Fernandez & Wells

After a few days in London.  I developed a rhythm.  I would wake early and hit at least 3 spots on my list before the rest of the city waked up.  I kicked off this pattern with a stop at Fernandez & Wells.

They are unapologetic coffee snobs.  This is not an insult and I loved it.  You won't be able to find skim milk or decaf here.  Just take a look at their lean menu of no more than 5 coffee drinks. Don't worry about the lack of options, what they do, they do well.  They are the coffee store equivalent of the record store in High Fidelity minus Jack Black.

The barista, Rowan aka Mister Barista does not disappoint. He knew his stuff.  Although I could not buy their blend, which you can only experience in the store on their shiny Synesso machine,  I knew by my first drink that it was something special.  I had a Stumpy and was instantly intoxicated by the small, unlikely shop I found my groggy morning self in.


The abundance of baked yummies, the random crates of fruit in the corner.  The weekend morning shuffling of customers and deliveries.  The sun shining through the front window and bouncing off the machine to fill the narrow shop with light. 

This was a highlight.  The Synesso is not an easy machine to get consistent results on unless you know what you are doing.  It allows for a lot of manual play.

I will definitely be back.

Fernandez and Wells  

73 Beak Street London W1F 9RS