Black Walnut

Black Walnut has been baking on site since 2011, and it now runs three locations in London rather than a single coffee shop. There's Richmond Row, Wortley Village, and a Western Research Park location. Every pastry and loaf is made by hand on site, and the coffee beans are hand roasted in house too. That combination is the whole pitch here. It's a bakery that happens to serve serious coffee, or a roastery that happens to have a pastry case worth lining up for.

The bakery case is the real draw. Cruffins, the croissant-muffin hybrid packed with cream, tend to turn up in a changing run of flavours and are the thing to order first. Quiche is a standout too, and the savoury side runs through sandwiches on house artisan bread, hot soup when the weather turns, and crisp salads for the days it doesn't. Lines usually move quickly, even when the tables are full.

Inside runs cozy, the kind of neighbourhood spot where the tables fill up with friends catching up and the door keeps swinging. Warm weather is when the place stretches out. Wortley Village has two patio options, and outdoor seating can take the pressure off a room that fills quickly. Weekends seem to be the busy stretch, and Ooey Gooey Sundays are an excuse to show up.