The Best Cafes in Forest Hill, Greater London, United Kingdom (2025)

Galão is the new hotspot!!! Jennifer serves up the best coffee (looks & tastes amazing), Ruby makes delicious sandwiches, and Emir’s outstanding customer service ties it all together. The cozy atmosphere makes it the perfect place to sit and relax. Plus, it’s pet and child-friendly, making it a must visit for everyone

I love Galao. I go there everyday, I’ve tried everything on the menu and it is consistently amazing. Coffee is sensational, the sandwiches are carefully prepared fresh for you and they are generous on portions. Açai bowl is beautiful and tasty. Emir, Ruby, Dienifer & Lauren are always smiling, they’ll have a conversation with you and bring a charismatic atmosphere to the coffee shop. Coffee will never be the same anywhere else. 10/10 :)

The coffee, the food, the atmosphere but most importantly the staff are incredible. We’ve never felt more welcome in a coffee shop but it’s mostly because of our cute son Amari, who the staff show a lot of affection to and is very sweet to see. Emir, Ruby and Jen go out of their way to make you feel welcome with huge smiles and banter. Multiple options for seating, a great selection of drinks, lunch and pastries as well welcoming personal greetings every time we go means this is now my family’s go-to coffee shop in Forest Hill and has been for months. Highly recommended

Lovely cafe just round the corner from my house. Breakfast was amazing and presentation 10/10

It's few time now that I am going back to this lovely, cozy cafè. Incredible and unusual decor, vintage items everywhere, it's like walking in a little museum. Clean, welcoming, friendly, quiet, great music selection and one of the best coffee I have ever had. Spend a bit of time talking with the owners, they are great people and they organise lots of events. They know their food and their drinks too!!! A pearl in the neighborhood 😍

I fall in love with whatever I order at this café. Delicious food and drink, charming decor, and a calming ambience

Very nice cute place. We had olives, charcuterie plate and sandwich to share and they were all so good. Highly recommended. Additionally, price- quality ratio 👌🏻

Nice cafe with variety of quick bite menu, very friendly staff. Price is very reasonable.

Whenever I make my visit to London from California, I must have breakfast here. Good portions are a lot for what you pay. The owners and cooks are always pleasant. And the food and service is great for a local cafe. Really feel welcomed when I’m here. Love it.

Friendly staff and really good prices, I love their oat latte

Great food! 5 stars

The pancakes and juices are some of the best in town! The food is always fresh and spectacular, along with the people who work here. The owners are so friendly and have a real commitment to the local community. It’s a fantastic addition to the neighborhood!

Delighted this beautiful cafe has open in my neighbourhood. The owners were previously known in the area for making great coffee in their famous green van, and now they have excelled in this clean, bright and classy cafe with the most welcoming and friendly staff. We highly recommend the brunch items, eggs whichever way you want, sourdough toast, mushrooms, and also the inventively delicious pea fritters. Big fans of everyone and everything at Marchetti.

Absolutely gorgeous and cute place, love the coffee and unique and testy food. Absolutely love it! Could you please open one more days?😭

Love this place! Really delicious coffee and great pastries, the sandwiches are really yummy too (a tiny bit pricey for the area). They also have a beautiful garden at the back. The only downside of this place is that they are not open every day.

Dived into here for a quick bit of lunch after visiting the Horniman. The kindly staff were juggling a busy period owing to the time and the summer weather (rain). Our arrived quickly and was very tasty, along with a good flat white. The tuna in my salad was maybe just a touch dry but the dressing and accompanying veg helped mitigate that. Not too many tables taken up by empty cups and laptop users, lots locals enjoying the nice vibe and quirky comfy layout / tables / decor. The have a good selection of pastries too - maybe we’ll visit again for morning coffee 😀

Best coffee I had in a very long time. Finally a coffee shop where they don’t burn the milk. The sandwiches, the breakfast everything looked delicious and fresh. I have to come back and have a breakfast here. If you go to the Horniman museum , stop here and have a breakfast and coffee. You won’t be disappointed!

Great brunch spot with polite staff, enjoyable food and a nice interior. The service is consistent with a decent food selection. Unfortunately not as much of a fan of the pastry items though, but definitely recommend the sandwich and salad items!

Great cafe, well cooked food, and a great selection of hot drinks. Good service at reasonable prices

I’ve been to this cafe several times and it’s great. The staff are fantastic, the food is lovely and good sized portions. Generally never disappointed and the price is fair. Top tip if you live near the area and fancy and cheap alternative coffee than the one at Hobart oak station. You’re best off buying it here

My local cafe. The food is great. Not greasy at all and you can create whatever you like. I visit frequently and I would definitely recommend this cafe. They do chicken sausages for those who do not eat pork too which is handy.

One of my favourite coffee places! I’ve been coming here for a while as they have the best customer service, amazing food and the best oat chai latte! Thank you

Lovely small friendly café bar. Great food. Interesting cocktails. Nice decor. Pity I live 200 miles away or I'd be back to try the brunch menu soon.

Had lunch here. Ordered sausage sandwich and Pulled Pork in Plantain. Very delicious. We sat at window side with sunshine. Relaxed lunch. The staff was also very polite. Will come back !

This is my favorite business both locally and throughout London, if you are local I would say it is a must visit. I am grateful to say Two Spoons is not only one of the few restaurants I know of in London to offer Cajun food but that they specialize in it. I come here on occasion for Gumbo on Wednesdays and can’t recommend it enough. I have also tried a number of other starters which I whole heartedly recommend- corn bread, frickles are a must, boudin balls and andouille to my heart’s content- the New Orleans platter is a great way to try many of these. They also have the best beignets you’ll probably ever have. Portions are sizable and delectable. They have many dishes I have yet to try and I can’t wait to. The service always feels professional and considered; a step above all others. The atmosphere is cozy with jazz and big band dixieland playing. At night tables feel private and intimate by candlelight. On occasion, at least once a month, they feature live music. While I do not drink alcohol, they offer a myriad of cocktails which I expect to some of the best you can find anywhere. While I have not visited for breakfast, on an average morning you find it is busy. In my opinion, even apples to oranges, this is the best dining experience (food quality, taste, service, atmosphere) I have ever had and have visited enough to say this type of experience is standard for them. I think it’s cliché to call something a hidden gem, and to be honest part of me wishes to keep this to myself. But Two Spoons is precisely that; an eating experience not to be missed.

Cheap drinks. Good service. Friendly staff.

Reay good cafe, old tea kettle and£3.30 omelette! Right next to park. Very good option!

This place is so affordable and portion sizes are decent too. It's really a community service as it's affordability means everyone can afford a hot drink or meal out. Staff are nice and attentive with kids aswell. We live overseas but always visit when visiting family nearby

This dish I was not expecting to find it in there, but it was and it attracted my attention; it is chicken curry with rice, which was great as portion size and price. Left from there fed up and ready for a afternoon power nap. Great atmosphere and lovely helping staff. Nice and clean. Thank you very much for the experience.

Great great delicious coffee, such lovely service too. Thanks for being so friendly and kind, even when I’ve come in 2 mins before close not realising this place shuts at 2pm I’ve received same friendly service and great coffee (just missed out on delicious pastries) it’s such a gem to have this coffee shop in Forest Hill. I hope staff are paid well they really make it.

St David’s is our local spot for coffee and baked goods. I would say we go 1-3 times a week and it’s consistently fantastic. Great coffee, lovely staff, top food and atmosphere. The cookies are particularly magic.

Popped in and had an everything bagel and cream cheese after a colleague asked a random person on the street where they'd got their particularly impressive looking bagel from. Absolutely would recommend the bagel was delicious and though we didn't grab drinks the coffee smelt great

Limited food offering focussing on breads and pastries but delicious onion focaccia (£1:80) and great coffee (£3:50)

Dream Story is our regular weekend treat. I love the Turkish Scramble and have it regularly. The coffee is also amazing. I don't know anywhere that does better coffee so it's great to have it in the neighbourhood. I love the new branding and the niche film art and references.

Never, ever write reviews because I can't be bothered but I'm not lying when I say you'll get the best coffee you've ever had here. Downside is your standards will be raised to the extent that you'll find coffee anywhere else a disappointment. The food is excellent, particularly the Turkish Eggs which remind me so much of my childhood food in the Middle East. Honorary mention to the Tomato Toast which is also banging. Staff are friendly but not overbearing and I love that there is a no laptop rule for set days and times. You won't get better x

Always great food here, the whole family loves the scrambled eggs. Regularly changing guest roastery beans available brewed or as retail. Selection is so good I have stopped bothering trying to find places to order from online. Everyone working there is always really friendly and to us, including a rather demanding 2 year old with strong views on eggs, toast and hot drinks. Also very knowledgable about the coffee so can always get something that hits the spot for those takeaway bags.