2021 Awards – Best Takeaway Coffee

A sight for sore eyes: the A-board proclaiming that Canopy Coffee is now open after almost three months of enforced closure during the COVID-19 pandemic.The second shortlist in the 2021 Coffee Spot Awards is the “Best Takeaway Coffee” Award, won last year by Canopy Coffee. It recognises those places which, braving the elements, still produce an excellent cup of coffee. This includes coffee carts, coffee stalls, those Coffee Spots which are so small that they only serve takeaway coffee and those Coffee Spots where I regularly get my takeaway coffee (even if they offer a regular sit-in option).

This year things were slightly different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While many coffee shops were only offering takeaway for much of the year, I wasn’t travelling a lot, so this year’s shortlist is fairly concise affair.

You can see the shortlist after the gallery.

  • Lily London, Guildford, which has supplied me with many flat whites to go this year.
  • Eighty Six'd, serving some excellent Has Bean coffee from the shop door in Iron Bridge.
  • Cable Co., The Aircraft Factory, a glass-walled coffee bar in the heart of Hammersmith.
  • Hatch @ Hazel & Haydn, dishing out some awesome coffee from a window in a hair salon.
  • The second Lily London, this time in a telephone box under the shadow of the Shard.
  • Over Under Coffee, Wandsworth Town, in a large kiosk opposite the station.
  • Rumdoodles, on Llanberis High Street, takeaway only during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Peregrine Espresso, Eastern Market, another that's made the transition to takeaway only.
Lily London, Guildford, which has supplied me with many flat whites to go this year.1 Eighty Six'd, serving some excellent Has Bean coffee from the shop door in Iron Bridge.2 Cable Co., The Aircraft Factory, a glass-walled coffee bar in the heart of Hammersmith.3 Hatch @ Hazel & Haydn, dishing out some awesome coffee from a window in a hair salon.4 The second Lily London, this time in a telephone box under the shadow of the Shard.5 Over Under Coffee, Wandsworth Town, in a large kiosk opposite the station.6 Rumdoodles, on Llanberis High Street, takeaway only during the COVID-19 pandemic.7 Peregrine Espresso, Eastern Market, another that's made the transition to takeaway only.8
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There are eight Coffee Spots on the shortlist this year, all listed in order of publication.

A lovely flat white, made with a naturally-processed Brazilian single-origin and served in my HuskeeCup at Lily London in Guildford.Lily London, Guildford

Lily London opened at the start of the year in my home town of Guidlford. Occupying a telephone box (which earned it a place on the shortlist for the Most Unlikely Place to Find a Coffee Spot Award), Lily London is the very definition of a takeaway Coffee Spot, and has kept me supplied with many flat whites in my trusty HuskeeCup. Lily London was also shortlisted for this year’s Most Popular Coffee Spot Award.

The first floor window of Eighty Six'd, overlooking the junction of Waterloo Street and Madeley Road.Eighty Six’d

Eighty Six’d is at the eastern end of Ironbridge, not far from the eponymous bridge across the Severn Gorge. A lovely little coffee shop in its own right, serving Has Bean coffee, it transitioned to a takeaway-only service during various stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, serving coffee and a wide range of cakes from the door of the shop. I had a lovely flat white in my HuskeeCup, which I drank on the bridge, overlooking the river.

My decaf flat white on my HuskeeCup, sitting on an old barrel outside Cable Co. in The Aircraft Factory.Cable Co., The Aircraft Factory

Tucked away at the end of a street in Hammersmith, The Aircraft Factory is not somewhere you would stumble across by accident. It would be a shame to miss it though, since it’s home to Cable Co., which occupies a small, glass-walled spot at the entrance (small enough for a place on the Smallest Coffee Spot shortlist). I had a delicious decaf flat white in my HuskeeCup (good enough for the Best Flat White shortlist).

A flat white, made with the Dark Horse blend from Quarter Horse, and served in my HuskeeCup at Hatch in Birmingham.Hatch @ Hazel & Haydn

Hatch opened just before the COVID-19 pandemic at the start of 2020. Operating from a window (the “hatch” of the name) at the far end of the hairdressers, Hazel & Haydn, it’s strictly takeaway, offering an extremely concise espresso-based menu from the local Quarter Horse Coffee Roasters, plus hot chocolate, tea and a very limited range of cakes. Hatch has also been shortlisted for the Best Flat White and Happiest Staff Awards.

A flat white in my HuskeeCup at Lily London, ShardLily London, Shard

Not content with opening a coffee shop in a telephone box in Guildford, Lily London has also opened several others, including one in London, in the shadow of the Shard just outside London Bridge station (which earned it a place on the Best Coffee Spot near a Railway Station Award shortlist). Like the original in Guildford, it’s the very definitiion of a takeaway operation, serving Lily’s bespoke Brazilian single-origin on espresso.

A lovely flat white with an abstract latte art pattern in it, made with the Over Under house blend and served in my HuskeeCup at Over Under Coffee, Wandsworth Town.Over Under Coffee, Wandsworth Town

Over Under made a strong showing in last year’s Coffee Spot Awards and this year it’s no different, with its Wandsworth Town coffee bar taking its turn in the spotlight. From a large kiosk outside Wandsworth Town Station (explaining its place on the Best Coffee Spot near a Railway Station shortlist), Over Under serves coffee and brunches to commuter and locals alike.

My Global WAKEcup and Amanda's Speckled Ax reusable cup waiting for their coffee at Rumdoodles in Llanberis.Rumdoodles

Like Eighty Six’d, Rumdoodles, on the High Street in Llanberis, made the transition to takeaway-only service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Effectively a coffee kiosk inside an outdoor shop, it was a cosy coffee shop in its own right (small enough for a place on this year’s shortlist for the Smallest Coffee Spot Award), but now serves the ubiquitous Landmark seasonal blend from Heartland Coffee Roasters and a selection of cakes to allcomers.

A lovely cappuccino from Peregrine Espresso, Easterm Market, served in my HuskeeCup.Peregrine Espresso, Eastern Market

The final entry in this year’s shortlist takes us to Washington DC and Peregrine Espresso. Located opposite the Eastern Market metro station (earning it a place on the shortlist for the Best Coffee Spot near a Railway Station Award), Peregrine Espresso is another that’s made the transition to takeaway-only service during the COVID-19 pandemic. I had a lovely cappuccino in my HuskeeCup when I visited last month.


And the winner is Lily London, Guildford
Runners-up: Cable Co., The Aircraft Factory and Hatch @ Hazel & Haydn

Don’t forget to check out the other 19 Coffee Spot Awards for 2021.


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7 thoughts on “2021 Awards – Best Takeaway Coffee

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