The 9 best museum cafés in London, according to the Guardian

Travelling back through centuries and centuries of humanity or gazing at some of the greatest artworks of all time is hungry work. So, naturally, cafés and tearooms are an essential part of any good museum. What better than a gooey brownie next door to mega old dinosaur bones, a hearty soup amid monuments of antiquity, or a warm pastry in the company of world-famous paintings?

The best museum eateries have both style and substance. They can be whole exhibits in themselves and serve food that’s actually good. This week, the Guardian shared its selection of what its writers believe are the 50 finest cafés that UK museums have to offer. Nine here in London made the list, so let’s get into it. 

First up is the OG of museum cafés: the grand eateries at the Victoria and Albert Museum. In 1868, the V&A became the first museum in the world to add an eatery alongside its exhibits. There’s the palatial Victorian Gamble Room inside, decked out with stained glass windows and huge columns covered in intricate ceramic tiles. There’s also the Morris Room, designed by a young William Morris and the Poynter Room to the east. When the weather’s good there’s the Garden Café surrounded by hydrangea. 

Its sister venue won praise for its coffee shop, too. The Town Square Café at the Young V&A, run by Benugo, made the list for its simple food offering, plenty of table space and for encouraging visitors to bring their own food, which they can heat up in the cafe microwave. 

The Garden Café at the Garden Museum in Lambeth got a mention for its gorgeous setting and rotating seasonal menu. It’s built over a church graveyard, with tombstones still dotted around the place and, as you’d expect from a museum all about gardens, is a leafy ‘urban oasis.’

South London Louie at the South London Gallery was picked for its ‘winning formula of punchy Redemption Roasters coffee (who retrain prisoners at their roastery in HMP The Mount), a predominantly veggie-friendly menu of soups, salads and toasties (from £7.50), and community-centric good vibes’ and Corner, the cafe slash late-night bar at the Tate Modern, made the cut for being a ‘cool, forward-thinking spot that’s a destination in its own right’. 

The other caffs to make the cut were Crispin at the not-for-profit Studio Voltaire, the Wallace Collection restaurant, Caffé Estorick at the Estorick Collection in Highbury and Islington and the Art Café at the Courtauld Gallery. 

London’s best museum cafés, according to the Guardian 

• V&A cafés
• Garden Café, Garden Museum
• South London Louie, South London Gallery 
• Corner, Tate Modern
• Art Café, the Courtauld Gallery
• Caffé Estorick, Estorick Collection
• The Wallace Collection restaurant 
• Crispin at Studio Voltaire
• The Town Square Café, Young V&A

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