Independent does not have to mean a single address. Some of London’s coffee businesses have grown into small groups while keeping a distinct identity. This guide compares a few of the groups in our directory by what you can find at their listed shops, rather than treating every branch as interchangeable. We use “independent” as an editorial category for specialist businesses outside the large high-street coffee chains; this is not a certification of ownership or funding.
Monmouth: coffee first, in three neighbourhoods
The Monmouth shops in our directory are Covent Garden, Borough and Bermondsey. Each offers coffee and beans for home, but the location changes the rest of your day: Seven Dials, Borough Market or Dockley Road. The shared reusable-cup policy is worth knowing whichever address you choose.
- Monmouth Coffee — Covent Garden
27 Monmouth Street, WC2H 9EU - Monmouth Coffee — Borough Market
2 Park Street, SE1 9AB - Monmouth Coffee — Bermondsey
3 & 4 Dockley Road, SE16 3AF
Kaffeine: two Fitzrovia addresses
Kaffeine describes itself as independently owned, with two cafés inspired by Australian and New Zealand coffee culture. Both are in Fitzrovia. Choose between Great Titchfield Street and Eastcastle Street using the branch-specific links and menus on the official website.
- Kaffeine — Great Titchfield Street
66 Great Titchfield Street, W1W 7QJ - Kaffeine — Eastcastle Street
15 Eastcastle Street, W1T 3AY
Carbon Kopi: a pair of west London corners
Carbon Kopi’s Barons Court shop opened in 2019. Its second address is in Fulham. Both list coffee, pastries and toasties, so geography is a useful first filter: Margravine Road for Barons Court or Hazlebury Road for Fulham.
- Carbon Kopi — Barons Court
11 Margravine Road, W6 8LS - Carbon Kopi — Fulham
1 Hazlebury Road, SW6 2NA
Story: choose the branch for the visit
Story’s three listed shops show why branch-level details matter. St John’s Hill focuses on takeaway drinks and fresh bakes; Wandsworth has a brunch menu; Devonshire Square brings the coffee to the City with a more limited weekday opening pattern.
If you want brunch, check the Wandsworth food-service hours. If you want coffee near Liverpool Street, check which days Devonshire Square opens.
- Story Coffee — St John’s Hill
115 St John’s Hill, SW11 1SZ - Story Coffee — Wandsworth
15 Barley Walk, SW18 1UL - Story Coffee — Devonshire Square
7 Devonshire Square, EC2M 4YH
A growing directory, rather than a complete census
Our first edition covers a selection of independent cafés, roasters and small groups. Every group with more than one listed branch has its own comparison page in our coffee groups section. It is not every coffee shop in London, and a listing is not a review based on a visit. If your neighbourhood has a group or single café we have missed, send its official website and address so we can research it.
Researched from the official websites linked on each shop profile. These suggestions are based on online research, not personal visits. Check current hours and menus before travelling. How we research the guide.
FROM THE MAKER OF THIS GUIDE
