[London] Curators Coffee Gallery is a keen antipodean success that demonstrates what it means to be a specialty café with character.
The person behind it all, Catherine Seay, who previously worked at the renowned Kaffeine, decided to take what she had learned and start her own brand of select cafes.
Commencing with Curators Coffee Studio in 2012, a small yet memorable spot for great coffee in London, Seay now has Curators Coffee Gallery at the very heart of the city, a short walk from Oxford Circus underground station.
The Coffee Gallery is more laid back and spacious than the original.
Not only is it developing into a coffee haven with Aero Presses and glass percolators on display, but they offer classes in brewing and general coffee production.
In terms of the coffee itself, Curators makes it their goal the source intriguing, unique and exciting coffee from roasters they trust, often showcasing new and rare coffee for their patrons to sample.
Suppliers like The Bread Station, Cocoa Runners, Keep Cup, and Estate Dairies, as well as Tim Wendelboe and Triple Co Roast, are worth being named when trying to appraise the superior quality and care taken by Curators to establish a trustworthy identity.
They also hire baristas with a desire to not just excel at the job at hand, but to develop their skills in the burgeoning coffee industry in order to better serve customers.
The training they receive is top quality, so coffee drinkers can rest assured that they are in good hands.
While I was tempted by La Independencia house espresso (£2.40) when I arrived, a Colombian variety with green apple and blackberry notes, even a little by the Gatare Lot 26 – Machina, a Rwandan guest espresso (£2.60) they were serving on the day, I decided to go for a rich filter (£2.80), an Ethiopian Mormora, that had touches of a strawberry tang with the velvety feel of dark chocolate.
Since I stayed for a little longer than usual, soaking in the good vibes as one does at places such as this, I tried their hot chocolate (£3.60) as well: a silky, subtly bitter blend that commends to the hearts of true cocoa lovers, whilst nibbling on a large and delicious Matcha Chocolate Cookie (£2.50).
It is hard not to be completely taken in my just the coffee here.
It must be said in addition that Curators also serve a selection of breakfast bites from croissants (£1.90) to brownies (£2.80), even offering an assortment of delicious brunch dishes like the classic avocado on toast (£10) and a selection of pancake stacks (£3-8).
Curators Coffee Gallery should be a space on everyone’s list, a destination that promises all the good stuff and delivers, time and time again.
Curators Coffee Gallery
51 Margaret St, Marylebone, London W1W 8SG, UK
Tel: +44 20 7580 2547
Opening Hours: 7:30am – 6:00pm (Mon – Fri), 9am – 5:30pm (Sat – Sun)
Google Maps – Curators Coffee Gallery
Curators Coffee Studio
9A Cullum St, London EC3M 7JJ, UK
Opening Hours: 7:30am – 5:30pm (Mon – Fri), Closed Sat – Sun
Other Related Entries
Monmouth Coffee Company (Covent Garden, London)
Flat White (Soho, London)
Workshop Coffee (Marylebone, London)
Kaffeine (Fitzrovia, London)
The Attendant (Fitzrovia, London)
Click HERE for other LONDON Food Entries
* Written by DFD’s London Food Correspondent Leander Dias SaltyCritic. Additional photos from @DanielFoodDiary. Leander Dias was born and raised in Dubai, a burgeoning city with diverse food culture. Since moving to London to read for his English MA at UCL, he has utterly immersed himself in the local food scene, writing extensively about everything he eats everywhere he goes. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.
