Very friendly, clean, spacious coffee-shop. They are also well-stocked with a wide range of coffee-making paraphernalia,and sell several varieties of whole bean and ground coffee, including there own brand. Good croissants and pastries as well. They serve all coffees with a small glass of water, which is a much-appreciated courtesy. Also nice selection of reading materials on the tables.
They do not receive a fifth star, however, for two simple reasons.
1.) The tables and chairs are poorly set-up, with some tables being so low that you constantly bang your knees against the bottom (if you can get your legs under at all). There are also some catastrophically uncomfortable chairs spread about the place, so choose your seat carefully.
2.) The main reason: often, the music is _terrible_ adult soft contemporary. No one, and I mean _NO ONE_ likes that ghastly, ghastly pap. If you want to play something inoffensive, pipe in classic jazz (e.g. Miles Davis), maybe mixed with the occasional Blues and, if you're feeling risque, some downtempo hip-hop (e.g. Guru's Jazzamataz). These are all coffee-shop mainstays. If not, then have no music at all. I actually poke my head in sometimes and if they're playing Yani or some other crap, I go elsewhere. If I wanted to hear that nonsense, I'd drink my coffee in a bank elevator.
NB: I recently added a star to my review. Why, you ask? Well, the music is still TERRIBLE, and I wish they would change it. But the extra star is b/c it has no Wi-Fi. What?! Ridiculous!!!
Hear me out. Traditionally, coffee-shops are social spaces. We go to interact with each other and even, occasionally, to meet new (gasp! horror!) people. These days, even when we go with friends, we are glued to our devices. Doppio Cafe in the KT is one of the most social and welcoming places in all of North London, in part b/c its patrons can't play Fruit Ninja the whole time. What can I say, people--welcome to a coffee-shop IRL.
But, seriously, you guys need to change the music, it's doing my head in. read more