Starbucks opened a new branch in Brixton today right beside the tube station, and already a campaign has been launched to boycott the new shop. In the past few years, the high street has seen the death of Woolworths and the arrival of H&M and T-Mobile, while the market is becoming a home for independent, but more ‘chichi’ shops. What do you think? Is it the death knell for Brixton’s unique ‘character’ or is it best to agree with one tweeter’s remark that, “it’s only a small branch of Starbucks, stop whining. That’s how our economy works.”
If you want to boycott the Starbucks, here are some views on where to get the best coffee in Brixton (and they’re not all votes for Federation Coffee):
Christopher Douse, Brixton: Federation hands down. Only other contender is Opus (1.50 for a small cappucino) but it’s a bit inconsistent. £2 for a cappucino in Federation (there is only one size), very smooth but intense coffee flavour and lovingly prepared each time so it’s consistent. Plus they are really friendly (e.g. gave me a new one for free when I spilt my first one without having had a sip!). So even though it’s £2, which is relatively expensive for an independent coffee, you don’t feel remotely ripped off. You can get a loyalty card, too (6 coffees get the 7th free or something like that).
Anonymous (ahem, apparently that’s how contentious coffee is in Brixton this week…): Rice milk latte @ Wild Caper… Why? It’s light, sweet and smooth all at once… Little cup of heaven 🙂
@tomp2 @FederationCoffe without a doubt! Their flat whites and iced lattes are made with more attention than any other coffee I’ve had
@82mmphotography hey- mine would have to be the hive! Great place for lazy hangover lunchtimes;) Thanks 82mm.com
@FreeSouthLondon It has to be @FederationCoffe(e). All other Brixtonian coffeemakers will undergo 3 hours of public ideological humiliation.
@Brixtonbeats love a good latte at opus… Just tastes like quality in coffee form 🙂
@mr_richie Has to be San Marino’s, best in #Brixton by far. Enormous lattes, a veritable bucket of coffee. And they’re pleasantly brusque.
@mr_richie Oh, and Lori’s Frothy Coffee booth in the newsagents by McD’s is worth a look too.
@rodstanley the new Starbucks *sarcasm*
@SimonTateBooks Honest cafe is decent, as is Ritzy, not tried San Marinos. I’m kinda depressed about the new Starbucks opening 🙁
@lauracward Cornercopia, then Federation. I like everything about Cornercopia – desserts, tables, chutneys and it’s a bargain!
@DJDanCook Federation, Flat white, every morning
@DogstarBrixton federation coffee – cool place, amazing coffee, good beans from nude esspresso, in Market which is great & NOT starbucks 🙂
@DogstarBrixton by time we roll up its time for a Caffè macchiato…
@CllrMattBennett Rosie’s in the market does tasty coffee; plus it isn’t just served in an identikit bucket like the chains…
@WindmillBrixton Bollocks to Starbucks. Adam’s Bakery on Brixton Hill does good coffee at £1 a cup!!!
In what is becoming a bizarrely coffee-themed week, here’s a pic of the new coffee shop (selling coffee beans to take home as well as cups of coffee) about to open next to Rosie’s Deli in the market.
And I don’t even drink the stuff…
I have just had a nice cup of cappucino in a coffee shop in Brixton, was just about to buy a sandwich but just saw the woman sweeping the floor. Once finished she didn’t take off the gloves she was wearing and went straight to refill the showcase with more ciabatta. So I put my money right back in my wallet! I am going home to eat @kortebortor
Starbucks coffee is horrible. Not dark roast, proper burnt roast…unenjoyable.
There’s no shortage of unique independent venues in Brixton. Just hit Brixton Village or Brixton Market and you’ll be spoiled for choice. There are great Portugese delis in Atlantic Road, an Italian Cafe on the corner of Brixton Station Road, and the list goes on and on. (Woolworths, I’m afraid, is *not* an example of ‘unique’ Brixton.) If small businesses can’t afford Brixton Road then fair enough – the good stuff isn’t far.
[…] status this year. The survey was conducted in 2009, before the additions of H&M, Starbucks and T-Mobile. It found that over half of Brixton’s high street shops are now chains. Nef […]
I know this might be heresy, but I don’t mind there being a Starbucks in Brixton.
Don’t get me wrong, I much prefer Opus or Khamsa coffee. But mostly I like having variety and choice… and well, sometimes I just like a Starbucks drink!
A boycott seems a bit over the top.
nothing is heresy!
I don’t drink coffee but if I did it would be at Rosie’s. For a proper cup of tea The Phoenix on Coldharbour lane is hard to beat