To say that Virgil owner Levi Lothian lives and breathes his business is an understatement. He built the cafe’s tables and booth seating by hand. He wakes up at 4.45am each morning to bake and prepare the day’s food. He even sleeps there.

Well, almost. His apartment is at the back of the century-old converted house that houses his cafe and other businesses, On a Whim and the Studio Bomba shared-office space.

The hospitality veteran (ex-Dapper Jack, Elixir and Little Willy’s) named his cafe after the literary leviathan in Dante’s Inferno, and jokes that like Virgil, he guides his customers through hell – or their hellish day, at least – with Loaded coffee and home-cooked meals.

The menu’s on constant rotation, but things such as paleo granola; black-eyed peas and poached eggs; and sopressa and pickled radishes have proven the most popular. Lothian sources most of his ingredients from Re Store down the road and Chu Bakery in nearby Highgate.

On weekends the cafe’s mezzanine level is transformed into a pop-up classroom for regular Skills Smithery classes. Learning to macramé while sipping coffee? Yes, please.