Kuro Coffee

Kuro was started by Julian, who spotted an empty building near his Notting Hill home and decided to bring the calm of Japanese coffee shops to West London. The name means black in Japanese, a nod to putting the cup ahead of decoration, and the small cafe on Hillgate Street follows that idea, with a quiet minimalist interior set among the colourful houses of the neighbourhood.

The coffee comes from Ozone, whom Julian met through his publishing work and partnered with when the cafe launched, and the bar also makes traditional matcha. Pastries and cakes come from KURO Bakery, which grew out of the cafe, and the group has stayed in Notting Hill rather than spreading across the city. The shop opens early every day of the week and Sunday starts an hour later.