The Gentlemen Baristas (Union St.)

Editor's Review

It’s a staple of the fantasy novel to step through a portal to another world; think CS Lewis and Lewis Carroll. The warm orange glow emanating from this café is a hint that stepping inside indeed takes you to another world, from a south London street to the world of the Gentlemen Baristas: a world of wind-up gramophones and top hats but also one of good coffee and old fashioned hospitality.

Henry and Edward have taken their experience in the coffee world and created something unpretentious and original, with an open plan brew bar and guest roasters but also somewhere with an emphasis on politeness and customer engagement. They call it ‘well-mannered coffee’. The Gentlemen Baristas work closely with Wogan Coffee in Bristol to have them roast to their specifications. Guest roasters such as Strangers and Neighbourhood Coffee also make appearances.

The Gentlemen Baristas also serve tea, soup and lunches and have a particularly impressive display of sweets, including the essential Tunnocks. Their pork pies and sausage rolls are renowned and come from Treflach farm in Shropshire. They add something unique and special to SE1 and there is a historical connection – the building’s address is ‘Coffee House’ and there was a top hat maker opposite back in the seventeenth century. Down the road, within eyeshot, was London’s first bowler hat maker. As a nod to this their coffees are named after hats.

Review by Phil Wain.

Stop press: Gentlemen Baristas now have a full kitchen upstairs which means a range of brunch options on weekends and a Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenign supperclub Grounds for Divorce from 6 onwards.

Cafe Features

Wifi

Toilets

Pets Allowed

Licensed

Buy Beans

Loose Leaf Tea

Table Seating

Outdoor Seats

Temporarily Closed

Coffee + Drinks

Non Dairy

Decaf

Filter Coffee

Cold Brew

Iced Coffee