Came in the evening, so walked into a wine bar rather than a coffee shop. Came for a glass of wine, and stayed for a few. Staff were very friendly and helpful, picking some really great wines for us to try. I got some crab toast that was absolutely gorgeous, honestly the perfect snack. A super nice, small wine bar for a quiet drink.

A cute cafe that has 2 floors (come in deeper and you can find the stairs that lead you downstairs). I loved their cute latte art🫶🏻 the miso cookie was nice too!

You’d think it was a given when on Upper Street, with the plethora of coffee/bakery shops, that you could get a decent espresso shot… alas no. Too many over-extracted; bitter market blends, only suitable when camouflaged with a gallon of whatever (faux) milk ‘tickles your fancy’, or pumpkin spice - if you must (tiz the season). Fortuitously, whilst having a Monday mooch, I happened upon HG and their wonderful world of speciality roasts & blends. With Simon & Ink (two of the most beautiful people you could ever want to meet), and the rest of the amazing HG team, I have found myself a little oasis, and have been ‘smitten’ ever since. Forno supplies some irresistible Italian pastificio, Simon & Co. make tasty ‘award winning’ sandwiches, and Oksana has curated an amazing selection of wine & grower champagne, if you fancy something a little stronger. With the dulcet tones of Sabrina Carpenter singing “Espresso" in the background creating a cool; chilled, relaxed vibe, in this meticulously put together shop. What more could you want..? Free parking out front? ✅ Wine bar Friday & Saturday nights? ✅ Boom! Love it. Love it. Love it! 🥰

Upping this to 5* after a year since it has really found its pace as a distinctive destination. Coffee remains excellent, and the pastry/sandwich range has improved - with a twist (eg miso and matcha in the cookies, spicy salami in the sandwiches and even small kouign-amann for a lighter take on Breton pastries. Here’s the previous review which still stands, just dialled up! Good coffee from, nice ambience and the coffee/wine/cake combo is quite endearing. Pace is just a little laid-back and disengaged, and it suffers somewhat by comparison with its neighbour. The ‘no laptops’ policy is quite refreshing, even if it’s not contextualised. The layout would soon be cluttered with three homeworkers on a video call, so full marks for making this a more contained experience. Just misses out on that destination/hideaway feel, but could grow into it.

Decent batch filter and a nice selection of pastries, cookies, etc. Open nice and early, light and airy but with a comforting glow, just what you need with your morning coffee :) If evening's your thing then they have wine too. Perfect for Upper St.