Free State Coffee

I really want to like Free State:
It’s a lovely little coffee shop with a lot of character.
I love the décor, the rustic wooden tables and beautiful geometric metal tables.
They give attention to detail that creates a warm laid back vibe.
The coffee also tastes great.
Prices are okay.
They have a lot of different coffee types and options.
I love independents.
…and I want to give them a better review however:
They completely forgot to bring one of our coffees even though it was pretty quiet, and the coffee was lukewarm/​cool. I assume this is because they used cold milk or the frother isn’t up it to temperature.

This is a laptop heavy coffee place trying extremely hard to be cool. It is seriously monochrome in there. The coffee is really good though I don’t remember passing three fifty for a latte before. The staff were at the friendly end of the café friendliness spectrum. Their cakey things look interesting.
All good things, and I will be back the next time I forget how expensive their coffee is.

Hey this place is pretty great! There is free wifi, lots of space, outdoor seating for when it’s nice, friendly baristas, good food, and a large window for sunlight to come through.
The prices are pretty reasonable. They also have cold-​brew coffee. Their food selection varies from sandwiches to pastries to cake. There are a fair amount of outlets as well.
On a Sunday, it was not too crowded so it made the perfect workspace. My only complaint was that in two hours I heard a ton of repeat songs so had to plug into my headphones.

Just minutes after sitting down I felt sooooooo stress free, and so peaceful. Good coffee, good vibes, friendly staff, reggae playing on the stereo. I have nothing much more to add. There’s lots of nice seating and you can just sit and watch people pass by as they rush to and from work.

Quality coffee, quality spot for meeting. What more could you want?
I had a quick meeting here that was more of a chat and drink coffee and both were nice. We sat at a table by the register and it wasn’t too loud of too quiet, that perfect blend of coffeehouse atmosphere, and my drink was hot and rich and damn good.
I judge a coffeeshop by a few things. Can it make an excellent cup of coffee. Can I sit there for hours and meet and chat and get work done. Is it a nice alternative to the chain coffeeshops that are nearby and worth going out of you way to go to.
The answer for all three for FreeState is, without a doubt, yes. Come here, drink your coffee, be happy.

Good coffee and pastries such as raspberry pastel de nata! :) very friendly staff and nice space

Had a flat white and a spinach and feta tart while I was there. Both were made perfectly and the staff couldn’t have been friendlier. Looking forward to going back soon.

We had a very tasty and pretty inexpensive breakfast here. The staff was friendly and helpful and made you feel welcomed. They are playing loud music which is nice but maybe a little bit too loud? I would definitely go back and try one of the pastries.

A quirky little coffee shop that we popped into after walking around the British Museum. As a non coffee non tea drinker they only had a couple of options. Hot chocolate and juice/​lemonade. I chose the hot chocolate and it was very good. Not too rich and not too sweet. The décor is really interesting with seats being recycled theatre seats which were super comfortable. Staff very friendly and even lent out an iPhone charger to a customer when asked.

The locaton is good (nice place to sit outside and watch people). I had an English breakfast tea, and they had some fancy complicated way of making it. The guy next to me told me that their tea was great, but I have to admit I thought it was really bad, really over «stewed». I still think the best way to make tea is in a pre-​warmed teapot. I also had a coffee once, which was OK, just a bit too bitter for my taste. The pastries are out on boards on the counter, uncovered, which always makes me a bit nervous about dust and customers sneezing — they would be better off under cellophane. Sometimes the staff seem nice and sometimes not so friendly. I might go again, as its still a good place to hang out between meetings or whatever.

Friendly staff and fantastic coffee — breakfast from Freestate is often my morning treat/​indulgence. I love their Vietnamese Iced Coffee, but their pastries are equally good.
As a non-​dairy milk drinker, they also offer almond milk alternatives, which is tricky to find in London (as opposed to soy). Expect queues in the morning though, so be patient and be prepared to wait a bit. Quality of coffee is excellent.

Vietnamese iced espresso? Yes, please!
I’m now almost literally flying through my day. After dealing with a sick baby for a few nights and burning the candle at both ends, I believe this coffee was the only salvation for me this morning.
So thank you, Unilocal app, thank you. Instead of some perfunctory coffee from Nero, Sbux, Costa, Paul, et al – I did a quick search and landed squarely on nearby FreeState Coffee. A short walk and I was in Viet coffee caffeine bliiiiiiiisssssssssss.
Friendly guys, super cool reclaimed-​esque décor, pressed juice, artisan coffee and plenty of space. If you are in the area, make this a coffee stop… and you can get some wings, too.

As an Australian I’m just another coffee snob. Thankfully I have free state to curb the homesickness. The coffee is absolute top quality and never disappoints. Free state also serves a variety of café food: sandwiches, muffins, cups of fruit. Again always good quality but sadly lacking in variety — my only complaint!

Love the location, coffee, and the seats! Close to Holborn station, but located in relatively a quiet corner. There are power outlets and wifi — good place to sit and do some work.
I had a soy latte and «pastel de nata» (if I remember correctly), which looked like a sweeter version of an egg tart, and loved both! Will definitely hit the place again.

As I know Agent Dale Cooper would agree, this was a damn fine coffee. I had the house blend (the listed notes of raisin I could actually taste, I don’t think it was psychosomatic!). It was really good, slightly mild and not at all bitter like a lot of «good» coffees are.
They have organic Alpro soy milk and almond milk available for 25p. I about fell over when the barista asked if I wanted it hot or cold! A little hot almond milk came on the side in a little creamer– class! A jar of brown sugar (with a spoon) is on your table. I love the style of the cups and the gentle atmosphere of the space. The barista was funny too!
I would definitely go out of my way to come back.
Be warned! There are no toilets here! (Run down to All Bar One if needed.)

Great coffee. I went during a quiet time (early evening) so even though there’s limited seating, it was a relaxing place to do some work on my laptop. I was able to sit there for an hour doing work even though I only purchased one cappuccino. Baristas were very friendly and cheerful. A nice alternative to all the Prets and Costas around here.

This place was absolutely packed on a rainy Wednesday afternoon – can seat about 20 and you may need to share a table if you are settling in. They take their coffee seriously (custom drip coffees) and use Union. Free wifi as well. Friendly service. It was really noisy – I think it happened to be the crowds of people popping in and sitting for coffee, cake and conversation. Doesn’t have the work feel that other cafes in neighborhoods have – I think this is based on their locale.
Also, warning – NO BATHROOMS! Key when you are drinking coffee and settling in for a while…;)

Another great spot for coffee in Soho. Loved the coffee. There isn’t a lot of seating but I went during non busy hours and was seated just fine. Worth a look.

Not far from the Holborn station FreeState coffee is a fantastic coffee shop. It has eclectic interior with lots of little nooks to per on through out (but the space its expansive). The best aspect in my opinion is the brew bar– on the back wall– where different brews can be sampled. Food mostly consists of baked goods (pastries and such) but I believe they also offer small food– like quiches. I haven’t had any food here so cannot speak towards its quality.

Je me cherchais un endroit calme où boire un bon café tout en étudiant.
Le café y est bon sans pour autant être exceptionnel, j’ai trouvé le service peu sympathique et légèrement froid et les tables sont très serrées et peu nombreuses. Je donne 3 étoiles à ce commerce car je l’ai trouvé satisfaisant mais il pourrait y aviir quelques améliorations.

In an area that has been dying for some decent coffee Freestate has recently opened up. They follow many other small coffee places that focus on providing great coffee, tasty sandwiches and a pleasant environment.
There is a brew bar offering single origin drip coffees (made on Hario’s V60) at the back. I tried an excellent Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and a very good El Salvador when visiting. All the coffee was sourced from Union Hand Roasted so good quality and nice with some variety, trying to break the dominance of Has Bean and Square Mile Coffee. The pour overs were prepared to perfection and served in very nice cups (have a look at the pictures).
There is a good range of sandwiches (both hot and cold), some soups as well as salads and plenty of pastries if one is hungry. Free wifi is also available so could imagine sitting here for a while.
Pleasant service and the nice décor (in a sense typical of this type of café but I do love the big windows, can imagine sitting with a cup and just looking out at London) of the place makes it a spot I will return to again.