FIFTY BEST: Independent coffee shops

Evening Standard: A coffee concept store from two of the men who know best, Rob Dunne and Vic Frankowski. The coffee is robust and you drink it standing at the bar. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: This New Zealand newcomer launched its first London roastery and café in Shoreditch a month ago. A huge space and a vast range of breakfast options. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Unless you’re a coffee connoisseur, it’s best to ask the baristas for advice as the offering here is enormous. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Espresso-based coffees are served in little illustrated paper cups and there is a tasting notes chart on the wall to help you describe what you’re drinking. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: You might sit on an old gym horse to drink yours but it’s served in floral print china cups and arrives prompt-ish (if you don’t get the new barista). En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Aside from the espresso menu, there’s also a special brew bar here, you can also buy music and DVDs and there’s a private room at the back which you can rent. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: The roastery just around the corner provides coffee for shops all over London but you can sit in with toast and one of their fresh espresso blends with some then buy some beans to use at home. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Still finding its feet having opened a month ago but the flat white we tried was strong and smooth and the brownies nutty. The beans are also roasted in house. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: A clean, well-run operation that has folk in from all over London trying out the coffee menu — all roasted and blended on site. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Come here for a toasted ham sandwich and a cortado — both made with extra care. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Hidden at the back of Stanfords travel bookshop. Earthy tasting coffee made using its own Sacred House Roast beans. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: They bake their own cakes, make their own sandwiches and in the six months it has been open, the coffee has been consistently brilliant. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Constantly jammed but good fun — if you can get a seat. Otherwise, perch with a delicious pastry on the bench outside. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Tiny with friendly staff, plates of cakes and coffee roasted and blended nearby — the kind of place you wish you lived next to. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Nude’s beans are roasted and blended at this little gem — they also provide coffee for 10 Greek Street restaurant — and, if you need advice, the baristas really know what they’re talking about. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: A Soho stalwart open all hours of the day and night. Go here to pick up stories and people watch. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Wooden boards filled with cakes, lots of space to chill out and plenty of smiling staff. Great coffee, obviously. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Has a faithful north London following each morning who come for the quick espressos and fresh food including the epic chocolate tart. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: A new cutesy corner cafe with illustrations on the walls, a basic but bright and seating space and carefully brewed cortados and cappuccinos. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Very comfortable little spot opened by an Italian family about a year ago. Chat to them, the resident bloggers or whoever you come across over a silky flat white. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: A good range of high quality coffee made well in a kitchen-style cafe. The prices are a little steep but it’s a quiet, quaint place worth noting. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: As with most Australian coffee stops here, this is laid back and welcoming. The beans are Guatemalan, Brazilian and Ethipoian and the flat whites are always good. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: A flat white is the thing to get here and you can drink it under a blanket. Go when you’re hungover and combine it with brunch. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: A low lit independent café selling Square Mile coffee and long lines of cakes – to long lines of people. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: A bustling joint that sets the standard for all coffee houses in London for its ability to serve excellent coffee to vast swathes of City workers every day. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: During the day, cappuccino and cakes are served to those in the know. At night, Scootercaffé transforms into a lovely bar serving beers and cocktails in an area lacking in good watering holes. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Somehow these manage always to be open when it’s raining so just when you need warming up, a cup of strong espresso will land in your hand. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Sister bars and both Aussie imports using a Square Mile roast. hard wooden benches and slow service but consistent quality of coffee. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: This has created the kind of café culture where there was none. Open in evenings (they also have an alcohol license), but the main business is during the day where the folk with laptops hang out. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: The tiniest of places – so small it seems like the coffee might come out of the wooden walls. Sneak into a small cranny with a long coffee. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: It’s always, always busy but if you can’t sit, it’s worth popping in just to grab a coffee and a cake and check out the wall art which changes every month. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Not for sitting around in for hours but a good spot for a quick one if you know you need to stay awake before a show. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Chaotic atmosphere but reliably potent coffee. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Spectacular gelateria with Allpress coffee and freshly baked cakes. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: They use Square Mile beans and they hate anything overly milky. Here it comes rich and full bodied and you should chase it with a slice of lemon drizzle cake. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Been here forever but now has a huge range of organic and Fairtrade coffees to buy inside and the cake selection is superb. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Warm and buzzing but don’t expect to get served quickly – they’ll make the coffee when the coffee wants to be made. Eat lemon polenta cake while you wait. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: A hectic little place with a book exchange, Square Mile coffee served in mismatched vintage china cups and fresh and reasonably priced salads. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Monmouth coffee, art to buy from all over the walls, crunchy biscotti and hearty organic muesli. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Very cheery staff who make delicious Square Mile coffee and could talk all day. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: A Kiwi-run café where the barista waiters will ask you how you like yours when you order. Expect to wait a wee while, but the Eggs Benedict is a perfect accompaniment. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: The coffee is strong and so is its fan base. People come to this original rustic Fitzrovia hideaway to hang out and talk about their favourite drink. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: For somewhere to rest after shopping on Carnaby Street, the downstairs brew bar is your place. It offers coffee from all over but the latest offering is a special blend by Has Bean. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Coffee roasted by Nude around the corner and sourdough bread to die for. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: A closet-sized hub worth going to for fresh bread and espresso – made using Square Mile coffee. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: A lively spot with coffee roasted downstairs and excellent baked eggs for brunch. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: The baristas make it look effortless but the coffee is first rate, reaching the right balance of flavour without the bitterness. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: If you're after something healthy, this trendy cafe-bar boasts an array of salads and specials that change daily depending on the season. If not, best opt for their now-famous Guinness cake. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: Excellent paninis and coffee roasted in house and taken huge trouble over. En savoir plus .

Evening Standard: The eggs benedict are consistently delicious as are its variations – smoked salmon on potato cakes instead of muffins and hollandaise. They also do one of the best flat whites in London. En savoir plus .