Bohemian House Of Espresso and Chai

Chai first, espresso second

The name puts espresso and chai side by side, and the chai is what the counter is really built on: an artisan chai and a house-made version, mixed here rather than poured from a syrup bottle. Matcha drinks sit in the same part of the list, and date seed coffee is the outlier worth knowing about, the one order that gives the menu a shape no espresso bar has. Vegan smoothies and light snacks fill in around them. There is no roaster to discuss and no single-origin filter programme, so the interest here is in what happens beside the espresso machine rather than in it.

Books, mixed seating and room to stay

The room is small and built for lingering. Shelves of books line it, the seating is varied rather than uniform, and the effect is closer to a creative workspace than a counter you queue at and leave. Service is direct: order at the counter, take a seat, then decide whether this is a ten-minute stop or an afternoon. That flexibility is the point of the place, and it is why it reads as a neighbourhood room rather than a commuter stop. The books are part of the furniture, and they set the pace as much as the drinks do.

Start with the house-made chai

Order the house-made chai first, since it is the drink the place is named for and the clearest expression of what is made by hand here. Follow it with date seed coffee if you want the most distinctive thing on the list, or a matcha drink if the day calls for something gentler. Vegan smoothies cover the lightest end. Keep expectations on food modest: this is light snacks rather than plates, chosen to sit beside a drink instead of standing in for a meal. The order that shows the whole room is a house-made chai and a seat near the books, taken slowly.