Best Coffee Shops and Cafes in Harlington

"What: Sky Garden may be known for its lush greenery (the perfect backdrop for an impromptu photoshoot), but its sprawling views of the capital are also worth a mention. The Sky Pod bar, which isn’t separated from the rest of the space, allows guests to stand around admiring the views or pull up a chair to rest their legs. All the usual drinks can be found here (including a selection of signature cocktails), while the food menu features sharing platters of charcuterie, seafood or dessert."

"Located on floor 36 of the iconic Walkie Talkie, the views from the Darwin Brasserie are pretty striking. Although Fenchurch Restaurant – one of Sky Garden’s other offerings – is higher, the Darwin Brasserie has better views thanks to its position further back from the Sky Garden’s atrium roof. A good option if you want to enjoy the sights without the flocks of camera totting tourists."

"Travel 43 floors up and see a unique perspective of landmarks like The Shard, St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge and more. With massive floor-to-ceiling glass windows, an open-air terrace, and beautifully landscaped scenery, you’ll have an abundance of options for IG pics. It also houses a swanky restaurant and bar, so you can relax and soak in the views with a drink in hand."

"Chin Chin Ice Cream was lauded as Europe's first liquid nitrogen ice cream parlour when it opened up in 2010 and it hasn’t taken long for that style to get a foothold in the favour of the general populace. Chin Chin now boasts multiple outlets across London where the clever clogs behind the counter are hand-churning enticing ice cream flavours like tonka bean and burnt butter caramel with liquid nitrogen. Adding liquid nitrogen means that the fat and water particles in the ice cream remain small and tightly knitted together during the freezing operation, resulting in intensely creamy ice cream."

"What started as an ice cream store dedicated to liquid nitrogen creations, Chin Chin Labs has come a long way in delivering some of the best bites in town. Burnt butter caramel ice cream pies and loaded tiramisu sundaes join this mouthwatering brownie cookie ice cream sando (from £5.45) that can be customised with the likes of black sesame ice cream, molten chocolate, bee pollen honeycomb and whatever else takes your fancy. Now that's our kinda sandwich."

"The ice cream pioneers behind Chin Chin Labs have expanded its epicurean empire. The Chin Chin Club in Soho opens this month as a revolutionary cake and ice cream club. On the menu are deluxe sundaes, choux buns, and cookies with molten centres."

"This North London bakery describes itself as ‘a bit health conscious’: cakes contain low fat and sugar, but enough to ensure they taste delicious. Cutter & Squidge cakes make the perfect centrepiece for a big celebration too: the Macron Drip Cake, for instance, is a layered creation decorated with macarons, topped with chocolate shards and finished with 24 carat gold. Vegan cakes are also available, and everything can be personalised."

"The menu at this Soho dessert stop features a lot of the delicious treats mentioned on this blog, but most famous are their biskies – a biscuit/cookie/cake hybrid filled with tasty buttercream, jams and caramels. Flavours include passion fruit and salted caramel, apple crumble, chocolate lava and miso caramel. If you’re feeling extra naughty, order one of their indulgent freakshakes to go with it."

"A Biskie is a sandwiched dessert that’s essentially a cross between a cake and a cookie and is filled with cream or other ingredients. You can find Biskies only at Cutter and Squidge, a cute little bakery with locations in Soho and Bank. Their Salted Caramel Biskie is award winning and if you’re vegan or GF you’ll still find delicious options to choose from."

"Italian-originating Said is the London offshoot of Rome’s oldest chocolate shop, but the gravity of such status doesn’t stop it from getting a little silly. Hot chocolate here transcends warm beverage to full-blown dessert – rich, thick, molten chocolate is spooned into cups so generously it often overflows. Cakes can be ordered here too, with the option of adding a dutiful drenching of hot milk, dark or white chocolate sauce."

"Treat yourself to the ultimate breakfast in bed with a takeaway from Dalston restaurant Cafe Route. Along with all the usual brekkie delights, this Pancake Day delivery in London will have you tucking into buttermilk bites with tahini, clotted cream and pistachios."

"With large plates, small plates, antipasti and sharing boards, this Hackney restaurant is one of London's top lunch spots. Stop in for a quick bite from the deli, or settle in for a long one, this friendly local restaurant is a delightful hangout."

"Serving up the dreamiest of ice cream on a global scale is Four Winters. Their ice cream is prepared using top seasonal produce by their ice cream chefs, who work hard to bring new flavour combinations to the world of ice cream. A personal favourite of ours is their knafeh – a blend of ice cream with kataifi dough and syrup, topped with pistachio."

"Aiming for a very small environmental footprint, North London ice-cream parlour Ruby Violet make small batches of ice cream and vegan sorbets on site in their parlour in Tufnell Park. All the packaging is either recyclable or compostable and they use seasonal fresh fruit, locally sourced where possible. Flavours on offer might include Cucumber and ginger sorbet, Peach and sour cream or - their most popular one - Salted caramel with almond nut brittle."

"Address: 3 Wharf Rd, Kings Cross, London N1C 4BZ and 118 Fortess Rd, Kentish Town, London NW5 2HL. Rich and creamy, using local ingredients, organic milk and free range eggs these ice creams are not to be missed. You can also book children's parties, masterclasses and ice cream afternoon tea, and for those who want it all they offer a mystery tasting box - six small tubs with tasting notes."

"Ruby Violet started out life selling ice cream at markets and have since set up a parlour in Tufnell Park and King’s Cross, using only the best free range eggs, organic milk and fresh produce to create small batches of tempting ice cream. Stay refreshed with one of their sorbets or try their crowd favourite salted caramel with almond nut brittle – it’s certainly won over us!"

"Set up by Christian Oddono, whose grandmother used to make banging homemade gelato back home in Italy, Oddono’s is one of the highest quality ice cream franchises in London. Fresh, natural Italian gelato is what you can expect from any of Oddono’s London outlets with the group producing all of its flavours from scratch in their South Kensington lab on a daily basis. Oddono’s have made over 130 flavours in their time but the move to make, for my money, is a scoop of the austere Madagascan vanilla."

"Several shops across the city but we’ve plumped for their flagship establishment in Kensington. Their gelato is so good and so authentic that it wins awards on a regular basis across the country. Grab a couple of scoops to go and enjoy people watching while devouring it in this fascinating part of the city."

"Fulham Palace is a site dedicated to tracing its own history. Items found on the palace's grounds date all the way back to prehistoric times; the archaeological finds are part of the museum's impressive collection of artifacts and objects. The site has been a residence of the Bishops of London since 704 and played a major role as a hospital during World War I and a refugee spot during World War II."

"A beautiful open garden, glasshouses, flowers in bloom, and brick walls, all in a place less visited by tourists which make for one great location for a photo shoot or a private event. And if you’re looking for some diversity, just walk a few steps out of Fulham Palaceand you’re right on the shore of river Thames."

"The botanic gardens at Kew, in Richmond, were first opened to the public in 1840 after the royal family established the gardens initially and started to bring plants from overseas from 1759. Because of the royal family’s continued interest in Richmond, the areas of Kew and Richmond became one of the most fashionable places to live, especially in the 18th century. Today, Kew Gardens focuses on plant and fungi research whilst housing the largest collection of plants in the world."

"Take a break from the hustle and bustle of London and retreat to the beautiful and relaxing Kew Gardens. This green oasis in southwest London is believed to be the largest and most diverse botanical garden on earth. You can book single visits online, or if you’re a local, you might like to consider becoming a member for free entry year-round."

"If you’re into floral photography, Kew Gardens houses one of the world’s largest and most diverse collections of living plants. This expansive botanical garden is absolutely magical. It contains numerous greenhouses, a tree-top walkway, an exotic rainforest, and so much more."