Tonic Coffee Bar

I’ve got a lot of time of the Coffeesmiths cafes, Tonic Bar is no exception.
This perfect little shop, tucked off the Piccadilly Circus is great for a quick de-​tour to grab a wonderful brewed caffeine pick me up.
The staff are always up for a chat, and sometimes even have some good gossip about the area and recommendations if you’re not sure where else to explore in Soho. There’s no seating, so be prepared to grab and go.

To be updated when I go again: as Tonic is run by the good folks at the Department of Coffee and Social Affairs, I was expecting quite a bit from it. It’s set up in a little unit in Piccadilly Circus in prime coffee-​grabbing location — it’s really conveniently located and I’m glad it exists where it does… there’s not a lot of space, and it’s very much a case of in — order — out, so very much less representative of the social affairs side of things.
Anyway, I popped in for an espresso (£2.40…it’s on the pricey side). The beans are of good quality as I’d expect from a place like this. My espresso was pretty decent, but I think it was a bit unbalanced — I thought it had a good depth of flavour in the back end and finish but the front end was a bit disappointing and a little harsh tasting. I mean… it’s a decent espresso. But it was lacking a little something that other top places nail. As I said, sample size of one so I should update this when I go back. On top of that, the baristas here were super super srs. I know it’s not really the sort of place which needs a chilled vibe or anything, but… yeah, the seriousness does bleed through a bit. Definitely worth another shot (no pun intended).

Tonic is a breath of fresh air in a wasteland of coffee chains. I stopped in here on my way to work (slight detour but not outrageously out of the way), and was thrilled I did. This is one of those on-​the-​go coffee joints with no seating as far as I can tell. I’m also fairly certain they have two separate entrances and exits to maximize efficiency/​traffic flow.
Call me out for being American, but I tried the filter coffee and it was most delightful. Very flavorful and not the overly burned taste you can get sometimes. I plan to stop by soon to dabble in their espresso ranges. Very happy to have discovered this little gem — right in the heart of Piccadilly Circus!