London’s first coffee house opened some 400 years ago and the smell of roasted beans has been filling the UK’s towns and cities ever since.
With tree-lined streets, picturesque riverside views, beautiful Georgian architecture, and a vibrant, bustling café culture, there are not many better places in England’s capital to sit back and enjoy a nice cup of coffee than the southwest suburb of Richmond upon Thames.
Whether it’s the kind of place where the barista knows each coffee bean personally or a spot to relax and take home a baked slice of cake and a flat white, you’re spoilt for choice in this handsome London outpost.
Take a look at our pick of where to try.
Sift Bakes and Brews
Very much a local favourite, Sift has been serving up Richmond residents with exquisite coffee and home-baked cakes and pastries since 2015. Independent to its core, the café is situated opposite the always-beautiful Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew and has developed an unsurprisingly loyal following. A quick scroll through TripAdvisor reviews reveals almost unanimous five-star ratings and a plethora of heart-warming superlatives to go with it and it's easy to see why.
Inside, its calm, soulful, yet unpretentious atmosphere is immediately apparent and the perfect place to catch up with a friend and indulge in one of their brews and bakes, or if you’re a little more peckish, one of their excellent sandwiches.
Kiss the Hippo
If the name alone isn’t enough to entice you into this Richmond institution, then their coffee certainly should.
Coffee enthusiasts may already be aware of Kiss the Hippo, who have been roasting their own beans from their Richmond base since 2018 and now distributing it to discerning coffee drinkers across the UK and beyond.
The owners are proud of their Richmond roots, and its café is very much at the heart of the local community. Its clean and tranquil interior is ‘on brand’ and reflective of the neighbourhood it proudly represents.
The coffee is superb and there is no denying they take their craft seriously, with not one but two UK Barista Championship titles to their humble name. They even run a coffee training lab where they’re keen to share their brewing tips so you can hone your own barista skills in the comfort of your home (no doubt taking a bag of Kiss the Hippo beans with you).
Coffeeology
Rivals for the title of ‘Richmond coffee experts’, Coffeeology knows a thing or two about their beans. Located at the end of an alleyway just a few metres away from Richmond high street, the Coffeeology team serves top-quality single origin and blended beans tailored to suit each individual coffee drinker’s taste.
Word has clearly spread since they first opened in 2017 and new cafes opening in other parts of Greater London is a sound measure of quite how good their coffee is.
With an enticing selection of cakes and pastries to accompany your customised coffee as well as fresh juices, it hits all the right notes and with a takeaway option if you can’t get a seat, there is no excuse not to give this a try.
Hollyhock Café
Okay, so this isn’t necessarily a purist’s coffee shop, but with a location as stunning as Hollyhock Café (and still serving some well above average coffee), we can’t skip this beauty on the list.
Situated in Richmond’s Terraced Gardens, taking in its magical surroundings, it’s sometimes easy to forget the centre of London is just a few miles away. Adorned with twinkling fairy lights, the outdoor seating area of the café offers splendid views of the River Thames and if all the seats are taken, you can easily spill out onto the grassy banks, surrounded by beautiful flowers. In chillier times of the year, its real fire, hearty soups and even the offer of hot water bottles will keep guests cosy.
Lovely fairtrade food to go with your coffee is an equal match for its location with tasty vegan and vegetarian options also available. If you lose yourself for an hour in this oasis, you’ll return fully charged.
Richmond Hill Bakery
Richmond Hill Bakery is proud of what it does, and what it does is excellent. As its name suggests, its onsite bakery serves up the people of Richmond with fresh bread, cakes, sandwiches, and other homemade delights daily, available to eat in or take out.
To focus solely on its baked goods, however, would do its coffee a disservice, which is superb. Roasted weekly by Shoreditch-based specialty coffee legends Allpress Roastery, it would simply be criminal to not pick up a long black when collecting your artisan loaf. Dotted around the café is an ever-changing rotation of local artwork to keep you interested on each visit, as well as a gift shop selling a range of local and artisanal goods, so you may well leave with more than you came in for.
A wander through the streets of Richmond upon Thames, you really don’t have to go far for your caffeine fix. Whether you’re in the mood for a quick espresso or a leisurely flat white, artisanal independents or friendly cafes, there’s a perfect place waiting for you and your new favourite brew.
