17 Spots Perfect For A Coffee Catch-Up In The Sun

Chances are you’ve spent a lot of time in coffee shops since you first started drinking the good stuff. It's about way more than just going for a caffeinated drink. It’s a pastime. An activity. A way of life. And these places all serve excellent coffee and have an outdoor setup for you to drink it in the sun.

THE SPOTS

Victoria Park is the best place to see grass and trees when you’re around Hackney and Pavilion Cafe is the best place to get a cup of coffee and some poached eggs by the lake. When it’s warm there are tables outside and, all in all, it’s pretty glorious.

Yes, much like its glorious fine dining big sister Hide, this Mayfair coffee shop is pricey. But it also has a charming outdoor setup where you can get a cup of coffee and a cheeky £30 lobster roll if you’re feeling extra.

Home to a pistachio and yuzu icing cake we’re 100% obsessed with, this Tooting cafe is one of the best spots for breakfast in London. And it also serves coffee and an iced latte out of a glass bottle, all of which you can enjoy in their sunny backyard terrazzo.

This spacious all-day restaurant in Chelsea serves coffee, brunch, and solid pizzas from its outdoor setup which—hello—includes a roof terrace. Vardo is the ideal place for a coffee in Chelsea and the upstairs terrace has Big Summer Energy which will likely elevate any casual meet-up, literally.

The outdoor seating at WatchHouse in Covent Garden is our favourite in the area. The cobblestones add a little pizzazz, and the coffee is so good that you’ll probably get another cup just to spend another hour people-watching. 

On the ground floor of this huge five-storey Japanese and Nordic-themed shopping and dining centre on Motcomb Street, you’ll find Café Kitsuné. A place where you can get things like kinako iced lattes, egg sandos, and little animal-shaped biscuits—and sit out on its terrace.

Milk is a great cafe in Balham and one of the best spots in south London to get brunch. Plus, it also happens to have a bunch of outdoor benches that are perfect for groups.

Not your typical mobile home, the King’s Cross branch of Caravan is enormous. It’s part restaurant, part bar, and part roastery. And they have a load of tables outside which are fully covered in case the weather decides to be British while you’re enjoying your coffee.

There aren’t many outdoor coffee shop setups that are as well prepared for British weather as Kanenas Coffee in Ealing. Think benches and tables out front that are covered by what looks like a gazebo/mammoth umbrella, making it the perfect spot to head to when you want to stay 100% dry.

Sometimes we wish we lived in Primrose Hill for the pastel-coloured houses. Other times we wish we lived there so that we could be within walking distance of this charming cafe. It has some outdoor tables that make it the perfect place to enjoy a cup of coffee and a stack of ricotta and berry pancakes.

We don’t know if we can in good conscience send someone to Ozone Coffee Roasters in Bethnal Green and not tell them to get the eggs benedict on bubble ‘n’ squeak. So yes, head to this spot to drink some of the best coffee in London, but also, get some extremely tasty brunch too. Snag a space at one of the alfresco benches when the sun is out.

The Allpress roastery on Dalston Lane has an excellent, surprisingly secluded outdoor patio. It’s one of the best spots in E8 to sit with a flat white or espresso on a sunny morning.

This Dalston cafe is home to a kimchi and stichelton toastie that keeps us up at night wondering if we can ever go back to a regular toastie. Snackbar also has a outdoor setup in the form of a lush, secret garden at the back.

This slick, ultra-modern cafe in Battersea has floor-to-ceiling windows, great coffee, and an all-day breakfast menu. And the spacious outdoor seating means it’s a great spot for a relaxed coffee catch-up.

This sweet neighbourhood cafe in Wandsworth is a favourite with the locals and has some bench seats out front which are great for drinking coffee and getting a bite to eat when the sun is out.

It's all about the coffee at this Australian cafe in Hammersmith, with carefully selected beans from different roasters. On a nice day, enjoy your brew at one of their tables out front.

If you’re after a seriously good cup of coffee in Kensington, head to this Danish cafe. It’s easy to mistake the bench out front as the only alfresco seating, but you should know there’s also a secret patio/courtyard garden at the back. And who doesn’t love a secret courtyard?