Café Mulberry

The team behind The Mulberry, the buzzy cocktail bar with secret back rooms for its celebrity clientele, has a daytime project upstairs. Café Mulberry is still buzzy and, tucked away behind the cute coffee counter, a little secretive, but it’s also a place where you can grab an espresso and pain au chocolat without it feeling like a whole scene. 

The vibe: In a word: French. The interior’s intimate without being precious (although the prices are precious), so it’s the spot we’d pick for a solo lunch with a book or a catch-up with that cool friend we've been meaning to see for months. 

The food: Good bread with salty butter and spicy radishes features on both the daytime and the dinner menu, and you’d be remiss to skip it, since it goes as well with a latte as it does with a cocktail. French onion soup and a simple salad with watercress and sherry vinaigrette bridge the menu, too. In the mornings, you’ll find fancy egg soldiers in silver egg cups; at dinner, a luxurious seafood platter with a half-lobster, shrimp cocktail, crab salad and snow crab claws. 

The drinks: Pair your meal with a bottle of wine, then try your luck getting into The Mulberry’s back room for a couple of dirty martinis with your celebrity friends. 

Time Out tip: If you’re pressed for time, skip the sit-down breakfast and grab a latte and a snack from the coffee counter. The coffee’s excellent, and walking around Soho with a baguette is always a 10/10 experience.