For more Berlin specialty coffee recommendations, check out my coffee guide to Kreuzberg and Neukölln.

I've wanted to visit Chicago for many years but I held out, hoping that an opportunity to go on business might come up. It didn't but I recently took a long weekend trip to the Windy City. With only four days and plenty of sight-seeing and dining to do too, I only did a whistle-stop tour of Chicago's excellent specialty coffee scene. I didn't do too badly, though, and visited nine different coffee shops during my trip. As usual, my very favourites are indicated in purple in the map and with asterisks below.

Almost three years ago, I put together a guide to my favourite speciality coffee shops in London's King's Cross. I've worked in the neighbourhood since 2010 and as I've often noted, it has been a delight to watch the area emerge as a real hub for craft coffee. My original guide featured seven speciality coffee shops, of which one has closed and two have been taken over by new management. In my 2019 update, I've included ten coffee spots — three of which have opened in the past six months. My very favourites are marked with an asterisk below, and in purple in my Google Map.

As I mentioned in my original guide, there are different ways to define the King's Cross neighbourhood, but I tend to include locations for which King's Cross is the closest Tube station.




* Caravan
One of the first speciality coffee spots to open in King's Cross, way back in 2012, Caravan remains one of my favourites. If you're just in the market for an espresso-based coffee or single-origin Kalita Wave pourover, head to the back of the spacious Granary Square restaurant, where you can sit at one of the tables that face the bar, in an area also used for cuppings. Caravan's sourdough pizzas and the all-day weekend brunch menu are very good, so if you have time, you can combine an expertly brewed single-origin coffee with a delicious meal. They also sell coffee-making kit and their own coffee beans.


Caravan is located at 1 Granary Square, London, N1C 4AA. Full review. Website. Twitter. Instagram.
Craft Coffee
Since I published my last King's Cross guide, the coffee cart that can be found between King's Cross and St Pancras stations has changed ownership. Craft Coffee, who also operate at Maltby Street Market in Bermondsey, now run the stand, serving espresso-based drinks brewed with coffee from Notes (see below). I've had many a macchiato here on my way into the office (when I have remembered my reusable cup) or at lunchtimes, and the quality is always good.


Craft Coffee is located at Battle Bridge Place, London, N1C 4TB. Website. Twitter. Instagram.

Frequency
Located half a mile east of King's Cross station, Frequency is a delightful speciality coffee shop and co-working space by day, and a cocktail bar by night. Both the name and the décor allude to friendly owner Justo Tripier's interest in music, and Justo and his team serve (and sell) their own coffee roasted in small batches at The Tate. For great coffee in a relaxed atmosphere, Frequency is well worth seeking out.


Frequency is located at 121 King's Cross Road, London, WC1X 9NH. Full review. Website. Twitter. Instagram.

Half Cup
I will always remember Half Cup as the place I went for a hearty brunch to get me through a long day in the office after staying up way too late to watch the 2017 UK General Election. But the creative and oft-changing brunch menu is not just for emergencies and special occasions. The coffee, from Nude, is also very good. The Brazil/Guatemala espresso blend works well in the piccolos and macchiatos I usually order and the cosy cafe, just south of the Euston Road, is a fine place to caffeinate.


Half Cup is located at 100–102 Judd Street, London, WC1H 9NT. Full review. Website. Twitter. Instagram.
House of Morocco
Located in the Caledonian Road cafe previously occupied by Pattern Coffee, House of Morocco has retained many of its predecessor's titular patterned walls, and added some Moroccan accent pieces. The coffee is roasted by Terrone and served in various espresso-based drinks. There is also Moroccan mint tea, juices, smoothies and all-day eats. Perhaps the most colourful cafe in King's Cross, House of Morocco is also one of the most welcoming — and conveniently for me, it's also the closest to my office.


House of Morocco is located at 82 Caledonian Road, London, N1 9DN. Full review. Website. Twitter. Instagram.

Ko Coffee
The newest speciality coffee arrival to King's Cross, Ko Coffee opened in spring 2019, taking over a vacant shop on a stretch of Pentonville Road that is home to various other small eateries. Period features, including vintage tiling, remain in the small cafe, which has co-working spaces upstairs and downstairs. The coffee is from Assembly — a welcome roaster addition to the neighbourhood — and I've been in a few times for well-brewed piccolos and espresso shots. The food menu is starting to ramp up too, with breakfast pastries, and sandwiches, salads and cakes for later in the day.


Ko Coffee is located at 258 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9JY. Full review. Website. Instagram.

* Le Café Alain Ducasse
Despite the recent growth in the King's Cross coffee scene, it was the opening of Le Café Alain Ducasse in the sleek new Coal Drops Yard development late in 2018 that cemented King's Cross as a real speciality coffee destination. Now famous (some might say infamous) for its £15 filter coffee — a delicious coffee sourced from Yemen (via Qima), which I had to try on my first visit, and which did not disappoint. I've sampled various espressos, noisettes (macchiatos) and filter coffees, each of which has been immaculately brewed by Jakub Klucznik and his colleagues. Although the coffee at Le Café is exceptional, each visit has also been an enjoyable experience. Seated at the zinc bar, you can converse with the baristas as they talk through the process, from bean to cup, conveying knowledge and passion, and offering a truly personal service.

I speak highly of every coffee shop in this guide, but if you only have time to visit one and want a memorable experience, Le Café Alain Ducasse is the one to go for.


Le Café Alain Ducasse is located at Unit 16, Bagley Walk Arches, Coal Drops Yard, London, N1C 4DH. Full review. Website. Instagram.

Notes
Another of the longer-established King's Cross speciality coffee shops, this branch of Notes opened in 2015. There are a few small tables inside (including on the mezzanine level), and more seating outside in Pancras Square, which is a great place for people-watching when the weather is kind. The espresso-based drinks are brewed with Notes' own coffee, roasted in East London, and they serve an all-day food menu, along with craft beer, wine and cocktails of an evening.


Notes is located at 1 Pancras Square, London, N1C 4AG. Full review. Website. Twitter. Instagram.

* Origin
Origin's minimalist coffee bar on the Euston Road is actually their second location in the British Library, but I prefer this spot to the the equally busy concession in the bustling main atrium of the library. I often stop by to buy beans on my way into work, and because this entitles me to a free cup of coffee, I also usually try either whatever single-origin filter coffee is available or a piccolo. The coffee is always impeccably brewed and I've also picked up some really great retail bags of coffee beans over the past couple of years. A small menu of light bites, sweet and savoury, is also on offer.


Origin is located at 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB. Review. Website. Twitter. Instagram.

Redemption Roasters
The original London location of Redemption Roasters — a coffee company and social enterprise that roasts inside Aylesbury prison — on Lamb's Conduit Street is doable from King's Cross on a lunch break. Nonetheless, I was pleased when another branch opened in Coal Drops Yard, much closer to my office. They serve espresso-based drinks and hand-brewed filter coffee, as well as brunch and various sweet treats inside the rustic cafe, which has some lovely period features. Meanwhile, coffee beans — with Redemption's distinctive, colourful packaging — and assorted coffee kit are also on sale.


Redemption Roasters is located at Unit 109, Lower Stable Street, London, N1C 4AQ. Full review. Website. Twitter. Instagram.

For a compact city, Tallinn has an impressive variety of specialty coffee spots. During my weekend break in the Estonian capital, I visited six of them and there were several more that made my shortlist but which are closed at the weekends. 

For more Berlin specialty coffee recommendations, check out my coffee guide to Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg.


I last visited Berlin on a school history trip in 1998 and I've long been wanting to return. As my company has offices there, I've held out, hoping a work trip would materialise. Of course, when that finally happened, I had to fly out the day after returning from Amsterdam and only had one free day in the city. 

Amsterdam is a city so convenient to get to from London that it's rather embarrassing that my only previous visit was at the end of the last century. 2018 was the year I finally managed to right that wrong and top of my list of things to do was visiting some of the excellent specialty coffee shops and roasteries that the city now boasts. 

With its rich history, beautiful architecture and soothing thermal baths, Budapest comes high on many travel buckets list. And after the Specialty Coffee Association's 2017 World of Coffee event in the Hungarian capital, I realised the city's growing specialty coffee scene gave me another reason to visit.

During many of my first visits to New York in the 1990s and 2000s I stayed in Midtown Manhattan, and I still stay there sometimes when I'm travelling with my family, who like to be near Central Park. Back then, there wasn't much in the way of good coffee in the neighbourhood, and even after the speciality coffee scene began to develop further downtown (as my 2008 NYC coffee list suggests), Midtown seemed more resistant to this trend.


Gradually, though, spots like the Australian-influenced Culture Espresso on West 38th Street began to open up. Some didn't make it; others, like the wonderful Little Collins on Lexington Avenue, happily did. And now most of the best speciality mini-chains have Midtown branches. In fact, there are now more than enough speciality coffee shops for me to put together a guide.

I've included coffee shops located between 36th and 59th Street and because some areas still suffer from a coffee-shop dearth, I've included multiple locations for mini-chains even if I haven't visited every single branch. My favourites are marked below with an asterisk and in purple in the map (please also refer to my full NYC speciality coffee guide for more information).



* Birch Coffee
Birch Coffee has long been one of my favourite coffee shops in the Flatiron District and there are now ten branches across Manhattan. The Midtown branch — a few minutes' walk from Columbus Circle — is in a particularly useful location. The small coffee bar doesn't have much seating room but they do have fun trivia questions each day. Birch Coffee is roasted in Long Island City, and although there are no hand-brewed filter coffees on the menu, the espresso-based drinks are very well prepared.


884 Ninth Avenue bet. W. 57th & 58th St.
Website. Twitter. Instagram.

Blue Bottle Coffee
The Oakland-based Blue Bottle Coffee's first foray into Midtown Manhattan came with their Rockefeller coffee bar, located in the labyrinthine lower levels of Rockefeller Plaza. There's now another branch near Madison Avenue, a few blocks further east. Hand-brewed filter coffee brew bars are one of the signatures of Blue Bottle's cafés, so try to get a single-origin pourover if you have time. The espresso-based drinks are also very good, even when there's a long line of office workers waiting for their morning brew.


10 E. 53rd Street bet. Fifth & Madison Ave.
1 Rockefeller Center Concourse Level, Suite D (Midtown).
Website. Twitter. Instagram.

* Culture Espresso
As I mentioned above, Culture Espresso was one of the first speciality coffee shops to open up in Midtown, way back in 2009. I first visited soon after they opened and although I didn't usually spend much time around West 38th Street, Culture was well worth the detour. With its Aussie-style stylings, laid-back atmosphere and top-notch coffee, the café — and its sister location two blocks south — is still a great spot for speciality coffee.


72 W. 38th Street nr Sixth Ave. Website
247 W. 36th Street bet. Seventh & Eighth Ave.
Website. Twitter.

FIKA
If you like your coffee with a cinnamon bun on the side, Swedish mini-chain FIKA is probably your cup of tea. I often visited when Midtown had a dearth of good coffee options, and still return now for the sweet treats. Note: the photo below is of their Financial District location.


41 W. 58th Street nr Sixth Ave.
Website. Twitter. Instagram.

Gregorys Coffee
I often describe Gregorys Coffee as having the look and feel of Starbucks but with reliably good coffee. Most branches feature an Aeropress brew bar and offer various well-chosen single-origin coffees. They often run talks and classes for customers too. There are currently 23 Manhattan coffee bars, including several useful Midtown locations. I haven't listed them all below, but you can find a full list on their website.


551 Madison Avenue nr E. 55th St.
762 Seventh Avenue nr W. 50th St.
58 W. 44th Street nr. Sixth Ave.
Website. Twitter. Instagram.

* Irving Farm Coffee Roasters
Although my favourite branch of Hudson Valley coffee roaster Irving Farm is the bright, laid-back café on the Lower East Side, you can't fault their circular Grand Central Station coffee bar for grandness. The coffee is high quality, with Kalita Wave pourovers produced as readily as espresso-based drinks, all served promptly despite the constant stream of under-caffeinated commuters. Like many spots in Grand Central, it's a great place for people-watching.


135 E. 50th Street nr Lexington Ave.
89 E. 42nd Street nr Park Ave. [NB: this Grand Central station branch is temporarily closed] 
Website. Twitter. Instagram.

Joe Coffee
Joe was my second New York speciality coffee discovery, back in 2007, and although the original Waverly Place branch in Greenwich Village is still my favourite, I often visit the Grand Central coffee bar on account of its handy location. According to their website, Joe were the first speciality coffee company to open up in Midtown, in 2008, so they have plenty of experience in the high-quality, high-volume coffee game. And at the time of writing, the Joe empire numbers 15 shops, so you will never be too far from a great cup of Joe while in Manhattan.


44 Grand Central Terminal nr E. 42nd St.
55 W. 40th Street nr Sixth Ave.

Website. Twitter. Instagram.

* The Jolly Goat
I'd had this Hell's Kitchen coffee shop on my list for a while but it took me some time to venture those extra few blocks west to Tenth Avenue. With coffee from Stumptown, bagels from H&H and a very warm welcome, The Jolly Goat is a lovely neighbourhood spot. There are only three seats but if you time it right, you might just nab a window seat.


515 W. 47th Street bet. Tenth & Eleventh Ave.
Website. Twitter. Instagram.
La Colombe Coffee Roasters
I love the crockery at the Philadelphia-based roastery almost as much as the coffee. They've been in the speciality coffee game for some time, and currently have eight coffee shops in New York. Their Sixth Avenue café is particularly convenient for Bryant Park and the New York Public Library. Both the espresso-based drinks and the pourovers are brewed very well indeed.


Seven Bryant Park Building, 1045 Sixth Avenue nr W. 40th St.
Website. Twitter. Instagram.

* Little Collins
I was delighted to come across Australian-influenced Little Collins on Lexington Avenue one day in 2013. That first visit involved a particularly well-brewed Ethiopian pourover that opened my eyes to the fact that coffee could have such powerful tea-like notes. I've been returning at least once every trip ever since. In fact, when I went to Melbourne last year, my visit to Little Collins Street almost felt like a pilgrimage. They serve cracking coffee — including proper flat whites and piccolos — and brilliant brekkie.


667 Lexington Avenue bet. E. 55th & 56th St.
Website. Twitter. Instagram.

Milk Bar
I added Milk Bar — whose chef Christina Tosi features in the first episode of Netflix's Chef's Table: Pastry — to my Midtown list when coffee choices in the neighbourhood were limited. But although you might come for the (famous) crack pie or birthday cake, you might well stay for the coffee, which is from Stumptown.


15 W. 56th Street bet. Fifth & Sixth Ave.
Website. Twitter. Instagram.

* Ninth Street Espresso
Forty-seven blocks north of the original Ninth Street Espresso in the East Village, there's another location inside the Lombardy Hotel. The sleek, monochrome café serves excellent coffee, and I often stop by for my morning coffee when I'm staying in Midtown. If you're a Ninth Street fan, you can also visit their roasting space near Chelsea Market.


109 E. 56th Street nr Park Ave.
Website. Twitter. Instagram.

* Rex
A short walk from Columbus Circle, Hell's Kitchen coffee bar Rex is often busy but the staff are friendly — even when you ask them to brew three pourovers during the morning rush (#badcustomer). The coffee, from Counter Culture, is great.


864 10th Avenue nr W. 57th St.
Website. Twitter. Instagram.

Zibetto
I've stayed within a block or two of Zibetto on various occasions and the Italian-style espresso bar always used to be my go-to for coffee after a morning run. It remains a handy choice for fuelling a walk in Central Park or up Museum Mile.

1385 Sixth Avenue nr W. 56th St.
Website. Twitter. Instagram.

After a couple of intense periods of specialty coffee consumption in Melbourne and Sydney, I reverted back to ‘normal’ levels until I arrived in Wellington, New Zealand. I already had a number of local roasters and coffee shops on my list for the New Zealand capital, but I was also lucky that a coffee-loving Wellingtonian offered to show me around the city and its coffee scene. Lovely Tim (@coffeelater on Twitter and Instagram) seemed to know almost everyone who works in coffee in his home city and introduced me to a number of the movers and shakers, for which I am endlessly grateful.

After the specialty coffee free-for-all that was my trip to Melbourne, I had about a week to recover before arriving in Sydney. My coffee to-do list was shorter for Sydney than for Melbourne and I also had more time — five full days, as it turned out — but I was staying with friends who are as into their coffee as I am, which meant that my list ended up growing considerably. 

At the behest of my French friends, who moved into their beautiful Marais apartment a few months ago, I recently returned to Paris for another long weekend. My two previous visits were rainy and cold, but this time, I was treated to glorious sunshine all weekend. I also managed to visit six new-to-me specialty coffee shops — all on the Right Bank — and two favourites from previous trips. I was also interested to see that many of the shops I visited featured guest roasters from outside Paris, so I got to enjoy a mini European coffee tour that took me from Bath to Berlin and on to Copenhagen.

I can't pinpoint the exact moment I fell in love with the French Riviera but it was more than two decades ago. We visited many times on family holidays, and Cannes soon emerged as our favourite town. My parents now have an apartment there and I go once or twice a year. Spending a long weekend there last week reminded me that I still hadn't put together a guide for my favourite things to eat, drink and do in Cannes, so without further ado, here it is!

This is the third of my series of '72 hours in Prague' posts; please also check out part I for things to do and part II for drinking and dining tips.

Although my mum and I booked our recent holiday in Prague in October, I only started to research the trip properly a week or two before we went. I had been saving a few Prague-related coffee spots in my Instapaper account, though, as and when I came across them. I expected to find a handful of specialty coffee shops in the city but was pleasantly surprised to find about 15 places to add to my long list.


This recent upsurge is at least partly due to the city's barista training school, Kavove Kurzy, run by Gwilym Davies and Petra Veselá. But with only 72 hours to spend in the city — and a non-coffee-drinking travel companion — I needed a bit of guidance narrowing down my to-do list. Among the resources I consulted were: European Coffee Trip's Prague guide; the Prague Foodie Map (which has an excellent coffee section and an interview with Gwilym and Petra); and the Prague tourist board's coffee guide (which organises cafes into different categories, from classics to more modern spots that will please even the most dedicated third-wave riders).



In the end, I visited eight different coffee spots, which I've organised below based on location. I was also pleased to be able to try coffee from several Czech roasters, including Doubleshot, Nordbeans and Kavárna Pražírna, as well as enjoying coffee from some favourite European roasters.

Prague 1
EMA Espresso (Na Florenci 1420/3, Prague 1). Website. Twitter. Instagram.


One of the most central of the coffee shops I went to, EMA Espresso was also the first place I visited. A short walk from the Old Town, EMA is a lively coffee shop serving espresso-based drinks, as well as hand-brewed filter coffees, teas and light bites. We couldn't stay long so I ordered a piccolo, which was made with a Costa Rican coffee from Koppi (there was also a JB Kaffee coffee on offer). The coffee was excellent and the cafe an attractive place to sit and chat, read or work. There is a long communal table facing the coffee bar and a few smaller tables, as well as a small mezzanine level. They also sell a wide variety of coffee kit.


Onesip Coffee (Haštalská 755/15, Prague 1). Website. Twitter. Instagram.


Probably the tiniest coffee bar I visited — and one of the loveliest — Onesip is located on a quiet street in the Old Town, a few moments from the Convent of St Agnes and a world away from the hustle and bustle of the Old Town Square. Despite its diminutive size, Onesip punches above its weight in terms of its coffee offering. While I was there, there were coffees available from Round Hill Roastery (UK), Workshop (UK), The Coffee Collective (Denmark) and JB Kaffee (German): a veritable European tour! I had a piccolo with an Ethiopian JB Kaffee coffee and it was flawless. The turquoise coffee cups, which coordinated nicely with the Kees van der Westen Spirit machine, were lovely too. You can also buy beautifully packaged and delicious chocolate bars from Ajala.


Prague 2
Kavárna Pražírna (Lublaňská 676/50, Prague 2). Website.


Although Gwilym and Petra didn't really answer the question in the Prague Foodie Guide interview about their favourite Prague coffee shop, they did mention Kavárna Pražírna in their answer, and so I figured I should try to pay a visit. Located near the I.P. Pavlova metro station in Prague 2, Pražírna occupies a cosy but cool basement space, consisting of several, interconnected rooms with vaulted ceilings and brick walls. One of the rooms houses the roaster, which wasn't in use while I was there. I ordered a piccolo, which was made using a Peruvian Union y Fe coffee roasted in house. While I waited, I admired the impressive selection of coffee-making kit on display behind the bar. There were also copies of the Czech edition of Standart Magazine on sale. My coffee was excellent and I loved the relaxed atmosphere at Pražírna.


Prague 5
Cafe Lounge (Plaská 615/8, Prague 5). Website. Twitter. Instagram.
Usually when I plan a trip to a new city, I research the best coffee places and try to stay close to as many as possible. However, we booked our Prague hotel in Malá Strana before I'd discovered that there wasn't much good coffee near by. Prague is small, though, and it was less than 15 minutes' walk to Cafe Lounge, what seemed to be the best specialty coffee option in the neighbourhood.


Cafe Lounge is owned by the same team who run EMA, but the former has a full kitchen and is open all day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We arrived early on Saturday morning and got the avocado toast orders in (there are other, less hipster brunch dishes too). Like at EMA, filter coffees from Koppi and JB Kaffee were available, and there was an extensive hand-brewed filter coffee menu, which included detailed descriptions of the various brew methods. I had another Koppi coffee, this one a Colombian brewed through the V60. The coffee and our brunch dishes were great, and Cafe Lounge is a great spot to try, particularly handy for the Petřín funicular. We sat in the relatively formal dining room, but when the weather is nicer there is a lovely courtyard.

Prague 6
Místo (Bubenečská 12, Prague 6). Website. Twitter. Instagram.


The folks at Můj šálek kávy (see below) recommended that I also visited their 'newest' cafe, Místo, up in Prague 6. I'd assumed it was only a few months old but it turned out they'd been open for a couple of years! I was short on time so I hopped one stop on the metro to Hradčanská, and Místo was a short walk through the attractive residential neighbourhood. The cafe is large, light and airy with plenty of different seating areas — the nook to the right of the door as you come in might be good for working, but I took a seat at the high table opposite the coffee bar. It was busy mid-morning on a Monday with a buzzy but relaxed vibe. As well as the usual espresso-based drinks, three single-origin coffees from Czech roaster Doubleshot were available as hand-brewed filter coffees. There was also a tasting flight of the trio, so naturally I had to order that. It came with a quiz and I was pleased that I correctly identified the Brazilian, Colombian and Burundi coffees. The Colombian was my favourite but all three were nicely brewed.


Although I'd already eaten breakfast and didn't have room for one of the bigger breakfast dishes, I remembered the Prague Foodie Map folks' tip to order a peanut věneček (a sort of choux pastry doughnut filled with peanut cream), so I did and it was delicious. Possibly the nicest thing I ate in Prague!


Prague 8
Eska (Pernerova 4, Prague 8). Website. Instagram.


Although we went to Eska, in Prague's Karlin district, for the breakfast rather than the coffee, the coffee was also particularly good. They serve coffee from Czech roaster Nordbeans and the menu included Aeropress- and V60-brewed filter coffees as well as espresso-based drinks. I started with a really lovely, fruity Mahembe coffee from Rwanda, brewed through the V60. Later, I tried a flat white, which was also very well brewed. If you can't get a table at Eska, you can always get your coffee to go — and maybe pick up some bread, pastries, Ajala chocolate and a few deli items and feast on your picnic in one of the nearby parks.


Můj šálek kávy (Křižíkova 386/105, Prague 8). Website. Twitter. Instagram.


As a former linguist, I always like to spell foreign names correctly — and that includes the correct accents. Můj šálek kávy's name was impossible to write without downloading the Czech keyboard on my iPhone, but even if it's hard to spell or to say, the Karlin-based coffee shop is well worth seeking out. It's often busy, particularly at brunch o'clock, and you might have to wait for a table at peak times, although you probably won't mind too much if it's a warm day and you can soak up the sun on the benches outside. The coffee is from Doubleshot, and I had an excellent cortado brewed with a smooth, flavoursome Finca Hartmann coffee from Panama.


Prague 10
Coffee Room (Korunní 1208/74, Prague 10). Website. Instagram.



A little way east of the city centre in hip Vinohrady, Coffee Room celebrated its third birthday on the day I arrived in Prague. I didn't make it over there until my last day when the birthday balloons and banners had come down, but the small, busy coffee was still bustling and vibrant. I couldn't stay for the famed avocado toast, but I did have a good cortado, while sitting in the window seat and taking advantage of the people-watching opportunities. I hear it gets pretty packed at the weekends, but there are plenty of other places near by (the burgers at Dish are supposed to be excellent) in case you want to come back during a quieter time.