A local’s review of Elan Cafe on Wardour Street, Soho – a cute pink coffee shop with pink brownies, croissants, colorful lattes and beautiful brunch plates!
Elan Cafe is such a famous name amongst London’s instagrammable cafes that it feels like everyone has passed by a branch at least once.
There are lots of super cute coffee shops in London filled with neons, floral decor, and selfie-ready mirrors.
But the self-acclaimed ‘most instagrammable cafe in the world’, which also has branches in the likes of Dubai, Elan Cafe, is indeed what it claims to be.
From the first time I moved to London back in 2019, I kept hearing, reading, or seeing Elan Cafe mentioned here and there, as well as online on blogs and Pinterest.
Later on, I’d try the Elan Cafe in Knightsbridge, which faces the department store Harrods, but the first ever cafe I visited was the one in the Soho area, on Wardour Street.
London’s Elan Cafe, The Pinkest Coffee Shop in Soho Review
I love coming across instagrammable cafes in London as much as the next person.
To be honest, though, after my somewhat disappointing visit to Ore Cafe Brompton, I am rather wary of cashing out almost £20 on a slice of cake and a picture-ready cup of latte.
A few days ago, I finally took the jump, and visited the Elan London branch in Soho, on Wardour Street, so here’s my full Elan Cafe review 🙂
Instagrammable Cafes in London: Elan London Exterior & Entrance
This first image says it all – if you’re looking for the most instagrammable cafes in London, Elan Cafe in Soho definitely is made for you.
With picture-perfect backgrounds wherever you look, Elan London has put the time and the means into creating one of the most beautiful pink cafes in London.
From the outside, Elan London is not that beautiful, to be honest, it feels a little faded.
The facade of the coffee shop could do with a slightly brighter color, but if you’re looking for pink cafes in London, it is already pretty enough compared to all the other cafes in Soho.
Anyway, what we want when visiting such cafes are unique decor, tasty colorful lattes and colorful cakes – and that’s what you’ll find when you pass the threshold!
Instagrammable Cafes in London: Elan London Interior
As soon as you actually enter Elan Cafe, you’ll understand straight away why it is deemed one of the most instagrammable cafes in London by bloggers, instagrammers, influencers, and the brand itself.
That is one of the most beautiful pink cafes I’ve ever seen, and you can see that every single detail has been carefully curated.
From the neons to the all-pink chairs, and even the completely pink toilets, Elan London has gone big on their Soho branch.
Read: The Best Cupcakes in London
Instagrammable Cafes in London: Elan London Menu
What I appreciated greatly, and thought I would share in my Elan Cafe review, is the fact that when you download the Elan app, you can order straight away to your table.
Yes, lots of coffee shops and restaurants in London do that now, especially after the pandemic, but hear me out.
When you order for the first time and sign up to the Elan app, you get 50 loyalty points straight away – that means a generous £5 discount on your order.
When you get a coffee and a cake, £5 off at Elan Cafe really is useful and appreciated.
Read: The Best Vegan Bakeries in London
Elan Cafe Menu
The Elan Cafe menu is as lively as the coffee shop is pink. You’ll find lots of instagrammable bits and bobs there, and the dishes that have caught my attention are as follows:
- Red velvet latte
- Blue sapphire latte
- Lucky latte
- French toast
- Vanilla and raspberry macaron
- Pink brownie
Instagrammable Cafes in London: What I Ordered at Elan London
Even with just a vanilla and raspberry macaron and a red velvet latte, had I not had the Elan app, I would have paid something like £16.
Quite pricey for a mid-afternoon snack, but I guess that’s what you pay in the most instagrammable cafes in London – even more so when they’re pink and cute.
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Elan Cafe Review: Raspberry Vanilla Macaron
I said it in my reviews to Belle Epoque Patisserie and Ore Cafe Brompton – I am a tough act when it comes to macarons.
I am French, and I have been eating macarons since a very tender age, as they’re available in so many French bakeries back home.
I’m going to be honest; I did not expect the Elan London Vanilla and Raspberry Macaron to be good.
I was disappointed with the Ore Cafe macaron, and since it’s the same kind of instagrammable coffee shop, you know.
Wrong.
I do usually purchase pink macarons with a blend of rose, lychee, and raspberry – the commonly called Ispahan macaron.
Although the Elan London macaron had the same kind of look, it couldn’t have tasted further from the usual Ispahan macaron I cherish so much.
The cream was perfectly sweet, and the raspberries gave a slightly tangy flavor to what would have been an otherwise too-sweet macaron.
The macaron shell was perfectly baked, brittle yet chewy – exactly what it’s supposed to be. At £8 a pop, though, it is a once-in-a-long-while treat.
Read: The Best Cafes for Chai Latte in London
Elan Cafe Review: Red Velvet Latte
The Elan London Red Velvet Latte was a bit more of a letdown.
As soon as it arrived at my table, I thought it was one of the most beautiful drinks I had ever seen in a London cafe.
With whipped cream on top, beetroot powder, chocolate chips, and candy finishing the Red Velvet Latte, it does indeed belong to the scenery of Instagram cafes in London.
£7.50, that’s the retail price. I thought the whipped cream was sheer; I like thick whipped cream on top of my coffee, and this was just not it.
The pink beetroot latte in the middle was stunning, really, really good.
You have to know that there’s no coffee in the Red Velvet Latte, and it revolves around beetroot powder for the color and chocolate for the red velvet base.
The little chocolate chips or pearls were also of amazing quality – when eaten on their own.
But then I made the mistake of twirling all the parts together, as you would when you get a coffee in a cafe.
And my Red Velvet Latte became the sweetest mixture of sugar and more sugar that I have ever tasted.
After I mixed all the parts together, I couldn’t drink it anymore and left more than half of my Red Velvet Latte when I left.
Most instagrammable cafes in London or not, at £7.50 for a glass of hot chocolate, I have to admit I’d have liked to be able to finish my Red Velvet Latte.
Read: The Best Vintage Cafes in London
London’s Elan Cafe, The Pinkest Coffee Shop in Soho Review
All in all, if you’re looking for the most instagrammable cafes in London, Elan Cafe definitely is one of the pink cafes filled with neons you have to visit.
To be fair, with so much buzz around the pink cafe’s menu and vibe, I did not expect what I ordered to be actually good.
Next time, however, I’ll probably get another cake, and a classic coffee to avoid the overly sweet drinks like the Red Velvet Latte, Lucky Latte, etc.
The vanilla and raspberry macaron, though, definitely has a spot in my heart now.
I would definitely go back to Elan London, especially the Wardour Street branch in Soho, as I feel that is one of the pink cafes in London that matches my vibe the most.
However, if you’re more of a flower kind of person, there are other Elan cafes in London that are made for you – like Elan on Hans Crescent in Knightsbridge.
I actually do appreciate that all the Elan in London are slightly different, but I’m crazy about neons and bright lights, and for sure, the Soho Elan Cafe is one of the ultimately most instagrammable cafes in London.