Given that I have returned to academia, I thought I'd compile a list of good coffee shops and food establishments that merit patronage as being good value and most importantly, offer a student discount. It's a living list and is constantly being updated.
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Drinkin' (Non Alcoholic)
There are an extensive list of good places to grab a coffee but it can be an expensive habit off campus. That said, I have no complaints over the coffee that I've had and am a regular in the Print Room Cafe. It's conveniently adjacent to one of my favourite study spots in the postgrad centre. The only problem is that you can find yourself in a 15-20m queue at times. You also need to specify if you want dairy, otherwise you'll be served oat milk by default. UCL generally use AlPro Barista Oat Milk which is ok but I'm a purist as you can never achieve the same density of microfoam.
Lever and Bloom on Byng Place (in front of the Euston church) do a good flat white and I'm a fan of their cardamom buns. I've had far too many where a heavy handed baker has put too much cardamom in and you feel like you're chewing your way through pot purri. Not so here. I've tried a few of their other pastries and they're ok but are not exceptional. An expectation I have at their price point. They do samples on the counter so look out for those to help with any indecision.
If you really value high quality coffee, Third Wave Near Me is an excellent resource. Store Street Espresso is less than 10 minutes from campus as is Penny Drop Coffee.
Eatin'
Pizza
Franco Manca are a well established sourdough pizza chain which have grown exponentially since their early days in East London. They are currently running a start of term offer where you can get any of their sourdough pizzas for £6. The offer runs from 22nd September - 12th October and I suspect there will be a freshers special every year. Closest branch to UCL is Russell Square. Forgettabout Dominos. Proscuitto & Funghi, Napoli or Spicy Salami are all great choices. You can book at Russell Square which isn't the case for all branches.