Present

J’ai entendu dire que le meilleur café du monde se trouvait ici.
Forcément avec un tel titre, je me devais donc de l’essayer.
La boutique est une sorte de store concept où des vêtements pour homme sont vendus et vous pouvez déguster le meilleur expresso de Londres (je né peux pas confirmer pour le monde tant que je n’aurais pas goûté à chaque expresso dans chaque pays)
3 remarques :
— La machine à café est sublime
— Le barista est tout autant sublime
— Après cette expérience j’ai sérieusement considéré le fait de né plus jamais boire d’autre café de ma vie (mais mon addiction a pris le dessus sur cette résolution malheureusement)
MONEY MONEY MONEY
Comptez £2-£3 pour le meilleur café de Londres
ON AIME :
— Regarder le barista faire le café
— La possibilité d’acheter des grains de café (très bonne idée de cadeau pour un connaisseur)
ON AIME MOINS
— L’expérience du shopping n’est pas mémorable et les articles proposés sont relativement communs.
ON Y VA AVEC QUI?
— Son ou sa pote qui aime le café (il ou elle vous remerciera grandement)

Based on the reviews, perhaps I should’ve come for the coffee/​espresso — and not the shopping experience.
We popped in yesterday (Sunday) and of the 4 highly attractive staffers — all were on their cell phones, looking down or seemed terribly unpleasant. My husband was in the market for some duds, and had been in here previously for a wallet and belt. He was excited to go back in to look for jackets, jeans and other items, but I must say — even for Shoreditch — these people were downright MOROSE.
When your selection of clothing retails in the «high» range, perhaps it’s best to put away your mobile devices, and make eye contact. I’m not even saying you must smile or be cordial, but for godssakes — who pissed in Present’s espresso this morning?! It seemed like this store was coming off a bender and maybe should’ve just stayed in bed.
Frankly, it was such a turn off that I stopped looking and left. I can be a major influence when it comes to my husband buying clothes, and this store left me… bitter.
Perhaps the coffee is good, but an attitude adjustment is required. There are many shops where you can find stylish clothing for males without feeling «iced.» Even in hyper hip Shoreditch.

Drank my way across London last week – coffee, that is – and Present was my favorite among Brick Lane Coffee, Flat White, The Farm Collective and Allpress (close second). The espresso was absurd and the merchandise in the shop was very cool, very well edited and stylish. Highly recommended on both fronts.

Hand-​pull coffee machine at the front of this men’s shop puts out shots of espresso or ‘espresso with milk’ in 4oz, 6oz and 8oz sizes only. I opted for the 4oz size, and it turned out to be like my beloved piccolo. A very competent barista brewed Square Mile beans and presented me with my bevvie in a cup with a buffalo stamped onto it. It was bucketing down cold, miserable rain outside, so I drank my coffee in the vestibule area of the shop whilst perusing the excellent selection of posh stationery. It was a bit awkward despite how much I love a bit of stationery.
Once I finished the rest of my coffee, I checked out the rest of the store, which contained clothes and accessories for men of affluent repute. If I were a millionaire hipster (and a man), I’d totally shop at Present.
For now, I’m more likely to stop by for a takeaway brew. But only if it’s sunny and warm outside. If not, there are other excellent purveyors of coffee with actual tables, and even a bit of cake, in close proximity.

What an amazing find! This is the most amazing coffee I have found in the area, after a lot of misses.

Very cool selection of shoes for men. If you are going to shop for a dude, this is the place. I have to drag my husband out of there. They have some pretty good books and other good gifts.

I know it’s a clothing store, but gotta start with sayin the coffee here is bomb! While takin a prespresso stroll around the shop, they have a unique, funky snd tasteful collection of clothes and knick knacks.

Not to be redundant– but the espresso here is totally out of this world. No surprise– the ’09 barista world champ Gwilym Davies (I’ve mostly met with his colleague Matthias, the Swedish barista champ) set up the kiosk! But that is only the first metre of the shop… the rest is great too! Fantastic menswear collections, and in-​house collaborations. Coupled with fantastic accessories, products, and a well curated assortment of magazines.
An absolute must-​stop in London!

Oh my goodness, best espresso ever. It was perfect. Nothing more to say. Go. Enjoy. Savor. Love. One of the best lattes I have had in my life. Done.

I didn’t come here for the clothes. I came for the coffee at Prufrock. so worth it, the BEST coffee in Londontown
In response to a question I got: to clarify, it is a clothing shop selling male hipster fashion (what else would you expect around Old St?). But, for some reason, there is a small coffee bar, Prufrock, in the shop itself. I’m not sure you necessarily have to be a customer in the store to get a coffee — surely I have no interest in boys clothing, but certainly in the coffee! Anyways, check it out and see for yourself!

Stopped by Present, the mens shop in Shoreditch after lunch for a coffee at Prufrock. It was wonderful. Great cappuccino — rich flavor, good texture, yum. Also set in this modern, indie/​trendy., über cool shop.
From my one experience, if you want to get a coffee and go fast, you may want to try somewhere else. But if you have the time to savor and treat yourself, Prufrock is the place.

Great store with a good edit of gear. unfortunately the coffee bar was closed for holiday when I was there… but they did have the Trickers brogues in navy which I had been longing for ever since I saw the Junya collaboration at Colette in Paris, but were just a smidge too small for my feet. Present had them, my size, last pair, and the price was half of the Junya version since Junya’s name wasnt attached to it. I knew those would someday soon be mine… Score!

Goddam, I can’t believe I didn’t get in here first… Well done Mei L for being the first to highlight the new resting place of Gwilym and his flat whites.
Apparently Present was started by the guys who were also instrumental in starting up Duffer of St George (which is fitting as Duffers office is a couple a numbers down the road). The vibe is boutiquey with a bit of a lot of nice things.
Still don’t bother going that far in the shop, just have a flat white from a vintage Italian coffee machine. Only shame is the prices have gone up.
Price — £2.40 for a flattie

Chasing down the world’s best coffee maker, I found myself in this brand spanking new and gorgeous men’s clothing store on Shoreditch High Street. On the outside, Present (as in ‘I present you to the Queen’, not ‘I got you a present’) is encased in warm shiny wood under a sign for Golden Horn Cigarette Company.
On the inside, Present offers super stylish men’s clothing from graphic streetwear-​style T-​shirts to preppy buttondown sweaters with an unexpected splash of color to über-​fashiony labels I’ve never heard of. They’ve got shoes from Vans to alife to shiny dapper leather numbers, they’ve got vinyl toys, they’ve got nice luggage and sunglasses and skate decks. They’ve got a shelf of Monocle magazines and a lineup of beautiful candles, each with its own glass cover that you can lift up to smell scents labeled ‘the bewitching scent of Mars’ or something equally bizarre and fanciful.
Most excitingly for me, a non-​wearer of men’s clothing, is the coffee. I wasn’t kidding about the best coffee in the world — there’s a beautiful old espresso machine manned by none other than Gwilym, the world barista champion. I follow his perfect flat whites and excellent espressos from Whitecross Market during the week to Columbia Road on Sundays and now on to Present. He’s the nicest guy in town and a certifiable coffee geek-​genius who took the time to chat and show us all around the store for twenty minutes and demonstrate his lovely espresso maker despite the extremely small percentage of either of us girls purchasing anything in this emporium of masculinity.
The space is beautiful though, and worth a trip for anyone interested in fashion/​sneakers/​design/​coffee/​menswear/​generally cool stuff. Present also has its own clothing line that includes t-​shirts and sweaters and the store is obviously a well-​curated labor of love. If I were a dude, I’d be all over it. As it stands, I’ll just settle for the best latte in the world…