Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »
Countries
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan
Cities
  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Bedford Flag
Giant Perstorp Vinegar Bottle
U.S. Civil War Veteran's Grave
Paine House Museum
Paine House Museum
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Steaming Tender Restaurant
Tiptree Jam Museum entrance.
Tiptree Jam Museum
The Reading Room blends the intimacy of an inviting bar with the inviting solace of a good bookstore.
The Reading Room
Building
The Mountain House
The pond.
Jolly's Mill Pond
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The Hunterian Museum in London.
Where to See the World’s Most Famous Preserved Body Parts
Old Tonopah Cemetery.
Atlas Obscura’s Guide to America’s Most Haunted Cemeteries
Chattanooga Whiskey started distilling here in 2015.
It All Comes Together in Chattanooga
The Clown Motel’s “IT” room.
The Best Haunted Hotels to Book for a Spooky Getaway

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England London Café in the Crypt
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Café in the Crypt

This coffee shop lies hidden beneath a historic church.

London, England

Sam OBrien profile photo
Added By
Sam O'Brien
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  matt565n/used with permission
  aldinah_acb88/used with permission
  aldinah_acb88/used with permission
Nov 2022   esj74 / Atlas Obscura User
Nov 2022   esj74 / Atlas Obscura User
  beefjorky / Atlas Obscura User
Street entrance, other entrance also available via the church.   Gavin / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The easiest way to identify St. Martin's-in-the-Field Church is by its signature spire. But to truly experience what makes this 18th-century church special, visitors must venture down the stairs and elevator to the crypt. There, beneath the brick-vaulted ceiling and spread across the grave-lined floor, they'll find a café. 

Café in the Crypt certainly wasn't what the builders had in mind when they constructed St. Martin's in 1726. But since most of the crypt's bodies were removed in the 1800s, the space has been repurposed as a restaurant. Now the subterranean spot is the perfect place for travelers to grab coffee, tea, and pastries after exploring Trafalgar Square. As they sip their lattes, visitors can look at the historic statues and graves that still line the cool, cavernous room. 

In addition to the café, the space also now houses a gallery and a gift shop, and frequently hosts jazz concerts.

 

Discover your next hidden gem with the Gastro Obscura
Newsletter—your guide to extraordinary food and drink.

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Related Tags

Tea Coffee Underground Subterranean Sites Churches Restaurants Catacombs And Crypts

Community Contributors

Sam OBrien profile photo

Added By

Sam OBrien

beefjorky profile photo E esj74 profile photo G gretchensherman75 profile photo

Edited By

beefjorky, esj74, gretchensherman75

  • beefjorky profile photo beefjorky
  • E esj74 profile photo esj74
  • G gretchensherman75 profile photo gretchensherman75

Published

October 27, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Café in the Crypt
St Martin-in-the-Fields
Trafalgar Square
London, England, WC2N 4JJ
United Kingdom
51.508791, -0.126753
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Events

Festival

London Literature Festival

Meet acclaimed and emerging writers as they share readings, stories, and unexpected perspectives on the written word.

Wed, Oct 21 · +11 more

Southbank Centre — London

View More Events in London

Nearby Places

Gravestone of Henry Croft

London, England

miles away

'A Conversation With Oscar Wilde'

London, England

miles away

Trafalgar Square Imperial Measurements

London, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of London

London

England

Places 578
Stories 114

Nearby Places

Gravestone of Henry Croft

London, England

miles away

'A Conversation With Oscar Wilde'

London, England

miles away

Trafalgar Square Imperial Measurements

London, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of London

London

England

Places 578
Stories 114

Related Stories and Lists

Top 25 Food Places that Fed Your Curiosity in 2025

List

By Natalie Moore

Discover These Delightful Oddities Around London's West End

List

By Holyn Thigpen

9 Restaurants Where You Can Dine Among the Dead

List

By Sam O'Brien

Related Places

  • The crypt.

    Ripon, England

    Ripon Cathedral Crypt

    Reputedly based on the tomb of Jesus Christ, this crypt is the oldest surviving structure of any cathedral in England.

  • Crypt of wealthy church donors, one level below.

    Syracuse, Italy

    Chiesa di San Filippo Apostolo

    Built on a medieval synagogue, this church has a burial crypt, tunnel system, and Jewish ritual bath hiding deep underneath.

  • Ossuary

    Slovenia

    Kranj Ossuary

    Thousands of medieval skeletons lie just beneath Kranj’s main square.

  • DOMUnder

    Utrecht, Netherlands

    DOMunder Subterranean Ruins

    Underground attraction offering tours of the foundational ruins of a church nave that collapsed in 1674.

  • The grave altar

    Chur, Switzerland

    Church of St. Luzi Crypt

    The remains of St. Lucius of Chur were said to be kept in this crypt for several centuries.

  • Underground tombs

    Nagcarlan, Philippines

    Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery

    The crypt under this cemetery's chapel was used as a meeting place by Filipino revolutionaries.

  • Caverns Grotto

    Peach Springs, Arizona

    Caverns Grotto

    In a 345-million-year-old cave that's 200 feet underground, dinner awaits.

  • Bube's Brewery & Catacombs

    Mount Joy, Pennsylvania

    Bube's Brewery & Catacombs

    In the bowels of a 19th-century brewery lurks a fine-dining restaurant offering an array of themed feasts.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2026 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.