The Craze for Designer Cafes Vol. I

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Ever since Anya Hindmarch launched ‘Anya’s Village’ in the heart of Belgravia, the trend (and desire?) for designer cafes in the city has grown.

Whilst these are mostly located between Central and West London -where the money lives, far away from us!-, we were keen to try them all to form an opinion. A few months later, the veredict was clear: we love the uniqueness and exclusivity these offer, but these come at a step price. If you are willing to take the cut, then below are the places you should (or shouldn’t) go to.

Bon Appetit careless readers!

FOR COFFEE AND CAKES

Tiffany at Harrods (Knightsbridge) is, at present, the best fashion café for a full deluxe afternoon tea experience. Covered in pastel hues and cream delights, you’ll feel like Holly Golightly admiring the beauty of a girl’s best friend. Diamonds, that is.    

Marchesi 1824, Prada (Mayfair), offers a refined experience that has attracted the fashion crowds from all over the world since almost 200 years ago. The London café is their second opening of the Milano flagship store, and it does not disappoint on its offering. Set up in a brownstone building behind Berkeley Sq, filled with limited edition prada crokery in an old Italian-café style, this is the perfect spot for a refuel and recharge situation after shopping in and around the area.

Anya’s Café (Belgravia) – Whilst a teeny tiny spot, this is a very fun café for those who love Anya Hindmarch’s playful style. They run afternoon tea, but booking is required due to space. My only negative is that it feels very dark inside, but I guess that makes the cakes the star of the show!

FOR COFFEE ONLY

Three names come to mind when I am in need of coffee but I want to impress my fashion guests: Monocle Café, Fiorucci Café and Ralph’s Coffee

  • Monocle (Marylebone), for those that like normcore and soothing set-ups.

  • Fiorucci (Soho) for those that like the complete opposite: colour-mani and loud set-ups serving specialty coffee, cocktails and enough shopping to get you ready for a night out in the neighbourhood.

  • Ralph’s Coffee (Bond St) for those that likes an American cup of coffee in an American style set up. Who better than Ralph Lauren to deliver?

IT’S A NO-GO

I really wanted to like Café Kitsune. It’s always been one of my must stopovers while in Paris. The London shop, however, disappointed me. It’s always too busy, it feels dirty and un-special, fitted within a bigger establishment, it almost lost its uniqueness. Considering the steep prices, I would stay away from it. Go in Paris, you’ve got plenty of other choices in London!