Hart & Lova

Name of café: Hart & Lova

Location: 213a Belsize Road, Kilburn, London, NW6 4AA

Opening times: 7:30am – 5:00pm Wednesday - Sunday

This café is best known for: Their homemade pastries and bread. Hidden away from Kilburn’s main high street, this neighbourhood bakery is a hidden gem offering a huge array of baked goodies

Does it have secure bike parking? No. Bikes were left outside

Why it made the top 3: Probably one of the best croissants I have eaten. I chose the Almond Pain au Chocolat. Exceptional. Coupled with great coffee and friendly service, you can’t ask for more

IG: @hartlovabakery

Jolene

Name of café: Jolene Redchurch Street

Location: 7 Redchurch St, London E2 7DJ

Opening times: 8:00am – 3:00pm Monday – Friday; 9:00am – 3:00pm Saturday; 9:00am – 3:00pm Sunday

This café is best known for: Their baked goods and coffee. The smallest of Jolene’s four locations, this bakery is in Shoreditch. We were lucky to get there early as within 5 minutes of arriving, the queue was already out the door. Serving some outstanding pastries and Square Mile Coffee, this bakery should be on your to-go list

Does it have secure bike parking? No. Bikes were left outside

Why it made the top 3: Visiting on Christmas Eve, it would have been rude not to try the Christmas ‘Mince Pie’ Almond Croissant. The filling was rich and the pastry flaky. Absolutely delicious

IG: @joleneredchurch

Forno

Name of café: Forno

Location: 322 Andrews Rd, London E8 4RP

Opening times: 7:30am – 4:00pm Monday – Friday; 8:00am – 5:00pm Saturday; 8:00am – 5:00pm Sunday

This café is best known for: being a bakery, pasta maker and deli. Located in East London, Forno serves up some incredible Italian inspired pastries. Listed as one of the best bakeries in London, it was always going to be on my list, and it didn’t disappoint

Does it have secure bike parking? No, but there was a small courtyard outside the front of the bakery where we kept our bikes

Why it made the top 3: The friendliest staff we met all day in an uber cool location, set Forno apart from the rest. The coffee was excellent, and we bought a Lemon Curd Bun, which was outstanding. The barista said their signature pastry was the Cornetto al Pistachio and I will certainly return to fill my belly

IG: @forno.london