The Best Cappuccino in London
A Cappuccino a Day
Coffee is one of the few things that is first on everyone’s agenda for the day, despite where they live or who they are around the world. There may be some movements away from the “addictive qualities” of caffeine as “the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive drug/central nervous system stimulant”, and the rise in popularity of caffeine alternatives like matcha, but I am fairly confident that coffee is here to stay.
There are many different ways to indulge in your coffee: black, white, sugar, no sugar, espresso based, or the massive American mugs. My personal favorite is the cappuccino. When done properly, the cappuccino is the perfect drink. Not too much milk, but enough to nicely compliment a strong espresso base with a beautiful, dense, delectable layer of foam on top. This foam is the most important part of a cappuccino, and unfortunately, the art of preparing a cappuccino with the proper ratio of espresso to steamed milk to foam is sometimes lost on cafés.
Fortunately, in London, it isn't too difficult to find cafés that are able to foam their milk, but this comes at a cost. With the average espresso drink in London being around £2.70, it is worth the time to consider carefully where to find the perfect one. As a devout cappuccino drinker (averaging 3 coffees a day) I wasted no time in doing this, and after a full semester of being around the city, I have narrowed down the top 5 most common and most “worth it” cafés for a cappuccino in the city center. I will be ranking them based on four different categories (Foam, Price, Taste, and Atmosphere), with a scale from 1 to 5 (5 being best).
Pret à Manger
Pret is an institution in London. Priding itself on offering the healthiest, freshest, fastest food on the market, and for a reasonable price, the chain is extremely popular. It is difficult to walk more than a few blocks without seeing the familiar maroon star that marks the location of a Pret à Manger. This being said, the quality of their cappuccinos is subpar, and the famous café came in at last place.
Foam: 2. The foam is too light, and collapses into the watery cappuccino at the slightest jostle or sip. The ratio isn’t bad, but the texture isn’t there.
Price: 2. At £2.55 and no discount offered to students or for reusable cups, this is not that great of a price for such a chain.
Taste: 2. There is nothing particularly bad about the taste of a cappuccino from Pret, it just isn’t special. It doesn’t have the complex taste of a nice espresso with milk, and doesn't warrant any craving. A bit too watery and thin, the milk doesn’t complement the coffee well.
Atmosphere: 1. Although the workers at Pret are always kind, you feel transactionalized as a patron. The queue needs to be moved through, and everyone needs to be checked out and have their drink orders taken with maximum efficiency. This doesn’t leave much time to relax, nor does it encourage you to stick around and have your cappuccino in house.
Total: 7 (Last place)
Caffé Nero
Priding itself as a European Coffeehouse, Caffé Nero specializes in espresso based drinks, and it is quite popular amongst coffee drinkers in London. With characteristic blue awnings and a nice crowd at all times of the day, the café easily made the list and puts out a decent cappuccino.
Foam: 3. As they should, the workers at Nero know how to properly steam their milk. There is usually a decent layer of properly dense foam on top of their cappuccinos, but my complaint is with their consistency.
Price: 1. Even more expensive than Pret à Manger, and again, with no student or reusable cup discount, a cappuccino at Caffé Nero costs £3.30.
Taste: 3. The espresso and milk go together much better here, but at times they are still a bit watery. On a good day the taste is nice, and on a bad day it leaves you really regretting the £3+ you spent.
Atmosphere: 2. Much less commercial than Pret, Nero has better seating and a vibe more conducive for sitting in/around the café; however, it is still mostly a take-away place, and not somewhere that I would plan to go to sit or study for extended periods of time.
Total: 9 (Second to Last Place)
Café Tropea
Located in a beautiful square in Bloomsbury, London, Café Tropea is a family run business that has been open since the 1980s. Despite operating on a much smaller and less commercial scale than some of the other places on this list, they still attract a large crowd. Students, professors, tourists, and business people that commute through Russell square in the morning frequently stop in for a coffee. It is very enjoyable to order a cappuccino and sitting down on their outdoor terrace on a nice day.
Foam: 2. The foam here isn’t terrible, but it is clear that this particular part of the café experience is not emphasized. Depending on which family member is steaming the milk, it may turn out better or worse, but on average it is average.
Price: 3. There is no discount at Tropea, but their smaller sized cappuccino is only £1.80.
Taste: 3. Given the mediocre foaming, the espresso and the milk still go very well together, and especially in a small size the ratio is perfect and the resulting coffee drink is very nice.
Atmosphere: 5. Hands down the best café atmosphere on the list, and possibly out of many more places around London, Café Tropea offers an intimate and pleasant environment to have your food and drink. Despite a bit of an issue with all of the pigeons in the park, their outdoor patio is almost always full and in a prime position for people watching, while the interior decor and comfortable seating makes inside a fine option as well.
Total: 13 (Second Place)
L'Express
I find that L’Express is less well-known around London than it should be, with fewer locations and subtle advertising. I think this café is undervalued, but perhaps that is why you can come here for £1, quality cappuccinos.
Foam: 4. Light but dense, with a solid height and a very scoop-able quality on each cappuccino, this is good foam.
Price: 5. Everyday of the week before 12pm, you can get a £1 regular sized cappuccino. That is all that need be said. If you miss this window, the price increases to £2.20, which is still better than a lot of places around London
Taste: 5. Although the foam isn’t quite perfect, the taste is. Something about the classic regular whole milk they use at L’Express coupled with the Arabica espresso creates one of the best tasting cappuccinos I have had in London.
Atmosphere: 3. As you may be able to tell from the name, L’Express isn’t designed to be dine-in café. Still, the staff is consistently so friendly (you can go in numerous days in a row only to purchase £1 worth of coffee from them and still receive a knowing, friendly smile) that it makes me more inclined to have my cappuccino in one of their few seats than to sit at somewhere more commercial.
Total: 17 (Tied for First)
Leon
With a similar but arguably more successful mission to Pret à Manger, Leon is all about healthy options. They offer lots of vegan and vegetarian food in addition to their drinks. However, they don’t mess around with some of the more hipster concoctions such as matcha, or beetroot lattés. I think this allows them to focus more on the staples like a cappuccino, and lends to their smashing success.
Foam: 5. It must be their machine, because I have never ever come to Leon and been disappointed by their foam. Each time it is thick, dense, and I require a spoon to properly consume all of it. The ratio is also perfect, and it holds its own on top of the espresso and steamed milk.
Price: 4. Before any discounts a cappuccino costs £2.70 here, but as a student with a reusable cup it drops to exactly £1.94 which is pretty good.
Taste: 4. My only complaint is that Leon uses a very distinct and sometimes borderline bitter bean. Thankfully their milk and their foam is so delicious that it cuts the strong flavor, but you definitely need some gum or a breathe mint after having a cappuccino here.
Atmosphere: 4. Leon is pretty commercial, and especially during peak business hours the queues are nearly out the door. This being said, the seating arrangements and often multi-level cafés offer plenty of nice spaces to sit and socialize or work.
Total: 17 (Tied for First Place)
*Please note that as of my last few months living in London I have discovered the wonders of GAIL’S BAKERY. The foam on their cappuccinos is awful, but every other possible criteria they could be compared on is outstanding. Please go there.
