Terra Nera, Camden, London

Bank holiday weekend took us into Camden to hang-out with the tourists and other stay-at-home Londoners in Stables market. We paid this inviting little coffee house a visit and I’m delighted Camden at last has a decent, independent coffee house. No more visits to Starbucks over the bridge. Hallelujah!

The first thing to note is this place isn’t obvious from Chalk Farm Road. After a good wander around Stables Market, we eventually found Terra Nera back where we started, by Camden Lock bridge!

The best way for a newbie to find Terra Nera is to turn left just before the bridge. You’ll see the entrance to Gilgamesh restaurant. The coffee shop is to the left. Once found and inside, it felt worth the trot around the market. You’re immediately met with a broad, fascinating selection of round-the-world coffee beans and teas in an authentic setting. A warm welcome by the baristas behind the counter also awaits you. That first impression is enough to make you never want to enter a chain coffee house again!

My partner and I ordered a Latte and a Chai tea. Both were incredibly sweet (I ordered caramel in mine, so no surprise there!) The Latte was exceptional. There was a small chalk board to the right of the counter offering a slice of banana cake at £2, so we ordered a slice each. Not sure if other food was available, but this turned out to be a good decision – rich, moist and full of flavour.

We were served outside on one of two tables in front of the shop. This place is definitely set-up as a quality, take-away coffee shop, but if you’re lucky enough to get a seat and want to chill for a bit, I recommend it. Although the shop would benefit from more seating, there isn’t enough room inside and the pavement area is limited. Once seated though, Camden’s eateries and shops are great for people watching and this place is no exception. The only downside is, sitting outside, you can feel like you’re in a corridor looking onto the backs of market stalls. Not the most inspiring view, but passers-by and music blaring from the sound system at the entrance to the market is enough to make you still feel part of proper Camden life!

If you’re one for fine china coffee cups and pretty crockery, this place may not be to your taste. Drinks are in (hopefully recycled?) paper cups and cake is served on napkins with plastic spoons however, if you are looking for good coffee, a quick bite to eat and friendly service, I’d pop-by Terra Nera!

I should disclose, I was one of the Qype reviewers Simone contacted to ask if I would be a “Mystery Blogger” and in return for a review, I would receive £10 towards my order. I ordered and then upon paying disclosed I was a “Mystery Blogger”. I’m happy I took-up this invitation and even happier to go again soon and pay!

If I put a review for that coffee shop that‘s to help people like me. I mean, I love coffee! And since I’ve moved to England, I didn’t know where to go to find a good coffee. I live in Camden, where there are a lot of coffee shops, 3 of whom are Starbucks. I’ve tried a lot of them but was still looking for a better one. There it is!! I just wanted to tell the coffee lovers that there’s a proper coffee shop in Camden with a lot of choices and friendly staffs who know their products and what they do! The range of product is large (also tea), they made their own blend, they cook their beans with their own machine and you can also find rare coffee… Trust me, they’ve got good quality coffee at reasonable prices. So if you are like me, just go to that shop.

Generally speaking, coffee is not my cup of tea, but I let myself be persuaded by an appealing freebie offer in exchange for my mere opinion.
After laboriously locating the place, which despite sitting at the entrance of the Stables Market, can easily be overlooked since hiding behind a multitude of stalls, I entered the pop up café and was “welcomed” by straight-faced staff (I will happily put this down to the miserable weather Camden Town, and the whole of London for that matter, has been blessed with this past week).
The staff of two were sporting pretty cool uniforms (black T-shirts with funky goldie designs and camel straw trilbies,) which distracted me for a while from the time I was left to queue behind one single other customer (in total my waiting time approximated ten minutes), as did the minimalistic but still appealing decor of the place which consists mainly of vintage bags of grind coffee scattered around the place.
After finally being acknowledged mid-wait (i.e. five minutes of entering the place while only one customer was being served by one of the two staff), I proceeded with my order: two slices of cake, served on napkins with a plastic spoon but no takeaway box or paper plate… While I was keen to accompany these two treats _ how greedy of me but one can never underuse a freebie_ with vanilla-flavoured beverages (my eyes were on the Camden Fog and Vanilla Latte), I had to contend with two basics, in a mocha and a latte, as they had run out of vanilla-great…So much so this does not escape a mention! To compensate for my disappointment, one of the staff offered to make the drinks “sweet”, and gosh they were, to the point of repelling my naturally sweet tooth!
When came the time to pay, I came out as the mystery shopper I am. “Oops”, I could read on the two staff’s faces, one of whom had the consideration to help me take my drinks to the seating area which, with a total of two tables and six chairs, is pretty obsolete, and promptly reminds one that they’re treading in takeaway-or-leave-it territory, which makes the degustation even less enjoyable.
About the goods, I’ll give them that delectable coffee that is, for rather good price value (drinks range from £1.20 to £3.00 with a choice of regular and large portions, and go up to £8.50 for gourmet rare concoctions).
Still, though the place might be a magnet for organic-addled (gullible, if you ask me) customers, happy to wait up to twenty minutes for their caffeine fix (surely that is how long the two people behind me had to queue for), the experience forces the commuting comparison: we all know that taking the tube is a costly drag with its contrived and often belligerent passengers, and that the bus calls for a more enjoyable and cheaper ride, but at the end of the day, time is money and the tube will get you where you want to be in half the time it would take by bus. On those terms, Starbucks, which is located just metres from Terra Nera, must be laughing away….

I was offered £10 to review this place - I didn't take the tenner, but here is the review:

I am not a coffee snob - I was about to say "coffee ponce", but of course that would be unfair to lots of soggy androgenes. I do like good coffee, however; in my book, this means strong and black, milky coffee being an abhorant substance. So when I tripped up to this gaff on a bright and breezy midsummer morning I thought "Ah, they should be able to do something along the right lines", given the serried ranks of bags o' beans on show.

My first impression was of staff so in-your-face friendly I was worried they were going to want to tell me about Jesus. Maybe this is what happens if you spend all day inhaling the fumes of the beans, although it may also have had something to do with the coffee vapouriser contraption on the counter which was giving out an alarming "on fire" sort of smell, rather than the scent of warm cups of joe.

Some people will tell you that the measure of an eatery is whether it can manage to cook a good steak, the way you have ordered it. I think the equivalent test for a coffee house should be a strong black coffee. So I settled on a cup of one of their premiums ( Jamaican Blue Mountain). Casting around, I thought that to do a "proper" review, I'd need to sample something else. What about a snack to go with the coffee ? A last slice of yesterday's cake lingered on the counter - I was about to steel myself to this, when it was whipped away and replaced by a fresh banana cake - so I settled for this ( given the absence of choice). While all this drama was unfolding, my coffee was being lovingly filtered through some sort of individual filter thing- this was not a quick process.

So, a simple enough test - coffee and a piece of cake. The verdict ? The cake was marvellous. I kid you not, it's in my "top three pieces of cake ever" list. Had I not scoffed it so very, very quickly, I'd have taken a photo to remind me of the love 'twixt man and bakery item. The coffee ? You'll remember that, tho' a "premium" bean, it was, after all, an unadorned cup of black coffee. I'd seen the ( five ?) minutes of personal attention which had gone into its preparation. I knew they'd "done" it right. I was looking forward to it, having just parted with £4.50 for the pleasure, along with another £2 or so for the cake.

Which was why it was all the more disappointing that it was , how can I put it, tepid. A lovely tasting cup of coffee, to be sure, just cold bathwater temperature. Oh dear. Oh deary deary me. I'm pretty sure I didn't order it that way. Is the temperature not the easiest bit ? If I'd wanted a disappointing and overpriced cup of coffee, I'd have made myself a Nescafe and set fire to a fiver in the comfort of my own home, not schlepped all the way here.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why they only get three stars from me - perfectly nice, just couldn't quite nail something pretty basic.

This place is GREAT right in the heart of little Liverpool

When do i get my tenner.......

Leave your pretentions on the cobbled road outside; these guys know their stuff. They wear bowler hats, never talk down to you and have some of the best coffee, at the best prices, in London.

In the heart of quirky Camden, Terra Nera doesn’t jump out at you. There are no guys with smurf hats and Jesus jeans sat in the window, typing away furiously on their MacBook air while sipping tentatively at a Mochafrappalatte. In other words it’s not like most coffee shops.

Charming service and connoisseur-like knowledge will keep you coming back. Whether you are buying a £5 bag or a £40 bag there is no difference in the level of attention you receive.

They also know as much about tea as they do about coffee and have plenty of different types to prove it.

It wouldn’t be Camden without an oddity – Terra Nera’s comes in the form of Kopi Luwak – or Civet Bowel Coffee to some – they even have it in its rawest form (unwashed, unroasted, unadulterated nuggets) if you want to take a peek.

We have the most amazing time in this coffee shop. Each customer is warmly welcomed and it was the best tea/coffee any of us have ever had. We know that someday they will have these beautiful shops all over the world and Starbucks will be a thing of the past.

if u come in London 4 an holiday or 4 an experience or 4 any reason, go to get a coffee at terra nera. Will be an experience in it self. ps as Italian when i come in london i used to get coffe just at home with my beautiful Italian caffettiera :D, but i had to change opinion :D so i would give 4 star at this coffee shop. bye guys

TERRA NERA is your escape to Italy!

time to abandon your burned, overpriced starbucks coffee for a truly delicate experience..

_ TERRA NERA is attracting you with its comforting smell of roasted beans!
_ TERRA NERA's arty coffee making performance is always on!
_ TERRA NERA spoils you with smiles and good vibes!
_ TERRA NERA indulges your taste buds with the best espresso you can get!

.. and if you are very lucky you will leave with sparkling glitter on your tongue .-)

i stumbled apon terra nera on a day out with my girlfriend to london, as big fans of good coffee we always appreciate the chance to sample something worth drinking. i have never found a place in england i would say can make a good espresso but these guys make the best while smiling. i asked one question and got a amazing response they made espresso after espresso and explained the best beans and techniques and even roasted some beans for me there and then. i have since moved to sweden but will continue to get my coffee from there. polite, knowledgeable and reasonably priced if you go anywhere else you dont deserve there coffee.

As a resident of Camden Town for some years now, i have a good working knowledge of all the market stalls and i can definitely say that Terra Nera is up there with the best of them. On the weekends i always stop for an espresso because they know how to make it taste good yet powerful enough to set me up for whatever the capital's going to throw at me.

I am not an expert on coffee, but Simone and his crew always treat me like a regular and always describe their different coffees in layman's terms. Every coffee, latte and espresso is delivered quickly, expertly and if it was made for presentation. The price is cheap and you're always welcome to linger and enjoy the view of the markets from their bar.

Top marks for a top quality coffee (and tea) house!

Without a doubt the best espresso in London!!!
Great range of exotic speciality coffee's - customer service rivalled by no other...
Their attention to detail provides an excellent customer experience! My favourite coffee shop in the world... A must for all coffee lovers!!!

Simply the best coffee around at such good prices. And served with attention, care - I LOVE that I get glitter on my soya mocha - and as though what they're doing is important to them. I don't live near, but go out of my way to visit Terra Nerra at least twice a week.

The best coffee in town by a long shot. We had to wait a little bit but it was worth it. They presented me with a beautiful and smooth "sexy latte". The staff is amicable and a massive thank you goes to Miguel that has taken time to advise me and helped me choose my tea out of their very large selection. if you are in Camden, you definitely have to stop by.

I look forward to go back for more.

I love Terra Nera. The Latte's are amazing, smooth, rich and almost too pretty to drink. Admittedly you do have to wait just a little too long for them, and there is only one size (small) but still worth the trip to Camden.
The lemon coffee creation is also a double espresso sized masterpiece- super strong coffee, cream, sparkles, candied lemon, and popping candy! Sounds disgusting, looks odd, but is surprisingly addictive.

If only they opened a little earlier....

I consider myself a coffee connoisseur, drink only the best and though the 'best' is purely subjective, I do feel I have extensive experience in coffee-drinking, if not making. I have very few selective places where I'd buy coffee from and Terra Nera is by far one of the best coffee sellers/café's in London without a doubt.

If you want to get a divine experience, i suggest popping down to Terra Nera, the boys behind the bar, know their sh From espressso's, to cortado's(bon-bon), from latte's to mocha's, Italian hot chocolate to Tea's, this place is god-sent.

Terra Nera you have my approval and a thumbs up!

Why this coffe shop hasn't made it onto Qype earlier I'll never know!
It's a small Italian espresso bar and shop in the front corner of the Stables Market ( well, Camden Lock Place actually) with the best service ever! Yes, you do wait a while for the artistry of their espresso-based drinks with perfectly-frothed milk to be ready - but it's so worth it.
As tourists and locals alike huddle patiently in the 'shop', they can browze seemingly hundreds of varieties of loose-leaf tea and roasted coffee beans to take home. There's even those pretty chinese hand-made tea bombs that slowly unfurl in hot water to reveal coral-like garlands and explosions.
Anyway, on Saturday afternoon after freezing up the high street, I was presented (after my 15 minute wait) with the prettiest latte EVER! A delicate caramel flower drizzled on top sprinkled with edible purple glitter.
POW!
Go now! HURRY!