With its modest litter of coffee shops in central London locations, the Watch House has for some time been a popular pitstop for Londoners looking to natter or work as they sip a quality brew. Now, the brand has launched a sixth location – a roastery and lab – on Bermondsey’s Maltby Street. The opening coincides with the launch of the Watch House’s new subscription service, House at Home. A visit to the roastery is a chance to fully immerse yourself in the grind of making modern coffee.

Established in 2018, this sleek, feminine coffee bar claims to offer ‘all the attention to detail and high standards of an Australian café combined with the warmth and community of an Irish pub’. In reality, its location in the heart of the City sees it flooded with the polished finance crowd, but its pretty ceramics – mugs are yours for £28 a pop – render it worth the trip from elsewhere.

The first European branch of Japanese coffee shop Omotesando opened to much fanfare. With its chic, minimalist interiors, glass paraphernalia and glossy coffee counters, Omotesando has brought something a little different to the city’s coffee scene. While Omotesando serves a boutique cup of regular coffee, their iced blends come with a playful twist – such as with a foamy, chocolaty layer of bubbles on top.

What do you do with a disused Victorian toilet? Turn it into a (highly Instagrammable) coffee shop if you're the founders of The Attendant. Head down the stairs of the Fitzrovia branch and you’ll find an underground den of exposed light bulbs, green and white tiled walls, and seating split up by porcelain structuring vaguely reminiscent of a Victorian toilet bowl. Yes, your coffee break may be interrupted by a flurry of influencers but fear not: the quality of the coffee is never compromised.

% Arabica, Kyoto's ice-cool speciality coffee shop, landed in Broadway Market and Covent Garden – virtually simultaneously – in a cascade of quality coffee beans and branded linen totes, all wrapped up in the brand’s signature minimalist design. This is quality coffee for the new-age crowd.

Quaint village shop collides with hip, urban hangout at The Gentlemen Baristas – which you can find across the central south-east of the city. Hustle your way into one of their branches and you’ll see the coffee shop’s tagline – ‘well-mannered coffee’ – come to fruition in the dedication that goes into pouring the ‘perfect’ cup; filter coffee is slow-dripped into glass vats (not dissimilar in appearance to those you would have used in chemistry class at school).

The original Monmouth Coffee shop, perched on the edge of Borough Market, is over 40 years old, but judging by the swarms of coffee lovers around its doors, business is showing no signs of slowing down. Whether you’re looking for an expertly brewed cup or some beans to take away, be prepared to queue whichever branch you go to – and rest assured it'll be worth it.

Let’s get one thing straight, you can’t go to a Scandinavian coffee shop in London without ordering a 'kanelbullar' (that’s Swedish for cinnamon bun) or Danish pastry of some sort to go with your coffee. But while the Scandis have their sweet treats down to a fine art, the Nordic nations are also known for their coffee. Danish bakery Ole & Steen is one of the best in London.

Fabrique wins our vote for coffee, though. With fairtrade organic beans from the Johan & Nyström roastery in Stockholm – a brand set up by coffee-loving friends dedicated to brewing through the ‘slow roast’ method that allows flavours to develop to their fullest – this is a little bit of Swedish quality in our very own capital.

A staple in London’s quality coffee scene, Ozone is one of the city’s few coffee shops that also boasts an on-site roastery. Not only that, this New Zealand export supplies its quality beans – which are roasted at the Shoreditch branch – to other top-notch coffee shops in London, several of which feature on this list. Head here to enjoy brunch at the large communal table circling the open kitchen; to work in one of quieter, sectioned-off workspaces; or simply to enjoy a fresh-as-it-gets coffee.