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

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 😍

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 👌🏻

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

Gorgeous space - cosy interior, filled with mismatched furniture and art, with great music and friendly staff. Had a nice coffee and slice of cake and will definitely be back to try the great-looking cocktails. A charming local spot, to be sure.

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

Great food! 5 stars

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

Don't think I can add more in the ways of superlatives beyond what I've seen in some other reviews for this place. All I can offer is my agreement with the reviews that say that this place has a fantastic atmosphere, the serving staff are brilliant and well the turkey ham and cheese croissant was the best I can remember having. Phenomenal place to visit. My thanks to Emir and the ladies for the hospitality. And I need another one of those hot chocolates. Superb!!!

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 :)

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.

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!

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.

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

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

What a find! Don’t judge a book by its cover - the most delicious food! Plus genius portions. My Mum said it was the best veggie soup she’s ever had. Highly recommend

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.

Staff are caring and helpful. Delicious coffee.

Lovely little Spanish café with very friendly staff (who let me sample piquillo peppers!). The toasties are reasonably priced, delicious, and filled with fresh and high quality ingredients. Also a great place for re-stocking luxury cupboard items or buying gifts. This is becoming a favourite lunch stop.

Absolutely delightful local cafe - blessed to have it within a short walk from home. Perfect coffees, cakes and pastries, not to mention the hot foods - breakfast is a particular winner. Great, friendly team - nothing is too much trouble. A gem!

Original food options, lovely coffee and comfortable little place.

Just arrived from Australia and waiting to get into our accommodation. We were able to stash our bags in the corner while we had a much needed and filling breakfast and great coffee. Service was awesome, friendly and full of locals . Perfect introduction to London cafe and great start to the day.

By far the best breakfast I've had. Good portion size and not greasy.... And all for £7 too. This is the best cafe I've been to so far. I had the BB1 breakfast and a mug of tea. Staff were friendly and polite. The interior is functional and nothing fancy, but I went to eat not to stare at the walls. Highly recommend.

Let's talk about the coffee – it was nothing short of exceptional. The hot chocolate they served was a decadent masterpiece. It was velvety, smooth, and intensely chocolaty. It felt like a warm hug in a cup, perfect for those chilly days..! And finally the mocha. I'm a big fan of mochas, and this cafe's version was nothing short of perfection. It struck the ideal balance between sweetness and the robustness of coffee, making it the best mocha I've ever had the pleasure of sipping. Overall I had the best hot beverages ever…!

Such a great easy going cafe. Loads of variety in the menu- I get something different pretty much every time and it’s always great. Staff are lovely and accommodating. Lovely trad vibe- feel right at home!

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!

Lovely cafe serving breakfast, sandwiches, paninis, cakes etc and great coffee. Service is always very friendly.

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 😀

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

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

Fantastic coffee shop and the food is amazing. The biggest selling point is the gorgeous log fire. The coffee is very good quality and obviously a local favourite. Dog friendly. Only negative for me was that there were no herbal teas, even decaf tea and coffee have caffeine-free so difficult for those who can’t drink any caffeine. Piccalilli toastie was divine!

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.

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.

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