East Village Cafe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coffee Shop: East Village Cafe

Location:Arch House, Boyce’s Ave, Clifton Village, Bristol, BS8 4AA

Date: Too many a time

Price: ££
☕ Coffees = £2.35-3.50
🍽️ Cakes = £2.50-3.95. Brunches = £6-10

What we loved:

• The atmosphere in this cafe is lovely. The staff are friendly and welcoming, and the decor is simple yet elegant, with lots of artwork and plants adorning the walls.
• With its delightful range of gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free cakes – that all taste as good as each other – East Village Cafe caters to all. Their talented baristas can make just as tasty coffees with lots of different dairy-free milks.
• A new addition to their menu is their ‘Superfood Lattes’, that are quite expensive (priced at about £4) but worth it every once in a while. These smooth concoctions include the ‘Red Velvet’ and ‘Pink Pitaya’ lattes (photos below) which are super tasty and elegantly presented.
• They sell cute takeaway coffee cups – either in a pastel turquoise or pink colour – that cost £10, which includes a free drink when purchased.

What we’d have next time:

• Any of the cakes! Generally very light yet smothered in buttercream, these cakes really are a must-have.

 

‘Pink Pitaya’ and ‘Red Velvet’ Superfood Lattes.

 

 

Plenty of outdoor seating to bask in the sunshine in summer.

 

 

East Village Cafe’s simple yet beautiful decor.

 

 

Chocolate and cherry vegan cupcakes + oat milk coffees = happiness.

99 Queens

Coffee Shop: 99 Queens

Location: 99 Queens Road, Bristol, BS8 1LW

Date: 08/06/2018

Attendees: Fran, Charli, Emily, Scott, Alex

Price: ££
☕ All coffees priced nearer to the £3 than £2 mark but very reasonably sized drinks.
☕ Frappes = £3.60
🍽️ Cakes = over £3 each
– 40p difference to eat in vs take away.

What we loved:

• Many frappes were bought (both chocolate and coffee) and were out of this world… or in Charli Torode’s words: “a drink has never made me feel that way before” (2018). The frappes were also admired by Scott who, despite enjoying his mocha, stated he had “huge fomo”.
• Simplistic yet stylish interior and decked outside area with a lot of tables given its size.
• Serves hot drinks as well as beers/cocktails etc! Makes deciding what drink to choose at 5pm more difficult but also great to have the caffeine vs alcohol choice.

What we’d have next time:

• While we were there merely for drinks, the brunch selection looks well worth a try.

Frappes and friends – name a more iconic duo

 

Mocha Mocha

Coffee Shop: Mocha Mocha

Location: 139 Saint Michael’s Hill, Bristol, BS2 8BS

Date: 25/05/2018

Attendees: Emily, Cara

Price: ££
☕ Coffees: £2-3
🍽️ Sandwiches: £3-5

What we loved:

• Lots of luxury hot drinks, from hazelnut lattes to minty mochas.
• Range of small and large tables so good solo or with friends.
• Lots and lots of drinks available. Food on offer is mainly sandwiches, jacket potatoes and salads.
• Friendly service.
• Doesn’t open on a weekend, but open daily Mon-Fri – perfect coffee stop from uni.
• Morning deal: free pastry with a tea or coffee for £2.50.

What we’d have next time:

• One of the hot chocs, that include Bounty and After Eight flavours

£1 Flat White on Fridays!

Convivio

Coffee Shop: Convivio

Location: 50 Cotham Hill, Bristol, BS6 6JX

Date: 09/02/2018

Attendees: Charli, Issy, Emily, Lucy, Julia, Scott

Price: ££
☕ Coffees: £2-3.50
🍽️ Brunches: £3.50-8.50

What we loved:

• Spacious and bright, with large tables and decorative fairy lights.
• Artwork by local artists displayed throughout the cafe.
• Brunch menu not huge, but a varied menu generally that includes burger, salad and sandwich options for lunch.
• Has to separate daytime and evening menus, with the evening showstoppers being their sharing boards.
• Sell both caffeinated hot drinks and alcoholic beverages.

What we’d have next time:

• One of the sharing boards, with the various options featuring baked camembert, charcuterie meats, and original flatbreads.

Mad & Kaffe

Coffee Shop: Mad & Kaffe

Location: Tyrolsgade 6, 2300, Amagerbro, København, Denmark
(also another branch in Vesterbro)

Date: 19/11/2016

Attendees: Phoebe, Emily, Chloe

Price: ££ (currency = Danish krone)
– Average prices for Copenhagen.

What we loved:

• Unique brunch layout, where you choose to have either 3, 5, or 7 items and pay accordingly (DKK 89, 129, 154 respectively).
• Really interesting dishes, including traditional Danish specialities eg. a rye pudding served with fresh cream.
• Also burgers and sandwiches if visiting for lunch rather than brunch.
• Good quality coffee and Pukka teas.
• Non-dairy milks available.

What we’d have next time:

• One of the ‘treats of the day’, such as their ‘chia-buttermilk pudding with berries and sweet biscuit’.

Next Door Café

Coffee Shop: Next Door Café 

Location: Larsbjørnsstræde 23, 1453 København, Denmark

Date: 20/11/2016

Attendees: Phoebe, Emily, Chloe

Price: ££ (currency = Danish krone)
– Not cheap relative to UK prices, yet extremely reasonably priced in comparison with other coffee shops in Copenhagen.

What we loved:

• Extremely cosy atmosphere. Not much light but warm lighting all around the café.
• Free wifi.
• Situated in an area very popular with students therefore café had a young vibe, with students both socialising and working.
• Usually quite busy but the fun and friendly staff ensure your wait isn’t dull.
• Varied menu for meat-eaters and veggies.

What we’d have next time:

• One of their homemade treats, such as the Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Blondies.

Next Door’s generous portion of pancakes with scrambled eggs.

Bakesmiths

Coffee Shop: Bakesmiths

Location: 65 Whiteladies Road, BS8 2LY

Date: 13/05/2016

Attendees: Martha, Cara, Issy, Emily

Price: ££
☕ Coffees: £2-3
🍽️Brunches: £3.75-8.95

What we loved:

• Extremely spacious with large tables.
• Bakesmiths is a micro-bakery that bakes their bread on sight, resulting in beautifully fresh artisan bread and dangerously appealing baking smells.
• Also have a private meeting room that can be rented out for various events.

What we’d have next time:

• The ‘Dirty Beans’ – homemade spicy beans with house pulled ham hock and chorizo, served on sourdough.

Crafty Egg

Coffee Shop: Crafty Egg

Location: 113 Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1 3RW

Date: 29/09/2016

Attendees: Martha, Cara, Fergus

Price: ££

☕ Coffees: £2-3
🍽️ Brunches: £6-8.70

What we loved:

• Focus on eggs (hence the name..) yet a large range of other food items, including bagels and cooked breakfasts.
• Cute interior, with decorative tiles and hanging lights. Quirky layout.
• Have both hot/cold drinks (extensive range including Beetroot lattes and alcoholic smoothies) and alcoholic beverages.
• Offer non-dairy milks.

What we’d have next time:

• The ‘Crafty Challenge’ – any one of the cooked breakfasts, served on a stack of pancakes with maple syrup and 3 fried eggs… all for £12.50.

 

Ojalá

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coffee Shop: Ojalá 

Location: C/ San Andrés, 1. 28004 Madrid

Price: €€

☕ Coffees: €1.50-3
🍽️ Brunches: €11-14

What we loved:

• Brunch menu inspired by countries all over Europe.
• Brunch served from 10am to 8pm.. who doesn’t want to eat brunch all day?
• Unique selection of coffees, including the ‘Azteca’ that includes cocoa tequila and is dusted with chilli flakes.
• Lots of different options for food. The menu is not one specific cuisine, featuring burgers, tacos, ‘Argentinian pasties’ and even fish and chips, yet there is the option for more traditional Spanish dishes.
• The downstairs basement area transforms into a beach bar in the evenings, ft. real sand.
• Toilets are an experience in themselves, with mirrors on the walls and loud music blasting.

What we’d have next time:

• One of their cocktails

Villano Brunch (left, furthest) and Parisian Eggs (right, closest)

Azteca Coffee and Frappucino.

Exchange

Coffee Shop: Exchange

Location: 72 – 73 Old Market, Bristol, BS2 0EJ

Date: 10/02/2018

Price: £
– Drinks and food extremely well priced
– 🍽️ Breakfasts: £3-4. Salad plate with generous servings of the day’s fresh salads: £3

What we loved:

• Small variety of options but with very different options to cater for all tastes, including savoury and sweet.
• Friendly service.
• Delicious food – well presented dishes with ingredients that taste fresh and good quality.
• Lots of interesting vegetarian and vegan options.

What we’d have next time:

• One of the daily specials, as the soup/salad of the day changes.

Smashed Avocado with Chilli (left). Beans on Toast with Guac and Sour Cream (right)