Where to have coffee and cake in London? – Ask a Londoner

Having coffee and cake in London is one of life’s greatest pleasures. You look forward to it all morning and commence your prowl through London streets hoping to stumble upon the perfect place with the most enticing of selections.

Coffee and Cake in London

Your chosen spot for coffee and cake in London needs to have just the right mix of patisserie, fruit selections, chocolate concoctions and iced sponge cakes. Now before you get excited, I have never found such an establishment and I know London quite well. The cake situation is divided pretty much into cafes which sell old fashioned English cakes  e.g. Victoria sponge, carrot cake, coffee and walnut cake and Bakewell tart. And more predominantly, there are French style patisseries that serve croissants, fruit tarts and mille feuille.

Choose London Cafes with Great Ambience Near Interesting Locations

Good cakes are never the only consideration when hunting down coffee and cake in London; we also need to factor in  location and ambience…there’s no point in hounding the most exquisite cakes if they are served in a dingy, greasy spoon cafe in the back of beyond.

In the summer, there is nothing more delightful than sitting outside with a great London street view and watching people walk past casting admiring glances at your thoughtfully chosen cake.

Select Quality Coffee in Porcelain cups and Tea Served in Teapots

Honestly, I am not the sort of person who can tell a good coffee from a bad one. However, tea is a different story. Most cafes serving coffee and cake in London worth their salt will at least offer an English Breakfast tea and an Earl Grey. But I like to go for a pot of tea…none of those paper cups for me, thank you.

If your preferred tipple is tea instead of coffee why not check out our posts on where to buy tea in London and this particularly delicious London Roast tea blend from Postcard Teas.

So let’s get into it

The Connaught Patisserie in Mount Street, Mayfair

Very expensive, exquisite looking London cake concoctions

I had to try the Connaught Patisserie’s coffee and cake, having watched various YouTubers sample the jaw dropping selection and reporting on their equally astonishing prices.

The cakes are works of art category. Many are garnished in gold leaf. And at £16 plus service you’d expect them to be encrusted with gem stones.

I ordered a diminutive decaffeinated cappuccino coffee and the cherry cake with a cherry marmalade, pastry cream and topped with half a dozen perfectly sliced fresh cherries all atop a crunchy biscuit base.

Knowing the bill would be horrific, I just tapped my card without looking. I have just checked my bank account and I paid nearly £27.

Their clientele is mostly Middle Eastern. I got chatting to a lady next to me who was enjoying her strawberry cake. I asked her why there were so many Arabs in this area and she explained that the temperatures in Saudia Arabia were averaging 50c per day and many Saudis came over to London for the summer to escape the heat. They either stayed in their Mayfair holiday home or one of the local hotels. I love the diversity of London.

I asked her about paying these extortionate prices. She sounded surprised. Was this really expensive for coffee and cake in London? This establishment definitely caters for those where money is no object.

The cafe itself is small and modern in a Barbie pink and with great service.

I would say to get the full experience you need to get there in the morning when the cakes are looking their best and there is a full selection. You won’t want to pay £16-£20 for a cake with a dried out topping and then be rushed out of the door at closing time.

The Connaught Patisserie, Carlos Place Mayfair London W1K 2AL

La Fromagerie in Moxon Street, Marylebone

Surprisingly good value coffee and homemade cakes in a friendly atmosphere

I have featured the cafe at La Fromagerie on my blog previously. It is an artisanal grocer which specialises in expertly sourced produce. They have a small bakery selection in the back of the shop where you can choose your cake and then sit in the cafe and ask to be brought a slice and a coffee.

The cakes are hand made and use top quality ingredients. The prices are reasonable at approx £4.50 for a generous slice of crumbly, carrot cake with a buttery icing. I spotted some nice looking fresh fruit cakes and chocolate tortes: making a decision was difficult.

There are a few outside tables but I prefer to sit at the back chatting to the staff and customers…everyone I have met exudes bonhomie. This is one of the best places for a coffee and a cake in London.

While you are having your coffee and cake, why not take our quiz on Cockney Rhyming Slang?

La Fromagerie, 2 – 4 Moxon Street, London, W1U 4EW

Wa Japanese Patisserie in Covent Garden and Ealing Broadway

Moderately priced for fantastic quality, stylish coffee and cakes in London

Wa produces the most exquisite French style patisserie with a Japanese twist.

Over the years, I have probably had all of their creations…my favourites are their white sesame cheese cake with its black sesame seed base and the Mont Blanc (chestnut cream). If you are one of those peculiar matcha lovers you will delight in their matcha tiramisu and matcha roll.

I have found Londoners grumbling about the prices here but honestly for such expertly created, stylish and photographable cakes, I will happily pay £5-7 a slice.

If you are interested in living dangerously they have a few unique and delicious sweet breads. While not stricty a cake, their An Pan is a soft white bread filled with a sweet, red Azuki bean filling. Bizarre but delicious. Are you brave enough to try their Yakisoba pan with its home cooked noodle filling topped with seaweed and dried fish flakes? At £3.20 it could be worth the risk.

The service in this coffee and cake spot is charming in a uniquely Japanese way. I love their pottery crockery and the zen-clean, white space flecked with gold lights and wood tables.

Wa – Ealing Broadway 32 Haven Green Ealing, London, W5 2NX

Wa – Covent Garden 5 New Row London, WC2N 4LH

Paul in Piccadilly and Paternoster Square

Very reasonable prices and reliable high quality coffee and cake in London with some great locations

Paul may be an odd choice for the best coffee and cake in London as it is a chain bakery and cafe. However, their cakes are reliably good and rival those of the best hotels

Paul’s overlooking St Pauls Cathedral is a great find with outside tables in the historic courtyard. You get that London vibe with delicious cake at favourable prices.

Paul’s on Piccadilly is another marvellous location. If there are no outside tables, I take my cake as a takeaway and buy coffee next door at Pret.  Sandwiched between the glories of the Royal Academy and the Ritz and  just a short stroll to Fortnum and Mason and the Hatchards book shop…what more could any one want?

PAUL St. Paul’s, 2 Paternoster Square, London EC4M 7DX

PAUL Piccadilly Unit 6 Piccadilly Arcade & 173 Piccadilly,  London
SW1Y 6NH

If you have enjoyed this piece on coffee and cake in London, why not look at our post on London’s best dessert. You may also want to explore our traditional puddings and the history behind them.

As usual, I have personally tried each of these recommendations. I hope that I have given you some inspiration of where to sample some of the best coffee and cakes in London.

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