Bean & Hop

Bean & Hop, 424-426 Garratt Lane, London,  SW18 4HN
Earlsfield is a bit of a weird place, marooned in between Fulham, Clapham, Richmond and Wimbledon; it tries to be like of all these places and yet succeeds in being none. Trying to skim off of the success of its trendy neighbour Clapham, it’s a little too small to claim any of the more interesting diversions as those who really want to make the most of the hipster pound have tried to squeeze in over there rather than be forced out further. Some of the wealth and prestige from Fulham and Richmond clearly do squelch over the boundaries but not to the same ostentatious degree so this sort of high street hinterland has no discernible vibe to really settle in to.
Despite this, some businesses manage to straddle the line of this confused identity with perfection, combining both the playful creativity of a fresh start up that can’t quite settle on one thing, and the sophistication of a high end that knows its customer base can afford the best.
Bean & Hop sits bang in the middle of this teetering aesthetic, revelling in the overlap that they have created with their focus on third wave coffee and craft beer being put to the forefront, right there in the name. A sort of, day and night approach to the business in more ways than one. The brunch menu tries to locally source as best it can whilst also trying its utmost to make sure it can make as many options vegan and gluten free as well, on request. Throw this into the mix with an evening menu of wild sourdough pizzas that use seasonal toppings and you might worry that they’re spreading themselves too thin and that the most important aspect (the coffee, of course) might suffer.
However, the serving of Nude Espresso from roastery trained baristas only further proves that Bean & Hop have fully thrown themselves into everything they’ve decided to take on and they’re doing it with aplomb. Single origin filter coffees are also on offer as are cold brews for the warmer months.
So, if you do ever end up at the crossroads of civilisations that is Earlsfield, I’d recommend giving Beam & Hop a go. It might just give you a reason to visit again.