LONDON LOVES: Coffee, Currency and Curiosity at Foreign Exchange News
Behind a curved glass counter on a quiet Bayswater corner, someone is calmly exchanging euros for pounds. A few steps away, a barista pours a flat white while a customer flips through a Kinfolk. At first glance it feels like an oddly charming scene in an arty movie (and that’s exactly the point!)
Welcome to Foreign Exchange News, a café, newsagent and working bureau de change that has quietly become one of the most intriguing new spots on Leinster Terrace. Founder and designer Gabriel Chipperfield describes the idea simply: “It’s about being fun and exciting. I want people to come in and say: ‘What’s this?’”
A newsagent that’s also a currency exchange that’s also a coffee bar? It’s an unusual combination. But it’s a cute pairing: coffee and currency, and somehow it works. Here are a few reasons why we love it so much.
Foreign Exchange News - a coffee shop, currency exchange and newsagent at 22 Leinster Terrace in London.
Mixed Use: A Creative Take On Class E
One of the most interesting aspects of Foreign Exchange News is how it reflects London’s evolving high streets. The café sits comfortably within the Class E planning category,
Introduced in England in 2020 to allow greater flexibility between uses such as shops, cafés, offices, gyms and other commercial services. The change was designed to help high streets adapt more easily as retail habits change.
Many developers have used this flexibility to dramatically reinvent spaces. What makes Foreign Exchange News particularly interesting is that it doesn’t erase the past, but builds on it. The site was once a somewhat tired bureau de change. Today, that exchange still operates, but it now shares the space with a lively café and curated newsstand. The building’s original purpose hasn’t disappeared; instead, it has become part of the identity of the place, even lending its name to the café itself.
From a development perspective, this kind of adaptive reuse can be remarkably effective. By retaining elements of the building’s original purpose while introducing a new hospitality offer, the concept maximises the value of the space without requiring a complete reinvention. Just down the road, the arrival of The Park (the newest venture from restaurateur Jeremy King) hints at a broader revival in this pocket of Bayswater.
The Bureau De Change now shares its space with a cafe and a newsstand
Design That Tells A Story
If the concept draws people in, the design ensures they stay.
Developed by Wendover Partners, the space blends modern trends with nostalgic references. Contemporary finishes include highly polished quartz surfaces and arched booths for the cashiers, creating a sleek, refined feel. At the same time, pastel tones such as powder pinks, mint greens, butter yellows and soft blues provide a playful, calm palette, while caramel-coloured timber panelling adds warmth.
Thoughtful details nod to the past. Brass newspaper sticks display the day’s papers, shelves are stocked with independent magazines, and vintage typography evokes art-deco signage. Pistachio-green banquette seating adds a playful pop of colour, completing the retro-chic aesthetic.
The bureau de change element provides the most dramatic visual moment. Cashiers sit behind sweeping crescents of bulletproof glass framed by the polished quartz and arched booths. When the café first opened, Chipperfield joked that visitors often assumed the staff behind the glass were actors.
In a city where cafés often compete for personality, this one has it in spades.
Polished Quartz Surfaces
Coffee Is On Point
Of course, good design alone isn’t enough to sustain a café. Thankfully, the coffee here is just as delicious.
Foreign Exchange News serves beans from 15 Grams Coffee, a respected Greenwich roastery known for its carefully sourced specialty blends.
Beyond coffee and currency exchange, the café also acts as a kind of modern luxury newsagent, stocking newspapers alongside independent magazines and curated print titles. Visitors can linger over an espresso while flipping through the pages or simply watching the eclectic mix of clientele passing through the door. That clientele ranges from tourists changing money before heading on holiday to locals popping in for their morning fix!
London’s high streets are increasingly defined by this kind of hybrid thinking. As neighbourhoods evolve, the most interesting spaces are often those that refuse to fit neatly into a single category, wether its cafés that double as shops, galleries that host events, or, in this case, a coffee bar that still exchanges currency. These layered uses not only help keep spaces economically viable but also create places that feel more alive.
Foreign Exchange News is not a large café, nor does it try to be. Its charm lies in its intimacy. A winsome space where coffee, magazines and currency exchange coexist together unexpectedly. For London, a city constantly reinventing itself, it offers a refreshing reminder that the best ideas sometimes come from embracing a building’s past rather than starting from scratch.
And judging by the steady stream of curious visitors stepping inside and asking “What’s this?” — it seems to be working.