Rentonomy.com, London’s rental matchmaker, has therefore realised the importance of renting close to great coffee shops – not a global chain that you see on every street corner, but an independent café serving great coffee. Grabbing a tasty flat white on your way to the Tube, with top notes of fudge and undercurrents of raspberry ripple, can make a daily commute that much more bearable.
Astonishingly, there are now more than 1,600 coffee shops in London, just shy of the amount found in New York, so finding a great coffee outlet in the capital has never been easier. Rentonomy used data from the London Coffee Guide to map all the best independent cafés across town, and here are their findings…
Unsurprisingly, it found most are concentrated around the City where there are 27 coffee shops featured in the London guide – no doubt to keep city workers burning the candle at both ends. If you were to rent right next to your office in such a central location, it would cost you on average £592 per week in rent for a two bed.
Realistically, most of us can’t afford to live so centrally or indeed would prefer not to. So, where in the more affordable parts of London can you grab a great coffee to wake you up before jumping on the Tube for the morning commute? Many of the hip areas in eastern London have great coffee shops.
Islington, costing an average of £425 per week in rent for a two bed has nine outlets, Dalston, costing £350 has seven, Whitechapel, costing £380 has six, and Hackney, costing £325 has four. If you prefer the greener, western parts of the capital then Battersea or Putney would be a good bet. Rents in Battersea average £385 per week for a two bed and £374 in Putney– both have three great independent coffee shops. You really are spoiled for choice.
But where is the cheapest place in London to rent with a coffee shop featured in the London Coffee Guide? That would be Lee in South East London which is home to the brilliantly named ‘With Jam and Bread’. Average rents in Lee stand at £231 for a two bed property, perfect for coffee lovers on a budget.
And where is Rentonomy’s favourite coffee shop? Co-founder Tim Minder believes there is only one contender: “My favourite coffee shop has to be Taylor Street Baristas. It’s opened a few coffee shops across London, including one near the Rentonomy HQ in the City, which I often find myself in. I actually used to dislike coffee until I was converted by a Taylor St coffee; now I can’t get enough.”
For the full coffee shop map of London, check out Rentonomy’s infographic here.
Image credit: Thinkstock
