5 Best Quirky London Cafes

If you live in London or find yourself in the capital, on a short visit, get off the beaten track and interrupt your working day or sightseeing for a refreshment break with a difference.  

These five suggestions will surprise you and give you something to impress your friends with over dinner.

Coffee, Crypts and Conveniences

1. Café in the Crypt

If you want to find yourself in the “dead centre” of London, make your way to Trafalgar Square, or St Martin-in-the-Fields to be more precise , and visit the Café in the Crypt.

It is, as it’s name suggests, actually in the crypt of St-Martin-in-the-Fields church, hidden under the busy, bustling west-end streets.  You will find vaulted ceilings above your head and ancient tomb stones beneath your feet in this atmospheric cafeteria.  

Serving delicious and reasonably priced hot and cold dishes, sandwiches and cakes, the Crypt is open for breakfast from 10 am, lunch/dinner from 11:30 am till close and afternoon tea between 12 pm and 6pm, A selection of gluten-free and vegetarian options are available. The café is also licensed to sell beer and wine, but of course you are welcome just to pop in for coffee and to soak up the history.  All proceeds go to St Martin-in-the-Fields.

If you have a midweek overnight stay and fancy a unique night out, check out Wednesday night Crypt Lates - music performances ranging from Jazz to sets by West End Musicals cast, which can be booked online.

Location : St Martins Place, Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross, London WC2N 4JH

Nearest tubes:

Charing Cross, Embankment, Leicester Square

Opening Hours: 

Monday - Tuesday: 10:00 - 20:00; Wednesday: 10:00 - 22:30; Thursday - Saturday: 10:00 - 21:00; Sunday: 11:00 - 18:00

 2. The Attendant

The Attendant already ranks high in the must-visit stakes for its location alone in uber-cool Fitzrovia, best known as the historic bohemian area where the likes of Virginia Woolf and George Bernard Shaw resided and hung out.

Describing itself as “a hidden espresso bar in an abandoned toilet”,  you may be forgiven if your first reaction is one of distain.  However,  The Attendant is a unique, stylish and quirky coffee bar that you will not want to miss. 

In Victorian London - in fact right through to the early 1970s- the green iron railings and brightly lit signs of “public conveniences” (or restrooms) were a common and welcome sight for anyone needing to “spend a penny”*. They were phased out in favour of more discreet indoor restrooms or automatic  on-street toilets (not always so discreet as doors have been known to open at most inopportune times 😱).  

*Euphanism: ‘Spend a Penny’ refers to the fact that you needed an old-style British penny to operate the door mechanism to gain access to the cubicle. 

The Attendant is, in fact, a very good coffee shop serving fresh and filling breakfast, brunch and lunch. It’s USP comes from its chosen venue - a converted Victorian Gentlemen’s Lavatory in the heart of Fitzrovia in London, an area straddling the boroughs of Camden and Westminster, and just a 5 minute walk from Oxford Street.

With authentic Royal Doulton 120 year-old urinals repurposed as seating (don’t worry, they’ve been completely cleaned and refurbished), shiny porcelain tiles, and the attendants cubicle transformed into the kitchen, this subterranean coffee shop is a unique experience.  Plus it serves one of the best cups of coffee in the area.

Location:  27A Foley Street, Fitzrovia, London W1W 6DY

Nearest tubes: 

Goodge Street, Warren Street

Opening Hours: 

 Mon-Fri, 8am – 6pm, Saturdays 10am – 5pm.

3. Kape Barako - Hampstead 

North London has a lot to offer visitors to our capital city, but is often neglected in favour of Westminster and the City of London which contain many of our high-profile tourist sights.

However, North London is where you will find other equally worthy attractions. For example, London Zoo, the bohemian Camden Lock, and Highgate Cemetery (the final resting place of Karl Marx, the novelist Mary Ann Evans (better known as George Elliot), and sadly most recently, singer/songwriter and heartthrob, George Michael.  Hampstead Heath is a beautiful parkland area and nearby Primrose Hill boasts some of the best views of London from a high vantage point.

It is in this area too, that you will find the next of our unusual refreshment outlets, Kape Barako.

There is a lot to cover in a day so you may feel you have no time to stop for a leisurely coffee but are in need of a quick caffeine or sugar fix.   Kape Barako could be just what you are looking for - a tiny little family-run coffee shop housed in an iconic red London Telephone Box, which are now sadly extinct.

Situated in the heart of Hampstead High Street, Kape Barako serves delicious takeaway coffee, a range of cakes and pastries plus soft dink’s and savoury snacks.  Everything, in fact, that you need for an impromptu picnic on the move plus an enviable instagram opportunity to snap a selfie next to a London landmark with a difference.

Location :

25 Hampstead High Street, Outside Natwest Bank (Red Phone Box), NW3 1QJ.

Nearest tube:

Hampstead.

Opening hours:

Monday to Saturday, 8am–2:30pm.

4. LOOK MUM, NO HANDS

Is it a cafe? Is it a cycle repair shop? Is it an exhibition space? Well actually ‘Look Mum No Hands’ is all three and more!

Founded in 2010, this haven for thirsty bicycle lovers was one of the original ‘cycle cafes’, and is popular with both cyclists and non-cyclists alike. The cafe serves delicious wholesome food, coffee and is even licensed to serve beer. Regular events are held here such as the screening of the Tour de France and bike-related photography exhibitions. There is even an open mic night! You can even order your cycle paraphernalia for click and collect. The workshop itself is well regarded by cyclists - so next time you need a puncture repair kit or a yellow jersey, why not enjoy a coffee at the same time.

Location: 49 Old Street, London, EC1V 9HX

Nearest tube: Barbican (although you will probably be on two wheels).

Opening hours:

Cafe Mon-FriI 08:00-16:00

Sat 09:00-16:00

Sun 10:00-16:00

Workshop: MON - FRI 08:30-18:00

5. The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town

Our final entry in this post is really a (secret) bar within a bar.  Head to the Breakfast Club in the Spitalfields area of London. Tucked away on a side street opposite Liverpool Street Station, this restaurant/bar offers hearty breakfasts, lunches and dinners.  Apart from delicious food, The Breakfast Club is also proud of its sustainability credentials.  

​However, nice as it is (and by all means stop for a bite), we are here to meet the Mayor! The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town to be precise.

On arrival, seek out a member of staff and tell them in hushed tones that you are “here to see the Mayor”.  They should then direct you to a normal-looking Smeg fridge.  Open the door, and walk through - yes you heard right, just like walking into Narnia only this baby leads you to a cool secret underground speakeasy-style cocktail bar. 

The Mayor holds a bottomless brunch every Saturday & Sunday and during the rest of the week serves a delicious selection of reasonably priced snacks and appetisers. Even the cocktails won’t break the bank and are not the usual bog-standard offerings.

Just a word of warning - there are several branches of The Breakfast Club across London.  Make sure you choose the right one, as although they may all have fridges, none of the others boast a Mayor and you may very well, like me, face the embarrassment of explaining yourself after making your secret request.😳

Advanced booking is recommended.

 Location:

The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town, beneath The Breakfast Club, 12-16 Artillery Lane, E1 7LS.

Nearest tube: Liverpool Street

Opening hours:

Monday – Tuesday 5pm – midnight

Wednesday – Thursday 5pm – midnight

Friday 3pm – midnight

Saturday 12 noon – midnight

Sunday 12 noon – 10:30pm

If you have any other contenders, leave details in comments below!