One of the pleasing things about the growing London independent coffee milieu is the range of different cafés we're now welcoming. While much of east London continues its evolution into the European cousin of Brooklyn, with coffeehouses full of reclaimed furniture, natty prints and bundles of charm, out west they're going for a slightly more refined and elegant vibe, as we saw last week with the Monocle café and, now, Talkhouse Coffee.
Located on Portobello Road near the Westway, Talkhouse sports a simple menu: choose from an espresso, or an espresso with milk in one of three sizes. They also pour filter coffees through the increasingly popular Aeropress machines. The beans are sourced from Workshop and Square Mile (a Colombian espresso was the favourite on our trip), and the drinks are prepared on a long wooden brew bar, which matches the café's minimalist, Scandinavian-chic décor. It's also the kind of place where they'll bring a carafe of tapwater to your table without even asking. Coffees range around the £2.50 mark, and there are tea and cakes available.
Overall, it's among the best coffee you'll find in the area, in an elegant setting, and hence well worth an hour or two of your time.
More of the capital’s great coffee shops on our London Blend map
Disclaimer: We review anonymously and pay for all our meals / drinks.
