I know about Monocle as a fashionable magazine from my time in Japan. I didn’t know that they had made the jump to serving beverages too. Maybe this is an idea for me although my current career and drink don’t really mix, except to dull the pain…. Indeed the staff looked to be exclusively all Japanese and cheerful in that typical smiling way of Japan. Although I know that a favoured pastime seems to be bemoaning the advance of automation taking our jobs, in many coffee shops I think a computer taking your order would actually have more emotion. So Monocole makes a nice change from the usual robotic London service which implicitly asks you to move along quickly.
The Monocle Café is a chic small café nested in Marylebone opposite Chiltern Firehouse by the printed magazine with the same name Monocle. It offers great coffee and food with a Japanese flair, along with Swedish pastries and cakes from Lanka. Seating for the café is limited so if you want to sit in to eat you need to get there early.
A combo of posh cafe and Offering of Japanese cuisine! Was there originally for their coffee by word of mouth and ended up going there for their unique Japanese offering - their full Japanese breakfast!
I found their double espresso a bit too bitter leaving an unpleasant aftertaste in the morning, perhaps a but too strong for me. But I did discover that they offer Japanese breakfast and it fills my stomach quite well with their tuna rice sandwich! It was nom nom nom!
Recommend to anyone who is after great Monocle experience in the middle of their busy lives! Great decor!!
Such a great place to chill whether you are wandering solo or with company. It was a great mash up of scandinavian and japanese, it worked as they both embodies the minimalistic vibe. The hot chocolate was amazing, generous portion as well. I ordered the prawn katsu sandwich and kt was soooo tasty. The salt and vinegar crisps on the side were the perfect accompaniment as it added extra flavour to the dish.
The toast was a bit hard/ chewy but the avacado/ halloumi/ egg serving were pretty generous for one person! Also their hot chocolate is amazing. A tiny quaint cafe perfect for some peace and quite.
Absolutely love the coffee here. If I'm anywhere close to this part of town, I'll take a 10 minute walk to be able to pick up a coffee from the Monocle Cafe.
Thanks to Dan for introducing me to this gem of a place.
They have a good sized food menu too, but so far I've only stopped here for the coffee (hot and iced).
There are a couple of tables out front on the pavement and since this road area low traffic volumes, it's a great place to sit in good weather.
There are some comfy tables indoors too. It's a small space, but sufficient. Plus they have a tiny bar space opposite the serving counter.
The staff are always super friendly and helpful and I always leave with a smile on my face.
They have recently started a loyalty card where every 6th coffee is free.
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My friend and I discovered this coffee shop when we did our version of food walking tour of Marylebone and it became an instant favourite that we went back the following day.
First, I liked the location. It is in a quiet part of the city center. You can hit the shops along Oxford Street and walk here after for some refuge. It is a nice hangout place with a friendly crew. The outlet is small but the space was maximised. I saw the influence of Japanese style in the interiors as well as on the food on offer.
My friend loved the coffee here. She tried both the cappuccino and espresso. She also tried green tea macaron and she was so impressed that she got a few to take home. There was clearly a heavy influence of green tea here as it is prominent in both drinks and desserts. We said we will give those, as well as some of their main dishes, on our next trip in town. I've had the home made iced tea since I don't normally have hot beverages. It was served nice and cold, without ice so as not to dilute the flavour. The sour flavour made it even more refreshing and I liked that is was not the sweet type. I also had the chocolate chip cookie which I thought was good but not that exceptional.
Price-wise, I think the hot beverages are comparable with other cafés but I felt the iced tea was more on the expensive side because of the relatively small serving portion.
I love The Japanese style ambiance at Monocle, what I don't love is that it is pricier than most coffee shops. The breakfasts are average and the Macha Latte wasn't made well, the macha wasn't perhaps not whisked well, and there were too many lumps in the bottom of my cup. The seating downstairs is excellent and the service is friendly.
Lovely brunch at Monocle cafe! The matcha latte and green tea azuki bean bread pudding were the winners! 💚 the halloumi and avocado on toast was good but nothing exceptional - would definitely recommend going straight for the dessert section instead! 😜
Though being relatively pricey as a coffee shop, they do have the best cinnamon buns ever! The coffee shop is very Japanese style and full of designs as it is from a design magazine. It really is worth a try.
Not many people know off Monocle magazine. However after working for amagzine I know exactly what Monocle magazine is. When I found out there is a Monocle Café in London, i couldn’t wait to pay my visit. I was wondering if it has anything to do with the magazine itself. Without doubt this is Monocle magazine’s first concept store in Europe (there is one in Japan), opened by the publisher and entrepreneur, Tyler Brûlé.
In April 2013, Monocle – widely known as the magazine that brings you a “briefing on global affairs, business, culture and design” opened up their first café in Chiltern Street, London. I visited this place with my friend Tim late last year, and am transferring my journal notes to this blog post now.
Aligning with Monocle’s good design approach, the café was designed by the magazine’s senior designer Yoshi Takagi. You can buy magazines alongside your coffee, or you can pop around the corner and visit the Monocle store on 2A George Street, London.
It serves Allpress coffee, and new to the menu since I visited, filter brew (Moccamaster). I found this café “cheap” for London standards, and we both got the Japanese breakfast (tofu, pickled cucumber, salad, tuna musubi, miso soup and tamagoyaki) for 8 quid each. We got there quite “early” – 9:30am on a Saturday and by the time we had ordered breakfast and white coffees, the café was bustling with visitors and locals.
I came here a few times just for the Matcha hot chocolate, something that became a bit of an Instagram frenzy earlier this year, hot chocolate simply topped up with matcha cream…simple, but so easily satisfying. These desserts are produced by Lanka, a cafe which I have yet to visit, but the Monocle also does macarons and chocolate tarts, not everything is about green tea! I believe the shrimp katsu sandwich is made to be more of a snack than a meal. (I did share this with Grace – so another reason for me not to be full)
This place has been on my list of 'great coffee shops to visit' for quite a while now. And I eventually made it. Quiet Sunday morning but I've been awake hours so I just had a chocolate chip cookie (yes, for breakfast!) and an Americano. The shop is gorgeous, and Monocle-ised in a very tasteful way with the current and previous magazine issues to browse, their gorgeous retail products and their own radio channel on in the background. You're certainly removed from the hustle and bustle of London. I'll definitely return to try lunch sometime.
Ellen Ehrhardt Smith
+4.5
...on my 24th birthday, I went to The Monocle Cafe and stepped into what I felt was a physical representation of the magazine. I was so happy to be there! We started with coffee...
I'm a subscriber to Monocle magazine, and always read it when I’m travelling. True, it can be pretentious at times but on the whole I love its inspiring stories and interesting articles. I’ve been wanting to check out the Monocle Cafe since I first heard about it a few years back and must say that I was impressed.
Coffee is procured from East London Kiwi outfit Allpress, served with Japanese inspired crockery and trays (for sale, naturally), and is thoroughly Antipodean in execution. Which is to say excellent.
Carmo Freire D'Andrade
+3.5
The concept of magazine+hot drink 6£ it's great and inviting. They have a little living room with different magazine issues that you can read if you don't bring your computer. The menu is short but attractive, they mix traditional dishes with oriental flavours. It's a good place to have a coffee but not that good for a meal, because the only place to eat properly seated is downstairs next yo the kitchen. Cozy but badly illuminated and conditioned. I only hade the grilled cheese toast, and it's great!
Hidden gem in London. Trendy, cosy, clean & hygienic with awesome coffee and snacks! A bit of Japan and Nordic trends blended together in London.
I loved this place so much! I had the cardamon bun and it was so delicious and fresh! Such a small cute cafe so it will be hard to get a seat when busy but it’s definitely worth the visited
Cardamon bun was £4.20
It’s been many years since my first time visited this place. I’m glad the quality is as good as in my memory. I ordered flat white and a vanilla bun. The coffee is perfect with pretty latte art, the bun is nice, but too sweet for me. I think I would prefer to have the cinnamon or cardamom bun next time, or try their cakes. The staffs are friendly, also love the music and decorations in this little cafe. Highly recommend to visit here if you visit London.
A specialty coffee shop will never stick to the familiar coffee, but will provide more specialties and choices! Be sure to try Cortado or Plccolo. They are all very fragrant and rich. There are two floors and plenty of space. Tables are big and comfortable. This is a treasure coffee shop in London!
I was told this cafe was good.
I accidentally went to the book shop, but the polite staff pointed me down the road.
Quite narrow as you enter but those staff are on the ball and served me with good timing and curiosity.
The cinnamon buns are amazing and reminded me of my Swedish fika days.
I waited at the back and the kind lady brought me my items as the cafe was now extremely busy.
£7 for an americano with oat milk and bun, extremely reasonable considering it was like being back in Sweden.
Recommended and tucked away nicely.
This cafe has a 4.4 star review but it definitely deserves more. It has everything. Great service, creamy foamy coffee, and delicious pastries. It’s the perfect cafe to sit at rain or shine. I will definitely become a regular here 😝.
My favorite cafe in London. Super cute and cozy.. you meet so many people from different parts of the world and the coffee is really good too. I have the matcha once in a while but typically go for an americano - either iced or hot!
I visited here twice. I love coffee and interior design👍🏻 I got cheese cake before and it was amazing! Definitely, this place is one of my favorate cafes in London. Highly recommend.
I try the cardamom bun and cinnamon bun, personally recommend the cardamom bun. The cardamom aroma is quite elegant and the bun is moist, not too sweet, and good. A cinnamon bun is less cinnamon aroma and is a bit drier than a cardamom one.
As for the latte is okay but not the best.
The pro is the atmosphere is cosy, but the con is there is no wifi to use so it’s not convenient if you want to use a laptop here.
It is a lovely little cafe in Marylebone, absolutely one of my favourites to go to. The cost area with all the monocle books is my favourite to just sit there, drink/eat something and read.
Literally, a hidden gem in london. It's amazing place with speciality coffee and pastries, it's really a lovely place.
The wooden interior makes the place very cozy and welcoming.. and well crafted 👍
It's very japanese feeling when you enter, you can sense it, it has upper seating, downstair seating, and outside seating. All are nice, the downstair seating is warmer and a bit darker, i prefer natural sunlight areas.
The staff is nice, the food and coffee is the best, speciality coffee is really a signature..
I enjoyed my time there, reading a book while having a nice warm coffee in a corner with such a beautiful window view toward the garden, can't ask for me, it's just perfect.
highly recommended!
This is one of my favorite coffee shops in London. Coffee is definitely the best I had while visiting the city. And the buns? Amazing. I was in London for five days and came here twice. Also the girls that work here are the sweetest. Can't wait to be back!
I had a bun and green oolong tea. No regret! The tea was AMAZING and I got hot water three times! The bun was also really good and simple.
I saw many reviews saying it's a small place, I went here on Tuesday 2:30pm so it wasn't so busy. But I might avoid to come during the weekend or busy time.
The place was super cute and had a good vibe, and even the toilet! Even though the toilet was very small, it was warm- they had a bidet- and I was so satisfied with this kind of details.
Great coffee and cake! The decorations are consistent and featured. Space is small but comfort.
This is my favourite coffee spot in London. It’s on the most peaceful and beautiful street (in Marleybone), and the coffee is amazing. I love coming here on a early Sunday or Saturday morning, ordering a latte and pastry, and enjoying it at one of the tables outside.
Exquisite coffee, crafted by skilled baristas who really care. Super friendly staff, with a great team atmosphere. Breakfast pots are so nice and also the lunchtime sandwiches (beetroot or salmon are faves). Love, love Monocle.
Excellent cafe with lovely seating and great coffee.
The cafe is very small, but with some downstairs seating. There is a smaller room with couches in, great for bigger groups. There are a few outdoor seats.
The cafe is very chilled inside.
Very trendy Japanese style cafe. Seating upstairs and downstairs (downstairs is warmer) the pastries are really nice. Only downside is, their bagels are kept cold, would have been nice if they were warm. And there's not much to choose (food wise) on the menu. I had saw on Google a dish I wanted to try, but the photo was taken a few years ago, but I hadn't realised😔, so I couldn't get it.
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