Beth Doherty

Does the perfect café exist? Well, yes. We’ve investigated the city’s finest examples in all their glory so you don’t have to. And in this list you’ll find the best of the best: the parkside cafés that are so good they make you feel like you’re on a city vacay; the highbrow ones that only do black coffee; the ones that pump their lattes with flavoursome additions to boost your health (and your Instagram like count); and the joints that do merch that’s better than your favourite band’s. Read on and you’ll never drink a bad coffee again.  Hungry? Discover the best brunches in London.

Have you ever thought to yourself: I really want to get married in a pop-up chapel inside a posh department store? No? Us neither, but anyway, this February you can. An immersive temporary hitching-station, called ‘The Chapel of Love’, will appear in Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly on February 1 and will be open for all your engagement, marriage and vow-renewal needs until the end of the month, totally free of charge.  Oddly, Fortnum & Mason is already a licensed venue for getting spliced, but to celebrate Valentine’s Day it’s taking it to a whole new level, literally. Stretching up through three floors of the store, the Chapel of Love will incorporate the iconic Fortnum clock, illuminated stained-glass windows and a chiming wedding bell – all giving you the full big-day experience.  Photograph: Fortnum & Mason Luckily, you can’t do a Ross and Rachel and tie the knot after enjoying the wine bar a bit too much (thank God). For the real deal, a registrar and marriage licence must be organised in advance of the date, but for those just looking for a taste of married life, a non-legal commitment ceremony can also be organised. Only six people can fit in the chapel at a time, however, so don’t go making it a massive do. Anyone can pop into the chapel while it’s in situ: couples, families and friends. You don’t have to be getting married, be in love or even really like the person you’re going to the chapel with. We probably wouldn’t recommend it for a first date, though. That coul

The Castle Cinema turns three on February 3 and to celebrate it’s throwing a three-day party with everyone invited. All tickets are just £3 all day, with this crazy-cheap offer extended for an extra two days for cinema members. Seriously: three quid. There is no typo or missing decimal point.   On the slate on the three days are ‘1917’, ‘Little Women’, ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’, ‘Uncut Gems’ and the hotly anticipated ‘Queen & Slim’. And if you’re looking to fool your Instagram followers or woo your date into thinking you’re boujee af, the £3 popcorn or prosecco deal will round things off suavely.  If this ultra-elegant picture palace is new to you, it dates back to 1913 when it opened as a single-screen venue. It closed its doors in 1958 and after that was used as a bingo hall, shoe factory and a snooker club.  Photograph: Andy Parsons Sixty years on, and with the help of a Kickstarter campaign, the cinema was restored to its former glories and, boy, is it ever glorious. With red velvet seats, a period interior and a quirky art deco bar, it’s a truly Gatsbyesque experience (without all the unpleasant bootlegging and tragic deaths). Birthday tickets are on sale now on its official site.Find out where The Castle ranks on our list of London’s best cinemas.

Being out and about in London and needing the loo is never ideal. Public toilets are hard to come by and, let’s be honest, are probably best avoided. The next viable option is usually the trusty coffee shop chain, which populates every street in London. Hoping the shop owner doesn’t catch you and sneaking in for a wee is a classic British move. Nowadays, however, our crafty ways are being busted by heavyweight keypads and codes (that are never 0000 – trust me, I’ve tried). Now a Twitter account is here to save us from having to hack the toilet Da Vinci Code. London Loo Codes, created by students Soph and Merl, provides a spreadsheet containing loads of codes to the capital’s bogs.  The spreadsheet, organised by location, currently has more than 70 entries, from your classic Pret to your more exclusive toilet ‘experience’ at Ole & Steen. This way, you can just check your phone and walk right on in there without acting all shady or buying a coffee you can’t afford and don’t actually want to drink.   Gender neutral: 🙋🏻‍♀️Using a whimsical LOTR reference for privileging bathroom access: 🙅🏻‍♀️[Code is C1980Y. W4terstones Tottenham court Road. Not wheelchair accessible.] pic.twitter.com/CheAupCumR — London Loo Codes (@ldnloocodes) January 21, 2020 The friends started their code catalogue at university when studying in coffee shops. Aware that not everyone has the luxury of being able to buy a coffee, walk miles to find another loo or hold it in when needing it unexpectedly, S

It’s mid January and the Veganuary novelty has well and truly worn off. Luckily for us, Veggie Pret is here to make our new year’s resolutions easier to stick to, with 15 new vegan recipes. It has heard our ‘I’m sick of meal prep’ prayers and delivered a menu – launching in London on January 21 – packed full of houmous, kale, overnight oats and sweet potato Buddha bowls.  It’s Veggie Pret’s biggest-ever menu launch, with 19 new recipes in total. First up are poké bowls (which have nothing to do with Pokémon – they’re a traditional Hawaiian dish involving fish, rice and veggies). But rather than fish or fake fish, you can expect clever fruity creations. Pret’s Sashimi-Style Watermelon Poké Bowl is made up of avocado, edamame beans, pickled cabbage, carrot, radish and sashimi-style watermelon. Photograph: Pret There’s also a tofu-based bowl as well as new Buddha bowls, salads and a sweet potato wrap.  Five new super-pretty smoothie bowls are being added to Pret’s shelves too (destined to be all over our instagram feeds). The range includes the Cocoa, Nuts & Berries Smoothie Bowl, containing a blend of cashews, banana, coconut, cocoa and lemon, as well as a raspberry-topped smoothie bowl which is the perfect shade of millennial pink. Looking for a proper detox? The Tropical Green Smoothie Bowl, made from mango, coconut, avocado, banana, spinach and ginger, would appear to be the ideal hangover cure. Perfect for when Dry Jan is over, then.  The new dishes are being served in p