WatchHouse Bishopsgate
This is one of the group's Espresso Houses, so the whole food offer is WatchHouse Bakery pastries and sandwiches, and it shuts at the weekend when most of the estate does not (WatchHouse).
Why go
The group runs two formats under one name. Espresso Houses do fast specialty service with bakery goods and sandwiches; Brunch Houses run a kitchen and a seasonal menu. They carry separate menus, and this is an Espresso House (WatchHouse).
The company describes this site as an elevated take on the grab and go aspect of our original site at 199 Bermondsey Street
, built around a Slayer Steam LPx, in a room of marble, stone and terrazzo with curved classical shapes, on what it notes is original settlement ground of the ancient Romans
(WatchHouse).
The reason to take the coffee seriously is two miles away. WatchHouse roasts its own at 36 Maltby Street SE1 3PA, which also holds its training centre and head office, so the beans are the group's rather than bought in (WatchHouse). That is a group fact, and no independent writer has assessed what comes out of the machine at this address.
Order this / avoid
- Order: an espresso on the Slayer. A WatchHouse Bakery pastry or a sandwich, which is the whole food offer here.
- Avoid: the weekend, when it is closed. Friday after four. And do not arrive expecting brunch, which belongs to a different set of branches.
What locals & experts say
- Nobody, and that is the finding. No third party has published anything about 100 Bishopsgate and no industry vote names any WatchHouse site. Every claim on this page is the company's own or the food hygiene register's.
- The company, on what this site is for:
A conceptual espresso bar, featuring a Slayer Steam LPx, focused on fast paced specialty coffee service with a small, high quality food offering of WatchHouse Bakery goods and sandwiches.
1 - The company, on how the branches differ:
Espresso Houses offer fresh bakes and sandwiches
againstBrunch Houses serve breakfast classics and seasonal plates
, each with its own menu.2
Good to know
- Where: 100 Bishopsgate EC2M 1GT, a short walk from Liverpool Street and a stone's throw from the group's St Mary Axe site.
- Timing: Monday to Thursday 7am to 5pm, Friday 7am to 4pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday.
- Booking: walk in.
- Format: Espresso House. Outdoor seating, dogs allowed.
- The nearest sibling: St Mary Axe at 70 St Mary Axe EC3A 8BE, also weekday-only. Marylebone, which this list also carries, is a Brunch House with a kitchen and opens seven days.
- Hygiene: FSA rating 5, inspected 21 June 2024, City of London Corporation, all three components at zero. The register lists the premises under the office tower's postcode, EC2N 4AA, rather than the retail unit's EC2M 1GT. FHRSID 1474065.5
Verdict
could-visit — A good City coffee if you already work near Liverpool Street, and a wasted walk at a weekend. WatchHouse Bishopsgate is what the group calls an Espresso House, which is a real distinction rather than branding: the Espresso Houses run fast service with bakery goods and sandwiches, and the Brunch Houses run a kitchen and a seasonal menu, on separate menus. The group describes this one as an "elevated take" on the grab-and-go side of its original Bermondsey Street site, built around a Slayer Steam LPx, in a room done in marble, stone and terrazzo on ground the Romans settled. What lifts it above a chain stop is the beans: WatchHouse roasts its own two miles away at 36 Maltby Street, which also houses its training centre, so the coffee is theirs rather than bought in. That is a group fact and it is credited as one. Know the hours before you set off. Seven to five Monday to Thursday, seven to four on Friday, and shut Saturday and Sunday. Nobody outside the company has written a word about this address.