London's best new coffee bars

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Typical. We'd just got our head around skinny mochaccinos, triple shot venti lattes and the grande Americano, and along comes a whole new coffee lingo. These days cognoscenti choose a “flat white”, a “piccolo”, or even a “Gibraltar”. Want dairy-free? Make it a long black or a caffeine-rich triple ristretto.

Credit the change to a new breed of
baristas, many from Australia or New Zealand. Tired of our brown dishwater, they want to make us wake up and smell the — perfectly roasted, freshly ground — coffee. Here's our pick of the top new coffee bars.

Ginger & White
Hampstead's delightful new café takes a very British tack, serving gooseberry jam on toast, Victoria sponge and boiled eggs with Marmite soldiers. Nanny would be proud. They've a real perfectionist streak, from freshly ground Square Mile coffee in the spot-on flat whites to the peanut butter that's actually home-made. The setting's lovely too: a stone's throw from the Heath and tucked away off the main drag with some lovely, sun-drenched tables outside.
Ginger & White, 4a-5a Perrins Court, Hampstead, NW3 (020 7431 9098)

Dose Espresso
Dose Espresso is spreading the word about artisanal, ethical espresso. Sounds rather grand, but this colourful little spot is simply very serious about great-tasting coffee. Prices start at £1 for an espresso or ristretto (a shorter, stronger espresso), or try a Gibraltar (a strong, mini latte named after a bar glass) or The Dose (a rich, sweet, nutty shot, aka a triple
ristretto). On Kiwi owner James Phillips's menu are antipodean snacks like Vegemite and cheddar sarnies, £2.50, and Anzac cookies, £1.50.
Dose Espresso, 69 Long Lane, EC1 (020 7600 0382)

Lantana
Fitzrovia's Sydney-style brunch spot is converting Brits to the taste of great coffee. Best seller is the flat white, made with Monmouth coffee. With a full licence it's open to 9pm on Thursday and Friday. Menus have an Aussie fusion feel: corn fritters with avocado and oven-roasted tomatoes, £7.50; French toast with caramelised plums, £6.50.
Lantana, 13 Charlotte Place, W1
(020 7637 3347)

The Espresso Room
BRIT coffee nut Ben Townsend puts builder's tea, ham and mustard and cheddar and chutney sandwiches on the menu at his new café. The former bookshop has three coffee grinders on the go at any one time with beans from Square Mile and Has Bean. But no espresso in a cardboard cup (“it tastes c**p”), so you just deposit 50p for a proper cup.
The Espresso Room, 31-35 Great Ormond St, WC1 (07760 714 883)

Fernandez & Wells
baristas speak of Fernandez & Wells in reverential tones, not because of the trendy Soho café's phenomenal success (three branches and counting) nor how they charge £2.20 an espresso, but because the Beak Street and St Anne's Court branches both boast Synessos — the Lamborghini of the coffee machine world. No sitting at the espresso bar, so make like the Italians and neck your espresso as you stand.
Fernandez & Wells, 16a St Anne's Court, W1 (020 7494 4242)

Climpson & Sons
AT THE heart of the indie coffee bar scene, Climpson & Sons is a pioneer. Its USP, apart from quality long blacks and flat whites, is roasting coffee from scratch. Head barista, Matthew Dessaix, is a perfectionist: “We won't serve a bad coffee. We'd rather throw it away.” Packed on Saturday market days, the rest of the week it's a chilled-out spot to eat (cinnamon toast with cream cheese and honey, £2.20). Take home their signature espresso blend, £4 for a 250g bag of beans.
Climpson & Sons, 67 Broadway Market, E8 (020 7812 9829)

Bea's Of Bloomsbury
pastry chef Bea Vo's devilish temptations jostle for your attention here with the brews of head barista James Watson and his trusty La Marzocco machine. This was the first café to stock beans from cult roasters Square Mile, and the new autumn blend espresso is now in stock (yes, they really change with the season). Cupcake, scone and a selection of mini desserts with cuppa costs £8.
Bea's, 44 Theobald's Road, WC1 (020 7242 8330)

 

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