London's Quirkiest Cafés

by Startacus Admin

At Startacus we love hearing about things that you don’t see every day. Using your imagination in the right way can end up paying off extremely well. You may end up surprising yourself and that bright idea that you thought was a little bit too off-the-wall may end up working better than you ever imagined!

This can certainly be said about all the weird and wonderful cafés which seem to be appearing these days. Some of them are so unusual that a lot of the time you find yourself wondering why they work, but they certainly seem to work very well!

We’ve taken the time to compile a short list of a few in London that particularly tickled our fancy...

Cereal Killer Café

Are you a breakfast lover who can’t get enough cereal? Well this is the place for you. The Cereal Killer Café was launched in East London back in November last year by two cereal enthusiasts from Northern Ireland. It is the UK’s first and only Cereal café and offers over 100 different cereals from the UK and all around the globe. They specialise in cereals that are particularly hard to find and they even give customers the option to customise their bowl so that it suits their tastes.

Unless you were living under a rock, you can’t have missed that these bearded brothers who caused something of a media storm earlier this year, coming under intense fire regarding their arguably inflated price points (almost a fiver for a bowl of cereal). Nonetheless, it certainly deserves its spot as one of Londons quirkiest cafés, even if it’s not on the ‘cheapest’.

Ziferblat

The Russian Café opened its first UK branch earlier this year in Shoreditch, and we really like the sound of it! 

Instead of charging you for what you eat or drink, the café charges customers according to how long they stay. While there, you are offered unlimited, free tea and biscuits! When you visit, you must take an alarm clock upon arrival, keep an eye on the time and when it’s time to leave, you pay based on how long you have stayed. It may sound expensive, but a flat fee of three pence per minute means that an hour-long stay will cost you just £1.80! Bargain! As well as this, there is no minimum time requirement, meaning you can have a quick coffee for a few pennies!

Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium 

Lady Dinah’s was the first and is still the only cat café in London, and it turned a year old this month! If you’re a cat lover, you can kick back and relax with a cup of tea and your furry friends. The café is home to rescued cats and they do their best to ensure the happiness and wellbeing of both their customers and the cats. The venue has a very relaxing atmosphere and is designed with both the emotional and physical needs of its customers and feline friends in mind. If you’re a cat lover, this place is definitely for you!

Scooby’s Boutique Coffee Bar 

Zoinks! Scooby’s Coffee Bar executes the same idea as Dinah’s emporium, but a man’s best friend is the main priority. At the dog friendly coffee bar, there is a menu of home-baked dog treats; these include cheese bone biscuits and roast chicken mcmuffins! Your dog can even try a puppacino! Fear not though, there is also a menu for us humans, with cakes, biscuits and fresh coffee to go with it!

Rainforest Café

The Rainforest Café works with UK-Based Charity World Land Trust (of which Sir David Attenborough is a patron) to try and save as much of the world’s tropical rainforests as possible. They have funded ‘The Rainforest Café Reserve’ which is located in SE Ecuador and currently protects an area over 2.5 times the size of Hyde Park.

What makes the café so special? Well, it brings the Amazon rainforest to life with animatronics, tropical fish tanks and even waterfalls! It is located in the heart of London’s West End and is the perfect place to bring your kids (or even big kids!) to lunch!

Makers CAFÉ

Located in Shoreditch, the heart of London’s creative community, according to their website MakersCAFÉ is a ‘half maker-space, half café dedicated to changing the face of manufacturing through an approachable, engaging and personalised service’.

Customers are invited to grab a coffee and are also encourage to make use of the collaborative space to develop any creative ideas that they may have. They provide 3D printing and laser cutting expertise to anyone who wants to try their hand at making an idea come to life - whether you’re a digital-whizz kid or simply curious.

They believe that digital manufacturing is all about collaboration and so they offer interactive workshops and events to help you discover what you can do once you are given the right tools and the ability to go with your creative gut.

There you have it folks! We hope we’ve encouraged some of you to drop in to one of these exciting places if you ever have a case of the munchies or just feel like you need time to relax!

There you have it folks, some unusual places to visit whilst in the Capital! We love hearing about weird and wonderful ideas, so these cafés definitely have us intrigued! There’s nothing like thinking outside the box and splashing a little creativity into everyday life! If you’re like us and you love hearing about bizarre businesses, you might want to take a look at some others that we’ve found! Or, if you’re in London and are itching for something weird and exciting to do, check out Club Workspace’s piece on what wonderful things you can do while you’re in the city!

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Published on: 13th April 2015