I know there’s nothing more quintessentially British than a cup of tea, but these days as you walk through Greenwich, you’re more likely to come across people clutching a coffee. With a seemingly ever growing menu of coffee options available, Greenwich.co.uk picked the classic caffè latte for the latest in its series of taste tests.
Buenos Aires Café
Cost of a latte to go: £2.30 (86 Royal Hill, SE10 8RT)
The only tourists you’ll ever see in Buenos Aires would be very lost ones. Located at the top of Royal Hill, it’s very popular with locals and is busy throughout the day, particularly in the morning after the school run. If you want to linger, there’s several tables inside and out, and a few leather sofas.
The key to a successful latte is, of course, the milk, and they certainly got it right here. The latte was perfect, in my opinion. The coffee was just on the right side of strong, and the froth on the top provided a good amount of milky goodness, but not too much. This may have been the most expensive latte in my taste test, but it was also the best.
L’Artisan
Cost of a latte to go: £1.95 (93 Trafalgar Road, SE10 9TS)
This tiny café aims to replicate a French café in East Greenwich, just a few steps away from the Arches Leisure Centre. When I say tiny, I mean tiny—there are only seven seats in the café, and not a lot of space beyond that. But what it lacks in space, it makes up for in taste.
The latte I had was very French, as you might expect, in that it was very strong. There was a decent amount of froth on the top, but it didn’t do much to lessen the strength of the coffee. But given that it was pouring rain on the day I had it – that statement pretty much sums up our spring – it was just the sort of boost I needed to get me through the afternoon.
L’Artisan may be small, but it packs a big latte punch.
Paul Rhodes
Cost of a take away latte: £2 small/£2.20 large (37 King William Walk, SE10 9HU)
It would be fair to say that Rhodes is neither an undiscovered gem nor free from tourists. But given the years we lived without a decent – or, in fact, any – bakery in west Greenwich, now that we have one, I want to talk about it as much as possible. (They also have a shop in Notting Hill now, for those who are impressed by north London, though I’m not one of them. Go South London!)
On yet another dreary wet morning, I was there for the latte and was not disappointed. It had a good ratio of milky froth to coffee and the coffee itself was strong without being overpowering. Even the small size is more generous than the others tasted. Rhodes uses Union Coffee, a specialty artisan roaster who trades directly with coffee farmers, ensuring fairer prices for the farmers. Rhodes also uses a biodegradable insulated coffee cup and lid, which is fully compostable, the first of its kind in the UK.
Will I be back? Absolutely, though I won’t be back just for the coffee. On my rainy morning, the almond croissant I enjoyed went a long way to making my day better.
Red Door
Cost of a take away latte: £1.80 (10 Turnpin Lane, SE10 9JA)
Any discussion about Greenwich coffee has to include Red Door on Turnpin Lane. The quirky cafe, shop and gallery serves up Monmouth Coffee, the best coffee in London in my opinion, if not the world. Add to the mix the charming owners and you’ve got a winner.
It is a busy place. Even in the mid-afternoon, when I visited, I had to wait for a bit to get my caffeine fix. But I was more than happy to bide my time, with the classical music on the stereo and the interesting art on the walls.
The latte, as expected, was delicious due to its source material of Monmouth Coffee. Although this is the type of place where I think they’d much prefer that you stop and smell the coffee, I was able to get my latte to go. If latte is not your thing, they also offer the standard hot drinks of espresso, Americano, cappuccino and tea.
Red Door is unique and that’s what makes it special. The people who scurry past to get to a chain coffee house don’t know what they’re missing. Red Door might not be the most conventional coffee house you’ve ever been to, but it certainly is one of the most memorable.
Final Verdict:
Buenos Aires had the best take away lattes, but all of the establishments had excellent reasons to visit. I have no doubt that I will return to all of them very soon, for either a coffee to go or a cake on a sofa.
Where do you think does the best latte in Greenwich? Use the comments box below to let us know…
Best Latte – definitely the small espresso van in the market – Morgan’s coffee – strong/sweet with great latte art. Not there every day during the week but well worth seeking out on market trading weekdays and weekends.
Yes, they do make a great latte. I just wish they were there more often. I think they might use Monmouth Coffee too.
What about Pistachios in East Greenwich Pleasaunce, and Gamberdella’s at Blackheath Standard (London Borough of Greenwich) ??
Rob Reply:
June 18th, 2012 at 4:23 pm
Do you recommend them, Trevor?
I’ve had a few coffees in Black Vanilla – tastes good and isn’t too expensive, but the service is variable at best. Last time I asked for a skinny flat white, I was given a latte – with no apology or offer to change it when I pointed it out. I haven’t been back since then! Definitely must try out Red Door soon – it’s not the first time I’ve heard good things about them…
Paul Rhodes – coffee is acceptable at best, however service is appalling. Been there 3 or 4 times now, even when there were only 3 others in the shop, it took an age to get served and there seems to be no system. Coffees can be sat on the side for a while before you can get your hands on them.
Going to try the others as it is a struggle to get a good coffee in Greenwich and Blackheath.
Using Monmouth Coffee is a good start, however it’s a case of whether they take the care and the artistry to create a cup to it’s full potential. That’s the main issue Monmouth itself, they don’t get the consistency of flavour and quality as they just have to bash out the coffee as they are too busy.
I also find it a real struggle getting a decent coffee at weekends in SE10. Buenos Aires is deffo the best spot in my opinion. However I have given up waiting for a decent cafe in Greenwich personally and now pop to Browns of Brockley for a bagel and square mile coffee… its absolutely immense.
Helen Reply:
June 22nd, 2012 at 7:18 am
Browns of Brockley, I may have to venture over there! Thanks.
Fatty Fatty BumBum Reply:
June 25th, 2012 at 9:35 am
I would recommend it Helen.
I am getting a bit depressed at the lack of a nice bar or decent cafe in Greenwich – what’s happened to our town?! There is simply nowhere for a group of females to go for a few cocktails or nice drinks. Its just full of smelly boozers with bad toilets.
Helen Reply:
June 25th, 2012 at 9:56 am
Cocktails…. I like your thinking…. have you been to Happiness Forgets in Hoxton… very nice… bad toilets tho ;(
The is just a lack of quality establishments and I’m not talking “posh”. Good indy places serving quaintly whatever their speciality at a reasonable price.
As my school report would say… Greenwich “must try harder”!
What about greenwich’s longest-established place, royal teas?
Depending who’s on duty at either place, their coffee is sometimes better than buenos aires – and their prices don’t go up as often! Maybe the place doesn’t get as much TLC as it used to, but it’s still a greenwich landmark I’d choose over the newcomers.
For cocktails you have very few options – although Rivington’s cocktails have improved immeasurably lately – I’ve really enjoyed their new list. Potentially their base in Shoreditch and their owners (The Ivy) are now being forced to compete with the new breed of cocktail bars springing up – The Whistling Shop, Callooh Callay etc.
On coffee bars – I miss the London Coffee roasters that used to have a small area in the record store on Creek road – I wish they could have been given a larger establishment. Unfortunately I think Costa have been given a 2 lot shop on College Approach having moved out from Waterstones. That just destroys the potential for smaller artisan coffee vendors. Flat White and The Milk Bar, manage to make this work in soho which presumably has high rents, may be the demographic in Greenwich would not provide the same opportunties.
Fatty Fatty BumBum Reply:
June 26th, 2012 at 9:54 am
Yep, I love Callooh Calah and Happiness Forgets for cocktails. The Great Eastern Dining Room bar also does amazing ones….albeit potent!
I just wish Greenwich had one funky little coffee place similar to say Nude at Spittlefields, Allpress on Redchurch street or Browns at Brockley station. Blackheath has a much better choice. All we have is Costa (the KFC of cafes) or franticly run run-of-the-mill independents like Rhodes.
With heaps of new flats attracting more people to Greenwich I have been trying to persuade some friends to consider moving here but the usual complaint I receive from friends is that Greenwich is boring with nowhere to go out. I usen’t believe it however on a recent night out I was embarrassed by the lack of choice here, poor service, awful toilets , smelly boozers or £6 entry into an empty Bar du Musee – I found myself apologizing for traipsing my friends across London to Greenwich to these dreadful places. Am I alone in my opinion on this or is everyone here happy with the choice we have?
Come one ye entrepreneurs – there is a massive up-tapped wallet in SE10 waiting to take its contents!
Wayne Reply:
August 20th, 2012 at 9:07 pm
I agree with you. Especially about Nude, my favourite coffee ever. Have you visited their roastery?
While there are no decent pubs in the centre, you can always head east to The Pelton Arms. The best pub in Greenwich in my opinion. Live music every weekend, good quality. Saturday nights are lively. Nice and chilled late Sunday afternoon & they put a decent free cheeseboard out just before 9pm.
Although not in Greenwich, it’s walking distance. Easily the best coffee is The London Particular in Deptford. Great food too.
The little coffee popup in the Navel Academy is good as well.
Personally i’ve struggled to find a decent cup in greenwich… It seems most places suffer from “Starbuckitis” where the cups are huge and the espresso small.