Calico Coffee - Review - Waterloo - London - The Infatuation

"Calico is a coffee shop that feels like stepping into a mood board. Inside, it’s all glowing light panels, dark wood counters, and glass cabinets filled with perfect-looking almond croissants and black sesame roll cakes that look like—like every corner of this Waterloo cafe—they were arranged by an interior designer. Baristas work methodically behind the wraparound wooden bar, carefully measuring, pouring, and steaming. It’s the kind of place where your flat white arrives with perfect latte art and a card telling you where in Panama your coffee beans were sourced. People perch on stools: some reading Murakami, others click-clacking away on laptops that probably contain an unfinished novel. Outside, the chaos of Lower Marsh is faintly visible through huge front windows, but inside, it’s all hushed tones and tame coffee catch-ups—just how we like it." - Rianne Shlebak