Best Coffee Shops and Cafes in Southwark

"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."

"Offering perhaps the best free vantage point in Central London, the indoor viewing decks and restaurants occupying the top three floors of 20 Fenchurch Street (known to locals as the "walkie-talkie") are a great place to hang out without spending a penny. It is open daily, just book your free visit in advance."

"Sky Garden is on top of one of the skyscrapers found in London. You can visit levels 35 through 37 of the "Walkie Talkie" for free—just make sure to book a ticket in advance."

"London’s first ice cream parlour made using liquid nitrogen, Chin Chin Labs is best known for their bold flavours, big scoops and scientific methods. The team wanted to create something which hadn’t been explored before and it’s certainly done the trick because they now boast three outposts in London. Designed as a grab-and-go pit stop, their ice creams are great for scoring a ‘gram worthy image and fuelling you on your Sunday stroll around the city."

"Must try: Griddled vegan cookie dough with burnt butter ice cream. Chin Chin is Europe’s very first liquid nitrogen ice-cream parlour and one of the best spots to discover some of the most unique and delicious desserts in London. Their exciting selection of ice cream flavours are frozen with liquid nitrogen in giant tanks, in a space that looks more like a mad scientists lab than a dessert parlour."

"The Lowdown: ​Look no further for quirky hot chocolates than Camden Market’s Chin Chin Labs – Europe’s first liquid nitro ice cream parlour​. They have pimped up the hot chocolate experience – expect a delicious hot chocolate, complete with torched homemade marshmallow fluff. For your Instagram feed alone, it’s something you simply must try."

"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."

"From show stopping dripped cakes to the glossiest salted caramel we’ve ever seen, Cutter & Squidge is the bakery to go to if you’re in need of a special birthday treat or serious ‘I’m sorry’ gift. All products are made with 100% natural products and as little sugar as possible – don’t worry, they still taste devilishly sweet. Where:Various locationsWebsite:www.cutterandsquidge.com"

"Each one features two biscuit pieces closing in on a layer of cream to create a beautiful dessert sandwich. They’re the perfect sugary pick-me-up and come in a selection of creative flavours. Try the rich billionaire dreambar, which is served with an extra layer of chocolate in the middle."

"Whilst waiting for your Children’s Garden slot, why not treat yourself to a takeaway barista coffee and sweet treat, or a pizza from our weekend pizza oven."

"Few restaurants come with a magical greenhouse setting where you can dine amidst trailing bougainvillea and jasmine but it’s pretty par for the course at Petersham Nurseries. This is one of Richmond’s most gorgeous (and spenny) restaurants, with a delightful seasonal menu that always puts you in the wonderful dilemma of wanting everything on it at once. Go with a lot of time (and money) to spare and you won’t be disappointed."

"Enjoy Italian-inspired fresh, seasonal lunches and homemade cakes among plants and flowers inside a magical glasshouse at this delightful family-run cafe and tea house."

"The one by Postman’s ParkThe Natural Kitchen started off as a simple organic food shop but has now become one of London’s top healthy lunch venues. Hearty and healthy options leave diners spoiled for choice, and the fresh meat counter is a marvel in itself. It’s perfect for assembling your own lunch board, salad or sandwich."

"St Margaret Pattens is one of Wren’s plainest churches, with a severe, un-Wrenish, but beautiful spire. The church gets its name from the nearby makers of pattens in medieval times. Pattens were devices that you wore under your shoes to elevate you several inches off the ground."

"Located on an island in the middle of the bustling Strand, St Clement Danes Church church offers an oasis of calm. Explore the famous London church, whose bells are mentioned in the traditional Oranges and Lemons nursery rhyme, and hear them ring out across the City of London several times a day. Reconsecrated as the Central Church of the Royal Air Force in 1958, the church is also home to books of remembrance and more than 1,000 RAF badges."

"St Clement Danes church is one of the best-known churches in Westminster, London. It’s a fine white Baroque building with a prominent spire on a traffic island in the Strand, close to the Royal Courts of Justice. It’s famous for the nursery rhyme ‘Oranges and lemons ring the bells of St Clement’s’, and it’s not the only church in our list to get a mention in."

"Christopher Wren and James Gibbs rebuilt the original 9th-century church, but only its outer walls and steeple survived destruction in the Blitz"

"Luxuriously crafted from a signature blend of almonds and cashews, their thick, rich and outrageously creamy soft serve is an all-natural, vegan-friendly dessert that has developed a cult following on Instagram. A scroll through their feed will have you salivating over their creations, which can be topped with cacao fudge sauce, salted nut crumble and 70% cacao dark chocolate shavings – or a shot of coffee for their infamous ‘Daffogato’. Their unique ‘Triple C’ waffle cones are made with cinnamon, chia seed and charcoal, produced to a bespoke recipe by the Antonelli Brothers – the first and now only UK maker of waffle cones."

"London’s first ice cream parlour made using liquid nitrogen, Chin Chin Labs is best known for their bold flavours, big scoops and scientific methods. The team wanted to create something which hadn’t been explored before and it’s certainly done the trick because they now boast three outposts in London. Designed as a grab-and-go pit stop, their ice creams are great for scoring a ‘gram worthy image and fuelling you on your Sunday stroll around the city."

"Must try: Griddled vegan cookie dough with burnt butter ice cream. Chin Chin is Europe’s very first liquid nitrogen ice-cream parlour and one of the best spots to discover some of the most unique and delicious desserts in London. Their exciting selection of ice cream flavours are frozen with liquid nitrogen in giant tanks, in a space that looks more like a mad scientists lab than a dessert parlour."

"The Lowdown: ​Look no further for quirky hot chocolates than Camden Market’s Chin Chin Labs – Europe’s first liquid nitro ice cream parlour​. They have pimped up the hot chocolate experience – expect a delicious hot chocolate, complete with torched homemade marshmallow fluff. For your Instagram feed alone, it’s something you simply must try."

"All Souls Church Langham Place is one of the most famous London Churches because of its location next door to BBC Broadcasting House, at the northern end of Regent Street in the district of Marylebone. You often see this London landmark in BBC broadcasts, and its easily recognisable because of its distinctive Neoclassical circular columned front and spire. It was designed by John Nash, architect to the Prince Regent (later King George IV), who was also responsible for remodelling Buckingham Palace and the layout of St James’s Park."

"Next I would take some time to appreciate two of London’s most famous bridges, the London Bridge and Tower Bridge. Both bridges have exhibitions you can visit, although in terms of time I would choose to visit only one exhibition or just admire them both from the outside."