Alchemy Café - Shoreditch in Hackney

I only tried a milk based coffee once and the latte was very good, but it's not every cafe that serves sensational batch brews ( a choice of 3!) made with locally roasted single origin beans, so that was my go to for my week in Shoreditch. Always busy but the fast and friendly staff pump the coffees out quickly. A great find!

One of the best coffee shop in Shoreditch, great customer service

Alchemy Café in Shoreditch offers a cozy spot for coffee lovers, though it's a bit on the smaller side. I visited at 11am on a Thursday, and the place was quite busy. The café has only eight small tables inside, each accommodating two people, with some additional seating available outside on the pavement. I opted for a Batch Brew priced at £3.50, which was well-balanced, avoiding the overly citrusy and floral notes that I often find in similar brews. While the staff mentioned that using a laptop is fine, there’s no Wi-Fi available, and I noticed that I was the only person working on one, which suggests it's not the typical vibe. Plus, the mobile reception inside is poor, making it hard to use a personal hotspot. Notably, there are no customer toilets, and by midday, the café becomes much quieter. As for the staff, they seemed a bit cold at first, especially during busy times, but they warmed up considerably with regulars. Overall, it's a decent spot for a quick coffee, but perhaps not the best choice if you’re planning to work remotely.

Great filter coffee. The beans, that I bought from brewing at home, were equally good

Nice drinks but no public toilet and very arrogant staff when asked about where customers should go

Great coffee and food, the orange cake is sublime. The space feels a bit tight but that’s because there is always people getting a coffee from there.

A fantastic little find this morning. Very helpful staff who made me an amazing coffee with opus beans. Fantastic and full of flavour. While waiting for my wife they offered me a sample of the espresso soft serve. One way to describe it, divine! Support this place people, it would be a loss to everyone if you don't.

Have worked in the building this place is attached to for going on 4 years now, and have visited this place less and less for my morning/afternoon coffee over that time. I can honestly count on one hand the amount of times any of the miserable lot in here have cracked a smile. The staff have an arrogance to them that really isn't merited given the price and standard of the coffee, which isn't much more than above average. I remember asking for sugar in my coffee once and the barista honestly looked at me like I'd just pissed on his mother's grave. Take the extra few minutes to walk up the road to Ozone where the coffee is really good and the staff and atmosphere are way better.

I got the most delicious pain au chocolat with a pistachio filling and pistachio on top, and omg I think it was the best pastry I’ve ever had, for only £3.20! I was so shocked at the price, and it’s a very good size for it too! The service was mostly good, although the person I was buying it from seemed a little passive aggressive. The atmosphere was really sweet, it looked just like a cute little cafe. I would definately go again.

I get coffee here at least once a day during the work week (have since 2021). Delicious coffees on offer with a staff who really know what's good. They are often very busy in here and, as it is not a Starbucks, sometimes it takes a little longer to get your brew, but well worth it every time. The baked goods are fresh and tasty, I'm partial to the cherry danish. Love that there is no wifi in this space, it keeps things moving making for a more interesting time if you're sitting and having a chat. The staff are a great bunch who all have interesting lives outside of serving you coffee. If you give them the time of day they will make yours!

No reception and no WiFi if you plan to work. Very unfriendly. They were not busy since I was the only one there so not sure why.

The staff seems to think that being rude and arrogant is "cool". Anyone who has any experience in hospitality calls that "dumb" instead. No amount of great coffee (which, quite frankly, it was just ok) can justify a horrendous experience. I'm never going back.

Amazing service, such friendly staff who are quick to assist with my caffeine and sugar fix. The best soya/oat flat whites. Oh, you got to ask for the orange matcha. Next level. I think people who work in coffee shops mirror their customer, make sure to go in with positive vibes

Service was a bit slow as they were quite busy, but as an Aussie it was totally worth it for the Aussie treats. They sell Tim tams, cherry ripes and lamingtons! Personally I prefer my lamingtons without jam but if you like the jam ones then you'll be very happy here.

Shockingly bad service and rudeness each time form the bloke with long unwashed hair

Great coffee every time and broad selection of pastry and snacks. I also get my filter papers from here whenever I need. Best coffee shop.

Truly dire customer service. A smile and manners goes a long way.

Busy cafe with friendly service and great coffee

Good coffee shame about the rude staff and slow service

Nice coffee place. Great coffee, impressive late art, friendly atmosphere! Sadly, no toilets.

Great place to get a quick cup of coffee before going to the office.

Lovely cafe that serves specialty coffee. There are different beans you can choose from and they have amazing Aus pastries as well.

Coffee is pretty decent, probably best in the immediate area. Downside is that service was pretty slow, there was no queue and I ordered right away. But it took exactly 12 minutes to make my coffee. This is probably down to the equipment and prior orders the guys are busy with, but they would have to improve on this since this is not the place to go if you’re in a hurry.

Excellent flat white in Shoreditch. My new go-to on my morning commute!

Great coffee and service! Absolutely love it! Thanks! :)

Hands down the best coffee I've ever had in my life. Great helpful staff too

As a travelling Australian i have been searching all of europe for a coffee shop just like this! Great coffee great service and they even put the sugar in your coffee just like at home 👌 if i could give more than 5 stars i would highly recommend visting if your a fan of coffee

The most delicious coffee in Shoreditch (yes, I've tried them all)... And sometimes they draw a seahorse or a swan in your flat white - DELIGHTFUL. Fab pastries too.

Outstanding Cortardo using the elixir espresso ! Great toasted chincken ciabatta too. Staff outstanding and cool atmosphere! 👍👌my new regular in Shoreditch ☺️

Great place to take a good coffee. Croissants quality can be better, but best coffee so far.

Decent coffee, with some seating inside but mainly a weekday take-out coffee place for folks working nearby.

Coffee is very good but I want to definitely highlight the good service and attention!

Delicious flat white in a cute coffee shop. Eager to try their laminations next time.

Average sour coffee, unfriendly staff — although I guess it was rude of me to intrude on their bestfriends forever chatting time by asking for a coffee AND a lid — and there was a huge wait. I live round the corner but i don’t plan on going back again. Useless.

Friendly staff, good coffee, and nice atmosphere

Slow, so slow... But the coffee is good.

Nice little café with pleasant staff, good atmosphere and very good biscuits.

Good coffee with beautiful latte art. The cafe itself was a bit cramped and not a space for doing work, since there's no wifi and it's quite loud, but alright for a chat. Staff wasn't the most friendly and service was terribly slow (waited about 15-20 min for one takeaway drink), but delivered quality coffee for a reasonable price.

Great quality coffee made with great care. The place was very aesthetic and filled to the brim with a good atmosphere. My only critique is the lack of a toilet — but the coffee was worth the wait.

They have really amazing coffee! I loved it

Good coffee and service. Friendly staff

The coffee was nice, not the best I had in London, but good coffee. But the attitude! So grumpy. No one smiled back at us, not very friendly stuff. And the Australian products are well over priced. I won't be back.

Coffee was great quality as were the cakes we had as a stop off on a day out walking around London. Enjoyed the setting and staff were lovely, they were obviously popular with local regulars who were popping in for a chat.

Great coffee and friendly staff members. Glad it’s right next to my workplace.

Just want to say that this place is the spot, Macey the cocktail alchemist is amazing at pouring your drinks with a perfect smile.

The best coffee of my life! They put so much care into crafting each cup; just wonderful !.

How is it so full of so-called cafés and the first thing they can't make is espresso? How do you make it so sour? You put petrol in it? Someone please let me know if they have an answer.

Nice Coffee. Expensive for cup size

Very good cappuccino and latte. The barista girl sparkled our morning with fabulous latte art!

Cracking coffee, best in the area

Lovely coffee and espresso ice cream!

Fantastic flat white and the best almond croissant since I left Napoli

Excellent flat white and very friendly staff :3

Decent coffee, little bit of a queue in the morning but not too bad and get your coffee pretty quickly. I have both sat in and had take away and had both Caffeinated and Decaf, both tasted great. I usually have a flat white with regular milk. Great place to grab coffee if you are between the Bank and Shoreditch area.

Exceptional coffee. Flat white is the best one I have ever had.

The oat milk flat white is my go to, and not only was I disappointed with the size of it, but also the price. At that price, a smile would be nice!

Got in for a quick coffee and had a great time, nice place with cool, chilled and nice staff.

Quiet and relaxing place - enjoyed a latte and scrummy cake.

Exceptional coffee and nice atmosphere!

Great coffee and great pastries

One of the best independent coffee shops in London!!! Must try for every coffee enthusiast.

Paid 3.80 for the smallest flat white I ever got (size of double espresso). Then went to the office and we all laughed at how small it was. Bloody Shoreditch man, luckily there's plenty of other good options around.

I've had the batch brew (good), the pour over (excellent) and a flat white (also excellent) from here. This place makes great coffee, perhaps even the best coffee in this part of London! The batch and pour over come in fun "alchemical" flasks too.

Food and coffee both amazing. Nice ambiance

Very nice cafe. Lovely and helpful stafd

Mega yummy coffee - a bit overpriced plus they charge 60p extra for plant based milk! Super nice staff & cute spot to have coffee :)

Really good coffee and welcoming crew.

Great coffee and wonderful latte art

Great coffee, friendly staff- only 4/5 because they close too early for my liking!

One of the best flat whites I've had. Amazing quality!

Really good coffee but they closed at 3.30pm on a Wednesday, which was too early for me.

They have the best coffee available and even some fresh baked goods as well. The ambiance of this shop was so relaxing, and the staffs are highly capable.

Only tables of two but tasty coffee

Great flat white and friendly staff

AMAZING COFFEE!! SUPERIOR SERVICE!! A cut above the rest!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!

Excellent coffee. They need more exposure as they are on a quiet street. Maybe think about leaflets in the post or paying influencers to visit your coffee shop

Great shop, with great coffee and great service

Really small, but also really expensive coffee. The barista was not smiling at all and overall, it just felt really bad and really pricy, I will never go there again.

No customer toilet, no comfortable seating, no cash

Amazing coffee and very skilled baristas. Wonderful latte art even on plant based drinks. Bit pricy but definitely worth it. Their vegan chocolate orange brownie it out of this world too.

Great coffee, the team know what they're doing. Service is a bit gruff.

I longed for the Alchemy coffee shop between Blackfriars and St. Paul's. Now there is one in the very heart of Shoreditch, filling the void from Taylor St., and raising the bar of the area. The Central American selection of coffee is astonishing and just that deserves 5 stars. The best coffee in Shoreditch. Period

Went there for a coffee meeting and I must say the coffee extraordinary. Lovely place, lovely staff and quick service. Definitely recommend this place for a coffee as well as if you were to catch up with a friend. Food blogger: Instagram - london_food_hero

A hidden gem, great staff and amazing coffee. My secret escape from the office.

Great new addition to the area, a very cool cafe with very smooth coffee

Amazing coffee and pastries in a quirky location. The staff are lovely, knowledgeable, and very friendly. Definitely worth a visit and will no doubt become a Shoreditch hotspot in no time at all!