Ozone Coffee Review
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Editor's Note
The first time I sat down at Ozone's Leonard Street location, I ordered coffee and ended up staying for lunch. That is the thing about Ozone that most coffee reviews miss. It is not just a roastery with a cafe attached. It is a full restaurant operation that happens to roast its own beans on site, and both sides of the business are taken seriously.
The coffee is excellent. The food is better than it needs to be. The combination makes it one of the few places in London where I would happily spend a full morning without checking the time.
James Bellis, Health and Wellness Editor at Balance Journal
The Brand
Ozone Coffee Roasters was founded in 1998 as a small boutique roastery in New Plymouth, New Zealand, by Jamie and Karen Hodson. The brand spent over a decade building a reputation in the New Zealand coffee scene before making the move to London.
In March 2012, Ozone opened its doors on Leonard Street in Shoreditch with London-based co-owners James and Lizzie Gurr. The two-storey space served as both a working roastery and a full-service restaurant, an ambitious combination that set Ozone apart from the growing number of London coffee shops at the time.
By 2019, a second roastery and eatery had opened in London Fields, giving Ozone two production sites and two restaurant spaces in East London. The wholesale operation has expanded significantly, with hundreds of partner cafes across the city.
What distinguishes Ozone from many competitors is the dual commitment. The food programme is not an afterthought. It is a full kitchen operation with a dedicated menu, and that investment in the total experience has built a loyal customer base that extends well beyond coffee enthusiasts.
The Coffee
Ozone roasts on site at both London locations, and the range spans espresso blends, single origins, and seasonal lots. Their approach sits in the medium roast range, with enough development to produce body and sweetness while preserving the origin character of each coffee.
The house espresso blend is the coffee most people will encounter first. In the cup, it delivers toasted walnut and dark caramel on the nose, a creamy, full body with cocoa and dried fruit sweetness, and a smooth finish that trails off gently without bitterness. It is a crowd-pleaser in the best sense. It works with milk, it works black, and it holds up across different extraction methods.
Their single origin filter offerings rotate frequently and tend toward lighter roast profiles. A washed Kenyan brought blackcurrant and grapefruit acidity with a juicy, vibrant body. A natural Ethiopian delivered strawberry jam and dark chocolate with more weight and a longer, wine-like finish. The quality across the range was consistent.
Ozone offers a subscription service and a range of brewing equipment through their online shop. Pricing sits at £9 to £14 for 250g, placing them in the upper end of the speciality market. The quality justifies the price, though budget-conscious buyers may find better value elsewhere.
The Experience
The Leonard Street location in Shoreditch is the flagship. The downstairs roastery is visible from the restaurant floor, and on busy mornings the hum of the roaster competes with the noise of the kitchen. It is a loud, energetic space that feels more like a Melbourne brunch spot than a typical London cafe.
The London Fields location is slightly quieter, more neighbourhood-oriented. Both serve a full food menu from breakfast through lunch, and the quality of the cooking gives you a genuine reason to stay beyond the coffee.
The Shoreditch location sits in the heart of the Old Street tech corridor, which means weekday mornings are busy with laptop workers. Weekends skew toward brunch crowds. Booking is not possible, so arrive early or be prepared to wait.
Who It Is For
Ozone is for the coffee drinker who wants the full experience. If you are looking for a quick takeaway espresso, there are faster options. If you want to sit down, eat well, and drink coffee roasted in the same building, Ozone delivers on all three fronts. It is particularly well-suited to anyone who wants to introduce a non-coffee-obsessed friend to speciality coffee in a setting that does not feel intimidating.
Final Thoughts
Ozone Coffee Roasters brought the New Zealand approach to coffee and food to East London, and more than a decade later, the formula still holds. The coffee is roasted with care and consistency. The food is genuinely good. The spaces are designed for people who want to stay, not just pass through.
If you are after a roaster that treats the total experience as the product, not just the beans, Ozone is one of the strongest options in the city.
Part of our guide to the best coffee roasters London and best coffee roasters UK.
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