We have yet to visit Allpress when it hasn’t been crowded. This winning corner spot – tables and counter at one end of a light-filled room, the coffee roaster at the other – is a solid fixture in Shoreditch’s increasingly well-populated catering scene. Allpress is for all sorts: local business or gallery people, families with young children, residents relaxing with the newspapers. Many come just for takeaways, and there’s often a queue (which can sometimes lead to a wait for a table).
The coffee is terrific, whether filter or espresso-based. Happily, you don’t need to fear ordering a plain espresso here; avoiding the extremes of long roasting time leaves the beans with flavours of berries and dark chocolate. Filter brews from a changing roster of beans are well made and well suited to more leisurely sipping. Food is a strong point. Baked goods are wonderful, and sandwiches more innovative than those at many comparable places. Allpress has it all.
Time Out Editors: Allpress opened a second London branch in summer 2015. Read our review of its Dalston Roastery & Café here.