When I started working in King's Cross in early 2010, I never thought I'd see the day when I would be able to write a guide to the neighbourhood's coffee scene. I used to go on two-mile round-trips on my lunch break to places like The Espresso Room because there just wasn't anything good nearby. Now, though, there are, if not a surfeit, then at least a goodly number of speciality coffee venues. The following are my favourites.


Note: there are various ways to define the King's Cross area, but I tend to count anything south of the Euston Road as Bloomsbury and anything west of the British Library as Euston — essentially, if King's Cross is the nearest Tube station, it's included!

Caravan


When Caravan opened next to the new outpost of Central St Martins in 2012, I was delighted: partly because they roast, sell and serve excellent coffee and partly because I hoped that it would be a sign of things to come for King's Cross. Whether it's a beautifully prepared piccolo or a flavoursome hand-brewed filter coffee, Caravan always gets it right. If I don't have time for lunch, I still like to perch at the back of the restaurant behind the coffee bar, watching the roasting, cupping and tasting that is often taking place. They do coffee to take away too, although not usually hand-brewed filters.

Caravan is located at 1 Granary Square, London, N1C 4AA. Full review. Website. Twitter. Instagram.


Frequency



One of the newest coffee shops to open in King's Cross, Frequency is slightly off the beaten track but its King's Cross Road location is only a brisk five-minute stroll from the station and it is well worth seeking out for its well-made espresso-based drinks and Aeropress- and V60-brewed filter coffees. The coffee is from Workshop and there are also plenty of tempting sweet treats. Justo and his team are lovely too — say hi from me if you stop by!

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


Lanark


Lanark is so close to my office that it sometimes feels too lazy to pop in for a coffee when I could just as easily make my own, but they do it so much better than I can! Lanark occupies the space that was once home to Drink, Shop & Dash (RIP); it's a small café with only a handful of seats in the window. They serve espresso-based drinks and batch brew filter coffee. Rumour has it that if you ask nicely (and come when it's quiet), they will make you a pourover, but I am always too British to ask, sticking instead to the excellent piccolos and macchiatos.

Lanark is located at 11 Caledonian Road, London, N1 9DX. Twitter. Instagram.


Noble Espresso


Once a more integrated part of the popular KERB street food market, which has since decamped further north up King's Boulevard, Noble & Espresso usually pitches up on Battle Bridge Place — at the back of King's Cross Station and just south-east of the new Pancras Square development. The espresso-based drinks are always good even when the barista is faced with a queue of epic proportions. The gold-accented takeaway cups are also very Instagram-friendly.

Noble Espresso is located at Battle Bridge Place, London, N1C 4TB. Website. Twitter. Instagram.


Notes


I had enjoyed the delights of Notes' other cafés for several years when they rocked up in Pancras Square back in 2013. Cosy and cool with plenty of seating, both inside and overlooking the fountains in the square, Notes is open all day (until 9 or 10 pm most days), serving wine and cocktails in the evenings and often hosting live music and other events. They used to roast their own coffee just up the road but their roastery has now moved to East London. The espresso drinks are very good and there is usually a good selection of sandwiches, salads and sweets on offer.

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


Origin


It took me until March this year to visit Cornish roaster Origin's Charlotte Road branch in Shoreditch, but it was worth the wait: the Ethiopian pourover I had was probably the best pourover I've had all year. Origin have had a little concession in the entrance hall of the British Library, a few minutes' walk from King's Cross station, for some time but it was their takeover of the formerly uninspiring coffee hatch on the Euston Road side of the library that I was waiting for.

'Hatch' doesn't cut it any more: the café is long and slim with several stools along the window, just opposite the minimalist, tiled coffee bar. There are also a handful of tables on the pavement outside and while the prospect of a relaxing coffee on the Euston Road may not sound like too enticing a prospect, Origin have created a beautiful space and it's a lovely place to sit, especially when the sun is out. The coffee is, as you would expect, excellent: I've already had several Kalita Wave pourovers and a piccolo, all of which have been prepared with beautiful precision. There are also some beautifully styled breakfast and lunch offerings that are a little on the pricey side but look great.


Essentially, I like Origin's new coffee bar so much that I often find myself taking the bus to Euston so that I have the excuse to walk past the British Library on the way into the British Library.

Origin is located at 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB. Full review (Charlotte Road branch). Website. Twitter. Instagram.


Pattern


A short walk from the station on Caledonian Road, Pattern is a cosy café that serves very nice coffee from Bristol-based Extract Coffee. Don't miss the colourful artwork or the delicious cakes and pastries; the lunch menu often has plenty of interesting choices too.

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

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.

As I take a seat at one of the small wooden tables at Origin Coffee's new coffee shop in Scoresby Street, Southwark, the card from the Third Wave Coffee Tour I took in Portland, Oregon, falls out. It is an apt coincidence because the latest Origin shop, located inside one of the railway arches just east of Waterloo East, reminds me a lot of the laid-back, industrial-chic coffee shops I visited in the City of Roses, particularly those east of the Willamette River.


Like the other Origin coffee shops I've visited, in Shoreditch and on the Euston Road, Scoresby Street is beautifully designed, with its interiors showcasing the cafe's arched ceiling. A quartet of four Modbar espresso units hold court on the right-hand side of the counter, while the left-hand side — painted forest green and with three wooden stools — hosts the brew bar.



There's another forest green perching section near the door for those who like geometric designs. Wooden tables of various sizes fill most of the rest of the space. As usual, the petite posies that adorn most of the tables are really on point. If you ever need tips for small-scale flower arrangement, look no further than Origin!



There are the usual espresso-based drinks on the coffee menu, as well as a batch-brew filter and a special coffee available as a pourover: a Finca Nuguo Geisha natural coffee from Panama (near the Costa Rican coffee). I enjoy the coffee from the first sip, but it really comes into its own as it cools, the raspberry and chocolate notes coming through nicely. I keep raising the black ceramic tumbler to my face so I can keep inhaling the gorgeous scents. For those in the mood for a boozier brunch, there are a couple of cocktails on the menu, including one featuring a drink from Dan Fellows' recent World Coffee in Good Spirits victory.


I've arrived in time for brunch, which is served all day on Saturdays and Sundays. The brunch menu is fairly extensive, with nine dishes on the list, plus two specials. The brioche tartine (£6.50), with roast plum, vanilla ricotta, hazelnut butter and almonds, sounds delicious but I'm in the market for something more substantial. I order the brunch club (£10), a slightly fancier, brunchier take on the classic breakfast sandwich. Generous hunks of sourdough, spread with tabasco-mayo, share the plate with streaky bacon, a fried egg, roast tomato, avocado and rocket. I'm glad it is served as more of a deconstructed sandwich, because I think I would struggle to eat it with my hands. It tastes great and I leave a very clean plate.



I was pleased when Origin opened a coffee shop so close to my office in King's Cross, and now this latest addition is rather closer to him — and about midway along my commute to work. Given how bad the traffic has been on Blackfriars Road lately, perhaps I'll have to start breaking the journey at Scoresby Street.


Origin Coffee. 84 Scoresby Street, London, SE1 0XN (Tube: Southwark). Website. Twitter. Instagram.

For 100+ more of my favourite coffee shops in London, please check out my speciality coffee guide.