A local’s guide to the best bookshop cafes in London to work, study, or just have a cup of coffee with breakfast and a new book!
We’re meeting today to chat a bit about the best bookshop cafes in London where you can also stay a bit to work, study, or take a coffee while reading a newly-purchased book.
There are lots of amazing bookshop cafes to work in London and if you’ve been here before, then you know that I’m always on the lookout for the best places to study in London.
I’ve actually mentioned a few of those coffee shops in previous guides, as some, like Foyles Cafe, are some of the most inspiring bookshop cafes to study, get work done, or just read a good new book, really.
Or five, if you’re like me.
If you’re studying abroad for the first time and are looking for an affordable coworking space in London, then I think that it can’t get better than a bookshop that also doubles as a cafe.
There are lots of free places to work in London.
And if you love your libraries as much as I do, then you’d do well to check out my guide to the best free study spaces in London today.
In that one, you’ll find amazing spots there to really focus and make it happen.
You’ll learn lots here if you’re studying abroad and are looking for affordable coworking companies, cafes to work, and staples to shop to make your work life and personal life easier.
For now, I really want to touch base on the best bookshop cafes in London.
If you’re looking for a great coworking cafe in London, you’ll surely meet lots of freelancers and students working on their projects, essays, and articles,…
And you’ll feel at home with people working remotely in London!
London’s 12 Prettiest Bookshop Cafes Off the Beaten Path
Finding a good coworking cafe in London might seem easier than it actually is.
When you’re looking for the best places to study in London, the first coffee shops that come to mind are chain coffee shops.
I know that for a fact because I am a regular there, and have written quite a few guides to the best cafes in London to work.
For now, it is time to discover a way to do cheap coworking with the best bookshop cafes in London, including Waterstones, and Foyles…
I’ll even include some underdogs when it comes to finding a work cafe to focus, network, and feel like you have achieved something at the end of the day.
Best Bookshop Cafes in Central London
Bookshop Cafes in London: Stanfords
I first came across Stanfords as I was looking for a new coworking cafe in London – something I seem to do day in, day out, or so it seems.
If you want my two cents, Stanfords is way too underrated when it comes to choosing the best bookshop cafes in London.
For starters, it rose to fame as the largest travel and map bookshop in the world and has been open since 1901, which makes it over a century old.
There, you can find countless maps and compasses, and quite anything you’d need when you just want to be out and about in London and abroad.
And clearly, that’s one of the underdog study spaces in London, especially if you like quiet cafes.
And although it’s located right in Central London, almost on Covent Garden‘s doorstep, it is such a quiet place to work that I can’t believe not more people know about it.
The cafe is very chill and laidback, and really has that atmosphere that you can only feel in the best cafes for coworking in London.
Fresh, homemade cakes, great hot beverages, and some tables and chairs that will allow you to sit with your books, notebooks, and even your laptop when it’s not too busy and you feel like it.
If you’re ever looking for an affordable coworking space in London, you should definitely take a look at Stanfords Coffee House.
Not only will you have a great time working on building your career, but it’s also a dog friendly cafe in London, so you can even bring your pup if you’d like.
Read: The Best Cafes to Work in Manhattan NYC
Best Bookshop Cafes in London To Work: Dillons Cafe at Waterstones
Waterstones on Gower Street, in Central London, isn’t only one of the best bookshop cafes in London.
One look at the bookshop shows you just how much a jewel of architecture the whole building is, with turrets and its deep color.
And if you’re looking for the best bookshop cafes in London, you’ll find on the ground floor Dillons Cafe, which offers some really delicious fresh cakes, soups, and sandwiches.
One of the highlights of Dillons Cafe, anyway, is its coffee made from Union Coffee, one of the best coffee roasters in London.
You’ll find lots of students wandering around the Waterstones bookshop since it is located near UCL.
That’s why, when you visit, you might find students and freelancers working on their laptops, reading their notes, and buying new and used books from the Waterstones before sitting down at Dillons Cafe.
A perfect bookshop cafe to study, work, and chill if you’re free that day.
Read: The Best 24 Hour Places to Study in London
Best Bookshop Cafes To Work in London: Foyles Cafe
If you’re looking for the perfect coworking cafe in London, the Foyles Cafe on Charing Cross Road is one of my very favorites in Central.
Even if I used to live in North Finchley and it took me ages to reach any good cafe to work in Central London, I’d still travel all the way to Tottenham Court Road any day.
Why?
Because I know how much even an affordable coworking space in London costs.
I know that what I want, especially on days when I wake up and don’t feel like working at all, is to see people work close to me.
I have written about the best coworking cafes in North London for freelancers and students, though, if you want to check it out.
If you’re a freelancer or studying abroad in London, then you probably know what I mean.
Some of you might even have just moved to London and are living life in a hostel at the moment.
And when you don’t feel too good or don’t feel really at home, then this is one of the bookshop cafes in London where you’ll be able to study without being interrupted.
However, keep in mind to follow my daily safety tips for people working from home, so your mental health remains spick-and-span.
The coffee is great, and since Foyles on Charing Cross Road is one of the biggest bookshops in London, you might even be tempted to treat yourself to a new book after.
That’s the deal, though.
Whenever I come just to work because it’s one of the best bookshop cafes ever established, I just want to check the racks upon racks of new, shiny books.
The good thing is, there are lots of second hand and used bookshops in London, and two of them are located quite close to the Foyles Cafe.
Good, cheap coworking in London – and the pastries at Foyles are to die for.
Read: The Best Cafes to Work in Brooklyn NYC
Best Book Cafes in London: London Review Bookshop
The London Review Bookshop is one of the best bookshop cafes in London if what you like is that old-school vibe to London bookshops.
And to be fair, it is one of the best cafes for coworking in London as well. Why?
Because in addition to offering several thousands of books on neat shelves, the London Review Bookshop also has a cake shop.
There, you can sit down with a generous slice of cake and start this new book you’ve been dying to read.
Or, you can come in with your laptop and start typing away as the atmosphere of the bookshop gets you more motivated and inspired as the minutes pass.
What I look for in any of the best bookshop cafes in London – or anywhere else in the world, for that matter – is that there be a vibe to the coffee shop .
I want it to be a quiet study place, I want people around me to feel comfortable enough to work and study, read, or write plans and schedules on their beautiful branded notebooks.
Even if I don’t know these people.
Since 2003, the London Review Bookshop has been an institution on the London bookshop scene.
They are tucked away in a corner of London, and the cake shop clearly is one of the most delicious-looking window shops you’ll come across.
If you’re a book lover, then that’s a destination you won’t want to miss.
Not only can you bring your notebooks there to write for a while, but the collection of books they have is extensive.
If you’re a student and need to get a few politics, history, or philosophy books for your course, they’ll most surely have the title you’re looking for.
I don’t know how interested you are in museums, but one of my personal favorite museums in London is the British Museum.
And since it’s located just a stone’s throw away from the London Review Bookshop, I’d definitely recommend you to book a free ticket.
You know, just to roam the amazing Greek and Egyptian exhibitions once you’re done working productively.
Try the homemade cakes with a good cup of caffè latte – who knew bookshop cafes could make pastries that delicious?
Best Bookshop Cafes To Work in London: Waterstones Trafalgar Square
Waterstones in Trafalgar Square probably has the best coworking cafe in London.
Many, many times, as I was looking for bookshop cafes to write articles, I would end up there.
Some of my friends elected the Waterstones cafe as their favorite in London, and I can only agree – this is one of the very best study spaces in London.
First of all, there are lots of tables and even some corner tables with cushioned seats.
Then, it is one of the really quiet cafes in London.
There are lots of tourists that do visit the Waterstones cafe, but they are always quiet families and you really are able to focus here.
Waterstones has another coworking cafe in London, on the upper floor of their Piccadilly branch.
I have visited both and have been able to work in both, but I’d still say that if you’re looking for quiet places to study in London, the Trafalgar Square Waterstones seems more hospitable than the one in Piccadilly.
If you’d like to buy some new things like books, however, Waterstones Piccadilly is the biggest in Europe, so you’re definitely going to find what you’re looking for.
With power outlets and free WiFi, Waterstones Trafalgar Square sits, in my eyes, at the top of the list of the best bookshop cafes to work in London, period.
Do try their pastries, sandwiches, and coffee – Waterstones really has some nice products and it’s always exquisite to be able to study while you’re nibbling on something.
Read: The best Cat Cafes in London & Pet Friendly Cafes
Best Bookshop Cafes in East London
Bookshop Cafes in London: Paper and Cup Shoreditch
If you’re looking for a charity cafe in London, then Paper and Cup in Shoreditch will have your back.
I am especially attracted to all kinds of bookshop cafes, but I also love paying a little visit to charity shops in London.
There’s something human and attractive to the atmosphere charity shops have in the UK, very different from France and Italy, where I’ve lived for several years.
Paper and Cup was established by the Spitalfields Crypt Trust, one of the most famous charities in the UK.
That means that this is one of the bookshop cafes in London where you will be able to get the best second hand books.
All the while sipping a good hot beverage.
I’ve already mentioned Paper and Cup in my guide to the best cafes to work in Shoreditch in East London.
Once again, I’m mentioning its especially human vibe.
It’s like a small study cafe, where you can come with your laptop and books, and just spend some time working on your projects.
Since Paper and Cup Shoreditch is part of a charity, not only are the books cheap but the delicious pastries and coffees are as well.
If you’re studying abroad in London and have been looking for an affordable coworking cafe in East London, Paper and Cup is exactly where you need to be.
Read: The Best Markets in Shoreditch
Best Bookshop Cafes To Work in London: Vanilla Black Coffee and Books
Ah, Vanilla Black Coffee and Books – how again is this one of the least-known bookshop cafes in London?
I’ve never seen a local cafe with a bookshop so quiet and lively at the same time.
The best part is, most probably, the presence of shelves surrounding the wooden floors and cute tables.
For some reason, this is the coworking cafe in London that reminds me of most of American-style coffee shops, the kind you only see in movies.
Vanilla Black is one of the best places to study in London because it seems like most people visiting and working there are locals.
No tourists – or almost none, an old-school coffee shop atmosphere with coffee machine sounds to cradle you to work.
No second-hand books there, but lots of amazing titles.
The main attraction to Vanilla Black Coffee and Books is that it’s one of the most organic bookshop cafes to work in London.
The inside is clean and pure, and the healthy food you can treat yourself to clearly follows the same vibe.
There, you’ll not only find the perfect coworking cafe in London, but also delicious breakfast treats such as eggs, toasties, smoothies, banana bread, and more amazing pastries and savories.
Kennington is not an area I usually visit, but for Vanilla Black Coffee and Books, where you can sit down, read, and write for a while, I’d go back over and over again.
Read: The Best Cafes to Work in Midtown NYC
Bookshop Cafes in London: The Common Press
If you’re looking for cafes to work in East London, I’ve written a full guide to these, including Costa Coffee and one of my favorites, Fcukoffee on Bethnal Green Road.
And you’ve got something a bit different with The Common Press, the coffee shop located at Glass House London near Brick Lane, and the delicious bagels at the historical institution Beigel Bake.
One of the best bookshop cafes in London to work, study, or just chill, really, The Common Press is an all-inclusive bookshop that features reads from minorities, marginalized and queer cultures.
It opens pretty late during the day, from 10 am until roughly 6 or 7 pm according to the day.
Of course, Shoreditch being Shoreditch, you will find some great vegan options there, starting with their amazing oat latte.
The Common Press opened in the summer of 2021, and its main power is inclusivity.
It’s always been important to me to support businesses that put humanity first.
That also means that the books sold there include authors from all backgrounds; queer, Black, and even authors that you might never have heard of.
It’s really perfect if you’re always on the lookout for the best and most affordable coworking cafe in London.
At the end of the road, are some of the most exciting shops in London:
- the Bethnal Green charity shops
- and Quarantacinque, a perfect Italian coffee shop that serves the most delicious Italian pastries around.
Although you won’t find a lot of power outlets at the Common Press, the atmosphere at this quaint bookshop cafe is still oh-so-inspiring.
There, you can type on your keyboard for some time while sipping a hot beverage or a freshly-squeezed juice.
Best Bookshop Cafes in North London
Best Bookshop Cafes in London To Work: Cafe Z Bar
Cafe Z Bar is probably one of the most underrated bookshop cafes in London, especially if you’re not hanging around Stoke Newington that much.
Yet, Stoke Newington being one of the trendiest areas in London (what with Stoke Newington Church Street being filled with some of the coolest charity shops in London and other cafes), a visit to Cafe Z Bar would be perfect for any book lover in search of the best book cafes in London.
At Cafe Z Bar, designed for creatives and freelancers looking to chill while browsing the books and magazines tastefully scattered throughout the coffee shop, you’ll be able to work for a bit or study your notes on the cute little terrace.
There are not a lot of power outlets, but enough to work on your laptop, especially if you come early in the morning.
In addition, since Cafe Z Bar is indeed one of the best bookshop cafes in London, you can expect a great menu for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and snacks to keep you going throughout the day.
We’ve got fresh juices and delicious coffee, Full English breakfast, and even a vegetarian breakfast on offer – all you need to keep full while studying.
Read: The Most Colorful Streets in Camden Town
Best Bookshop Cafes To Work in London: Quaker Centre Bookshop and Seed Cafe
I used to work around Euston Station, not too far from King’s Cross, and there, you have one of the other most underrated bookshop cafes in London.
Remember, around Euston, you have one of the best quiet places to study in London – the Wellcome Collection.
It is not only a free museum amongst the most interesting but also has a greatly decorated reading room inside the building.
And then, just a few minutes away, you have the Quaker Centre, which also has a great coffee shop inside.
Like The Common Press, the Quaker Centre is big on social matters, from sustainability to feminism, religion, and many other topics that are of the utmost importance for today and tomorrow.
Once you’re done browsing the countless books at the Quaker Centre bookshop, you can visit the coffee shop to start your new read.
The Seed Café at the Quaker Centre follows the inclusivity line of the best bookshop cafes in London.
Whether you’re vegan or on a gluten-free diet, you will definitely find some delicious sandwiches and cakes there.
This is the best coworking cafe in London if you’re studying social matters, and the coffee served comes from Redemption Coffee Roasters, one of the best coffee roasters in London.
Read here my review of Redemption Roasters, Islington, to discover its secret basement, its atmosphere, and my thoughts about the coffee and cake.
Best Bookshop Cafes in West London
Bookshop Cafes in London: Books for Cooks
I’m not that much into cooking, to be honest, I think you understood quite well when I wrote my first guide about easy tips for meal prepping.
But if you are interested in all types of cuisine and looking for great study space in London, then Books for Cooks should catch your attention.
It is a medium-sized bookshop that holds titles for every type of cuisine, from recipes to cooking techniques.
Really a paradise on Earth for those apron lovers who just want to try out some new recipes outside of their comfort zone.
Among all the bookshop cafes in London, Books for Cooks is one of the most famous cooking bookstores in the city.
It’s located in the Notting Hill area, off Portobello Road, and its decoration inside will remind you of the colorful houses so specific to West London.
Of course, the coffee shop inside is perfect for you if you’d like to rest with a newly purchased cookbook.
Books for Cooks is the only one of the bookshop cafes in London so centered around food, and you can only expect the pastries and coffee to be top-notch.
If you’re looking for a lively coworking cafe in London, that’s definitely one of the study places I can recommend to you.
Read: The Best Hidden Gems in London
Best Bookshop Cafes in South London
Best Bookshop Cafes in London To Work: Stir Coffee
Stir Coffee isn’t only one of the best cafes in Brixton to chill.
If you’re feeling worky, you’ll find in these walls one of the best bookshop cafes in London to work.
Lots of large tables, power outlets, and free WiFi in this South London coffee shop decorated with bookshelves, plants, and an utterly cute interior.
On the menu, you’ll find anything from large cups of latte to keep you going as you’re typing on your PC, to fresh pastries and delicious burgers for lunch.
Stir Coffee is probably one of the best cafes to work in Brixton, perfect if you’re a student looking to cram those midterms.
Hence why you will find a few people working at Stir Coffee at every hour of the day, except at the end of the afternoon, when Stir Coffee becomes a haven for peeps catching up after work.
Read: The Best Cafes to Work in Brooklyn NYC
London’s 12 Prettiest Bookshop Cafes Off the Beaten Path
There you have them, the best bookshop cafes in London to work, study, and just relax at times.
A lot of those I visit on a very regular basis when I’m not working at a Pret cafe, a Starbucks, or a Caffè Nero.
Sometimes, when you’re looking for a coworking cafe in London, all you really want is to feel people nearby hustling to the same level you have to hustle yourself to make it happen.
There might seem to be no real such thing as a free coworking space in London (although I have found some).
But being able to visit bookshop cafes on a regular basis will definitely help you focus more, better, and for longer.
If you’d like to know my actual favorites, I’d say I’m best focused when I work in quiet cafes in London such as Waterstones and Foyles cafes.
For some reason, those are really chill places to study, and I always feel very motivated there, even if I woke up on the wrong foot.