Colonna & Small's — Restaurant in London

I have known of and bought beans from Colonna before, but had not been to a cafe of theirs. I was delighted to be able to change that on discovering this branch online. It only opened about seven months ago (Sept 2023) according to the staff. It is on the same street as Prufrock (another speciality coffee spot but it does more food). It is quite a different street, but it is lovely and quiet. After a lot of walking, I needed a sit down with a proper coffee. The staff were super friendly and talked me through the options for coffee to have. I went for aeropress of one of their current coffees. It came quickly and was very well brewed indeed. Presentation was spot on, too. The attention to detail here is astonishing. I love the space too, with all the seating at the back it gives it a very relaxed and restful atmosphere. Staff helped me pick some beans to take home, which was much appreciated as they all sounded amazing (the beans). Had a good chat with the two excellent staff members too, which is always lovely - they can tell if you’re into speciality coffee! I actually preferred it to the giant that is Prufrock down the street, however they are not trying to be the same thing. Here is more coffee focused with a few pastries, there is more food focused with coffee (I think). They have very fast WiFi here too, but for me the atmosphere is more conducive to reading! I hope to visit their Bath store at some point in the future and am about to order more beans from their site! I highly recommend this exceptional coffee shop! A true experience!...

Colonna has always been one of my favourite roasters, with consistently excellent beans, so I was really excited to finally visit Colonna & Small’s in London. My friend had been to the Bath one and had a fantastic experience, so expectations were high.

We ordered two Panamanian Gesha filters (Zorro Natural 2024 and Esmeralda Washed 2022). Unfortunately, both cups had a strong bitterness that overwhelmed the flavour, which was surprising and disappointing. We even swapped cups to check, but the same issue was there, and letting them cool only made it worse. Sadly, we couldn’t finish either pot.

What made it more disheartening was that, unlike my friend’s Bath visit, the baristas never checked in with us, even though the café was quiet. I didn’t raise it at the time because I was too let down. I’ve always admired Colonna’s roasting and really hope the café side can match that same high standard — especially since so many people, like me, travel from afar with great...

Lovely new addition to the specialty scene in London.

I popped in mid-afternoon for an espresso. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable about the coffee. They explained the espresso menu and what they thought of the options.

I believe I had a Burundi, but I’ve forgotten. Regardless, it packed more of a punch in acidity than I was expecting, but was very good. I hear they’re doing turbo shots through the EK which is unique and exciting.

The cafe design is minimal and resembles the shop in Bath. However there isn’t as much natural light or the quirks of that shop.

The aesthetic screamed Nordic laboratory to me. I think it was the lighting. A few plants, some light diffusers, and a striking piece of art could seriously elevate the...