A local’s guide to the best vintage cafes in London and retro tea shops to have breakfast, afternoon tea, or cozy up with a hot beverage and a homemade pastry!
Nostalgia follows me into every city I visit; London’s historical sites are those I visit the most, and that unending love for the past decided me, years ago, to live in Rome half of the year.
Today’s guide is all about the best vintage cafes in London, retro coffee shops and a couple of tea shops whose decor, atmosphere, and overall feel are anchored in the past.
From Soho to Kensington, you’ll find here some of the most beautiful and oldest cafes in London: take note!
London’s 11 Prettiest Vintage Cafes with Perfect Retro Vibes
It’s more than just coffee, tea and pastries you’ll find in these cafes and tea shops.
Nope – it’s a complete journey through time, surrounded by flower-clad tea cups and other still-greasy wooden tables.
Some of these cafes you might have noticed in other posts I’ve written here, like Bar Italia, since in addition to being one of the historic cafes of Soho, it’s also one of the best Italian cafes the city offers.
Spending the fall in London, or maybe a few days in the winter, means you’ll want to cozy up, maybe bring a good book with you or a friend, and feel the authentic charm of the old in one of these retro cafes – enjoy!
Best Vintage Cafes in London: Aladdin’s, Hornsey
Located close to Elthorne Park in Hornsey, North London, Aladdin’s is a second hand and vintage furniture shop that also houses a few well-lived armchairs and decorative tables.
This is the kind of coffee shop – and shop – you would really miss out on if you didn’t visit the village-like area of Hornsey, and that would be a shame.
Indeed, the food is super fresh from breakfast to lunch specials, and there are a couple of tables outside when the weather is nice.
With an antiques and vintage part at the back, Aladdin’s is probably one of the cutest places to visit for fresh, homemade cakes from vegan flapjacks to red velvet cake, delicious brownies and stunning lattes.
Read: The Best Food Spots in Borough Market
Best Vintage Cafes in London: English Rose Cafe, Victoria
Located a stone’s throw away from Buckingham Palace in the Victoria area, the English Rose Cafe is a family-run cafe and tea shop that operates on a walk-in basis only.
The cafe’s floral decor combined with breakfast muffins, croissants, pains au chocolat and, of course, Full English Breakfast, make this spot perfect to start the day.
In addition, if you’re looking for cute places to have a great afternoon tea, the latter is served from 12 pm, and includes terrific scones with clotted cream and jam.
We’re located close to some of Victoria’s must-visit places like Little Ben, and picturesque Eccleston Yards and St James’s Park are also situated just a few minutes’ walk away from this cute cafe.
Read: The Most Aesthetic Restaurants in London With Statues
Best Vintage Cafes in London: Scooter Caffe, Waterloo
Opened in 2000, Scooter Caffe on Lower Marsh near Waterloo Station looks, and feels, much older.
Tucked inside a vintage scooter repair shop, Scooter Caffe offers coffee and breakfast from 9 am every day, transforming into a lively party place from the afternoon.
Find your way between the thick wooden tables and mismatched vintage armchairs, take a peak at the retro decor and neon bits, and when you’re done, why not visit Southbank and London Bridge’s hidden gems?
Or, if you’d like to stay around Waterloo, make sure to visit The Cut, a long, village-like street that brings us to the picturesque and maritime Bermondsey Street!
Read: The Best Local Restaurants in London
Best Vintage Cafes in London: Big Moe’s Diner, Wembley
Big Moe’s Diner in Wembley is one of the branches to the most amazing American diner in London – there are few, and that’s my favorite.
Beyond a simple vintage coffee shop, it’s a full-on retro diner that cooks up some of the best halal breakfast in London, along with the creamiest milkshakes.
Needless to say, with Big Moe’s Diner, we’re here in one of the most instagrammable cafes (and restaurants) in town, with food and decor so mind blowing you’re bound to come back.
Read: The Cutest Pink Cafes in London
Best Vintage Cafes in London: Bar Italia, Soho
Not only are we in a vintage cafe with Bar Italia, but having a coffee and a cornetto here means you’re blending in with Soho’s history.
Indeed, since its opening in 1949, Bar Italia has been a popular meeting place for Italian immigrants, at the same time that Cafe Boheme or Maison Bertaux in the same area, were – and are still – attracting French expats.
Opened until 4 am every day, Bar Italia is a sure place to visit to get an Italian breakfast in Soho, with delicious filled cornetti and strong cups of espresso.
Read: The Best Cafes for Chai Latte in London
Best Vintage Cafes in London: Cafe Kick, Exmouth Market
Opened in 1997, Cafe Kick is tucked inside a not-so-famous London market, Exmouth Market, in the historic Clerkenwell neighborhood.
Miles away from the cuteness boasted by places like the English Rose Cafe, Cafe Kick is actually a sports bar decorated with World Cup flags, unassuming from the outside, with just a few tables on the terrace perfect to meet with friends.
Open from 12 pm to 12 am, Cafe Kick turns into a party spot at night, but not before it’s served tasty dishes from their ever-changing menu, with soup, oysters, pan con tomate and even vegan options to order from.
Read: The Best Bookshop Cafes in London
Best Vintage Cafes in London: Cafe Boheme, Soho
One of the places to have on your bucket list if you’d like to get a feel of Paris in London, Cafe Boheme, despite its eclectic, old school decor, first opened its door in 1992.
A delicious coffee shop in the morning, with Parisian-style round tables expanding all the way to the street, Cafe Boheme turns into a French brasserie from the afternoon.
It’s also one of the French restaurants that very much deserve a visit; juicy steaks, duck confit, and other French specialties are all on the menu.
We’re just a few steps away from Bar Italia, also located in the Soho neighborhood; why not visit one in the morning, and one in the afternoon for a little coffee pick-me-up?
Read: The Most Instagrammable Secret Cafes in London
Best Vintage Cafes in London: E Pellicci, Bethnal Green
Located in the bustling Bethnal Green area, right onto Bethnal Green Road, E Pellicci opened in 1900, making it one of the oldest vintage cafes in this guide today.
E Pellicci is also a Grade II-listed spot, a proper greasy spoon blending Italian and English recipes; in the morning, Full English Breakfast (vegetarian and vegan breakfast is available) and pancakes will fill up that belly nicely.
For lunch, various Italian dishes: penne with pesto, lasagne, cannelloni with affogato or tiramisu for dessert elbow, on the menu, other classic bites and quite affordable sandwiches and ciabatte.
Read: The Best Brunch in King’s Cross
Best Vintage Cafes in London: The Muffin Man, Kensington
The Muffin Man Tea Shop in Kensington is that place where time seems to have stopped – if the English breakfast is already amazing, it is far from being this tea shop’s highlight, at least in my opinion.
Located a few minutes’ away from Kensington High Street with its big TK Maxx and the dreamy Japan House Centre, this retro cafe also offers fresh cupcakes, lemon drizzle cake, and other creamy carrot cakes on the daily.
Opened in 1962, making it one of the oldest tea shops in London, the Muffin Man Tea Shop is always busy, catering to hen parties, birthdays and other celebrations: if you manage to get a nice seat, though, you’ll quickly understand why.
Read: Fitzrovia’s Hidden Gems: A Quirky Itinerary in London
Best Vintage Cafes in London: Cake Hole Cafe, Columbia Road
Hidden inside Vintage Heaven, a vintage shop on Columbia Road, East London, Cake Hole Cafe is one of the cutest places you could wish for in terms of really – really – retro cafes and tea shops.
Only open at weekends, Cake Hole Cafe, with its bouquets and vintage art-covered walls, is one of the girliest cafes in this guide, and a place you can book for events, from office parties to baby showers.
On the menu, you’ll find anything from coffee and walnut cakes to Victoria sponge, apple and blueberry and other carrot cakes – all fresh ‘n tasty.
Get a flat white, a latte or a traditional English tea to wash all this goodness down, or why not try one of Cake Hole Cafe’s Oddi teas, with papaya and berry, or elderflower and white tea before browsing the vintage shop’s selection?
Read: Dark Academia in London: A Secret London Itinerary
Best Vintage Cafes in London: Regency Cafe
Located a stone’s throw away from the English Rose Cafe in Victoria, the Regency Cafe is another one of the oldest – and most famous vintage cafes in London.
Opened in 1946, this Art Deco coffee shop is an authentic Full English breakfast place also offering a myriad of British specialties, like cheese and onion pasty, jacket potatoes, cornbeef egg and chips, and other chicken and mushroom pies.
If you’re looking for an affordable place to eat lunch and dinner too, Regency Cafe’s dishes, from chicken and chips to steak pie, don’t retail for more than 7/8 pounds each.
A great spot if you’re after new cheap eats to try in town, with lunchtime specials changing everyday: shepherds pie, fish and chips, braised steak… All kinds of British goodness.
Read: A Quirky Bookish Itinerary in London
London’s 11 Prettiest Vintage Cafes with Perfect Retro Vibes
Those looking for specifically retro and vintage cafes in London will hopefully have found what they need here – sadly, many vintage places have shut down around the pandemic, a few years ago.
Still, with floral cafes and vintage tea shops, along with the odd themed cafe, you have lots to discover in town if strange, unusual spots are your jam (no pun intended)!