Please proceed with caution as the contents of this post may be hot: continuing our caffeine-fuelled quest to show you some of our favourite coffee shops in London.
Warning to all fair-weather coffee drinkers: you will not find any mention of your beloved gingerbread lattes, peppermint mochas, or any other holiday themed beverages here.
The Algerian Coffee Store is certainly not the place to go if you fancy a casual sit-down. Indeed, signs posted around the shop declare 'take-away or standing only' unless the staff is particularly busy, in which case customers may not be served a cup at all. However, serious coffee (and tea) drinkers should take delight in the sheer number of coffees (over 80) available for purchase from around the world.
The place carries a special charm to it, one which certainly cannot be found at the coffee section of a larger store such as Whole Foods. The shelves, some of which have been around since the shop's opening in 1887, hold chocolates, coffee machines, and jars upon jars of coffee beans and tea leaves. Staff are friendly and quick to serve the many customers that wander in. A bag of the Algerian Special (£5.50 for 500g), which happens to be simultaneously strong and smooth, would make an excellent last-minute gift for a coffee aficionado near and dear to your heart.
See previous entries in the London Blend series.
The Algerian Coffee Store, 52 Old Compton Street, W1D 4PB. Open 9am-7pm Mon-Wed, 9am-9pm Thu-Fri, 9am-8pm Sat.
