Special Edition: The Islington Coffee Shop Guide 2025
The verdict is in
In the 12 years I’ve lived in Islington, the coffee scene has changed dramatically. Speciality coffee shops used to be rare, but today we are lucky to be spoilt for choice. And as it turns out, we all have opinions on where to get the best cup!
So a few weeks ago, I asked my readers what their favourite coffee shops in Islington were, and why. I honestly expected I knew most of them already, but fortunately, I was wrong! But so many new places to try also meant I realised I couldn’t do this review by myself.
So I asked all of you to help me review - and you did! Almost 100 of you (THANK YOU!) filled out my survey where I asked you to rate each coffee shop on coffee quality, overall vibe, staff friendliness, food and how pleasant it is to work from there. I then looked at coffee shops that had at least 3 reviews to avoid one single opinion skewing the outcome.
Based on all your reviews, I have created 3 lists:
🏆 Best overall coffee shops - based on the highest average for all categories combined;
☕️ Best quality coffee - for when you are just looking for the best caffeine fix;
💻 Best coffee shops to work from - for when space and sockets are most important.
This all means that everything in this post has been crowdsourced by you: both the coffee shops to be reviewed and the reviews themselves. So if you don’t quite agree with the final lists, you know who to blame 😉
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Before diving in, a few observations based on the top 10 coffee shops:
The average price for a speciality flat white in Islington is £3.70. The cheapest is £3.20 (Vertige) and the most expensive is £4.10 (Pophams).
The Roasting Shed came either 1st or 2nd in all 3 categories. So if you haven’t been there, go check it out!
A growing number of coffee shops now sell or serve alcohol, with half of the top 10 offering it and many more in the full list. Some even extend their hours and become wine bars in the evening. Interesting trend!
🏆 Top 10 best overall coffee shops 🏆
This top 10 is based on the highest average rating across all categories: coffee quality, overall vibe, staff friendliness, food and how pleasant it is to work from there. Perfect for when you want to get the full experience! I have included the price of a flat white as a reference point.
1. The Roasting Shed
📍322 Hornsey Road
🏷 £3.90 for a flat white
I only visited this coffee shop for the first time recently and I was not disappointed! Everything seems to tick the box here. It has an open and functional industrial-looking space, welcoming and friendly staff, lots of nice spots to sit down (both inside and outside), and, of course, excellent coffee!
I am also not surprised it ranked high in the work-friendly list, as it was full of remote workers on the Thursday morning we went. They attract a different crowd on weekends (families and friends getting together) and also host a Friday late night event with music, wine and cocktails. Worth checking out!
“10/10 for everything plus they do a night time thing on Friday eve with music.”
2. Morr
📍242 Upper Street
🏷 £3.80 for a flat white
Morr only opened in January of this year, but has already become a local favourite for many. Opening anything new on Upper Street is risky because of the fierce competition, but the team behind Morr seems to know exactly what they are doing. Great coffee, a nice food selection and plenty of space to sit and have a catch-up or get your laptop out. It happens to be around the corner from me and I’ve been using it multiple times already to get some work done.
“They’re proper coffee nerds, participating in the London coffee festival recently and I crave their coffee like no other.”
3. Pophams
📍19 Prebend Street
🏷 £4.10 for a flat white (1 out of 2 shops who prompts you to tip on top of that)
Pophams is technically a bakery first, that happens to serve excellent coffee too. So good in fact, that it made the no 3 spot in this list! I’ve been coming to Pophams for years as they have some of the best pastries in Islington (dare I say, London). Combined with a great coffee, it’s one of my favourite spots to get a breakfast on the go in the weekend. But a word of warning: lots of people have the same idea so be prepared to queue for a fair bit on a Saturday or Sunday morning.
Once you have secured your coffee (and inevitably your pastry because trust me, you won’t be able to resist!), they have plenty of tables inside or outside to enjoy them. Or take them on a walk alongside Regent’s Canal around the corner!
4. Jolene Colebrooke Row
📍16 Essex Rd
🏷 £3.90 for a flat white
You may be more familiar with other branches of Jolene (e.g. on Horsney Road or Newington Green), which have been a staple there for many years. Their Essex Road branch is relatively new and while pretty small, they don’t disappoint when it comes to good coffee and pastries. There’s limited seating so best for a take-away, but either way - Jolene manages to consistently deliver on quality of drinks, food and vibe.
5. Gibson’s
📍24 Penton Street
🏷 £3.40 for a flat white
Gibson’s is another one I had never heard of but has become quickly a go-to for me. Located in Barnsbury, it’s so small that you could blink and miss it. But that makes it feel like a hidden gem you should check out. It would have ranked 1st in this list if it wasn’t such a small place that doesn’t cater well for laptop space - but I think that’s also the charm of this tiny spot! Not surprising at all that it landed 1st in the ‘best quality coffee’ list 😃
“BEST coffee and BEST service! Little hole in the wall but you won’t find a better coffee in Islington.”
6. Common Ground
📍49 Stroud Green Road
🏷 £3.80 for a flat white
I find Common Ground a gem in Finsbury Park. It has a very cosy vibe with its nice decor and many green plants but is actually a lot bigger than you initially think. Friendly staff welcomes you in, there are lots of great baked goods and they serve an excellent all-vegetarian menu. The courtyard at the back is a great spot to have brunch and enjoy a summer day.
“They give you a coffee on the house if you buy a bag of beans, which I feel is a classy touch 👌 and their staff know their stuff.”
7. Profile Highbury
📍1b Highbury Park
🏷 £3.80 for a flat white (the other place who prompts you to tip on top of that)
Tucked away in the lovely corner of Highbury Barn, Profile opened its doors not too long ago. It’s a cosy shop with minimalistic Scandi vibe design, looking out over the hustle and bustle of Highbury Barn. They’ve got a dedicated table for laptop use, which creates a nice mix of people chatting, mingling and working. The ownership changed recently and they’ve done a great job creating a welcoming vibe for this favourite local.
“Profile is untoppable. Friendly staff, incredible coffee, crack-like dog treats (seemingly).”
8. Vagabond N7
📍105 Holloway Road
🏷 £3.50 for a flat white
Vagabond sits just a stone’s throw from Highbury & Islington station, with an exposed-brick, slightly worn-in interior I really like. It’s a spacious cafe with plenty of space for people to enjoy a coffee, catch up with a friend or to get some work done. Their food menu is very good too and you’ll find the cafe buzzing on the weekend with people going there for brunch. They’ve also got a garden at the back which is great for a sunny day - and easy to miss if you don’t know about it!
“Delicious coffee, good food and friendly service. Plus they have an outdoor space in the back.”
9. Rua Coffee Bar
📍303 Holloway Road
🏷 3.60 for a flat white
Rua Coffee bar is tucked away in the arches of Holloway Road station and easy to miss if you don’t know about it. While it’s a bit hidden, it feels very spacious when you come in. They cater for different audiences: more intimate setups for if you want to catch up with your friend, long high tables for if you want to work from there (you’ll see Rua also come up in the ‘best coffee shops to work from’ list) and some communal laptop-free tables with magazines and newspapers for you to read. They also have a few outside tables which given the current summer we’re having is a great spot too.
“Brilliantly run, woman owned, with a really nicely curated bunch of guest coffees for sale to drink or make at home. This place really brought good coffee and vibes to a barren coffee-free stretch of Holloway Road!”
10. Vertige Café
📍154 Canonbury Road
🏷 £3.20 for a flat white
This is another local favourite of mine and I’m so pleased you guys agree! Located on Highbury Corner, this coffee shop is always busy. The coffee is great, they’ve got a nice selection of pastries, cakes and sandwiches (the pain au chocolat is honestly a must-try!) and the service is very friendly. The lady running the coffee shop knows her customers and always has a smile and a friendly word for everyone. With seating both inside and outside, they’ve got a great vibe going.
☕️ Top 10 best quality coffee ☕️
Some days, we just want a good coffee and we don’t really care whether the barista smiles at us or whether they have a good spot for our laptops. Or maybe you are only interested in a coffee to go! This top 10 looks at how high the coffee quality was rated in the survey.
Gibson’s - Penton Street
The Roasting Shed - Hornsey Road
Brood Roasters - Essex Road
Day Trip - Beauvoir Town
Profile - Highbury Barn
Devotion - Essex Road
Jolene - Essex Road
Jerry’s - Upper Street
Morr - Upper Street
Common Ground - Stroud Green Road
💻 Top 10 5 best coffee shops to work from 💻
With so many of us now working from home for at least some days of the week, having a change of scenery is crucial to keep yourself sane (or is it just me?). So having a good spot to work from that also serves decent coffee is a must.
Interestingly, of the 10 highest rated coffee shops to work from, only 5 of them scored a 6 or higher. There are maybe more good coffee shops to work from, they just either weren’t nominated to start with or didn’t get more than 3 reviews. So, if you have any other suggestions, please let me (and the community) know in the comments!
Morr - Upper Street
The Roasting Shed - Hornsey Road
Vagabond - Holloway Road
Rua - Holloway Road
Pophams - Prebend Street
I hope you got, just like me, some inspiration out of these lists! We are lucky to have so many good specialty coffee shops to choose from in the first place, so why not make it a mission to try them all? I would love to hear your verdict once you have 😃
I also really love Sourdough Sophia on Essex road. Great coffee and great pastries
Great write-up! Lots of places I didn’t know about, looking forward to trying them!