Buying a bag online tells you something about a roaster. Trying its coffee in a shop adds another layer: the chance to ask about the beans, compare a brew and choose something for home. These are a few starting points from our London directory, with an important distinction between a café you can visit and a production site that needs an appointment.
Start with the café address
A roaster’s contact address is not always a walk-in coffee bar. Climpson & Sons lists its HQ and roastery as appointment-only, but its Broadway Market café is a public coffee stop. Campbell & Syme has a shop in East Finchley and a separate roastery in Kings Langley. Choose the shop listing when planning your visit.
- Climpson & Sons — Broadway Market
67 Broadway Market, E8 4PH - Campbell & Syme — East Finchley
9 Fortis Green, N2 9JR
For a bag to take home
Monmouth sells whole-bean and ground coffee alongside brewing supplies at its Covent Garden, Borough and Bermondsey shops. Its official shop information explains the reusable-cup scheme, so bring a cup if you want a takeaway while choosing your beans.
At Perky Blenders’ Project 660 in Leyton, the team offers to grind retail beans for your brewing method. Tell them whether you use an espresso machine, cafetière or filter brewer, rather than asking for a generic grind.
- Monmouth Coffee — Covent Garden
27 Monmouth Street, WC2H 9EU - Perky Blenders — Project 660
660 High Road Leyton, E10 6JP
For a working-roastery stop
Dark Arts’ Homerton HQ combines production and roasting with a takeout espresso bar. That makes it a different sort of visit from a bakery or brunch café. Check the current opening pattern, including its weekend midday break, before setting out.
- Dark Arts Coffee — Homerton Roastery
1–5 Rosina Street, E9 6JH
Coffee with an employment mission
Old Spike combines London roasting with an employment programme for people affected by homelessness. Its Peckham Rye shop is a place to start, with separate branches at Elephant & Castle and on Great Suffolk Street if you are nearer central London.
- Old Spike — Peckham Rye
54 Peckham Rye, SE15 4JR
A useful question at the counter
Ask which coffee suits the way you like to drink it. A bag you enjoy as a black filter may not be the first recommendation for a milk drink. Coffees and harvests change, so the current menu and a short conversation are more useful than chasing a particular bag mentioned in an old article.
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
