The Coffee Jar

Head down to Camden Parkway and you'll find yourself in the kind of café that makes you wonder why you ever bothered with chain coffee. The Coffee Jar does the basics brilliantly—their espresso has real backbone, and they're not messing about with beans. The space has that lived-in warmth without trying too hard, the sort of place where regulars nod at each other and the staff remember your order. It's become exactly what the neighbourhood needed: a proper coffee stop that takes itself seriously without being precious about it.