Best Coffee Shops and Cafes in Ivinghoe

"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."

"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."

"Set atop 20 Fenchurch Street (aka the Walkie Talkie building), Sky Garden is the highest public garden in London. Amidst a lush urban jungle, it offers stunning 360° panoramic views of the city. The unique setting and spectacular views easily make this one of the most Instagrammable places in London."

"From creating a nitro ice cream parlour in Camden to collaborating with Cadbury to create a Creme Egg Sundae, Chin Chin know how to make weird and wacky ice creams. But it’s their Soho joint that we love, where they mix luxe chocolate and caramel flavour ice-creams with cakes, cookies and ice-cream sandwiches. There’s always a bunch of toppings and sauces to pick from, and with a wide variety of vegan options as well, there’s something for everyone here."

"Restaurants Ice-cream parlours Soho. Those nitro-fuelled experimentalists at Chin Chin are the Willy Wonkas of the ice-cream world, and this Soho shop is an ostentatious showcase for their wares. Not only their signature ices (anyone for halva black tahini?), but also full-on desserts – there’s some seriously elaborate stuff going on here amid all the bells and whistles."

"I remember my first Chin Chin ice cream years ago back in Camden Market. At that point the brand was pretty new and out there, making ice cream sundaes using liquid nitrogen. It was theatrical and fun, but also really sweet and delicious."

"This sister-owned Soho bakery looks sweet, but isn't saccahrine. Using no more sugar and fat than they need, their inventive and joyfully decorated offerings are delicately, carefully flavoured. Cutter & Squidge’s Dream Cakes make for jaw dropping centrepieces for your big celebration, or can also be enjoyed by the slice in house – the Lychee Kiss is an elegant flavour trio of lychee, raspberry and rose."

"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."

"Nestled in the heart of Soho lives Cutter & Squidge, artisan cake makers who specialise in extravagance and wonder. Serving up slices of uniquely flavoured and decorated cakes along with their signature Biskie - a mix of cake, biscuit and cookie topped with marshmallow, buttercream and other goodies - it’s a one-of-a-kind shop in London. And it’s not just for the dairy eaters and gluten-friendly."

"You don't have to wait until Shrove Tuesday to get your pancake fix - Dalston's Cafe Route serve their Middle Eastern-inspired pancakes all year long. Yes, you read that right. Cafe Route specialise in hearty Middle Eastern cuisine, so forget lemon and sugar this year and go rogue with buttermilk pancakes topped with tahini, pekmez, clotted cream and crunchy pistachios."

"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."

"Restaurants Bakeries St James’s. Ole & Steen is legit-Scandi (chef-patrons Ole Kristoffersen and Steen Skallebaek already have 50 outlets back home in Denmark) but the look here is sophisticated, not simple. As for the food, think open sandwiches, blueberry swirls, cinnamon buns, an unmissable cinnamon slice and more."

"If your baked goods style errs more on the side of Scandi, be sure to check out Ole & Steen. The Danish bakers have been serving breads and pastries for over 20 years, starting off with a small bakery in Copenhagen’s bohemian quarter. Head to their various London outposts which span the city, from Canary Wharf to Richmond, to pick up a quintessentially Danish treat."

"Ole & Steen are a Danish bakery that has opened up various locations around Central London. The windows and shelves of the cafe are adorned with tons of Scandinavian pastries, cakes and loaves of rye bread but what you’ll see most people scoffing is their famous cinnamon social. Their cafes have an industrial-inspired interior and are pretty spacious."

"Restaurants Austrian Marylebone. If your idea of romance is waltzing round old Vienna to the sound of Strauss, you can capture some of that old ‘Blue Danube’ magic with a trip to this instantly comforting Mittel-European number from Messrs Corbin & King. Schnitzels, sausages, ice-cream coupes and – of course – incomparable viennoiserie provide welcome sustenance, with excellent hot chocolate and coffee adding that vital X factor."

"Corbin and King’s refined Marylebone homage to Viennese waltzes past and present is always a fine, low-key luxurious breakfast venue, and in the spirit of fried batter its Austrian crêpes, served either with apricot and brandy jam or a gianduja-approximating hazelnut and chocolate, make a winning centrepiece around which to build an Austrian feast."

"Restaurants British Regent Street. The Hawksmoor name means masculine clubby interiors and a penchant for the best of British beef, but this capacious offshoot overlooking Regent Street also adds a generous helping of luxury seafood to its offer. As ever, the atmosphere crackles and engaging staff are bang on the money, while cosy booths, snugs and corners make it irresistible for couples."

"There's something fishy about the Air Street branch of the Hawksmoor steakhouse group. The menu is packed full of elegantly executed classics like crab or shrimps on toast, Dover sole, turbot, and a killer fish pie. There's steak too, of course, which you can order with half a lobster for surf and turf action, or with a side of lobster macaroni cheese, or both."

"Munch on fine cuts of steak and the latest catch from the ocean at Hawksmoor Air Street, which mixes art deco style with seductive lighting and an upscale feel. Enjoy classy cocktails from its low-key bar and make sure to grab an "anniverselfie" afterwards in front of the statue of Eros, the Greek god of love. Book Hawksmoor Air Street now."

"Not everyone has an appetite for oysters and shellfish, sometimes all you fancy is a decent fish and chip supper. Hook in Camden has its favourites - famous tacos, nibbles and specials - but it’s the “new school” plates that will definitely fill a gap. There’s the Classic (fresh cod or haddock in panko breadcrumb with homemade seaweed salted chips and homemade tartar sauce on the side); the Cajun Fresh (cod/haddock in panko breadcrumbs and cajun spices with homemade seaweed salted chips and homemade cajun sauce on the side); or the Lemon & Basil (fresh cod/haddock in lemon and basil tempura with homemade seaweed salted chips and homemade garlic truffle sauce on the side)."

"What: Hook doesn’t put on any airs and graces, but instead offers up solid seafood cookery in tried and tested classics, with the odd contemporary twist. The go-to choice here is the classic fish and chips, which gave Hook its name, but we suggest giving the Cajun-style version a go; it comes battered in panko breadcrumbs and Cajun spices and is accompanied by seaweed-salted chips.Where: 65 Parkway Road, NW1 7PP"

"What: Uncomplicated, simple serves are the order of the day at The Oystermen, which started life as a pop up. The small kitchen at the Covent Garden restaurant produces delightful treats such as anchovies on toast, smoked cod roe with lavash bread, and, of course, oysters. However, it’s not just about the small plates here; more substantial fish dishes such as Scottish cod with chestnut purée also come expertly cooked.Where: 32 Henrietta Street, WC2E 8NA"

"There is a tiny red alarm button in our brain labelled ‘BOUGIE FUN’ that we mentally hit every single time we have oysters. As all seafood fans know, oysters, octopus, and clams, are all dishes that taste exponentially better when you eat them outside in the sunshine. We have no idea why, it’s just a fact."

"What: A great one for groups, London Shuffle’s ‘Bottomless Shuffle Brunch’ includes unlimited pizza and booze as well as a 30-minute shuffleboard taster session to the soundtrack of some great funk and soul tunes. Shuffleboard, for the uninitiated, is a game in which two teams use long cues to push weighted discs along a narrow lane and (hopefully) into a marked scoring triangle. Lanes can accommodate 2-8 players at a time and each ticket covers a two-hour session including bottomless prosecco, draught beers and pizza, which you don’t even need to feel guilty about because you’ll be working it all off as you go… Probably."

"Shuffleboard and brunch collide at one of the most fun bottomless events in the city. Head down to London Shuffle as you not only take on the game, you take on their signature pizzas alongside bottomless prosecco or beer."

"We have London-based designer Martin Brudnizki to thank for the interior dream that is Annabel’s. The iconic members club re-opened in 2019 following a revamp, with a glitzy new design theme which draws on surrealism and eccentricity – Brudnizki describes it as ‘like falling down the rabbit hole.’ Vying with Sketch for the award of London’s most beautiful bathroom is the rose-hued pink powder room, complete with floral wallpaper, pink onyx shell shaped sinks with gold swan taps and a pink silk rose ceiling. Elsewhere, a bespoke chandelier installation festooned with unicorn and monkeys swoops through several floors."

"Founded in 1963, Annabel’s is arguably one of the most elegant private clubs in London. Its guests have included royalty, Frank Sinatra, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Elizabeth Taylor and Leonardo DiCaprio. It’s notoriously difficult to get membership with new members requiring a proposer, a seconder and an election by Committee – you’re not just walking in."

"Less shiny Parisian bistro and more rustic rural French eatery, this bar and restaurant just off Trafalgar Square specialises in low-intervention natural wines, and food to match. Come for a glass, a bottle and some small plates or a full-blown meal and enjoy the likes of cured meats and cheeses, rich fish soups and unctuous rillettes. If you want to get carried away with wine, then you’re in the right place; if not, starting prices for a glass are about £6."

"Split over two floors, Terroirs in London’s West End is both a wine bar and restaurant. Reserve a table on the ground floor to sample fine wines and pick at small plates of charcuterie and cheese, or choose to sit in the cellar restaurant for exquisite three-course meals. Order oysters by the half dozen, sample the bouillabaisse or the red mullet, or, if you’re feeling carnivorous, share a whole black leg chicken or a one-kilogram Angus T-bone steak."

"While the majority of our listed restaurants offer excellent French wines, we thought it worthy to include Terroirs as the stand-out wine destination. This charming wine bar in Charing Cross is exceptionally knowledgeable and passionate about recognising the worth of every bottle. The word terroir actually refers to the characteristic flavour imparted to a wine from the environment it is produced in, such as soil and climate."

"Blanchette is the model of a French country house a step away from the streets of Soho. A seat at the bar is in full view of the art nouveau tiled walls, while the back tables are topped with candles and surrounded by on-the-money does of Provencal shabby chic. You and your date are encouraged to share as you pick through snacks of cheese beignets and croque monsieur, robust meat and fish dishes, and a decadent menu of cheese and honey pairings."

"Restaurants Bistros Brick Lane. A naughty-but-nice East End sibling of Blanchette in Soho, this trendy-luxe bistro is not only a solid-gold date night option but a shoo-in for weekend brunch (served from 11am). Boulangerie, croques, fluffy buttermilk pancakes and granola bowls are the standards, but don’t ignore the cooked dishes – from eggs Florentine to full English."

"This French Bistro in London is located in D’Arblay Street in Soho. Blanchette is a family-run restaurant with a heart-warming story. The quintessentially Parisian restaurant was founded by brothers Malik and Yannis, and named after their mother."

"Côte Brasserie serve breakfast and brunch from 8am until 12 noon on a Monday to Friday and then 9am to 1pm on a Saturday and Sunday. Highlights include a breakfast set menu that involves any cooked breakfast with fresh orange juice or cloudy apple juice and a hot drink of your choice. Options include a full English breakfast, Crepe Complete (pancakes, bacon and comte cheese), Eggs Florentine, Eggs Royal and Eggs Avocado."

"There are Francophiles behind this nationwide French brasserie group – that much is obvious. Every last detail, from the rattan terrace furniture ..." Read our full review"