‘The Black Lab’ Coffee House

Delicious coffee, friendly staff, lovely ambience (a little on the small side but that can’t be helped!) and the most amaaazing cake and sandwich selection! I had the green goddess sandwich; its delights included goats cheese, pesto and avo (have it toasted!). The show-​stealer though was the brownie — freshly in that morning, they were the gooiest, richest, deliciousestestest yumminess ever. But very sickly. Definitely shareable, and recommended to have tea with it to cut through the richness rather than a milky latte like I had!

Probably the best coffee and brunch place near Clapham Common, the place isn’t massive, so you may have to sit outside but on a Summer’s day it was very nice.
They have freshly made food, cake and yoghurt and such, so if you are looking for a lazy breakfast or a coffee, I’d go here first.
The only thing is, you are in Clapham and the prices were quite high, but you are paying for the view and the location to

Don’t let the out-​dated, drab décor put you off popping into this place. I’ll admit, I was a little dubious at first but the coffee and snacks were worth the risk. The staff are friendly and don’t get all huffy if you happen to visit feeling indecisive, plus there’s a good range of food and snacks to keep meat eaters and veggies alike happy.

The Black Lab was a great find! It seems small when you walk in, but there is plenty of seating further into the shop.
Service was very attentive and top notch. Those behind the counter kept things easy, and offered knowledgeable recommendations for coffee specific requests. I highly recommend getting a scone. The staff bring it out with jam and clotted cream. Delish!

I like black labs and I like coffee which means I like The Black Lab coffee house.
Made the long trek along the Northern line to Clapham Common for a charity run and was thirsty afterwards and found myself having to choose between The Black Lab and Brickwood. Both coffee houses looked neat and since the husband and I had no clue about either of them, we just selected one and went for it. The Black Lab it was.
The menu is not your typical coffee shop menu. It’s a simple menu and, you know what, simple is good sometimes. Simply select the number of ounces, the type of bean and pay. I ordered the 6oz Columbian (came with steamed milk) and I should have ordered the 160,000oz size instead because it was delicious.
Service was sweet and smiley. They thanked us for participating in the charity run even though they had no idea what charity we ran for, aside from the obvious being something to do with elephants as we were wearing elephant onesies.
If I ever find myself south of the river again, I will definitely return to The Black Lab for a cuppa.
P. S. The sandwiches and cakes looked delicious.

There are so many coffee houses to choose from in Clapham, and I’m attempting to try them all — but this one ranks very highly! Great coffee (served in a conical flask, which really excited the science geek in me), great breakfast and friendly atmosphere. Very relaxed, but got busy after 9am so glad we avoided the rush. This should be on the top of your list for coffee in Clapham Common!

I discovered this place a while ago when I had a couple of hours to kill… staff were friendly and the coffee and cake was good so I’ve gone back whenever I’ve been in the area.
My only criticism would be that it’s slightly pricey, but great for lovers of coffee and cake.

Best coffee in clapham but service is quite slow, even for takeaway and no light healthy food. Good for weekend brunch or takeaway for a stroll round the common, not grabbing a quick coffee before work.
Great range of coffees and brewing techniques including cold brewed. The new concept of choosing your coffee blend and then the amount of milk seems a bit pretentious but is actually quite useful once you get to grips with it.

Great coffee and delicious carrot cake. They also serve aeropress and cold brew. Yum!

Where I do start? I have wanted to review The Black Lab for a long time now and finally, finally, I can do it!
Black Lab was my original «go to» local coffee shop. This was before the opening of Brickwood a few doors down. Why, I went to a competitor, I’m not sure. Maybe it was because Brickwood was owned by an Australian guy and it reminded me of home. I don’t know. Maybe it was because Black Lab doesn’t open till 7:30am and sometimes, I just want a coffee at 7am. Opening late, however, seems to be a pretty common trend with coffee shops in London. What do the people of London drink when they have to go to work before 7:30am?
However, I have started frequenting Black Lab again and it is still just as good. Albeit they have changed a little bit. I noticed that they now have more of a sandwich and cake selection and I think that they have changed their coffee supplier.
You can choose the blend of coffee that you want (house or guest blend) and they can brew your coffee in about a thousand different ways. You can have your standard latte or flat white, or you can have the filter coffee with a different blends, or you can have the cold drip.
It’s all a little too much sometimes i.e. today I ordered a flat white and when it was delivered to the table, it was announced as a «6 ounce Guatemalan». After a bit of confusion, we realised that it was the flat white I ordered…
Either way if you want a decent coffee, you can’t go past Black Lab!

A chance visit to the place due to the staff at neighbouring Brickwood finding it hard to serve people.
Being a Monday it was very quiet so was served straight away. After a false start from being given a flat white instead of a latte the service was spot on. The coffee is great and the banana bread was ace too.

Best coffee in Clapham, hands down. Ignore the newer flashier neighbours, this is serious coffee from folks that care. Friendly staff too. Coffee 5/​5, service 5/​5, atmosphere ³⁄₅.

Great place for whoever expert in coffee taste … not only coffee but also one of the best Red Velvet cake in London.
Cool vibe inside and charm staff.

Decent flat white, but kind of dark. No real healthy options in terms of food.
One of the staff on a break just stood outside the front door of the shop and blew his smoke in. Not impressed! There are better options in clapham common.

Love this place, great staff, awesome coffee and even got to meet ‘the black lab’ recently, gorgeous dog!!!

The location is perfect. Right on Clapham common, where most businesses make money irrespective of the quality of their offerings. However this is the real deal. Their coffee is very good, always roasted to perfection and never burnt. That’s a good sign as nearby Starbucks and Nero have a tendency for overroasted coffee servings. There’s a nice aroma to their coffee, different than other upscale coffee houses like Monmouth. I’m assuming it’s for people who like a less italianised flavoured espresso.
Foodwise, I’ve only tried their red velvet cake and I was impressed on how similar it tasted to the Hummigbird’s, yet it didn’t look as inviting as the latter. The rest of the cakes and pastries on offer seemed pretty standard for a coffeehouse, nothing out of the ordinary.
So why 5 stars? Because it’s close to where I live, its good and I consider it a better alternative to chains.

Pros: cozy, tasty sandwiches and pasties, good coffee, free wifi, comfortable, friendly staff
Cons: small food selection, a little loud, limited amount of seating

Perfectly lovely coffee
+ Perfectly lovely baristas
+ Perfectly lovely cakes
+ Perfectly lovely seating
+ Perfectly lovely music*
+ Perfectly lovely wifi
+ Perfectly lovely community vibe
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A perfectly lovely breath of fresh caffeinated air from East-​End coffee fascism.
*Portishead’s Dummy was playing during my Saturday morning visit

Can’t believe this hasn’t been reviewed before? Its a great little café near Clapham Common tube station that makes relatively consistently good coffee (as evidenced by the large contingency of Aussies that frequent this place — but then again, its Clapham and so Antipodeans are a given)…
Also stocks Konditor & Cook cakes and fresh pastries to go with your cuppa. There’s a super cheap breakfast on the run deal — small coffee & plain croissant for £2.20 — which is basically the price of a coffee elsewhere…
Haven’t tried their sangas yet but have heard good things from reliable sources and the staff are always friendly, as is the cute regular waiter whom I’ve yet to pluck the courage to flirt casually with…
Overall, well worth a visit, though space is a premium.

Very nice coffee shop — they seem to specialise more in tea than coffee (although they have the full range of fancy coffee every café does), as they have a few different varieties which you can have by the (very reasonable priced) cup, or (even better value) pot, which comes loose leaf infusing into a teapot which is delicious. You also get honey with it!
They also do sandwiches/​paninis and Tyrell’s crisps, as well as soft drinks and home made cakes — I also got offerred a taster of home-​made brownie on my way out which was divine — totally yummy without tasting overly fatty or sugary like some chain cafes’ food cheats by being.
Will definitely go back there!
It’s a brand new business so I was really impressed with how good value it is. Very much recommend.