Kioskafé

31 Norfolk Place, Paddington, W2 1QH
Kioskafé is an undoubted nod to the newsstands of Europe in its hybrid combination as print provider extraordinaire and high end coffee shop. Let’s not be crude, this is no corner shop newsagent with an espresso machine dumped into the corner, the theory behind it rather being more of best of the best rather than somewhere you can pick up a packet of space raiders when you go to get your local rag. Owned and operated by the monocle group, the idea is to be able to provide as many of the best and most highly considered print news and magazines from around the world, with the ability to order in almost any global newspaper you’d like, and if it’s not physically there you can pay to have it printed from the shop’s web connected copy machine if you have the time and money to spare. 
Such is its desire to be seen as a denizen of the upper echelons of the news world, it is deliberately situated directly opposite the famed Frontline Club where admittance is only permitted to frontline journalists of note. There is then, somewhat of an irony that I am writing about it for a blog that has a limited appeal of almost exclusively friends and family. Hi mum.
The coffee doesn’t take a backseat either with a definitive third wave vibe. Allpress beans are served  from the Kiwi roastery that’s made itself at home in East London and, as is becoming more and more the norm, there are plenty of dairy free options for the more discerning milkless mug. Perhaps, slightly irritating for those who avoid dairy, each coffee comes with a block of milk chocolate but others might be less irked and more welcoming of gratis confectionery. 
Solid oak flooring and Swedish furniture create a cosy yet chic interior where display chests and draws of Japanese design hold racks and racks of publications meaning there are plenty of copies of Caffeine magazine to pick up and flick through if you tire of staring out of the large front window. But what more could one want than decent coffee and all the reading material in the world?