Once upon a time, when it came to speciality coffee in Surbiton, The Press Room was pretty much the only game in town. However, that’s changed over the years with the addition of Wags N Tales in 2016 and, in 2019, with today’s Coffee Spot, Surbeanton. Although The Press Room still wins the “closest to the station” prize, Surbeanton is only a five-minute walk away: turn left out of the front of the station and walk down to the end of Victoria Road, where you’ll find Surbeanton occupying a narrow, sunny shopfront on the north side of the street.

A pair of tables sit outside on the pavement, with plenty more seating in the long, thin, high-ceilinged interior. During the current COVID-19 restrictions, Surbeanton is table service only, with coffee from Allpress on espresso, backed up by an innovative all-day brunch menu and plenty of cake. There was a selection of four or five single-origins from a regularly-rotating guest roaster on pour-over through the SP9, but this is on hold at the moment. However, you can still buy retail bags from the current guest, Kiss the Hippo, and, with luck, pour-overs will be reintroduced by the end of the month.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

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Surbeanton occupies a simple, high-ceilinged space. Long and thin, the counter’s on the right, with an enclosed kitchen behind that. With the exception of a four-person table in the window to the right of the door, all the seating is on the left, a row of eight well-spaced two-person tables running along a padded bench on the left-hand wall. Alternatively, you can sit outside, where you’ll find a pair of wrought-iron sofas flanking the door, each with a round coffee table and a pair of fold-up chairs, partial shade being offered by a tall, mature tree which grows on the edge of the busy Victoria Road.

Surbeanton has floor-to-ceiling windows at the front, with a central glass door. These are at an angle of about 15° off the perpendicular, so there’s slightly more space on the right than the left, which leaves room for the table in the window to the right of the door. This is followed by a chiller cabinet on the right-hand wall, which, along with the usual coffee shop offerings, has a small selection of chilled meats and other groceries, earning Surbeanton the right to call itself a deli. Then comes the counter, with cakes to the fore, along with more groceries and retail bags of coffee.

Surbeanton is a very green space, with multiple plants at the front, including a row suspended high up across the windows at the front. There are more plants along the left-hand wall, where eight niches stand above the padded bench, each holding a tall, potted plant. Most prominent of all is a small, potted palm tree which stands in front of the counter.

I did try to visit Surbeanton once before, following a tip-off from fellow coffee blogger, Izzy of Caffeine Galore, but I turned up on a Tuesday in February 2020 having not done my homework. Back then, Surbeanton closed on Tuesdays (now it closes on Mondays) so I missed out. Never mind, I thought, I’ll pop back another day. Then COVID-19 arrived and “another day” turned out to be June 2021. So, just to make up, I called in twice, once for breakfast, and again just before closing to get some more pictures.

Surbeanton has an innovative all-day brunch menu which features a build your own breakfast, around a base of poached or scrambled eggs on toast. Alternatively, it offers set options, such as Eggs Benedict/Florentine/Royale, Shakshuka (poached eggs in a spicy tomato sauce) and Cilbir (poached eggs in garlic yoghurt and spicy frothed butter). There’s also a Mediterranean style breakfast, various sandwiches and a selection of vegan options.

I began with a flat white, Surbeanton using the classic Allpress espresso blend, which combined with the milk to produce a smooth, classic flat white. I paired this with Surbeanton’s take on the Eggs Florentine. It’s the first time I’ve had one with a purple sauce, but any misgivings I might have had over the colour were dispelled when I tucked in, my breakfast proving to be both tasty and very filling.

On my return, I had an espresso and a slice of the lemon blackberry polenta cake. The espresso, like the flat white, held no surprises, a well-rounded, expertly pulled shot with a touch of bitterness, contrasting nicely with the sweetness of the polenta cake, which rich and moist.

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