Portobello cafe culture

Britons spent an amazing £730m on coffee last year. We took a stroll down Portobello Road to find out the best places to get your local caffeine fix. By Lydia Williams

Above: Pick up a cuppa from Mirko's campervan, under the Westway every Thursday Friday and Sunday. Photograph by Lydia Evans

In the UK we take our coffee very seriously. We know what we like (Milk? Sugar?) and we know what we want (double-shot, soya chai latte anyone?) For some it is as essential a part of the morning routine as brushing their teeth, either enjoyed at leisure over the papers, or snatched in a paper cup on the way to work. Luckily for us, the Grove is full of independent coffee shops to satisfy our caffeine cravings.

Grove’s food writer, Bill Knott, has honed his local coffee haunt to not only a location, but his favoured barista too – Vicky at La Plaza. But whether you choose a mug of filtered coffee to celebrate surviving the rugby-scrum queue for a table at Mike’s on a Saturday, an eco-friendly colourful mug of fair-trade from Progresso (with designs on top of your cappuccino courtesy of master barista Josep Ruis) or a leisurely latte at Kitchen and Pantry, that you make last the morning while you work feverishly on your laptop (as I am now) – we all have our favourites.

For many, coffee culture has digressed from being about the humble bean at all. For those sat outside the Coffee Plant or the Electric it is merely an accessory – an excuse to enjoy the perfect people-watching vantage point. For others, an espresso at Lisboa Patisserie is just the sideline to the main event – which is, of course, the authentic Portuguese custard tarts. Or perhaps your vice is tiramisu served with a coffeee from Mirku and his orange campervan parked under the Westway every Thursday, Friday and Sunday. ‘I love the vibe and energy of the market,’ Mirko 9pictured right) says. ‘The secret to a good coffee? Put a lot of love into it!’

Whether you are in it for the pure necessity of your daily caffeine fix or for the fun of watching the world go by, head down Portobello Road and pick up your morning cup.