Bustling, stylish Covent Garden is in the historic heart of London’s West End. Visit for the luxury shopping or the crafts market, the theatre, the ballet or just to soak up the atmosphere. Whatever the occasion you’ll find coffee shops and cafes in Covent Garden that’ll be perfect for you.
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It’s an understatement to say there’s a good choice of cafes and coffee shops in Covent Garden. There’s an almost overwhelming choice!
Are you looking for a cake and a cup of tea, it is after all a traditional London snack? Maybe you fancy weekend brunch or you’re planning to sample London’s coffee scene? I’m a Londoner and my friends and I visit Covent Garden regularly. Here I’ve picked a selection of Covent Garden coffee shops and cafes, newcomers and old favourites, that stand out for originality, character – and of course great flavours.
8 of the best Cafes in Covent Garden
Take a break from the bustling city streets and enjoy Covent Garden’s café culture. From a zen-inspired patisserie to a gem of a cafe for Scandi treats.
Santa Nata
Why visit? A little taste of Lisbon in Covent Garden London
Santa Nata specialises in home-baked authentic Pastel de Nata. These delicate little Portuguese custard tarts were invented by the monks of the Jerónimos monastery in Lisbon. You’ll find them in plenty of places in London but I think the tastiest and freshest are here at Santa Nata.
This Covent Garden cafe is tiny, but you can sit at an outdoor table or perch on a stool at the counter and watch the kitchen at work preparing the next batch of tarts. Coffees are served in takeaway cups or you could enjoy your pastel de nata with a shot of ginjinha cherry liqueur in a mini chocolate coupe.
Listen for the bell by the door that signals a fresh batch of delicious tarts are ready to eat in the cafe. Or take some home with you in the smart little liveried gift boxes.
7 New Row, WC2N 4LH and 17 Russell Street WC2B 5HP
WA Cafe
Why visit? An independent Japanese patisserie
WA (pronounced wha) means Japanese style, embodying peace and harmony. If you’ve spent a few hours hurrying around central London then that could be just what you’re looking for. One of three branches in London, WA’s cafe in Covent Garden offers cakes and pastries produced daily by their bakers, you can order online too. They include gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly options and Japanese breads.
Some cakes and drinks are seasonal: visit in Springtime to savour cherry blossom cakes and prettily pink matching lattes. All year round you can enjoy matcha rolls and gateaux, Mont Blancs, cheesecakes and mousses.
Fair Shot Cafe
Why visit? Stylish cafe with social enterprise at its heart
Chic and modern Fair Shot is an airy space in the heart of Covent Garden with a few outdoor tables too. It offers speciality coffees from Curious Roo an independent small batch London roastery. And you’ll be tempted by the freshly baked cakes, soups and chunky sandwiches like falafel bagels and goats cheese and rocket focaccia.
Not only that, stylish and bustling Fair Shot is a social enterprise cafe and registered charity. Its mission is to provide a stepping stone to employment for young adults with learning disabilities through supported internships.
Arket Cafe
Why visit? A vegan and vegetarian cafe in a fashion store
Browse the rails then consider a new addition to your wardrobe as you sip a Union coffee roast in-store. Swedish sustainable fashion and lifestyle store Arket, has a desirable range of clothing and home buys and you can be sure they’ve put the same thought into their coffee.
But this isn’t just a bar to grab a quick coffee break. Arket cafe in Covent Garden serves a seasonal vegetarian and vegan menu based on healthy natural ingredients. Tuck into a beetroot and kale vegan salad or blue cheese and sweet potato sandwich whilst you eye the lovely fluffy blankets stacked alluringly nearby.
Bageriet
Why visit? It’s the best Swedish bakery in London
Bageriet, a bijou cosy cafe on a little cobbled side street off Floral Street, scores all the points for cuteness. The window display is packed with tempting Swedish breads and buns, whilst inside you’ll find beautiful cakes perfect for special occasions or savouring by the slice.
Every cake, bun and biscuit is baked on the premises. Coffee is brewed the Swedish way – it’s strong – and the lovely range of loose-leaf teas are brought over from Sweden too. And it’s impossible to leave without picking up a pretty bag of biscuits or a delicious slice of Princess cake to take home with you.
Get there early, Bageriet has only four seats inside and a couple of tables outside. But I’m including it because it’s a hidden gem and one of my favourite cafes in Covent Garden.
Capilungo Covent Garden
Why visit? Authentic Italian treats from Puglia
I love an Italian coffee and Capilungo delivers it in Puglian ceramics too. A relative newcomer amongst Covent Garden cafes, Capilungo brings the Italian cafe tradition to central London. For breakfast enjoy your espresso with an authentic pasticciotto, a warm shortcrust pastry pie filled with custard cream flavoured with pistachio, vanilla or – my favourite – Amarena cherry. Or pick a savoury rustico, both are specialities from the Puglian city of Lecce.
Through the day the menu segues into savoury aperitivo dishes, for Capilungo is a wine and cocktail bar too. Open until 8pm most nights a week, check online for opening times.
Ladurée
Why visit? For the pastel-icious Parisian macarons
Originating in Paris, Ladurée’s fame as macaron-makers par excellence was given a boost when the fashion and celebrity set caught on to its charms. These little meringue-based nibbles in a rainbow of beguiling colours are always a chic treat.
Ladurée has eight tea rooms in London, including Harrods and Heathrow airport. But their cafe in Covent Garden market has outdoor tables as well as the indoor salon with its plush seating and white tablecloths. Expect upscale prices for a Parisien-style brunch or afternoon tea. A sweet treat before a trip to the Royal Opera House perhaps? Plan ahead and aim for the quieter times of day as Ladurée is a visitor favourite and gets very busy.
Freemasons’ Hall Café and bar
Why visit? Art Deco interiors
Unless you are a Freemason you’re unlikely to know about this historic gem in the heart of Covent Garden. But you don’t need to be a Freemason to enjoy it. The handsome Art Deco Freemasons’ Hall stands proud on Great Queen Street, a memorial to the Freemasons who lost their lives in World War One. It’s the HQ of the venerable social and charitable organisation of Freemasons, but it’s also open to the public who can visit its museum or cafe.
And honestly, if you like a spot of history then the cafe is a must-do. It serves fairtrade coffee, teas, sandwiches and cakes, but for me that’s not really the point. Visit the cafe to enjoy its un-messed-about-with Art Deco space with coffered ceiling, grand light fittings and dark wood panelling. It’s the kind of traditional style that you don’t find much anymore in central London.
60 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ
6 of the best coffee shops in Covent Garden
Coffee lovers are spoilt for choice by the wide array of Covent Garden coffee shops. Whether you’re looking for the perfect pour over or crave carbs with your caffeine take your pick from these specialist establishments.
Watch House
Why visit? For a modern coffee experience
This is one of a collection of 16 Watch Houses in London and there’s another nearby in Seven Dials. The company now has branches in Bath and NYC too. The Watch Houses, named after their first outpost in a historic building in Bermondsey, take their coffee seriously. The friendly staff will talk you through their range of ethically sourced beans which are bought green and roasted at their Maltby Street roastery.
Batch brews as well as expressos and a seasonal decaf option are on offer in the cafe, along with teas, smoothies and a small selection of beers and cocktails. There’s a breakfast and brunch menu and cakes from their Bermondsey bakery. And Watch House sells all the kit for an elevated home brew too, from finely calibrated coffee scales to filter papers. With chic interiors and seating inside and out, Watch House is an all-rounder Covent Garden cafe in a very central spot.
28-29 Southampton Street, WC2E 7PG
Covent Garden Grind
Why visit? It’s a coffee and cocktail bar
There’s always someone on a laptop in a window seat when I pass Covent Garden Grind. It’s the sort of place you can drop in and out of through the day. It’s roomy, as well as the ground floor there’s an area downstairs and an outside tables, whilst the marble counter, exposed brick walls and neon signs give a stylish edge. The coffee’s good too, this London coffee company has its own roastery as well as restaurants, coffee shops and trucks. They buy beans direct from the growers and sell their own beans, ground coffee and home-compostable pods in their outlets and online. You’ll find those distinctive pink Grind tins on many a London kitchen shelf.
The Grind coffee shop Covent Garden has an all-day menu of foccacia sandwiches, smashed avo on sourdough and filled croissants. Cocktails are served all day too: try a Hot Flat White Russian or their signature Espresso Martini.
Monmouth Coffee Company
Why visit? a heritage Covent Garden coffee shop
The Monmouth Coffee Company is the real deal, it was roasting coffee beans in Covent Garden in 1978, long before coffee culture was a thing. Their roasting site is in Bermondsey now but you can still buy quality single-origin coffee here, often sourced from very small-scale producers.
This tiny Covent Garden coffee shop doesn’t have much room to sit down but it does a brisk trade in takeaways and yummy pastries. Be warned, they don’t do paper cups, so bring your own reusable mug or join their rent-a-cup scheme for excellent coffee to go!
Coffee Island
Why visit? For a customised coffee experience
Light, airy and laptop friendly, Coffee Island on Upper St Martin’s Lane is open from 7.30 am to 8.30 pm so is handy for pre-theatre snacks as well as breakfast espressos.
Promising perfectly engineered coffee, it’s one of a 400-strong international franchise of artisan coffee shops that began in Patras Greece. It matches an array of coffee brewing techniques: V60, Chemex, AeroPress, Syphon and batch brew with a wall of bean dispensers.
All the expresso-based coffees come with an option of house blend, single estate or decaf, while the brew bar has more single estate options. Interestingly iced expresso is one of the most popular choices, and many customers come specially for the Greek coffee. Teas, hot chocolate. milkshakes and flavoured coffees mean there’s something for everyone here, along with pies, pastries and cakes for daytime snacking.
5 Upper St Martin’s Lane, WC2H 9EA
Abuelo
Why visit? For Aussie coffee with a family’s flair
This independent coffee house and kitchen comes from a family with roots in the modern Australian food scene. Blending Latin American and Aussie influences, Abuelo combines a stylish yet homely interior with great speciality coffee and an all-day brunch menu.
Coffee comes from single origin beans from central and south America and is joined on the menu with teas, matcha, chai and kombucha plus wines, beer and cocktails.
Choose a cake, or order from the all day brunch menu of Australian and South American fusion food. This cosy coffee shop has a long communal dining table and sofa corner plus a sheltered outdoor table area.
Black Penny Covent Garden
Why visit? Historic building and a good brunch
The name Black Penny is a nod to the 17th century London coffeehouses, hubs for intellectuals, radicals and artists. Anyone was welcome to join the chat if they had a penny for a coffee. So the coffee shops were nicknamed Penny universities.
The Black Penny is in an historic London building with bare brick walls and painted woodwork. It’s a great place to have an earnest discussion, ponder your latest novel, or indeed have something delicious to eat.
We had the excellent scrambled eggs on sourdough which included a heap of fresh green rocket and was almost too much to eat. There’s a menu of breakfast dishes and all-day buns plus a short list of coffees, including V60 filter and dirty chai, teas, fresh juices and several cocktails.
Black Penny has pavement seating too, but get there early or book ahead, it’s busy at peak times.
34 Great Queen St, London WC2B 5A
Please note that all visitor information here is for guidance only. Please check the relevant websites for the most up to date information eg. accommodation details, tickets, entrance requirements, opening times etc.
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About the author Nancy Roberts is a former women’s magazine editor and writer. She lives in London and is mum to two 20-something boys. In Map&Family she shares info and inspiration for curious travellers: singles and couples as well as families travelling with teens and young adults.
All photos are all rights reserved. Please do not reproduce these photos without prior written permission
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