Published on 24 February 2023, by Benjamin Chua

These doughnuts, paired with coffee, are a winning combination.

Crosstown offers a fairly standard barista-made cappuccino. There’s a functional seating space with black metal chairs and tables. Everything is minimal, including the black-and-white logo and branding… but this is all to highlight the star of the show: their handcrafted sourdough doughnuts. These doughnuts, paired with coffee, are a winning combination, and although this duo has its origins in America, the London-based company have made it their own.

As if that’s not enough, they offer specialty doughnuts at select times throughout the year, including global delicacies that match the cosmopolitan hub Battersea is becoming (with a hefty selection of vegan options). Recently, this looked like the Waitingi chocolate-peanut doughnut, to celebrate New Zealand’s national day. A few weeks ago, it was the Pandan Lamington cake doughnut for Chinese New Year. I can attest that both were original and scrumptious (the latter especially so). Probably their best year-round offering is the ‘cinnamon scroll’ — a distinctly doughtnutty take on the cinnamon roll (another popular treat across the Atlantic).

You could probably get some work done in their seating area, but most customers are friends hanging out, local workers stopping by on their break, or couples grabbing a seat after a romantic walk in Battersea Park. I’ll admit that I haven’t seen any police officers queuing up just yet; perhaps that's one American trope that won’t cross over…