'The Black Lab' Coffee House

One of my favourite places in SW London. Absolutely amazing, strong coffee, huge selection of cakes with vegan options. Pastry, sandwiches etc. moat of the time I have to wait for the coffee longer time as place is busy but it does worth it

Best hot chocolate and coffee in Clapham Common. Always wonderful and kindest staff, you decide your own salad, free wifi, good music, dogs are always welcome - the name is Black Lab (labrador).

Clapham is a risky place for a coffee house. Every few weeks witnesses the opening of a new third wave coffee shop. But Black Lab had been around for sometime. It is still my favourite coffee house in Clapham, possibly one of the best in London. The coffees are always excellent and the baristas are fantastic. They deserve a special praise here. The cafe is very cosy too. The only drawback recently has been the quality of the Pain Au Chocolat. It's very dry and not particularly french or tasty. But I love their coffee so I will still be here everyday.

Popped in for a cheeky post brunch coffee and had a lovely little chat with the Barista. The decor and desserts looked amazing, and genuinely the coffee was delicious. (Yummy fruity notes). Can’t wait to stop back to have brunch here.

This is one of my favourite coffee spots in Clapham Common! I've not had a chance to eat inside yet but this weekend I had lunch in their small area outside the front. I had the vegan toastie (hummus, avocado, sun blushed tomatoes and basil) which was so good! The sourdough was lovely and crunchy, and the flavours worked really well together, especially the tomato. But unfortunately it was the only vegan thing on their lunch menu. I was really happy to see that inside they had a good selection of vegan cakes and doughnuts (i think there were 4 to choose from), but I would really like to see another vegan lunch dish. That's why the review is 4 stars, rather than 5.

Very cozy coffee place with amazing pastries/ cakes as well as yummy coffee ! What can you ask more ?? 👍🏼😋highly recommend!!

Great coffee and food. Gluten free cakes are delicious (the photo is of GF chocolate orange cake). Dairy free options for coffee are also available. It's normally quiet inside so you don't have to shout to have a conversation!

Timeless friendly welcoming atmosphere. Best egg n bacon butty I ever tasted, delicious 🥪🥓🍳🥪🥓🍳👍🏼

It may not be as hyped up as Brickwood Coffee & Bread just a few doors down, but the coffee here is nothing to scoff at. While the food menu may be on the smaller side, the pastry case is chock-full of delicious coffeeshop goodies and the variety of carefully-selected coffee makes this every java-lover's caffeine-induced dream. Their lattes and teas are great, but what is truly worth splurging the calories on is their Iced Gelato Latte. It's not quite a latte, not quite a shake, but something in between, as it isn't blended, but has a hefty scoop of premium Italian gelato plopped right on top of some of the best quality coffee I've had thus far. The strong, robust flavor of the caffeine is perfectly balanced by the slightly-sweet creaminess of the vanilla gelato. The only thing I would say was off about this drink was the fact that, when drinking something thick with ice cream or gelato in it, one gets the urge to mix the liquid of the coffee with the slight solidity of the gelato, which is made more difficult by the big cubes of ice rolling around in there. It makes drinking it a bit awkward. So be sure to ask for a spoon!

Lovely independent coffee shop just of Clapham Common. Friendly staff and great coffee and cakes.

The 'cafe itself' is overly cramped which makes for uncomfortable eating. However the coffee is ALWAY's on point and full of flavour - its as good as Ive had in London and a takeaway cup brightens up any stroll round the common / the high street.

My boyfriend dragged me to this place that doesn't look like much from the outside but when you walk in, it feels like you've stepped into heaven. Well, my idea of heaven that is, which includes the most tasty coffee you'll ever have, and a broad selection of sandwiches, cakes and other delicious bites. They have different coffee bean roasts and they are all of top quality, as well as freshly baked muffins and pastries. Hard to beat this place! If you are in SW4 I suggest you go there right away!

Can't believe this hasn't been reviewed before? Its a great little cafe near Clapham Common tube station that makes relatively consistently good coffee (as evidenced by the large contingency of Aussies that frequent this place - but then again, its Clapham and so Antipodeans are a given)... Also stocks Konditor & Cook cakes and fresh pastries to go with your cuppa. There's a super cheap breakfast on the run deal - small coffee & plain croissant for £2.20 - which is basically the price of a coffee elsewhere... Haven't tried their sangas yet but have heard good things from reliable sources and the staff are always friendly, as is the cute regular waiter whom I've yet to pluck the courage to flirt casually with... Overall, well worth a visit, though space is a premium.

Perfectly lovely coffee + Perfectly lovely baristas + Perfectly lovely cakes + Perfectly lovely seating + Perfectly lovely music* + Perfectly lovely wifi + Perfectly lovely community vibe ___________________________ A perfectly lovely breath of fresh caffeinated air from East-End coffee fascism. *Portishead's Dummy was playing during my Saturday morning visit

The location is perfect. Right on Clapham common, where most businesses make money irrespective of the quality of their offerings. However this is the real deal. Their coffee is very good, always roasted to perfection and never burnt. That's a good sign as nearby Starbucks and Nero have a tendency for overroasted coffee servings. There's a nice aroma to their coffee, different than other upscale coffee houses like Monmouth. I'm assuming it's for people who like a less italianised flavoured espresso. Foodwise, I've only tried their red velvet cake and I was impressed on how similar it tasted to the Hummigbird's, yet it didn't look as inviting as the latter. The rest of the cakes and pastries on offer seemed pretty standard for a coffeehouse, nothing out of the ordinary. So why 5 stars? Because it's close to where I live, its good and I consider it a better alternative to chains.

Much enjoyed The Black Lab while staying in the neighborhood during a recent visit to London. The service was friendly and prompt, the coffee good, and the food carefully prepared. I would definitely return.

Very nice coffee shop - they seem to specialise more in tea than coffee (although they have the full range of fancy coffee every cafe does), as they have a few different varieties which you can have by the (very reasonable priced) cup, or (even better value) pot, which comes loose leaf infusing into a teapot which is delicious. You also get honey with it! They also do sandwiches/paninis and Tyrell's crisps, as well as soft drinks and home made cakes - I also got offerred a taster of home-made brownie on my way out which was divine - totally yummy without tasting overly fatty or sugary like some chain cafes' food cheats by being. Will definitely go back there! It's a brand new business so I was really impressed with how good value it is. Very much recommend.

Pros: cozy, tasty sandwiches and pasties, good coffee, free wifi, comfortable, friendly staff Cons: small food selection, a little loud, limited amount of seating

The Black Lab was a great find! It seems small when you walk in, but there is plenty of seating further into the shop. Service was very attentive and top notch. Those behind the counter kept things easy, and offered knowledgeable recommendations for coffee specific requests. I highly recommend getting a scone. The staff bring it out with jam and clotted cream. Delish!

I've been to Clapham Common quite a few times, granted, most of those times I was blind drunk, but seriously, how did I miss this place. Snuggled on the South side of Clapham Common is this adorable coffee shop with really comfy chairs. It's just perfect for a Sunday catch up with friends, they serve up fruit bread, and yummy cakes and even have a suprising clean toilet. The coffee is Italian and the baristas are so friendly, they obviously haven't heard you have to be obnoxious to serve up good stuff. And this coffee is good, tasty even. It's not a roast I've had before but it curbed my caffeine fix. During the week this is a hot spot with wifi and loads of seating. It's a gem in the south.

I like black labs and I like coffee which means I like The Black Lab coffee house. Made the long trek along the Northern line to Clapham Common for a charity run and was thirsty afterwards and found myself having to choose between The Black Lab and Brickwood. Both coffee houses looked neat and since the husband and I had no clue about either of them, we just selected one and went for it. The Black Lab it was. The menu is not your typical coffee shop menu. It's a simple menu and, you know what, simple is good sometimes. Simply select the number of ounces, the type of bean and pay. I ordered the 6oz Columbian (came with steamed milk) and I should have ordered the 160,000oz size instead because it was delicious. Service was sweet and smiley. They thanked us for participating in the charity run even though they had no idea what charity we ran for, aside from the obvious being something to do with elephants as we were wearing elephant onesies. If I ever find myself south of the river again, I will definitely return to The Black Lab for a cuppa. P.S. The sandwiches and cakes looked delicious.

Probably the best coffee and brunch place near Clapham Common, the place isn't massive, so you may have to sit outside but on a Summer's day it was very nice. They have freshly made food, cake and yoghurt and such, so if you are looking for a lazy breakfast or a coffee, I'd go here first. The only thing is, you are in Clapham and the prices were quite high, but you are paying for the view and the location to

Where I do start? I have wanted to review The Black Lab for a long time now and finally, finally, I can do it! Black Lab was my original "go to" local coffee shop. This was before the opening of Brickwood a few doors down. Why, I went to a competitor, I'm not sure. Maybe it was because Brickwood was owned by an Australian guy and it reminded me of home. I don't know. Maybe it was because Black Lab doesn't open till 7:30am and sometimes, I just want a coffee at 7am. Opening late, however, seems to be a pretty common trend with coffee shops in London. What do the people of London drink when they have to go to work before 7:30am?? However, I have started frequenting Black Lab again and it is still just as good. Albeit they have changed a little bit. I noticed that they now have more of a sandwich and cake selection and I think that they have changed their coffee supplier. You can choose the blend of coffee that you want (house or guest blend) and they can brew your coffee in about a thousand different ways. You can have your standard latte or flat white, or you can have the filter coffee with a different blends, or you can have the cold drip. It's all a little too much sometimes i.e. today I ordered a flat white and when it was delivered to the table, it was announced as a "6 ounce Guatemalan". After a bit of confusion, we realised that it was the flat white I ordered... Either way if you want a decent coffee, you can't go past Black Lab!

I love this little coffee shop.. the only thing that would make it better is if it was right next to my work! Then I'd be there 5 days a week... The place does fantastic coffee and also stocks Konditor & Cook cakes (black gingerbread and curly whirly is highly recommended). They do great baguettes which are stuffed with fillings (and toasted for you if so desire). The room is not large, so not a massive amount of seating.. but if you can bag the couch at the back, it is a fantastic spot to chill, have some cake and coffee. They also have free wifi if you want to come in here with your laptop. But the best thing about this place is their consistently fantastic coffee, in particular their piccolo latte (like a normal latte, but with half the milk, makes for the perfect espresso and milk ratio in my opinion). Add to that friendly service, makes for one of my favourite places to get coffee!

Best coffee in clapham but service is quite slow, even for takeaway and no light healthy food. Good for weekend brunch or takeaway for a stroll round the common, not grabbing a quick coffee before work. Great range of coffees and brewing techniques including cold brewed. The new concept of choosing your coffee blend and then the amount of milk seems a bit pretentious but is actually quite useful once you get to grips with it.

Love the Konditor and Cook Cakes here, and the coffee isn't half bad either, a nice place to escape from the usual high street coffee chains.

I discovered this place a while ago when I had a couple of hours to kill...staff were friendly and the coffee and cake was good so I've gone back whenever I've been in the area. My only criticism would be that it's slightly pricey, but great for lovers of coffee and cake.

Coffee is delicious and top quality. Great ambience. Food is tasty, but not a huge selection--especially not in the latter half of the day. Wifi!! :)

Delicious coffee, friendly staff, lovely ambience (a little on the small side but that can't be helped!) and the most amaaazing cake and sandwich selection! I had the green goddess sandwich; its delights included goats cheese, pesto and avo (have it toasted!). The show-stealer though was the brownie - freshly in that morning, they were the gooiest, richest, deliciousestestest yumminess ever. But very sickly. Definitely shareable, and recommended to have tea with it to cut through the richness rather than a milky latte like I had!

Right next door to the famous Brickwood Coffee shop, the Black Lab is doing a fantastic job keeping the competition up and exciting. Their baristas are knowledgeable and will not hesitate to give you suggestions.

This might be my new favourite place, despite not spending too much time actually in Clapham. I've been meaning to visit it for ages it's not exactly hidden and I was drawn in by the neat font on the door. The weekend drizzle-turning-downpour was the perfect excuse. So we drank coffee and hot chocolate whilst pretending the rain might end. I kept noticing little bits that I liked more. But it was really the old fashioned lights, the lovely way it was all put together, and something rather sexy going on with the back boards. I'm half hoping it's raining on the way to the tube next time, too.

Decent flat white, but kind of dark. No real healthy options in terms of food. One of the staff on a break just stood outside the front door of the shop and blew his smoke in. Not impressed! There are better options in clapham common.

Excellent coffee, great atmosphere and food. Would be even better if they served eggs on toast.

As an utter coffee snob ;) I seek out quality coffee houses wherever I go. This place has never disappointed me. Staff have always been friendly, kind, and patient when I procrastinate over which blend to go for ;) They are very knowledgable baristas, and plenty of innovative offerings, including cold press coffee. Simple decor, clean lines. Nice outdoor space, diagonally overlooking the Common - time it right and you can bask in sunshine during good weather whilst enjoying your caffeine fix.

Great place for whoever expert in coffee taste ... not only coffee but also one of the best Red Velvet cake in London. Cool vibe inside and charm staff.

Don't let the out-dated, drab decor put you off popping into this place. I'll admit, I was a little dubious at first but the coffee and snacks were worth the risk. The staff are friendly and don't get all huffy if you happen to visit feeling indecisive, plus there's a good range of food and snacks to keep meat eaters and veggies alike happy.

I came in here for a chai tea latte, which was lovely, and the customer service was good. It seems a great place, but not much seating space- I've been past a few times since but haven't been in because it looked busy. I will definitely go back though and try the coffee and food selection!

I was so excited to check out The Black Lab Coffee House, as it is toted as one of the best in London. I'm happy to report that those claims are NOT unfounded, I had some of the most delicious coffee I've had around the world at The Black Lab. I like to think of myself of a bit of a coffee snob, myself - being that I was formally trained as a barista in Australia. The staff was warm and welcoming and their passion for delivering the perfect cup of coffee shone through. Their knowledge about different extracting techniques, the origin of the beans and the resulting tasting notes from various ways of having it served up was superb and definitely made the experience that much more enjoyable. I enjoyed The Black Lab Coffee House so much that I wound up there 2 mornings in a row for brekky & coffee. I had the Guatemalan roast - served up as a flat white (the 6oz), also served up iced. Both was were extremely enjoyable. Tried a Kenyan roast, which wasn't personally my favourite, but it was still nice to try and taste the difference. Enjoyed myself a bacon sandwich, and my boyfriend had the sausage roll and a couple of the cold pressed juices. My friend had a croissant and chocolate milkshake - which she described both as "TO DIE FOR!" Look forward to returning upon my next trip to London!

Great coffee and delicious carrot cake. They also serve aeropress and cold brew. Yum!

There coffee is the nuts. I drink decaff so this is saying something, as usually decaff tastes like someone has strained it through their shoe. Gluten free cakes too, super yummy. Free wifi, friendly staff. Love it!

Love this place, great staff, awesome coffee and even got to meet 'the black lab' recently, gorgeous dog!!!

The staff were lovely when I walked into his place this week. But the prices are simply exorbitant. It's not my style to worry too much about cost but I thought they were really quite extortionate here and decided not to buy anything. Probably over 50% more expensive than, say, The Common Room in Clapham South or Blackbird in Balham and others in Clapham Old Town. I appreciate it's tough running a business these days and we all need to make money - but this is over the top. Sorry.

The staff just let a dog on the sofa and the place smells like hell.... The coffee is great, the staff should probably not be so nice and say no to customers who do that :S

Great place in Clapham: relaxed atmosphere, delicious coffee. I will come back with a book to fully enjoy it.

A chance visit to the place due to the staff at neighbouring Brickwood finding it hard to serve people. Being a Monday it was very quiet so was served straight away. After a false start from being given a flat white instead of a latte the service was spot on. The coffee is great and the banana bread was ace too.

Beautifully dressed up in the right stylistic language for an independent cafe. Food and cakes look pretty decent, and the tea is good. However, they call themselves a 'Coffee House' and the owners claim to be passionate about good coffee. I will judge them on that- and their coffee is simply not up to scratch- overheated, tounge-scorching lattes served with too much foam, crema-free espressos and lots of bad practice at play- failing to clean portafilters and equipment between shots at one time and re-steaming milk endlessly during another visit. Most of their staff apart from one are unable to free-pour drinks. Not entirely sure why they opted to use an Italian roaster for their beans (6 weeks on a truck = stale by the time it gets to the UK) when there are plenty of world-class roasters in London supplying top-notch award-winning coffee. Coffee bags displayed with pride in the window- because, as we know, coffee loves direct exposure to sunlight and heat. Tall Italian barista also enjoys telling customers how they want their coffee rather than the other way around. By all means support independent cafes, but not when they are in need of this much improvement....

Discovered this place this very morning (tube strike day - booo) when feeling a bit stranded and light-headed in Clapham. Decaf cappuccino was really rather good: flavoursome coffee, not too milky and, crucially, not 75% froth. I'll definitely be going back and taking friends!

Wow! Discovered this little gem last week after getting back from my hols. Great atmosphere, amazing cakes and delicious coffee. We tried the chocolate brownies which were sinfully good - slight bite on the outside, soft 'n gooey on the inside and uber chocolatey! ...coffee was surprisingly good conisdering i hadn't heard of Musetti before... i had a flat white poured by one of their Kiwi baristas (bloody good!) and then a Cappuccino - rich flavour and nice silky milk (none of that frothy starbucks sh*t!). I think they've found a new regular!

Totally agree with alexding... Absolutely butcher their coffee, burning milk, reheating milk and over-texturising. Friends Espresso was bitter and without crema. My 'flat white' was scorching, almost cappuccino like amount of froth and weak in flavour. Mutton dressed up as lamb.

Calm down dear! Its only a cafe! Its a nice small cafe that does nice food and tea. Coffee isn't bad but I'm slightly baffled by the whinging about being burnt by hot milk? Have those people tried, oh I don't know, maybe waiting for it to cool down before drinking it? Seriously its like silly Americans suing Starbucks because their takeaway coffee cups scalded their hands or whatever. You do realise you're the reason why every toilet has signs warning everyone that the hot water tap may contain hot water? Like I said I'm impressed, the music is good and its good value. Free wifi off the bat and its relaxing. What more do you want?!

I was there with some friends and we enjoyed our staying. The atmosphere was good for us. The prices are not expensive, but sometimes they is delaying of our order. I think that if you are in the area, you should not hesitate to visit it. Next week I will meet my friends again there.

Best coffee in Clapham, hands down. Ignore the newer flashier neighbours, this is serious coffee from folks that care. Friendly staff too. Coffee 5/5, service 5/5, atmosphere 3/5.

Love this place. Coffee is excellent, cakes are delicious. Service is genuine. Orders sometimes get confused but somehow that endears the place more to me.

I Love this place. Their coffee is the best in Clapham and sandwiches are delicious. They serve Konditor & Cook cakes from one of the best bakeries in London, in my humble opinion - give the Curly Whirly cake a go. The atmosphere is relaxed. Service is friendly, well meaning and endearingly haphazard - it amuses me everytime I go.