Balans Soho, No.60

You'll find yourself wedged between Soho's vintage shops and dive bars at this straightforward café that's been doing the basics right for years. It's the sort of place where locals actually sit down with their laptops or newspapers rather than Instagram their flat white, and the espresso machine gets a proper workout from regulars who know what they're after. The space is unpretentious—dark wood, cramped but charming—and the menu sticks to what it does well: proper cooked breakfasts, decent sandwiches, and coffee that doesn't come with an essay about its provenance. Staff move at a London pace, cheerful without being precious about it.