How to Get Caffeniated in Tunbridge Wells
I often see it joked about on various Facebook groups that Tunbridge Wells has too many coffee shops. So I have put together a guide of the ones that I think are worth checking out. If a coffee shop doesn't appear on here, it is either because I have never been or I wouldn't recommend it! It is a dream of mine to one day to do a blind taste test to put my opinions to the test. Maybe I will do that one day and maybe it will be a blog post linked here.
Best Coffee Shops in Tunbridge Wells
Even Flow
Location:
Coffee Rating: 9/10
Vibe Rating: 8/10
Even Flow is my go to reccomendation for someone looking to get a good coffee in Tunbridge Wells. They have two locations, one right outside of RVP and one up St. Johns way. The location outside of RVP is small, sells used records, and is the best place to sit with a book, people watch, and enjoy a great coffee. The location in St. Johns area is larger, serves a proper food menu, and offers equally delicious coffee. Even Flow roasts their beans locally through Horsham Coffee Roastery. The roastery has created a custom blend for Even Flow that works well in a black coffee (my go to order) or in a milky drink. It is consistent, the staff are always very freindly, and the food at the St. Johns location is great. If you can only get coffee at one place in town, make it Even Flow.
Momentum
Location:
Coffee Rating: 8/10
Vibe Rating: 7/10
Momentum is conveniently located right across the street from our train station. We are truly lucky to have a great coffee option right across from the station so you don't have to result to going to any nearby chain coffee shops or the greasy spoons. Momentum also offers a great food and pastry selection. In addition to the coffee, I have also had the matcha and smoothies from here, both were delicious. This is a great place to go if you have to catch a train or want to sit down for a yummy breakfast and not sacrifice that for a shitty cup of coffee.
St.Kilda
Location:
Coffee Rating: 9/10
Vibe Rating: 6/10
St.Kilda and I have a love-hate relationship. Their coffee is great (they use Monmouth coffee and IYKYK that Monmouth is one of the better large coffee roasteries). They serve drinks true to size, and what I mean by that is, they use very traditional sizing, so you may be surprised if you order a flat white that it comes in a smaller cup than if you were to order from a chain. The owners are from Australia (hence the name) and have brought that country's passion of coffee to our wonderful town. Their coffee is strong, delicious, and consistently good. They offer a breakfast and lunch menu, which are both delicious, and I have never had a bad meal from here. Now, onto the hate part of my relationship. The service here is consistently terrible. If you sit in, it takes forever for food to come out and even longer to flag down staff to get your bill. When getting a coffee to go, I have also noticed a longer-than-usual wait as they have one machine servicing both the people dining in and getting coffee to go. So, if you have time to kill and have better patience than me, I highly recommend you stop by.
Fine Grind
Location:
Coffee Rating: 7/10
Vibe Rating: 6/10
Fine Grind has two locations, one in the library (which, as the mayor, I encourage you to utilise our wonderful library), and one on High St close to the Pantiles. Both offer consistently good coffee. The one in the library has a great outdoor area you can sit in and the one closer to the Pantiles has a decent amount of outdoor seating and smaller indoor seating area. The food has always been great as well as their pastries. Fine Grind also seem to pop up a lot at local events around town that have food and drink vendors.
The Philanthropist
Location:
Coffee Rating: 8/10
Vibe Rating: 8/10
If you have found yourself on the Pantiles, one of the iconic areas for our town (that I truly believe is overrated) and in need of some caffeine, I recommend the Philanthropist. There are plenty of overpriced cafes on the Pantiles that you can get some coffee with your fancy English breakfast, but if you are looking for some quality coffee and a nice pastry, I suggest you stop here. They have a large outdoor seating area but a very small indoor seating space. The coffee and pastries have always been really enjoyable here. They are also owned by the local brewery Fonthill. So if you fancy a downer after your upper, they have some of their beers on tap.