stop more, sit, drink coffee, and enjoy the city differently. In the end, it was one of the things I loved most about this trip.
So if you are in London, do not rely only on restaurants and attractions. Make sure to include a few good coffee stops as well.
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