6 places to get the best coffee in Mayfair
Having beaten the pavements of Mayfair for a fair few years now, we know that a watery cup of filter or some syrup-laced frothy number will no longer do.
Gone are the days when a watery filter or a syrup-laced frothy number would do. Coffee (like fine wine, chocolate and cheese) is now a serious business – especially if your daily cup means more to you than the obligatory caffeine kick to see you through the 4 pm slump.
So, for those who know their single origins from their medium roasts and their V60 from their Chemex, follow our guide to Mayfair’s hot spots, discover London’s best chocolate patisserie dog – and rest assured, your next coffee break will hit just the right aromatic note.
1. HAGEN, Swallow Street
Bringing Denmark to your doorstep, Hagen was born in Copenhagen, founded in London, and brings all the cosy ‘hygge’ vibes and sustainable ethos you could wish for.
Come for: The cinnamon buns are legendary (available Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays only. You’ll know from the queue jostling outside). As is their Himalayan Speciality Coffee: a blend of sugar cane and dried fruit that balances sweetness with bitterness and just the right touch of acidity. 100% of its sale proceeds go to farmers and a community of 3,500 people in Nepal.
Leave with: The Hagen Home Brew single-origin bean (a ‘Nordic light roast with notes of floral aromatics and peach’) to make you feel fancy when you’re reading the Sunday papers back home.
2. NOXY BROTHERS, Burlington Arcade.
Founded by long-term friends J.P and Hoss, Noxy has a hipster–comes–to–Mayfair feel to it.
Come for: The cortados! The cold brews! The latte fine art! They also do a mean line in bagels, including the Chicken Avo (does what it says on the tin) and PB&J (plain bagel topped with peanut butter and strawberry jam, just like the good old days).
Leave with: The Signature Blend, with notes of nougat, milk chocolate and caramel, available as whole beans or for a French press, Aeropress, Chemex, V60 and a partridge in a pear tree.
3. H.R. HIGGINS (Coffee~man Ltd), Duke Street
If you’re heartily sick of certain coffee ‘chains’ springing up everywhere, H.R. Higgins will be your salvation. This London institution was founded in 1942 by a Mr. Harold Rees Higgins (coffeemaker by day; air raid warden by night) and his 16 year–old daughter, Audrey, amid World War II, with only a hand-driven 7lb roaster.
Come for: Their encyclopaedic knowledge, along with the old–school lounge serving pour over coffees, traditionally brewed with copper V60s, alongside freshly baked cakes and pastries.
Leave with: Your chosen beans (the selection is huge, ranging from the Vienna Blend of honey, pear and milk chocolate to the Guatemala Nueva Granada, laced with notes of nectarine, apple and raspberry), supplied whole – or ground as you so wish.
4. THE CONNAUGHT PATISSERIE, Carlos Place
The perfect place for those that like a sculptural clock to tell them when it’s time to swap their morning capp and croissant to a glass of Laurent Perrier and patisserie as soon as afternoon rolls around. Decked all in pink (it’s an Ab Rogers Design masterpiece), it’s headed by Executive Pastry Chef Nicolas Rouzard, who specialises in pairing seasonal ingredients with patisserie works of art that look (almost) too good to eat and are definitely too delicious to share.
Come for: Those moments when you need to jazz up your common or garden muffin with a Raspberry and Vanilla Tart, Hazelnut Financier or Lime Madeleine.
Leave with: A box of Signature Connaughty Hounds (a canine carved in chocolate, complete with collar and nut–choc bed) to dazzle your dinner party guests.
5. WATCHHOUSE HANOVER, Medici Court
The original WatchHouse was located in a shelter for men guarding St. Magdalen’s Church in Bermondsey. Today, there are 12 beautifully–designed ‘houses’, each with a different flavour that matches the local London context.
Come for: The Hanover WatchHouse is home to their ‘Rarities Menu’: a kind of archive of precious coffees for you to learn about a try. Their sausage brioche isn’t bad, either.
Leave with: The perfect gifts for the people who have everything; from the WatchHouse x Haeckels 1829 Espresso Hand Wash and Oat Milk Moisturising Lotion – to the Commandante C40 MK40 Grinder (£260).
6. THE WALLACE COLLECTION, Manchester Square
Not your average caffeine pit stop, the Wallace Collection Café is a bit of a best-kept secret among those in the know (who would rather the crowds didn’t discover it).
Come for: The vast, glass-ceilinged courtyard is filled with sculptures, trees and a general air of learned calm. This urban oasis is where to escape when you’re feeling frazzled and want to work, chat or simply sip your coffee while forgetting you’re in London at all. It’s recently been closed for refurbishment but will be open again from 1st March.
Leave with: Your sanity and an extra slice of the excellent Lemon Drizzle Cake. Because sometimes, a classic really is best.
