Now you’ve adjusted to KCL and gotten to grips with some of the building names (don’t worry, literally no one knows where the Norfolk or Chesham buildings are much less how to get to them) you’ll be wondering what to do with the hours in between lectures when you don’t want to go all the way back to your accomodation. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the best places to go.
1) Tom’s Kitchen Deli, Somerset House
This little café is one of my favourites. KCL students get a 20% discount, the cakes are ridiculously good (and some are vegan and gluten free), and the coffee is much better than your average chains. In the summer Tom’s is the definitely best place to go! Grab a coffee and sit outside in the courtyard and feel cultured or on the terrace and feel fancy af. The winter, however, is more of an issue. The seats in the café themselves aren’t the most comfortable and the door leaks the cold in like crazy. But the festivities of Christmas at Somerset House definitely make up for it!
2) 2nd Floor Café, Macadam Building
This is probably an obvious one, it’s great to work in, if you don’t mind the noise, and close to Strand Campus lecture theatres. The only problem with its ideal position is that the moment 12 p.m. hits, the entire of KCL descends. Great for a quick coffee in the morning, not so great for long periods of time.
3) 2nd Floor Study Room and Common Rooms In VWB
If you need somewhere to work and the library is either too far, or maybe a bit intimidating, the second floor study room in the King’s building is great. If you get in early or luck is on your side, you can get a seat, a socket and plenty of time to do some work in peace. The same can easily be said for the common rooms in VWB. These are both great options with the bonus that you don’t need to buy coffee to sit in either one, but they can feel quite intimidating for first time entrants. Just remember that it’s your space too!
4) Waterfront Bar, Macadam Building
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely do not recommend drinking between lectures, It’s a bad idea. I have, however, spent many an hour in between lectures in the Waterfront bar because I personally don’t mind the noise when I’m doing a bit of reading (this isn’t exactly a work space) and the food is good and inexpensive. If you haven’t quite gotten used to the incredible position of this uni, the Waterfront Bar is a great place to stand and stare out at the Thames and all the boats that trundle along it.
5) National Theatre Café
My final recommendation is the café at the National Theatre. Being a theatre geek myself, I absolutely adore the horrendous looking building on the other side of the Waterloo bridge. It’s massive inside with lots of little spots to sit and do some work that is a little out of the way of the hustle and bustle of uni while still being close enough to nip back across in around 15 minutes. The café is brilliant for celebrity spotting, if they’re rehearsing something big, with some decent cake and slightly overpriced food. The coffee there is nice but again, somewhat overpriced.
Hopefully these recommendations have revealed a new place to go that might just become your new favourite haunt when you’re waiting for you next lecture to start!