I just love this tiny little coffee shop in Exmouth Market that doubles as a music shop. Actually, it was initially a record store, but then became a coffee shop that also sells music, so there are a bunch of old records and CDs lining the walls. They have a few seats on the ground floor (low stools with no backs and a few tables), but they also have seating on the lower floor in the back garden. The place has a steady flow of people, but you can usually grab a seat as turnover is quick.
They offer all standard coffee and tea beverages, in addition to perfect coffee-accompanying snacks like toast, bagels, pastries, sweets, etc. The best thing about this place, in my opinion, is their comprehensive toast choices. Toast is pretty much the easiest thing to serve in the world, so you’d think more places would take advantage of it, but they really don’t.
Most places that offer toast have only the option of butter or jam and often use really mediocre sliced bread. Brill elevates it, serving THE best quality, fresh baked breads (the seven seeded is by far my favorite, super seedy and hearty), and a plethora of spreads including marmite, vegemite, honey, jam, peanut butter, nutella, cream cheese, hummus, avocado, etc. And it’s super cheap.
The toasts are served with two thick slices of bread and whatever spread you want. Note that you can also get different spreads on each slice. I love to get one marmite and one vegemite. They sell any type of “mite” you’re looking for, by the way. In addition to marmite and vegemite, you can also buy AussieMite, Brekkie Mite, and probably others.
They also serve Brick Lane bagels, fresh every morning, but they only have plain bagels. You can get it toasted, add spreads (cream cheese, hummus, butter), and even make it into a sandwich (tomato, avocado, cheese). We got a plain bagel, toasted, with cream cheese (they only have plain), and a sprinkle of black pepper on top, which we thought was a great idea. No complaints, all great.
Plenty of sweet stuff like brownies, cookies, cheesecakes, tarts, etc. if you prefer that. They don’t bake those in house, but they get everything from top notch independent bakeries.
We also tried a cappuccino, which was fantastic, and a hot chocolate, which was less fantastic – nothing special, nothing bad. But I appreciated the fact that they actually made it piping hot as I requested. The barista even said “you should be able to get it however you want.” I love the attitude.
It’s a cute place, good quality, and the workers are friendly. It’s a good vibe and there’s generally music playing.
I think this is one of the most overlooked spots in the area, so give it a try.
