On a warm summer’s day, there are essentially two spots in London that you’ll find full of people: parks and pub beer gardens. But as more venues in the city add al fresco areas, a new possibility is rearing its head: coffee gardens. Combining the sun-drenched seating of a great pub garden with a never-ending stream of coffee and pastries.
So what kind of coffee gardens are we including? Well, if it’s just a bench right next to the front entrance, we’re not including it. After all, just as a beer garden has to be a dedicated area, we expect the same from our coffee gardens. But otherwise, these coffee gardens run the gamut from sun-drenched greenhouse spaces to adorable gardens and more.
1. Dalston Curve Garden, Dalston
It makes sense, right? If you want to enjoy a coffee garden, go to a cafe that is literally in a garden. Just off the main street away from the hustle and bustle of East London, the Dalston Curve Garden is a delightful spot to unwind and escape the pace of city life. Plus, all of the proceeds from the Cafe Bar go towards supporting the upkeep of the garden. So, your coffee ensures that the plant-filled environs remain open and free for everyone to visit.
📍 13 Dalston Lane, E8 3DF.
🚇 The nearest stations are Dalston Kingsland and Dalston Junction.
2. Hollyhock Cafe, Richmond
Alternatively, you could wander into the woods where this fairytale cafe becomes the picture-perfect setting for a cuppa. And this coffee garden is well worth the journey. Tucked away in Richmond’s Terrace Gardens, Hollyhock Cafe’s crooked terrace and twinkling fairy lights will have you instantly smitten. Plus, it also boasts panoramic views of the Thames; what’s a coffee without a view?
📍 146 Petersham Road, TW10 6UX.
🚇 The nearest station is Richmond.
3. Queen’s Wood Cafe, Highgate
Queen’s Wood Cafe is another cafe tucked away in one of London’s many green spaces, turning the great outdoors into an enormous coffee garden. To find it, you’ll have to head to Highgate and take a short stroll into the woods. The cafe also has a community garden (which is supported by the cafe’s revenue) and hosts all manner of events, workshops, exhibitions, and more.
📍 42 Muswell Hill Road, N10 3JP.
🚇 The nearest station is Highgate.
4. Scenery, Southwark
This hidden gem in Southwark comes to us courtesy of one of the UK’s most exciting coffee roasters. You can expect top-notch coffee (naturally), delicious pastries and baked goods, and hearty breakfast and lunch options (don’t skip the quiche!). But it’s the coffee garden that will make you fall in love. Wander in through the front doors and you’ll find an expansive cafe area. Place your order and then head on through to the rest of the venue, which encompasses indoor seating, a covered greenhouse-style area, and a delightful sun-trap garden. If you’re lucky and a seat is available, you can while away a few blissful hours with a book and a steady procession of coffees and pastries.
(Be warned, though – the metal tables outside get hot in the sun!)
📍 171 Union Street, SE1 0LN.
🚇 The nearest station is Borough.
5. Sacred Grounds, Soho
Did you know there’s a coffee garden right in the middle of Soho? Sacred Grounds is the only spot in the area with its own garden, and it’s a wonderfully cute caffeinated hotspot. Head here to enjoy a cup of coffee, and you’ll forget you’re in one of the busiest parts of London.
📍 54 Dean Street, W1D 6AE.
🚇 The nearest stations are Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.
6. V&A Garden Café, South Kensington
The coffee may not be incredible at this museum café, but the setting sure is spectacular. If you’ve somehow grown tired of the opulent interiors in the world’s oldest museum café, you can pop outside to enjoy the Garden Café. Here you can enjoy the museum’s stunning architecture and the impressive water feature in the middle of the courtyard. What more could you ask for? A pastry? Yeah, they do those too…
📍 The V&A, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL.
🚇 The nearest station is South Kensington
7. Pear Tree Cafe, multiple venues
Pear Tree Cafe’s three London sites boast expansive coffee gardens that make for delightful places for sun-dappled coffee drinking. Our pick of the crop is the impressive Battersea Park location, which is right by the water and is double, or even triple, the size of most London beer gardens. Plus, thanks to an evolving menu that changes throughout the day, you could easily spend all day eating and drinking here – one might even argue it turns into a beer garden in the evening!
📍 Lakeside Cafe Battersea Park, SW11 4NJ.
🚇 The nearest station is Battersea Park.
8. Pavilion, Victoria Park
The first, and flagship, Pavilion bakery and cafe venue is found on the edge of the lake in East London’s expansive Victoria Park. There’s covered outdoor seating and an absolute wealth of benches to spread out on. You can even grab a seat right on the edge of the lake at the fence/bar seating. Just be careful you don’t knock your coffee into the water!
📍 Victoria Park, Old Ford Road, E9 7DE.
🚇 The nearest station is Cambridge Heath.
9. Batch Baby, De Beauvoir
As well as brewing up some of the best java in London (try it and you’ll believe me), Batch Baby has a delightful coffee garden area out the front. If, however, you can’t nab a seat outdoors, the cafe’s wall-spanning windows bring plenty of sunlight into the venue itself. It’s a win-win, either way!
📍 Rose Lipman Building, 43 De Beauvoir Road, N1 5SF.
🚇 The nearest station is Haggerston.
10. Oscar’s, Ladywell
Oscar’s might just be home to the best coffee in South London. As well as delicious coffees made from an ever-rotating selection of beans, they also have a weekly changing sandwich menu and banging breakfast burritos on the weekend. But for the purpose of this article, it’s the outdoor section we’d like to discuss. When you walk out the back door, it unfolds before you, encompassing covered and open-air seating across two floors. There’s plenty of space here for coffee-sippers and pastry-munchers to soak up the sun’s rays.
📍 48 Ladywell Road, SE13 7UZ.
🚇 The nearest station is Ladywell.
11. Lumberjack, Camberwell
This charming Camberwell cafe/deli/wine shop looks innocuous from the outside, but wander through to the back and you’ll find a positively adorable little coffee garden. It’s the perfect spot for a catch-up with friends over a flat white in the sun. Or you could grab an iced latte and finish that book you’ve been “reading” (aka staring at for a minute before closing it again) for two months now. Either way, it’s a real coffee-fuelled oasis that you won’t want to miss.
Additionally, the cafe is part of London Reclaimed – “an employment charity who run paid traineeships for young people from South East London as a step up in to skill-specific work”. So your coffee won’t just taste good, it will do good too.
📍 70 Camberwell Church Street, SE5 8QZ.
🚇 The nearest station is Denmark Hill.
12. Bad Manners, Shoreditch
Since these coffee and burrito slingers operate out of a shiny steel van, the entire area around them becomes a coffee garden. And what a spot it is. Tucked away in Shoreditch Curch’s churchyard, you can plop down wherever you like to enjoy the sunshine and your food and drinks.
📍 Shoreditch Church, 119 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JN.
🚇 The nearest stations are Hoxton and Shoreditch High Street.
So, there you have it. Whether you’re looking for a less booze-y alternative to a pub garden on a sunny day, or simply a sun-flooded spot for your coffee-drinking, these coffee gardens are the perfect places. Disclaimer: We will not be held responsible for the caffeine shakes when you inevitably order seven coffees.