UKC

I'm yet to find anywhere really good in London but of course it's a big place and I only really go from Euston to Whitehall but any recommendations would be good.
Anybody in Liverpool could do a lot worse than Bold Street coffee, they always have good espresso and normally 3 different filter coffees, usually something to suit most tastes.
At the moment I'm working 1 day a week in Manchester and can recommend PKB in Barton Arcade on Deansgate as consistently brilliant, really nice people running it as well.

I travel quite a lot with work so any good independents to add to the database would be good ta.

In reply to Mooncat:

Some good indies in Soho with prices to match.

In reply to Mooncat:

North Tea Power*, and Caffeine and Co (both Manchester) are good. Laynes Espresso if you're ever in Leeds. And if you come to Sheffield it's got to be Steam Yard or Tamper (there are other fantastic coffee shops here, like Upshot Espresso and Bragazzis, but they're not as central).

Spring Espresso if your journeying ever takes you to York.

*Don't be put off by the name, the coffee is exceptional!

In reply to Mooncat:
In Manchester, Pave Coffee is the current "cafe du jour" @ 11 St James (used to be a Caffeine and Co). Manchester coffee shops have gone a little hipster, all signing up to the AirSpace aesthetic which makes a lot of them pretty same-y, you could any where in the world.

I've always had a soft spot for Mr Scruff so can't not recommend his place, Teacup too:

http://www.teacupandcakes.com/

Edit - It turns out ManCoCo, the roaster i get my beans from has a coffee shop now as well so that'd be worth a try:

http://mancoco.co.uk/

In reply to Mooncat:

Coffee Genius in Carlisle is nice. Down a lane off English street. Near M & S

In reply to Mooncat:

Thanks for the replies everyone, Manchester seems to be the coffee capital, PKB is perfect for me, between the station and work but I'll make it my mission to try the others when I'm out and about.

Indy, any specific places you can recommend in Soho?

In reply to Mooncat:

Monmouth coffee gets good reviews although with queues to match

In reply to KevinD:


Damn, I was at Borough market on Friday as well, I'll give the Covent Garden one a crack next week. thanks.

In reply to Mooncat:

There's a Northern Coffee Guide sold in quite a few coffee shops at the moment, including our local coffee-obsessive, Bean Loved here in Skipton. It covers as far south as Sheffield and as far north as Newcastle, I think - Mr TC keeps a copy in his car so he can have reliable coffee/be a coffee geek wherever he is...

Just found it online, with full listings, here: http://www.indycoffee.guide/northern-independent-coffee-guide/

In reply to Mooncat:

Opposite, opposite the Parkinson steps of Leeds University, gets a vote from me.

In reply to Mooncat:

Hi

I can vouch for Layne's Espresso in Leeds and there is a subtle pride in what they do. Also Spring Espresson in York.

If I lived in London I would have visited the Workshop Coffee coffee houses in Clerkenwell, Fitzrovia, Marylebone and Holborn. I haven't been, but I do buy my beans from Workshop Coffee.

Pete

In reply to Mooncat:

You want to be careful. it starts off at just once a day and then you find you are addicted to Forums!!

In reply to Mooncat:

Kush coffee, Nelson, New Zealand......if you are passing.
http://kush.co.nz/

In reply to Mooncat:

If you find yourself in Bristol, Small St Espresso does ace coffee, but is admittedly very hipster. Also, Baristas Coffee Collective has been going years and is very good - near Temple Meads station too if you have just a little bit of time to kill.

In reply to Mooncat:
There's a market stall at Strutton Ground Market near Victoria called Flat Cap which is really quite good. There's also a coffee shop whose name I can't remember somewhere near Wilton's Music Hall near Tower Gateway which was pretty alright the one time I went there, if really quite hipster.

In reply to Mooncat:

If your work takes you to Edinburgh, Wellington Coffee, on the corner of George Street and Hanover Street, is excellent. It's only small, in a basement, but it's one of favourites in Edinburgh. Nice brownies too.

In reply to Moley:



Ok, in that case can I also recommend Cafetino in Ljubliana. Best coffee in Europe!

In reply to Mooncat:

If you are ever visiting the Mendip Hills in Somerset pop into The Hub at Wookey, great coffee, cakes and banter.https://www.facebook.com/wookeyhub/

In reply to Alyson:

Further north, Nanny's at Shieldaig, Torridon deserves a mention.

In reply to Mooncat:
If you ve got a smart phone there's an app called London coffee , tells you what machine , what grinder , wwhat beans and a short review . We went to several small and not so small independents when we were in London for the weekend last year, the best of which was caravan near kings cross . A couple of them , that were well reviewed but whose names I forget , were frankly a bit sh!t. So I suspect the app may not be totally unbiased . I think ,as above Manchester is better. ( in many ways )
Edit. Always used to go to Monmouth in convent garden because I like their espresso beans and often buy them , but yet again seems to have gone off the boil as the espresso I had in there recently was poor .

In reply to Mooncat:

Coffee fans (and breakfast fans) heading to the lakes should also note that Homeground Coffee and Kitchen in Windermere is sublime.

In reply to Mooncat:

Whats wrong with Costa??. Damm fine coffee...that's why its popular

In reply to goatee:

1/10, get back under yer bridge!

In reply to Mooncat:

In London, if you're in the City the following are good:

- curator's coffee
- taylor's st barista
- prufrock

In Soho, department of coffee and social affairs has a bad name but good coffee. Fernandez and Wells is good and a bit more traditional; or north of Oxford St, there is a good place on Rathbone St but can't remember the name.

In reply to andyfallsoff:

Where would be good place to get a turkish coffee?

In reply to Mooncat:
I don't know for sure about Turkish coffee, but I would try Dalston as that's the one of the centres of the London Turkish community - one of the better kebab restaurants such as Mangal should be able to oblige (and if they didn't, the food is more than worth the journey anyway).

Edgware Road might also be worth a try although it isn't an area I know that well (but does have a lot of middle eastern cafes etc. which could be able to help).

In reply to Mooncat:

+1 for Monmouth. Absolutely superb coffee IMHO.

In Manchester, TAKK and Foundation are good.

In reply to Alyson:

Interesting. I've been disappointed with Homeground. Fit out is cool (for our neck of the woods!) but was underwhelmed by quality and customer service.

Must give them another whirl.

In reply to Mooncat:

My current favourite in London is Black Sheep, by Aldgate East station. Their Robusta Revival is a welcome change from the current trend, which is too sour for my taste.
Take away only though.

In reply to goldmember:


Istanbul

In reply to Mooncat:

I like 6 8 Cafe on Temple Row in Birmingham. Nice coffee there compared to normal high street coffee places.

In reply to Mooncat:


McDonalds. But these days I'm leaning towards Burger King coffee.

In reply to Mooncat:

Whitehall's a desert. For old skool breakfast appeal, go for rough filter at the Regency Cafe (10 mins walk towards Pimlico).

In reply to Mooncat:

Velocity in Inverness. So coco if you want hot chocolate. hth.

In reply to Mooncat:

Albertini's in Chalton St might be worth a look https://www.albertini.co.uk/