A cafe between windows
Can you imagine enjoying a fresh coffee while contemplating the colors of the stained glass windows of a church Or see a live gospel group singing the soundtrack of Romeo and Juliet at an altar full of candles?
In London this is possible thanks to the fact that several churches have given up part of their space or have been totally transformed into temples of beer or coffee.
Write down these places, which we were able to visit before the last confinement, so that when the restrictions are lifted, you can be one of the first to enjoy them again.
HOST COFFEE (St Mary Aldermary, Watling St.)
St Mary Aldemary Church, which is just a stone's throw from St Paul's Cathedral, It could pass for one more of the many temples in the city, but when we visited it we noticed that people came and went every so often with a coffee to go.
Upon entering, we find a bar where Lyn, the café manager, is preparing a cappuccino and a latte for a couple who have just arrived and that she sits at one of the tables that are just behind a row of wooden benches.
Host Café, at St Mary Aldemary Church
Host Café opened in 2012 after the Church of England gave the space to Moot, a religious community that wanted to attract not only parishioners but the general public.
This community had the idea of opening a café that began to be run by volunteers from the community and that due to its great success it came to have a staff of seven people.
Before the pandemic, mornings were one of the busiest times with people arriving at 8 in the morning to attend mass on one side of the nave, while others queued for coffee on the way to the office. Most of his clients were surrounding office workers and curious tourists.
With covid-19, things changed and they only had 10% of clients, many of them people who were looking for a place to work from. This is the case of Junesi, a software engineer who is coming here for the first time in search of a quiet place to work since her office is closed and from home she says that she is not productive.
The objective of this community is that when the restrictions are lifted, the church continues to be a place of pilgrimage not only for parishioners but also for workers who seek a different place from which to telecommute, for lovers of good coffee and for travelers looking for a different experience.
All this without forgetting the good causes since every penny spent here goes to social projects. For example, they are part of the “pending coffee” initiative, which consists of a client not only paying for their coffee but also leaving another paid for so that homeless people can come later and drink it for free.
The coffee they serve is from Mission Coffee, a local company that brews coffee locally, using fair market grains and that respects the environment and sustainability. Host Café also works with Paper Round, a company that recycles coffee grounds.
Every penny spent here goes to social projects
MAYFAIR MARKET (St. Mark's Church, N Audley St, Mayfair)
In one of the side streets of Oxford Street, which leads to the Mayfair district, is the old church of San Marcos with a Greek Revival style facade that contrasts with the two brick buildings that flank it.
A cross crowns the roof while you can read Mayfair Market, a gastronomic market that opened in 2019 and that is Little brother of the Mercato Metropolitano food market at Elephant and Castle.
A small shop with organic products awaits you at the entrance and whose objective is that the customer knows what he is buying and what ingredients make up each product. They offer seasonal foods, seasonal fruits and vegetables like organic pumpkins from Zerbinaty , an Italian family that only grows melons, watermelons and pumpkins.
They seek sustainable products and connect with companies that have a social project such as the pasta and legumes of the Italian brand Libera Terra (Liberated Land, in Spanish). The company develops and works “difficult” land that was confiscated from the Sicilian mafia and has become a source of income for new generations on the island.
During the various confinements that London has experienced, this gastronomic store has remained open to offer fresh bread every day and quality products to the residents of the area.
And this is just the beginning. As we pass inside, food stalls located on the sides of the central nave await us, where the typical wooden benches have been replaced by rows of large tables and chairs for dining.
At the altar there are two bars, one for Jim and Tonic where they prepare you gin-based cocktails, and on the other side German Kraft, which brews its own beer in the cellar, which was previously a crypt. Here they have a microbrewery where they produce their craft beer with barley grains brought from Franconia, in southern Germany.
In the basement there is also a kitchen and culinary school, a community space and a wine bar serving mainly Italian references. with more than 60 different broths that you can accompany with a table of sausages and cheeses. The temple has a second floor with more food stalls, a small restaurant and a small but cozy roof-terrace.
Mercato Mayfair opened without advertising at the end of 2019 so that locals could discover the place, but it did not take long for it to become a boom that lasted until the first lockdown was announced in March 2020. Since then they have been able to adapt by offering takeaway food and They hope to be able to open in a few months after the British Government presented the de-escalation plan.
UNION CHAPEL (19b Compton Terrace)
The Union Chapel is another of the London churches that has been organizing events in the Islington neighborhood for years. It is a classic for those who live here and is characterized by being a non-profit organization.
All the profits that are collected are used to restore the two-storey neo-Gothic style building from the end of the 19th century in which the event has been held. Amy Winehouse and Elton John concerts, comedy shows and movie screenings, apart from mass on Sundays.
One of the classics of each year is the screening of Romeo + Juliet, organized by Backyard Cinema, in which you can enjoy live the songs from the film performed by a gospel choir at the altar of the temple, which is decorated with candles, crosses and flowers creating a magical atmosphere.