Watchhouse (St. Mary Axe)

Vibe

Of the branches of Watchhouse I've been to, this has to be the best spot for work. The upstairs area has plenty of comfortable seating with plenty of other people working on their laptops. Every table has its own plug sockets tucked under the bench and the wifi speed is phenomenal.

The atmosphere can vary between super chill and peaceful to very busy - mostly depends on the time of day! Fridays are normally quiet (probably because a lot of people in the City choose to wfh). This means it can be a bit hit-or-miss with the for taking calls as it can get a bit echo-y with a lot of people around.

The layout and design of the space itself is amazing. It's very modern and open with huge windows, comfortable furniture and a stunning big staircase.

Coffee

Watchhouse is a speciality coffee roaster and even offer coffee subscriptions to enjoy their blends at home, so needless to say the coffee is incredible. They bring out a little card with info on the blend with your coffee and clearly put a lot of care into every cup.

The default roast they serve in store their 1829 espresso which (according to their website) has undertones of of caramel, milk chocolate and peanut butter and although I'm no coffee connoisseur, I definitely think it's some of the best coffee in London!

Food

The food at Watchhouse is great, good options for breakfast and lunch at really decent prices! You can get a great lunch for £6 or if you just want a little snack or sweet treat, there's plenty to choose from. You can see the full menu here.

Worth Noting

Time limit in peak periods

If you arrive at a peak time there is a 90 min 'time limit' which is most likely in place around lunch time although we have been told there is a time limit before and were able to spend two hours there without being asked for the table.

Service Charge

It's table service here so there is a 12.5% service charge added to your bill but there people that work there are great so we're always happy enough to pay. They're more than happy for you to just order coffee and sit for a while so you don't feel pressured to move on or order more.