Having a coffee is the perfect first date. Surveys gone by have proved ‘Struckers often choose to coffee-date during the day or in their lunch hour. By our reckoning it’s even better than an evening date where there is pressure to hang around for that second drink even if you know the date is going nowhere. There are some cosy coffee hubs popping up all the time and here are some of our fave ones: 
Upper Holloway’s new hipster coffee hub combines coffees, burgers and brunches. Filled with natural sunlight, it is a fab place to come for a breakfast or brunch date or coffee. The cooked breakfast is excellent, as are the homemade cakes and if you ever cycle to your dates, it’s bike-friendly too, as the name may suggest…
Set within a soaring church, this unique new coffee shop is based down the alley from St Paul’s and has a huge open plan area with stained glass windows and sleek fittings. It also boasts an expresso and brew bar with tea from the Brew Tea Co, alongside well-prepared simple food.
Based on Lower Marsh near Waterloo station, Four Corners is designed around a travel theme and is perfect for globetrotters of all kinds. Quirky and friendly, they sell excellent coffee for Ozone, Yumchaa tea and yummy Balthazar breads and pastries.
Notes takes its coffee pretty seriously and has a whole menu for expressos and its very own roastery, combining the latest beans with great technology and highly-trained baristas. The tea is pretty special too – the loose-leaf teas are from Lalani & Co, who import from gardens in Indonesia, China and Japan. There are branches in Covent Garden, Moorgate and Trafalgar Square and they also serve lunches, while Notes Moorgate has an evening menu and wine list and Notes Covent Garden is open all day, including dinner and drinks.
Capturing the “gap year spirit”, Flat Planet is a cosy central café with padded benches – or a sofa if you get there quick enough – where you can grab some Monmouth coffee and feel inspired and energised. If it’s a lunch date, be sure to try one of their divine flatbread sandwiches.
This laidback Soho spot is a great place to come and relax with a date, without the pressure of feeling you have to rush off if it’s going well. The coffee is good – they use beans from The Roasting Party, Has Bean and Caravan and also dish up sandwiches and pizza.
Specialising in Ethiopian coffee, Ground Control, near Angel, is the public face of the Ethiopian Coffee Company. Running regular workshops, you can pop in the Daily Filter, which changes to different regions in Ethiopia throughout the week.
Do you have a favourite coffee hub perfect for a date? Tell us @lovestruck
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