Caffeine Hunter

London · City of London (Bow Lane)

Host Cafe

White cafe tables and chairs inside a church nave at Host Cafe, beneath arched windows, carved plasterwork and iron chandeliers

Host Cafe is an ethical, nonprofit cafe run by St Mary Aldermary church, tucked into a Christopher Wren rebuilt Gothic church in the heart of the City of London, and it opened in 2012. It feels like a coffee shop in the back of a nave, with tables and sofas, and you can sit in the pews if nothing else is free. A discreet sign marks the far end as space for prayer and meditation.

The coffee is direct trade, hand roasted by Mission Coffee Works, and served as single origin V60 pour overs and the usual espresso drinks, with a few bags of beans to take away. The team gives back through partnerships with social enterprises and a suspended coffee scheme, and it pays the London Living Wage. Free wifi and quiet seating make it a good place to work on weekdays, with a polite limit of about ninety minutes. It is closed weekends.