Caffeine Hunter

London · Leytonstone

No.23

The green painted frontage of No. 23 with gold lettering and an awning reading Great Coffee, Delicious Bakes, Quality Food, a pink lit window onto a green fluted counter and pastry cases, and pale green folding chairs and a red hydrant shaped stool on the pavement

No.23 is a tiny Leytonstone cafe opened in spring 2025 by Lotfi, who grew up in Algiers, moved to Paris as a teenager and then to London, and left a long career in luxury fashion to make this dream real. It took over the unit that was Dog's Dinner for 22 years until its owner, Aysen, passed away, and Lotfi opened it with his partner Emel and her sister Perin as something useful for the community.

The coffee comes from Alt, an award winning roastery in Hornchurch. The room is small, with six seats inside and four more on a sunny terrace, a spearmint panelled counter and a pink neon slogan above it. Barista Andrea, a collage artist, leads a programme of book clubs, craft socials, zine making and workshops, so the cafe aims to be a place where neighbours gather as well as drink.