Salt

Highly recommended! Stopped into this little coffee shop and was pleasantly surprised. Good location, friendly staff, fantastic baked goods, not to mention great coffee! Loved the understated ambinence. Will definitely be back!!!

super arrogant attitiude and snotty snaff serving a thimble full of cold coffee at £2.50!! - a classic style over substance - avoid!!

Great little hidden gem, very near to the British Museum. Read more and see pictures: http://www.applestoapplesblog.com/2012/02/sipping-at-salt.html

Great place for a first date!

Love the uber friendly staff, great ambience, great food and the super selection of teas for tea addicts like me.

As I am always on the look for a good coffee I was more than pleasantly surprised by this unassuming cafe. The staff are super friendly, coffee is just to my liking and personally, I think the design is awesome. The wooden furniture is slick and understated (and just read above that is made from reclaimed materials too, which is awesome), it gives the whole space a really nice energy. It seems that some people below are more interested in sitting in a Lay-Z-Boy than appreciating conceptual design, but each to their own.
Their sandwiches are some of the best in town and the brownie... there are no words....Sigh...
I look forward to my next visit and will be telling more people about Salt.

Having a penchant for curiosity (given the extremes in opinions written in this thread) and good food, I was lured into this much talked about new café to check out the real flavour behind Salt.

Having gone in as an individual without any vested interests outside of having a passion for good wholesome food, Salt did not disappoint. From its stylish décor to the genuinely caring staff who clearly have pride in the products they are selling, to the large variety of treats (both sweet and savoury) made daily on site, the walls of Salt have kept pulling me in for more since my first visit there. The freebies and the samples also do contribute to this cause. It’s clear to see the passion the owners have put into this place to make it everyone else’s home as much as it is theirs. If anyone ever doubts British hospitality, you only need to go to Salt to have your doubts put to rest. This has now become my new go-to-place to be in London and would recommend it to anyone wanting to experience out-of-the ordinary non commercial coffee/tea/food served daily here.

Thank you Timeout for showcasing yet another jewel we can call home in London.

Really bad food and bad service. Don't understand the good reviews!

As a foodie, a coffee connoisseur and someone who values good service very highly, I am thrilled to have found this slice of heaven in covent garden. A welcome addition to london's finest cafe's. My ever demanding sweet tooth has sent me back several times to sample the brownies, cookies, cakes, croissants and granola - all undoubtedly baked with love and a passion for good honest food! The staff members are always friendly, generous, polite and delightful to talk to in the absence of a good book :)

I find it very confusing to read some of the very negative comments listed in this stream. People are always entilited to their options, but some just need to find better outlets for their hate...
I'm a Canadian tourist, and came across this little gem in the city, My husband and I stopped in for a quick bite and a coffee. We were impressed with the service and the quality of the food. The sandwiches were delicious and extremely fresh. The service was friendly and efficient. If I ever get the chance to come back to London, I will definately be coming back!

This place is style over substance. Uncomfortable, to sit in and no atmosphere to speak of - feels like sitting in an office.

Coffee was ok...but the double expresso was more like a single measure you get anywhere else...oh, and serving it in a shot glass? Fail.

.....The custard tart was nice though...

Great little place! I used to go to a Cafe Nero close-by but it was always packed and noisy. The staff here are great - friendly,engaging and polite. Food is amazing to, and while the sandwichs are a bit pricey, they are really tasty - and the brownie is very good. A lot appears to be locally sourced and cooked fresh in-house. I tend to have a long black coffee, which tasted different to the franchised stuff but is very good with a paper to read and now I prefer it.

My one tiny criticism is that the chairs at the front are too short for the high table by the window.

I agree with some of the reviews here. Whomever designed the interiors for all the cafés listed above has a very obscure and pretentious idea of what should consist the enjoyment of a nice cup of coffee and/or cake. What is the point of serving great coffee if they have to serve it in ncovenient cups, cakes on fancy chopping boards and then you have to negociate a way of drinking & eating these perched on a tiny stool while your food/drink is on a tall table/bar. Is this a way to to ensure you don't linger for too long because it's so uncomfortable or are the customers mere additions to the interior decor or even more appropriate "art installation " piece? Although the service I received at F&W and Kaffeine was friendly and efficient the one you get a Salt is slow and distracted with the staff seemingly more interested in cleaning the kitchen and chatting rather than acknowledging their customers. I do love Timeout and many of their reviews on different subjects and destinations but wish that their opinions were less socially homogeneous or at least coming from critics who appear more exposed to diversity.

This place is terrible!
I was the only customer ordering coffee but the guys behind the counter took nearly five minutes to put together my drink: a luke-warm small Ikea glass full of odd tasting coffee presented on an ill-matched and dirty saucer.
I'm bemused by the comments on this thread applauding the decor, which is ill-designed (my plywood stool wobbled, there's nowhere to put your feet owing to poor design etc.). I suspect that those praising the interior belong to the 'I am achingly trendy' utterly boring crowd. Note the only room away from the drafty door is a tight little windowless space of the sort no doubt utilised by dictators for time immemorial in order to drive their luckless subjects completely mad.
Boo!

I loved this little coffee shop which is situated conveniently near to Covent Garden but is just off the beaten track enough to offer a tranquil and friendly haven. I tried a little of everything with my partner and we were delighted to have an alternative to the usual boring coffee shop food. We tried two different hot roles a custard tart and chocolate brownie - my man is a big eater but even he could not finish everything. The main difference with this lovely place is that everything is made on site. The staff were lovely with a obvious passion for food and customer service - I will be back!!!!

Not only great food, coffee and service, but the interior of Salt is awesome. Great looking shop! I want those benches....

I had the good fortune of coming across this restaurant a couple of weeks ago while in London on business. I found it and the staff to be very charming. Although I wasn’t prepared for a big meal, I found the pastries and the coffee to be irresistible and most delicious. I was offered samples and I felt very appreciated for taking the time to visit. Good showing. I whole-heartedly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for some quality foods or exotic teas and coffees.

Frank

Great cafe. Cool A-board out front grabbed my attention and i wasn't disappointed with what i found inside. i have quite a sweet tooth so i went straight for a custard tart which i have to say was quite amazing. the custard is made onsite and, as a person who once wrote he's own cookbook titled 'Custard' I feel i am in a positon to say these guys know what they are doing. coffee next. Latte please. I am from melbourne and im not sure what Tom (first comment) is on about as mine was as good as you would get at Marios in Melbourne. ie perfect. keep up the good work guys.

I had gone past this place a few times and always thought it looked like a great cafe. I finally went in on Monday. My experience of the coffee was that it was absolutely delicious, especially accompanied by a delightful pastry! This is definitely going to be my new regular haunt when i'm in central.

Happened on this little place the other day, had a delicious lamb and cous cous salad for lunch. The guys behind the counter were really friendly, happy to talk me through the options on the menu. Had an amazing herbal tea which I've never had before. Will definitely be back for more!

I pass this place most days on my way to way and had made a note to give it a try. So, last Tuesday I did. Ordered a bacon sandwich on sourdough bread. Was pretty good (though bacon could have been cooked more consistently). Coffee however was shocking. I shared some with colleagues at work to check my festive preparations won't messing with my taste buds. Opinions offered of the smell (after smelling, no one wanted to taste) ranged from 'vomit' to 'bad kebabs shop'. I like the look and feel of this place and hope they do ok but right not I would not recommend it. On top of which service was chaotic, even with just two customers in the shop the two guys serving were having to pace the length of the bar to do what they needed to do.