Farewell, Caffé Grana
Monday, April 22, 2024 at 13:37 
James Heale, political correspondent at the Spectator, tweets:
Farewell to the best coffee shop in Westminster.
He's referring to Caffé Grana, which has just posted a notice that reads:
Due to the development of 55 Broadway, we are having to vacate the premises after 35 years years of trading. We would like to thank all of our customers.
55 Broadway is a Grade 1 listed art deco building that sits directly above St James's Park tube station.
Caffé Grana is one of several commercial units on the ground floor of the building, which was built between 1927 and 1929 and – according to Wikipedia – was once the tallest office block in London.
James is spot on calling it the best coffee shop in Westminster. I would go further and say it's one of best in London. It has certainly been my favourite, as I wrote here a few years ago:
The coffee shop I've probably gone to more than any other in London is Caffé Grana which sits among the small group of shops at St James's Underground station.
It's run by an Italian family and I've been going there for 20 years. Most customers are there for a takeaway coffee but those, like me, who are early for a meeting or have time to spare can drink and eat in.
Space is tight so customers perch on stools at small circular tables. I wouldn't make a special journey to go there but if you're passing I'd recommend it.
Actually it's not true to say I wouldn't make a special journey to go there, because Caffé Grana was a great place to spend an hour between meetings.
In fact I would often get off the train at St James's Park rather than Westminster or Victoria just to have a coffee and do a bit of work there.
As a venue it was probably a bit too public for clandestine meetings, but you were always aware that some interesting discussions – some more discreet than others – were taking place around you.
I was there only last week, enjoying a thick frothy cappuccino in a tall mug with a long spoon and a delicious cheese and ham focaccia.
Several months ago I overheard a member of staff telling another customer that the cafe was due to close but I thought the year was '2025' so I'm disappointed it's happened so soon.
Apparently 55 Broadway is to be redeveloped as a luxury hotel with guest bedrooms and suites, restaurants, bars, retail units, meeting rooms, event spaces, gym and spa.
Perhaps Caffé Grana can open somewhere else, but I can't deny that its location – literally yards from the ticket barrier at St James's Park Underground – was a reason for going there, although a bigger factor was the coffee and the almond croissants.
Sadly the enforced closure of Caffé Grana reminds me that in 2009, directly opposite 55 Broadway, the traditional Italian barbershop I had been going to for 30 years (even when I lived in Edinburgh) posted a very similar notice.
The building, it said, is being refurbished and La Marca's lease had been terminated. Signed by 'Peter and the team', the note added that they are looking for new premises in the area, but there was no further information.
As with the redevelopment of 55 Broadway, the refurbishment of 28 Broadway resulted in a luxury hotel – the InterContinental, now Conrad London St James.
Another similarity is that La Marca (the barbershop) was run by a family of Italians led by a lovely man called Peter.
To the best of my knowledge they never did find new premises in the area and I suspect the same may happen to Caffé Grana.
Instead – and my memory may be failing me here – I'm pretty sure that Peter got a job working, temporarily at least, at Caffé Grana. (Are the two families perhaps related?)
What I do know is that, for a period, he also worked at a gentleman's barbershop in Jermyn Street, but I only went there on a handful of occasions because it was quite expensive and I haven't seen him for a decade at least.
Either way, we can ill afford to lose independent coffee shops like Caffé Grana and its closure feels like a genuine loss.
Reader Comments (1)
I used to work in a famous venue in Cambridge (USA) called Café Pamplona. When people were allowed to smoke there, it was a sociable place where patrons often spoke to each other from table to table. When smoking was banned, this socializing declined markedly. I believe modern life's relative sterility and lack of romance life is linked to the decline in smoking.