Camera Cafe

Cameras, snacks and free wi-​fi. What else?
Tras una larga visita el Museo Británico lo ideal es una merienda. Si eres fanático de las cámaras, los muffins calentitos y las galletas recién hechas (o simplemente buscas un sitio con wi-​fi gratuito), este es el lugar.
¡Que no se te olvide bajar las escaleras e ir al baño antes de continuar el turisteo!

This café was recommend to me by a study abroad friend, and I was so happy I went. I ended up reviewing this place for a website I write for (
) and I loved my experience here.
Since I only stayed for about a half hour and didn’t do any homework here, I cannot speak to great lengths about their WiFi, but my phone connected to the internet quickly and with no issues. I was able to Instagram my latte while I was still in the shop with no problem!
I loved how unique this shop is in terms of aesthetic and creativity. They focus on one thing, and they do it well. Photographers and art fanatics will love it here. The barista is so sweet and the other staff members are very soft-​spoken.
A hidden gem of this café is definitely their downstairs area, where there are a few rooms filled with local photography and couches for friends to relax.

This is my Batcave, my hiding place and my second home.
Since photography is my passion and has a big importance in my life, this café makes me feel home, like I belong here.
Camera Café at Museum Street started in late 1999 as a coffee shop. It actually is the first camera shop with a café and an exhibition gallery in the world.
It is a three-​floor building and the café is on the first one.
The first thing you’ll notice when coming in, is the collection of camera equipment. Photographer geeks will love it here.
They have a lovely exhibition of quality Hasselblad cameras, lenses and accessories. You can sell yours here or take them in part exchange against equipment. Also, they offer an in-​house repair service for film cameras and lenses. Pricing is reasonable and sometimes it’s for free).
I could get into more details, but I’ll try to curb my enthusiasm.
About the café:
I’ve always craved a café with such a comfortable atmosphere. I literally feel like I’m home, especially when I come alone and do my own things.
There is plenty of seating space, including the outside area, downstairs and the reception upstairs. They do have the cosiest sofas on the second floor.
The décor is so my type — fancy, but still somehow casual and relaxing.
I think the lighting and low music generate the ideal ambience for a quiet date.
They offer the usual drinks you’ll find in a café. People enjoy the coffee and hipster kids are obsessed over the honey latte. I honestly think the apple and mint fresh juice is the best. They offer sandwiches that are quite good as well.
What you’ll find upstairs:
On the second floor, there is an exhibition gallery space. It is available for hiring no matter if you’re an amateur or a professional photographer.
Paintings, ceramics and other types of art are also welcome. This one of the reasons I love this place — I admire businesses that encourage people to get creative and share their artworks.
Oh, I missed mentioning they have free Wi-​fi fast enough to even watch movies online. You couldn’t ask for more.

This place is definitely a gem! The only drawback is the incredibly slow wi-​fi which is important for students like myself. If you bring reading materials then it is definitely an incredibly charming place to come work.
The selection of coffee and tea is very satisfying and the music choice is nostalgic. There is a quaint downstairs area which groups can go play board games and cards in, as well as a photo gallery.
I would definitely return to this place for a coffee and snack while I do some reading or catching up with friends, however I don’t recommend it for heavy computer work that depends on internet.

Nothing but great things to say about this Bloomsbury café! Fast wifi, strong coffee, solid food options, and kind, accommodating staff. Will definitely be back the next time I’m in London!

This is a cozy café that screams hipster magnet. Very friendly servers, comfy couches and yummy food. Worth a visit!

I came here a couple weeks ago in search of a café to study at. Upon entering this café, you will go through their shared camera shop — lots of film cameras and lenses!
The café itself is quite small — basically only two sitting areas. I ordered a honey latte and went downstairs to sit. It was really dim inside :(So I would not recommend doing any hard studying here. The honey latte was yummy though! I definitely tasted the honey.
Overall, an okay experience. Although it’s not a place to study, it can be a cute place to catch up with friends.

They
served amazing coffee, freshly squeezed juice and delightfulfood that fit to
your budget. Relaxed atmosphere with great music plus small tables and dim
light will make it relativelycalm. The music was cool, there are sparkling
lights on the ceiling, and the staff just comes around to clear the tables and to
straighten up.

A côté du British Museum, un petit café caché dans une boutique d’appareil photo analogiques…
La carte est généreuse: cafés, longue liste de thés (£2.00, on vous ressert de l’eau chaude si vous voulez), cafés glacés, jus mixés (£3.00) et plein de choses à grignoter, sucré ou salé.
Wifi gratuit, vous pouvez vous installer pendant des heures, on vous sourit gentiment quand vous levez la tête de l’écran mais on né vous presse pas.
Si vous avez besoin de consulter internet et/​ou imprimer, il y a un ordinateur à disposition et une imprimante (moyennant finances mais c’est dérisoire).
Seul mini bémol: les toilettes, pas super nickel mais bon. Le charme de cet endroit hors du temps l’emporte très largement.

I sometimes am more of a hipster than I care to admin.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not wearing skinny jeans or talking about things that were cool before they were cool (although that thing was so much better before everyone knew about it), but I do love a bit of retro nonsense. Something that used to be popular and then died out and now come back — makes me very happy.
Hence my overjoyness at The Camera Café, an old school camera shop for those who still use film at the front and a really wonderful café in the back.
This play just feels exactly how I want every café to feel — old but inviting, full of atmopshere, happy staff, cheap drinks and free wifi. Do you hear that, every other café in London? Free wifi is important!
The camers up front are great to check out and see what’s on the marker and what used to be on the market. They have a guy hired simply to run that part of the store.
In the back, the café, with another guy to run that part of the store. They make your normal drinks (I got a Chai and it was great) as well as normal café food. Next time, I’m grabbing a haloumi sandwich.
It’s such a wonderful spot that I could have spent all day there if I wasn’t running out for a meeting. Next time.

Cute little café in a great location. I love places with free wi-​fi access.

I waited over a year to write this review for Camera Café, which I stumbled upon after sneaking away from my university group’s visit to the London Museum (which was awesome, by the way). I wandered around the corner and down a little side street, and here I was!
I was so happy to find this place because until then I’d had to settle for one of the many Starbucks in the area. This was a great place to study, had wi-​fi, and good coffee. If I ever find myself in London again, this will be one of the first places I visit.

As a visitor to London this summer, the day I found Camera Café made me so thankful that I had aimlessly wandered around to find a local coffee shop instead of settling for one of the numerous Starbucks.
This place has such a great vibe and is a perfect place to study or just hang out. Amazing coffee, freshly squeezed juice and simple delicious food, all at a great price. Free wifi and jazz music are a plus. I highly recommend the apple & fresh mint juice and the halloumi sandwich.
This is definitely a favorite Bloomsbury spot for me, and it’s nicely located straight across from the British museum.

This is the kind of chilled out, unpretentious place I can stay for an afternoon. Coffee: check. Wifi: check. Seating: check. Toilets: check. They also have paid computers you can use.
It’s got a very laid back vibe and I think the camera shop is super cool, though I know nothing about photography. They’ve got your basic selection of drinks, plus a couple of house specials, cake, ice cream, and Asian food. They even sell homemade jars of chili sauce!
I tried the honey latté and I’m not sold on it… It was too honey, not so much latté. But still, the atmosphere makes up for it.

Study spot requirements:
Plentiful seating: There are a few tables near the counter, five tables in a cute little back room, and some tables downstairs. Most tables are for 2 people and are sufficient for a laptop, a few books, and your café goods.
Locally owned: Housed in the back of a camera shop, with a mini-​internet café, and a café serves a few chow-​mein dishes alongside coffee and traditional cakes makes me think this weird little amalgamation of services is a joint venture. But even if it’s just a way to split the rent, it seems that both businesses are independent and are definitely staffed by friendly folks.
Relaxed atmosphere: The separate rooms, small tables and dim lighting make it quite calm, but the slightly buzzing camera business in front prevents any napping or complete boredom. The music is jazzy, there are twinkle lights on the ceiling, and the staff only comes around to clear dishes and straighten up.
Quality coffee: My coffee was totally good, but now I’m regretting not trying this iced mocha. I also had peppermint tea, which was made with real mint leaves. Simple, but a nice sign. And a honey latte! This was my favorite at a place back home, it’s on my list for next time. So I guess the slightly interesting menu boosts ‘good coffee’ to ‘worth visiting’ coffee, if only for the variety.
Snacks: They have about 5 sandwiches (with gluten free bread available!) and a few chow-​mein dishes (vegetable, prawn, chicken). For dessert, they have a set menu with carrot cake, hot chocolate fudge cake and ice cream. The counter also has some snacky-​snacks (chips, nuts).
Price: £1.90 for tea, £2.40 for most coffees. Sandwiches are £4.50 and chow-​meins are about £8.
Wi-​fi: Free wi-​fi, with five full bars and no problems. There are also outlets about, so settling down here would definitely be an option.
As a note, I think the back room of this place would be a really great place for a coffee date. The walls are red, there are flowers on a few tables, and there are twinkle lights (read: forgiving). It’s quirky, in a good location, and open until 7 pm, which means an extra hour or two over most places in the area for an after work meet-​up.

Nice hot chocolate (with a chocolate powder star on top of the foam!) and hot chocolate fudge cake. GREAT apple and fresh mint juice. It’s an unusual and comfy place which frankly is astonishing to find in central London. Really nice staff too.

I visited on the recommendation of other Unilocalers last week and was not disappointed. A lovely back room offered a quiet spot to work for an hour or two while visiting London. Far away from the hordes of students who use Starbucks as a gathering place this was a complete haven. And yes Melizza R I had an ice cream mocha… it was delish!
The loos could be doing with a spruce up, but the staff are very friendly and I will be back!

An ice cream mocha! AN ICE CREAM MOCHA. If that doesn’t get you running here than maybe their cute shop will. Browse while you wait for your drink. Pick up a used Leica or two? Maybe?
I loved this place. I was about to hit the British Museum nearby when I remembered I have been wanting to check this place out for a while. I wasn’t disappointed. The camera shop is located by the entrance. The café is in the back, with seating downstairs as well. They offer free wi-​fi
so I was surprised more people weren’t hanging around on their laptops.
I am looking forward to another warm bright day so I can hightail myself back here and have another ice cream mocha. And maybe something healthy from their food menu, you know, to counteract against the naughty drink.

To be honest, I could care less about the cameras, but they do create a nice atmosphere. In fact, I was working from the Camera Café the other day, and I overheard some very stimulating conversations from the folks (geeks) around me: they were talking about the right lenses, the right lighting and the right camera angles…
I really enjoyed my visit to the Camera Café: the coffee (black) was well done and even when it was already cold still tasted surprisingly good. On top of that, I encountered a very helpful and friendly crew of baristas… they were just so down-​to-​earth friendly, which is kind of a rarity in the dickhead-​dominated London café scene these days!
I must also come back for their chow-mein…yes…chow-mein of all things! I heard the sizzling when they prepped it in the mini-​kitchen and the waft of fried goodness filled the room! Yum Yum…

I like this café a lot and prefer it over the nearby Starbucks and Co. Someone else mentioned the toilet/​wash area and yes, those are in a state of their own. I did once consider offering a free clean-​up. But that aside: The coffee is good, the music jazz and 50’s New York and I love spending a few hours here every now and again. A daily choice? Not quite, but very happy visits.
I had a vegetarian panini/​sandwich here and loved it, although it was a little small. x

It’s a camera shop, no, no it’s a coffee shop, no no it’s a camera cum coffee shop. Basically it’s just awesome.
This is a seriously cute café. Now I’m only going to mention their coffee this once, it was nice and yes I would go back again but it was nothing to write home about. Their cakes, again lovely but I can make better. The atmosphere and service is outstanding. What a lovely way to spend the day snuggled in the back of this lovely little place. Free wifi adds to the joy and a bustling bunch of camera enthusiast mingling at the front of the shop make it just perfect.

The way to my heart is free wifi and good coffee, and the camera café does both with a smile. I felt a little secret-​agent meeting for coffee in the back of a camera shop, which really doesn’t look like a café at all until you pass all the lenses and onto the 2^nd counter. There was a cute little seating area in back, and I was told something else going on downstairs but didn’t pop down.
I was expecting to see thrones of tourists in a café this close to a major museum, but luckily it was just a quiet few people ‘in the know’ and that’s always the best crowd.
Fantastically friendly service, I thought about 4staring it, but as far as cafes go, I look for unique character, wifi, good service, and overall vibe and I think this might be a snapshot of a winner. The fact that I’d purposely bring people here if I was in the area and not even really in the mood for coffee makes it a 5star-​er.