Secret Goldmine Cafe London – Coffee meets pie

Australians and Kiwis know their coffee and it was well over a decade ago now that the so-called ‘3rd Wave’ coffee boom started  in London, led largely by a string of Antipodean entrepreneurs who saw a gap in the market. Coffee in London used to suck, and now it doesn’t. This Kiwi-run café is another ‘under the railway arches’ business in Bermondsey hidden off in an industrial estate, opposite a data storage warehouse. You’d never know it existed if it wasn’t for the sandwich board sign on the street.

Great coffee here is a given – the beans they use are ethically sourced from Mission Coffee Works Roasters and they offer the usual selection of hot drinks – I usually go for the Flat White which is very well made. Not all coffee shops however offer a range of savoury New Zealand-style pies made on the premises by an in-house pie maker.

Owner Mike Meehan also runs his other business from here – the highly acclaimed Pie Cart that sells their range of pies at markets all over the city. I like the beef and cheese pie which is a deep-filled thing of beauty. Also on offer are freshly made  Scotch eggs, sausage rolls, pastries and sandwiches, which also look very tempting. Drop in when exploring this fantastic area on a weekend.