Rua Coffee Bar

Rua sits in a railway arch just behind Holloway Road station, a long room with seating at both the front and the back. Pine benches, sheepskin throws and a rack of newspapers soften the brick, and a few model dinosaurs keep watch over a La Marzocco machine. It has the feel of a neighbourhood regular more than a destination, though plenty of people make the trip.

The counter is where the coffee geekery happens. Baristas brew precisely on Aeropress and filter, and the shelves carry a wide spread of specialty roasts from different roasters rather than one house line. On weekends the benches fill with run club members stretching out after a loop of the neighbourhood, and the pace through the week stays unhurried, so it works as well for a long conversation over a filter coffee as for a quick stop on the way up Holloway Road.