Guide to the best cafés in London Bridge

This independently-run espresso bar is a trendy spot above the famed Borough Market, inside an industrial-style building that is kitted out with neon lights, potted plants and exposed brick walls with high ceilings. They roast their coffee to use in their range of hot drinks and cocktails, like the Espresso Martini and the Hot Flat White Russian. They also serve an all-day food menu, an evening menu and a weekend brunch menu, chock full of tasty dishes like sweet potato harissa cakes and thick-cut French toast with whipped vanilla mascarpone.

Enjoy coffee sourced from small farms around the world at Monmouth Coffee Company, where they buy batches of coffee from different farms based on what location is in season. The drinks are best paired with any of the sweet treats, artisanal pastries and gourmet light bites, and there’s indoor seating and a handful of outside seats for alfresco drinks. The beans are always roasted just a few days before they reach your cup, ensuring your coffee is as fresh as it gets.

Enjoy speciality coffee and cocktails at Chapter 72, an award-winning coffee shop in Bermondsey serving hot drinks, craft beers and cocktails. The café is cosy with dim lighting and big wooden tables, which are perfect for working on. They also serve sourdough toasties, British sausage rolls and other pastries.

Enjoy a slice of Aussie café culture at Lantana, located in a restored building in the heart of London Bridge next to Borough Market. There’s an outdoor area out the front where you can enjoy your brunch while people watching streetside. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, boasting a menu of cuisines from around the world, like nasi goreng, fresh poke bowls and smashed avocado on toast. Opt for the Bottomless Blowout to enjoy free-flowing prosecco with your food.

This independent family and friends venture is all about serving locally-sourced produce from the best suppliers in the UK, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Greece and more. They’re an all-rounder, where you can enjoy breakfast with a cup of coffee, pick up ingredients for lunch at home from their deli or, come evening, enjoy a bottle of wine with a cheese and charcuterie board on the outside terrace.

Three Wheels Coffee is another independently-run London-based café specialising in exquisite coffee inspired by the culture and coffee of South America. The beans come from the Brixton-based roasters Assembly, an award-winning roasters that roast beans for use at home and wholesale. The café is roomy and bright and there’s always music thrumming away in the background.

This immersive coffee shop is an end-to-end production café where you can push a button and watch your beans get processed via their unique Javabot system. The beans are all ethically sourced before being shipped straight to the roasting plant locations, ready to be processed into coffee. Choose from around a dozen types of coffee beans depending on what mood you’re in, from Guatemalan and Brazillian to Ethiopian.

This Tooley Street coffee shop specialises in high-grade coffee roasted at its location in London. They check each bag before it’s roasted, to ensure that quality and flavour are maintained to the highest standard. Along with their list of hot drinks, they also serve seasonal dishes made using fresh, local produce wherever possible.

You’ll find Bermondsey Bar and Kitchen in an underground car park on Bermondsey Street, where you can enjoy alfresco food and drink with views of the legendary Shard. Their menu comprises mainly healthier dishes, like salads, sandwiches and lighter bites, with vegan, vegetarian and meat protein menus. You can enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner with the sound of a live DJ spinning the freshest tracks.

This neglected betting-shop-turned-café serves coffee, local beers, creative cocktails, wine and a menu of snacks like toasties and homemade cakes. The shop still has many of its original Victorian features, like brickwork and flooring but with a contemporary touch, added by owner Vanessa, who opted for a quirky Belgian-inspired decor.

WatchHouse is set inside a former 19th-century watch house on Bermondsey Street and serves contemporary coffee in their design-focused coffee space. They pride themselves on their tasteful design, paired with top-of-the-range equipment and impeccable coffee. They also serve a menu of seasonal dishes best paired with a cup of the good stuff.