Starbucks Coffee

You're on Praed Street in Paddington, that slightly chaotic stretch between the station and the canal, and you need proper coffee—not the lukewarm stuff from a petrol station. This Starbucks delivers on the basics without pretension. It's busier than you'd expect for a chain location, which tells you something about the neighbourhood's foot traffic and lack of proper alternatives nearby. The usual Starbucks formula applies: Wi-Fi works, the seating's adequate if you don't mind sitting near the window watching buses rumble past, and the baristas actually know how to make a decent flat white.