WatchHouse Somerset House in City of London, Westminster

Great Flat white in a cool setting at Somerset House and Ice Skating rink. Coffee is consistent and very good

Really pleasant atmosphere, lovely staff, and wonderful food & drinks!

Very welcoming place and very kind staff, in particular the bartender Sara, always smiling and helpful.

I’ve been a regular at this coffee shop, but after today, I won’t be coming back. I ordered and paid for a large cappuccino, but the barista gave me a small. When I pointed out the mistake, instead of resolving the issue politely, she insisted I’d only paid for a small and spoke to me in an unnecessarily rude tone that felt incredibly uncomfortable (in front of a crowded coffee shop). It’s disappointing to see such poor customer service, especially since I’ve always loved WatchHouse coffee. Compared to GAIL’s nearby, where the staff are friendly, remember your name, and make you feel welcome, this was a truly unpleasant experience. Customer service should be as good as the coffee—this place fell short and the staff member rubbed her bad mood off on the experience, so much so that I won't be returning.

High prices, small portions. The food was so so but the coffee was disappointing for the price and the hot chocolate tasted powdery.

The food was great! The coffee was tasty and the staff were very accommodating. The atmosphere was good for meet ups. I’ll definitely coming back for more!

Amazing service, food and drinks!! Freddie was fantastic!

My experience at Watchhouse today was absolutely fabulous!!! The vibe and atmosphere is so lovely, watching family’s and friends skate on the rink whilst enjoying some lovely snackies and coffee! But the young people working there really took the cake. I myself am a hospitality worker so I am really naturally very affected by the servers attitude - if they’re not in a good mood, i cant be in a good mood! I was served by tall curly Freddie, Nadia and Diogo. They were all having a good time (even though they were working!! :) and were very sweet and courteous, fun-loving and passionate, with a twinkle in their eye and a wonderful charm. Thank you all for a sublime afternoon.

Had a fantastic experience here catered for me sweetly by Freddie. The gentle Giant. Highly reccomend.

Great vibes and ambience. The coffee was amazing and the server Freddie was really attentive. I would definitely recommend visiting here.

Friendly staff and quick service

Watch House has excellent drinks and food, staff and service are friendly and quick with orders.

Very nice service - very nice staff

Brilliant coffee and delicious pastries! Also, the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had. My favourite place to relax when in central London. Freddie, best waiter in the game, great service!

Very lovely vibe, great drinks, and great pastries!!

My and my friend we had an amazing tea. Great selection

The chai latte and avocado toast were delicious, the toast serving was quite large and generously portioned. Great ambiance with plenty of spaces to have coffee or to work from your laptop!

Nice spot to rest. Freddie was attentive and friendly.

always amazing service, love this place x

By far my favorite coffee shop in London. The staff go out of their way to make customers feel welcomed and the food and drinks are always great. The atmosphere, especially in their somerset house location, is beautiful. Truly a great experience all around and a must visit coffee shop.

Love this place! Cozy and calm atmosphere in central London plus the best coffee and sweets 👌

Always my priority coffee in London is WacthHouse ☕️ It has 5 branches and a modern café par excellence Wins the interior atmosphere.

The best coffee In London, because of the quality also the atmosphere

I love coming here to work-there is a server there called Shraddha who is just the sweetest :) Impeccable service

Really good service and deliciousness food!!!

I really enjoyed my experience at WatchHouse Somerset House. The food was delicious and the staff was very nice and attentive.

Great atmosphere, had the carrot cake that was so yummy, and the staff was so kind!!

Great coffee and always a lovely place to work for an hour or two

This place is my go to! Shraddha gave me such good service, the place is gorgeous and coffee is great. They do have a 90 minute time slot FYI!

Really lovely. Great place to eat and get some work done. Shraddha was very helpful and accommodating.

WatchHouse used to market itself as a place of great service and attention to detail. This branch is nothing like this. I waited 10 minutes while there were 9 seats open and no queue. I was ignored time after time, I counted 7 staff walked around me. Once seated, then aggressively janked out of my hands the menus when they saw I was trying to order from the app to table and her face red of anger speaking aggressively that then she had to take the menus away. They delivered a random drink to us, without asking, when we said it’s not ours, ignored and he kept on walking…. From start to finish, this was a worse version of the standard piss-poor London coffee culture of no greeting, no thank you, no how can I help, no smile, no verbal acknowledgement of any kind, no you’re welcome…. What can be done to start again from scratch? The service was rogue for other tables as well

good coffee, good food and good service!

Amazing food and great service 🌱🙏

Very welcoming waiters, and the atmosphere is usually very nice. Good choice of pastries - come in the morning to see more options

I have had the worst experience I have had in a coffee shop here. After queuing up to sit in. The waiter named Alex came over and said you have "10 minutes to order food or you will have to leave" even after we had ordered three coffees. It is absurd that a coffee shop doesn't let you sit in and drink your coffee. Following that his hostile and very rude colleague named "Eva" came and kept telling us we need to go after explaining to her that we had told them at the till we want to sit in. Then the guy "Alex" came and literally escorted us out. They will not be getting a single dime from me again. Worst service in London!!

Went for an early breakfast. Eggs Benedict, V60, cinnamon roll, sparkling water. Table service spotless. Tasty food and drinks with attention to details. Place is getting super busy throughout the day as located within Somerset House courtyard. Top place and great to relax from the city

Used to be fond of this place but very disappointed with the food. Food was served within 5 min of ordering suggesting it’s definitely not freshly cooked. The sausage does not have any meat in it. Is it vegan sausage even? Bacon and mushroom all very dry. Won’t have it again. Had eggs Benedict last time which was better.

V60 is 18£ ? And the cheapest is 8£?

Service is amazing thanks to Venus! Thanks a lot for being so nice and helpful.

I recently visited the Watch House Café at Somerset House. The café’s location is stunning, with a beautiful view overlooking the Thames and the historic courtyard of Somerset House. tried their flat white with a freshly baked croissant that was flaky and buttery. The staff were friendly, attentive, and made the experience even more enjoyable. I highly recommend the Watch House Café for anyone looking to enjoy a quiet moment in the best location

Venus was a wonderful waitress and made my Sunday morning :)

I have gone here every weekend morning without skipping a beat (except when I’m not in London) since 2-3 years ago, sometimes on weekdays too before I go to the office. Just finished my degree, and part of it thanks to their loveliest staff, for their excellent coffee and their warmest smiles and kind words that kept me staying awake until the end. 100% sure this is the best coffee place in London. Thank you again, love you so much, and see you next week! 🤎🤎

Good specialty coffee and beautiful view

The staff named Crystal is so nice! She has service-minded. I love it as it’s rare to experience service like this in London. She suggest me to order iced chocolate with soy milk which is perfect!

WatchHouse in Somerset House is quite busy with university students now back in London. However, the vibe is still lovely! You can get quieter tables if you prefer to have coffee and food while reading a chapter of your book. Service is also really fast and food is honestly amazing. Thank you to the staff’s great effort and energy! Lovely people both customers and staff! Btw, you can always order additional sides if you’re hangry like I was 💕💕💕💕 you can never go wrong with a bit of WatchHouse experience as a part of your day ☕️

Go to place for coffee around Strand. Coffee brews are always reliably good, pastries are fresh and beautiful as well. The cafe does get busy during peak times but the staffs are efficient and friendly!

Been a long standing customer of the chain but the customer service seems to have just gone downhill at this location as I was (repeatedly) asked to give up my seat and rushed through finishing my coffee as the waitress has offered it to a customer who just walked in, claiming the business operates a 45-min per table policy (which has not been communicated upfront). If you’d like to enjoy the coffee, consider other places where you are not timed for how long it should take to finish a cup.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at WatchHouse Somerset House. The service was particularly exceptional; I appreciated how Ollie was incredibly patient in answering my questions about the coffee I enjoyed. His extensive knowledge of coffee processing and extraction was evident in the delicious pour over he made. The pour over Ollie made for me was the best extracted coffee I’ve ever tasted. I left feeling thoroughly impressed and inspired!

Thanks Shraddha! Always love the coffee.

Really friendly service. We were a group of six for breakfast and everyone loved their food and coffee. Food was ready very quickly too.

My favorite staff member Venus was so kind and helpful!!

Beautiful area, with fantastic coffee and a delicious breakfast wrap. Highly recommend!

Perfect spot for brunch and coffee🏅 right next to KCL! Will definitely come again!

I really enjoyed my meal at Somerset house, I had the sweetcorn fritters which I would really recommend, they were perfectly savoury with a great amount of spice. The service was also great, I’ll be coming back soon!

Amazing coffee, so delicious, would highly recommend the chai! Staff were great too, Freddie in particular, very knowledgeable, friendly and professional!

We had very flavoursome sandwiches and cakes. If you like strong coffee this is the place to come but my wife who doesn’t take strong coffee was just as pleased with hers.

Amazing spot, great atmosphere and Freddy rocks. Recommend the salted caramel chocolate tart 🙌🏼

Amazing place, I like the atmosphere so much!!!

Very nice place, probably the best coffee I've had in London. There avocado toast is also fab. Service and atmosphere were also very nice.

Friendly staff and great food! Love the decor too

Really great food and very friendly staff!

This place exceeded all my expectations! The location is perfect, an ideal spot for both relaxation and productivity. My server, Freddie, was attentive and genuinely friendly, making sure my experience was nothing short of perfect. Nadiyah was also fantastic! With its great location, amazing service, and delicious coffee, I can’t wait to return! Highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great spot to enjoy a cup of coffee. 👍

Really nice atmosphere! Great coffee

WatchHouse at Somerset House offers a cozy atmosphere with excellent coffee, delicious pastries, and friendly staff. The perfect spot to relax or catch up on work!

nice place for afternoon tea! Great cakes and cookies☺️☺️

Very nice atmosphere and nice staff!

It's delicious, but it's all bite-sized.

Had a free coffee to redeem, but wanted to order 2 coffees. They automatically apply it to the cheaper coffee. When told this, asked if I could just make two separate orders, but the code was ‘already scanned’. Great way to push customers to Blank Street…

Great cappuccino and beautiful views!

Lovely place, great coffee break when you’re in the city. Super friendly staff, thank you Germaine!!

Lovely peaceful setting, great service. Good coffee and tea.

Lovely cafe!! Amazing coffee and great atmosphere!

Great coffee, friendly staff, and a gorgeous setting in Somerset House. Kristal was so welcoming and made sure everything was perfect.

This place used to be great before they started hiring 12 year olds who don’t know how to treat their customers

Such a stylish cafe. Banana bread was amazing. The coffees are artisan. Staff was good but the policy meh. They are asking for more order after a while. Regardless of how much you’ve already spent. Doesn’t make sense and not very demure. Expect high prices as well.

The place and the people are amazing! I come here all the time, the coffee is always great, everybody is so polite and helpfull. I already met Kristal and Eva, they are always wonderful and it is a pleasure spending my coffee break there! I wholeheartedly recommend visiting the WatchHouse.

I loved the atmosphere and the taste of the coffee. Especially staff Takumi and his female colleague were so friendly, I will visit again

Lovely people and lovely space, I try and stop by every time I'm in the area.

Had a great experience here, the coffee was delicious and Shraddha provided excellent service.

Great quick lunch, I love this spot to take a quick phone call or eat on my own in the middle of the day. Recommend the eggs! Shraddha was a super friendly server :-)

The coffee is consistently great and well prepared. The service is friendly, making it a great spot to chill and enjoy a book.

We had an extremely unsatisfactory experience at Watchhouse Somerest. Upon entering, no one informed us of the 45-minute seating limit for customers only ordering drinks. The male staff member simply mentioned that only drinks were available, which we accepted, expecting to stay for a short while to have coffee and work. However, when we placed our order, the female staff member was visibly impatient, tapping on the tablet while we decided. This made us feel uncomfortable. After sitting for less than 45 minutes, we were repeatedly asked to leave without any explanation of the seating policy. Only after we expressed our dissatisfaction did another staff member mention the time limit, claiming that all customers were told upfront, which was clearly not the case with us. Even after voicing our concerns, no resolution was offered—neither an extension of our seating time nor any form of apology or compensation. The waitresses are rude and we felt disrespected. It was the worst experience I’ve had in London. Will never return to and recommend any Watchhouse after this experience.

Brunch at WatchHouse Somerset was an absolute gem! The food was delicious, the ambiance cozy, but the real standout was Shraddha’s exceptional service. Her warmth, attention to detail, and genuine care made the experience feel truly special. Can’t wait to return for another perfect brunch!

Extremely disappointed experience. I went for brunch on Sunday and then pulled out my laptop for work. Later on, I decided to stay for a bit longer and ordered another cup of coffee. Five minutes after the coffee arrived, a waitress approached and asked me to clear the table because they have a queue. I completely understand, BUT SHOULDN’T SOMEONE TELL ME THAT I NEED TO LEAVE BEFOEE I ORDERED THE COFFEE???? I don’t know who would expect someone to finish a coffee within 5 minutes??? I kindly asked the waitress if I could finish my coffee first, she said she can give me another 15 minutes. After less than 10 minutes, she is back again demanding me to leave and said she can give me a takeaway cup, and I cannot stay here no matter what. Then I guess I just don’t understand the meaning of giving me 15 minutes table??? What’s the point of that. I really liked this place before but you really need to work on your staff training.

3 days in on our fortnight in London and we were beginning to despair that restaurants/ cafes were ever going to be able to cater for my celiac husband. Several places literally had nothing GF and didn't care or places would turn themselves inside out not to have us there, muttering that "it was on us" if he got sick. We were shocked that one of the biggest, most vibrant cities in the world was so behind on this. We have far more GF options for dining in our country town in Australia than we've seen here. So, after visiting the Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, decided to give it a go, expecting pushback. The Assistant Manager Eva asked relevant questions, listened carefully and offered both menu suggestions as well as reassurance that he could be safely catered for. Our server Kristal was cheerful, courteous and efficient. Not only that but a couple of other servers stopped by to see if we needed anything. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. We were delighted and so surprised to be offered cake on the house before we left. Well done to all the team. Thanks so much for taking care of my husband today. Cheers, Bron and David from Down Under.

Excellent coffee, excellent food, and a nice place to work for a while or catch up with friends. The staff are exceptional; I was served by Shraddha on this visit, who was friendly and accommodating as always. Each one of my visits to this WatchHouse can be described as nothing short of magical. As Thomas Jefferson once remarked, "Coffee is the favourite drink of the civilized world". And WatchHouse at Somerset House is surely the peak of civilization.

coffee and food was really good. i came there to work and study on my laptop, and unfortunately i wasn’t able to stay for too long, it was crowded and loud, so even with the headphones on, i could barely focus. also during peak hours, you’re only able to stay there for 90 minutes. it is very pretty though, so i will definitely come back, but just for a brunch/coffee with friends!

Loved the place and the atmosphere, we had Diogo as our barista and he was really amazing and kind to us.

I'm sitting by the window watching the rain while waiting for the Courtauld Gallery to open. The rainy scenery outside the window is as good as coffee. It rained a lot on the way and it was uncomfortable, but I ended up sitting in a good seat because of the rain. Is this the so-called Lucky Vicky?

Shraddha was amazing! Highly recommend

The coffee was so nice and Shraddha was super friendly :)

A nice cafe to relax and catch up on some work. The view by the windows are absolutely amazing. Thank you to Shaddha for quick service!

Really nice atmosphere! Thanks to Shraddha who was really friendly :)

I went there last Saturday with my friend and had a great time, especially after finding a sunny spot in the outdoor area overlooking the Somerset House!

WatchHouse at Somerset is an outstanding coffee spot. They put a lot of care into their coffee, and it really shows—it's simply exceptional. While waiting for my pour over, I was pleasantly surprised with a complimentary batch brew, which was such a nice touch! The staff are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, making the experience even better. The food is delicious, and the Matcha cookie was an absolute standout. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, and I honestly can’t recommend this place enough. It's a must-visit if you’re ever in London!

Flat Whites have something amazing! Firm, rich and delicious taste. One of the best coffees I have tasted in London. I will definitely return to them.. It has several branches

Scenic. Prefer this place any day over any other cafe.

Loved the coffee and the ambience, and the customer service was amazing

A large, spacious cafe with a beautiful view of the courtyard. Its coffee is nice and distinctive. The workers are helpful and provide table service. I tried the flat white and it was wonderful.. Their downside is that the sessions are uncomfortable. Update: After an hour and a half of sitting, they told me that I must leave the café and make the table available to other customers, as you must not stay in the café for more than 90 minutes according to a very strange policy!

My favorite breakfast spot in London. I literally go there every single day. Best coffee ever! And the atmosphere is amazing especially when it’s in an historical building. Love the staff there. Everyone’s so friendly and sweet. Shradelha is amazing.