Bageriet

You'll find yourself on Rose Street in Covent Garden squinting at the queue snaking out of this narrow frontage, and honestly, it moves faster than you'd expect. Inside, it's all reclaimed wood, open shelving, and the kind of warm lighting that makes 7am feel civilised. The counter display is genuinely beautiful—laminated cardamom buns still warm from the oven, dark rye loaves with that proper density, cinnamon swirls that justify their £3-4 price tag. The sourdough here is the real deal: crispy crust, proper fermentation tang, not the Instagram-bait stuff you get elsewhere. Order at the counter, grab a coffee if you want, then either eat standing up like everyone else or head back to your desk.