East End Coffee

Where can you get a decent cuppa in east London? Here- Brick Lane Coffee, the recently established sister of coffee@bricklane just down the road. Ideal for those who love their coffee but loath Starbucks.

Plonked right at the top of Brick Lane (between the legendary bagel shops), Brick Lane Coffee is a much needed and welcomed addition to the Bethnal Green Rd- Shoreditch High Street area (east London, in my minor opinion is somewhat lacking modestly-priced franchised coffee outlets but there we go). You can tell instantly that the place is going to be a goodun from the simple chalkboard out front stating 'If we were in Soho we'd be busy'. Those jokers...

Inside you are greeted by the (terribly friendly) tattooed, Dr Martin- wearing staff. You probably didn't need me to tell you that the super-cool east-end hoxtonites flock here in droves. But that's because this coffee shop IS cool. The place is brimming over with super-charming finishing touches (it's safe to say that the next time you go to a generic Caffe Nero's you'll hark back nostalgically to your visit to Brick Lane Coffee). The stirrers and spoons are stored in boxes made out of Lego (because the owner got bored one afternoon) and the sugar sachets are stashed in a vintage colander (given to the owners when it opened from the charity shop opposite). The menu is a old chalkboard with the drinks (and jokes about the staff) scrawled across it. Worried about leaving Fido at home? Have no fear- they even have a big glass jar of free dog biscuits available 'for our furry friends'. AND, (there's more!) the odd DJ often swings by for a set at the weekends.

Now that is surely unheard of in the coffee shop world.

The furniture is an eclectic, mis-matched selection purchased from surrounding vintage shops. Dusty mahogany armchairs are positioned next to 1970's high-rise stools and old school chairs. The walls are splattered with black and white artwork from the locals. The lights are from Ikea. Aesthetically it shouldn't work, but it does.

There’s an impressive array of reasonably-priced beverages on offer (all fair-trade and organic, no less), from the humble ‘chav coffee’ (black, filtered) to the mighty ‘Dirty Sanchez’ (vanilla mocha with cream. One word: yum). Food-wise there's no surprises with the typical coffee-shop offerings of paninis and croissants. A black americano and a chocolate muffin set me back £3.50. So not bad.

The best thing about this place in my opinion was the diversity in clientele. Not just packed with Shoreditch-types, Brick Lane Coffee is frequented by all sorts. During my first visit last week I saw young mums with babies, scaffolders, an old lady with a zimmerframe, young city-types with laptops. The place is easy-going, different and most importantly- serves a great cup of coffee.

Get your caffeine fix there now.