While walking to the office this morning, coffee splashing out of our coffee cup sip-top, we started wondering: If we were in London right now, where would we grab a morning cup of joe and how much would it cost?

When last we pounded the pavement researching hotels in London for our guide, we remembered fondly finding respite (and caffeine) in the UK coffee chains (Caffe Nero, Costa Coffee, Coffee Republic, Pret a Manger) and, yes, also in the American chains (Starbucks and McDonald’s).

Setting aside the question of the “best cup of coffee in London,” (another post entirely), where can you find the cheapest cup?

Researching this online was a no-go. Every chain has its own website, of course, but you won’t find any prices listed. This is probably due to fluctuations in pricing throughout the UK — and to prevent pesky investigators from blogging about it. So we went about our research the old fashioned way… we called ‘em on the phone. (Thank you, Vonage.)

Note that coffee prices inside London may vary for the same chain, as well. Thus, we called only coffee outlets in central London, asking for prices for a small latte and for a small Americano (”drip” coffee isn’t widely available). Keep in mind that true sizes may differ from chain to chain — even though they’re all called “small,” one chain may offer more ounces.

We also only inquired about “take away” prices — when we started asking too many questions, baristas and managers got a little nervous.

The results:

Caffe Nero - The Winner!
Small Americano: £1.30 ($2.56)
Small Latte: £1.50 ($2.95)
We spoke to baristas at two central Caffe Nero locations, both near Covent Garden, in order to verify the price. These are nearly New York prices.

Runners Up

Pret a Manger
Small Americano: £1.40 ($2.76)
Small Latte: £1.79 ($3.52)
We’re fans of these cute little outlets. We spoke to a barista at a location on Villiers Street, near the Strand.

McDonald’s
Drip: £1.59/1.99 ($3.13/3.92)
Latte: £1.59/1.99 ($3.13/3.92)
We spoke to a manager (we believe) near a location on the Strand. We asked too many questions and he hung up on us. Interestingly, McDonald’s was the only chain we called that serves drip coffee instead of Americano. Also, they don’t have “small” sizes, only “medium” and “large.” (What, no “supersized”?)

Pricier Coffee Chains

Coffee Republic
Small Americano: £1.69 ($3.32)
Small Latte: £1.89 ($3.72)
We spoke to a friendly barista at a popular location on Tottenham Court Road.

Costa Coffee
Small Americano: £1.70 ($3.35)
Small Latte: £1.95 ($3.84)
A nice guy at the Embankment Place location (near the Strand) offered these rates, although he was curious. “Are you a customer?” he asked us. Of course! (We have enjoyed a Costa cup in the past, after all.)

Starbucks - Most Expensive
Small Americano: £1.75 ($3.45)
Small Latte: £2.05 ($4.04)
The prices were given to us by a barista at a Villiers Street location, near the Strand. This confirmed our suspicions that the Seattle-based chain was, in fact, the priciest coffee-chain cup in town. Or at least, the priciest cup we called.

We didn’t have time to check in on cool independent cafes in London, but that’s another post.

Popularity: 7% [?]

photograph courtesy of Psych-observer

If you order it at the bar and imbibe it while standing, an espresso in Paris costs between €1.20 and €1.50. In an expensive city like Paris, this is a perfectly acceptable amount price for coffee.

But if €1.20 is too much and you feel like a free shot, head for one of four Nespresso outlets in Paris. Locals stock up on coffee refills for their home machines at Nespresso. The store on the Left Bank—at 126 rue du Bac just behind the Bon Marche department store—has a cool minimalist feel. Signature color-coded capsules are sold in sleek black tubes stacked in cubic shelves along the walls.

At the back of the store is a tasting bar with three machines and a selection of 14 different coffees to choose from, including two decaffeinated varieties. There’s no environmentally toxic plastic or styrofoam here, either—the coffee comes in delightful white porcelain cups. In the fall of 2007, Nespresso plans to open a flagship store on the Champs Élysées.

Nespresso’s locations can be found here. Stores are open Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Popularity: 3% [?]

photograph courtesy of Kaymaria Daskarolis

There are a gazillion and eight places to get decent coffee in Athens. Finding decent tea around here, however, is a different story. Needless to say, we were just about doing cartwheels when we found a tip-top spot for delicious and therapeutic tea in Athens.

ΠΑΙΩΝΙΑ (in English, “Peonia”) is a tea and herb shop in Athens’s Thissio district, not even five minutes’ walk from the Thissio urban railway station (one stop away from the Monastiraki metro station, where you can connect to the urban railway line without needing to buy a new ticket).

We told the gentleman running the shop (who speaks perfect English, by the way) that we had runny noses, scratchy throats, and headaches, and he went to work brewing us the perfect tea to restore our health and clear our minds. A blend of white tea with ginger and cinnamon did the trick, and after a few hours of lounging on Peonia’s comfy sofa sipping the restorative tea, we were ready to get back on the city’s bustling streets.

Peonia is located at Amfiktionos 12 and Poulopoulou 8, Thissio, Athens, tel: +30-210-341-0260, email: peoniaherbsATath.forthnet.gr.

Popularity: 3% [?]

photograph courtesy of elfis_culture

First-time visitors come to Vienna thinking that they have prepared adequately for local coffeehouse culture. They’ve read about all the famous coffeehouses in their trusty travel guides. They’ve even memorized all the local types of coffee.

Thinking that they’ve self-educated adequately, they enter a Kaffeehaus somewhere in the First District, ready to be swept away to a vanquished era of Habsburg grandeur. As soon as the door shuts behind them—cigarette smoke penetrating their nostrils—they choose a spot to lounge and try to grab the waiter’s attention, either by waving or whistling.

Nothing happens. They wait. Still, nothing happens.

There’s no need to be annoyed. Herr Ober—the preferred local term for “waiter”—will come, just not instantaneously.

According to Andreas Augustin, author of “Das Cafe Central Treasury: The Secret of a Famous Coffee House,” your waiter “…noticed you three streets away, at the precise moment you decided to come to the Kaffeehaus.”

He continues: “Be considerate if Herr Ober does not recognize you on your first visit. The aloofness stems from the days when there was an average of one point nine Nobel Prize Winners seated at every table in a Viennese Kaffeehaus.”

You can find Augustin’s fabulous book online.

Popularity: 3% [?]

photograph by Kaymaria Daskarolis

You think that Starbucks frappuccino is delish? Try the frappuccino at Portes Café in Neo Psychiko, one of the first suburbs north of central Athens.

Do not take this recommendation lightly, Cheapos. While visiting Athens, it is worth going to Portes (take bus #450 or 550 and get off at Faros bus stop) just to sample the café’s distinctive frappuccinos.

If you like the flavors of coffee and chocolate blended together, opt for the Portes mochaccino. Hot or cold, the frappuccinos and mochaccinos at Portes are delectable—and heavily caffeinated—liquid desserts.

“Portes” means “doors,” and Portes Café surely opens new doors for its customers, whether they be culinary or artistic. The owner of the café is herself an artist, and she has conferred upon the décor a modern, sumptuous feel—the perfect accompaniment for the modern and sumptuous coffees on offer.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Even at the end of our work days we’re still drinking coffee. Why? Because we don’t get enough sleep. Back off.

It’s good to know that at least on flights in and out of Mitteleuropa we’d have a choice of caffeine delivery systems. Jaunted reported today on Austrian Airlines‘ new Viennese Coffee House Service. The airline itself talks about the service here in a press release discussing their enhanced Business Class, which kicks off between the US and Vienna on February 26.

11 types of coffee? We’re so there.

Popularity: 2% [?]

On the home front, the entire EuroCheapo office has been delighted by the (relatively) recent arrival of Aroma Cafe, an Israeli coffee chain, in our immediate neighborhood. The cafe’s SoHo shop is the first to open outside Israel.

The strength of Israeli cafe chains is old hat at this point. The coffee is good and strong, the commas in place of periods to designate decimal points on the menu board allow us to pretend that we’re traveling abroad, and the staff is equal parts friendly and sophisticated.

We also like Aroma’s solid “power breakfast,” which fills us happily and completely. Aroma’s pastries are great, too. Never too sweet, they perfectly hit the spot on both sides of noon.

Wallpaper* magazine ran an article last April about Israeli coffee shops eyeing international expansion. Aroma really does validate the hype.

Popularity: 3% [?]