London is a city where you could spend weeks exploring the food scene and still have plenty left to discover. From creative Mexican cooking and Ottolenghi’s vegetable-focused dishes to bakeries experimenting with Asian flavours, the variety is enormous. We particularly loved how each neighbourhood has its own character, with independent coffee shops, beautiful pastry counters and restaurants bringing together food cultures from around the world. These are the restaurants, bakeries and coffee spots that made our time in London so memorable.
Best Bakeries & Pastry in London
Arôme Bakery
Arôme combines traditional French pastry techniques with Asian-inspired flavours, resulting in some of the most interesting pastries we found in London. Their signature honey butter toast has a beautifully caramelised exterior and an incredibly soft centre. We absolutely loved it, and the queue outside suddenly made perfect sense.
Buns From Home
What started as a home-baking project has grown into one of London’s most popular bun bakeries. Buns From Home specialises in buttery, laminated buns with creative fillings and regularly changing weekend specials. We tried an amazing version with cookies, cream and Campari.
Jolene
Jolene is a neighbourhood bakery in Newington Green, known for its naturally leavened bread, seasonal ingredients and beautiful pastries. We particularly remember the strawberry Danish, with its wonderfully crisp layers and fresh fruit. Simple, carefully made pastry at its best.
Comptoir Bakery
Comptoir brings French baking traditions to London, with plenty of beautiful breads and indulgent pastries. We discovered them at Borough Market, where their enormous lemon brioche bun immediately caught our attention. Soft, buttery and probably one of the biggest brioche buns we’ve ever seen.
Ottolenghi
Visiting Ottolenghi in Notting Hill was particularly special for us. We regularly bake from the cookbook Sweet, so seeing all those familiar cakes and desserts displayed together was almost surreal. We eventually chose the guava and strawberry cheesecake and absolutely loved it.
Layla Bakery
Layla is a lovely neighbourhood bakery on Portobello Road, focusing on sourdough bread, seasonal ingredients and beautifully made pastries. The selection changes regularly, with fruit-filled creations and little works of pastry art. A lovely stop while exploring Notting Hill.
Miel Bakery
Miel brings traditional French pâtisserie to Fitzrovia, with everything made from scratch and a strong focus on craftsmanship. We came specifically for the canelé, with its deeply caramelised crust and soft, custard-like centre. One of the best we’ve ever tasted.
Pavilion Bakery
Pavilion is known for its sourdough bread, carefully sourced ingredients and pastries with interesting flavour combinations. We particularly loved discovering their turmeric brioche bun, something completely different from the usual bakery classics.
Little Bread Pedlar
Little Bread Pedlar focuses on traditional baking techniques, slow fermentation and quality ingredients. Alongside excellent bread and croissants, their savoury pastries are worth exploring. We tried a delicious potato and pesto puff pastry with beautifully crisp, buttery layers.
Best Restaurants in London
NOPI
NOPI had been on our list for years, especially because we love cooking from Ottolenghi’s books at home. The restaurant brings together Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences, with vegetables playing a particularly important role. We loved how familiar ingredients were transformed into completely unexpected combinations, without making the food feel overly complicated. The savoury beetroot cheesecake and char siu cauliflower were absolute highlights. Beautiful, generous cooking with plenty of interesting choices for vegetarians.
Zapote
Zapote was genuinely one of the most memorable restaurants we visited in London. Having travelled through Mexico and eaten at some incredible restaurants there, we were particularly curious about its contemporary approach to Mexican cooking. The menu is relatively small, with beautifully presented sharing dishes, creative flavour combinations and plenty of attention to vegetables. We loved the aubergine with wild mushroom mole and the roasted red pepper taco. Even dessert was extraordinary, including an incredibly realistic little chocolate mousse cactus. A restaurant where the creativity continues from the first dish to the very last.
Dishoom
Dishoom has grown into a well-known London restaurant group, inspired by the traditional Irani cafés of Bombay. Despite its popularity, we loved the lively atmosphere and the extensive menu, which includes plenty of vegetarian and vegan dishes. The kitchen serves Indian comfort food throughout the day, from traditional breakfasts to generous curries and sharing dishes for dinner. We particularly liked how accessible the whole experience felt, combining flavourful food with a setting that encourages you to stay a little longer. Be prepared for a queue during busy dinner hours.
Best Coffee in London
Kafi
Kafi is a small independent specialty coffee shop with a strong focus on carefully sourced beans and quality brewing. We particularly loved their cold brew from the tap, which was wonderfully refreshing. A lovely example of London’s independent coffee scene.
Rosslyn
Rosslyn takes its coffee seriously, but what brought us here was something slightly different: their espresso soft serve. We ended up having coffee ice cream for breakfast, which turned out to be an excellent decision. Definitely one of our most memorable coffee discoveries in London.
Kaffeine
Kaffeine brings Australian and New Zealand coffee culture to Fitzrovia, with carefully prepared espresso drinks and filter coffee. We went for the cold brew and loved the straightforward approach and lively atmosphere.
Paradox Design + Coffee
Paradox combines specialty coffee, art and design in a creative East London setting. We loved how naturally the coffee and artistic surroundings came together, giving the place a completely different character from a traditional coffee shop.
Omotesando Koffee
Originally founded in Tokyo, Omotesando Koffee brings Japanese precision and minimalist design to London’s coffee scene. We ordered an iced matcha cappuccino and absolutely loved it. The beautifully considered presentation makes the experience even more special.
Kiss the Hippo
Kiss the Hippo is a London-based specialty coffee roaster with a strong focus on sourcing, roasting and sustainability. We ordered a pour-over, allowing the characteristics of the beans to really shine. A lovely stop for anyone who appreciates carefully prepared coffee.
Ozone Coffee
Originally founded in New Zealand, Ozone combines specialty coffee roasting with a welcoming all-day café atmosphere. We enjoyed an excellent flat white here, but it’s also somewhere you can settle in for breakfast or lunch.
