Boston Tea Party

The Coffee Beach cafe is located right on the Harbour-side in the centre of Bristol. Inside there…read moreis lots of sofas and tables which means I was instantly able to find a seat. Additionally they have free wi-fi and you don't have to purchase a card like in Starbucks. There is a huge selection of paninis, coffees and smoothies, far more than the likes of Costas and Starbucks. However, they do not sell any filter coffee, just an Americano which I find quite irritating! The entire place is very nicely designed, with lots of drift wood and beach like decor. Additionally on the back wall there is a huge picture of a tropical beach which is nice to look at! I didn't, however, like the uni sex toilets, although they were clean. The prices are reasonable considering the location. Breakfast is only £1.75 for some beans on toast, and a full English is £4.50. Smoothies are roughly £2.90 and they also do a very nice frozen yogurt for £1.50

Their decor and theme of this cafe carries through all the way to the outside. I find many cafes…read morepay attention to the interior decor, but the outside never quite matches. Here, I found the colourful backed beach type outdoor chairs made the vibe of this cafe trail out onto the street in front of it, which is a good thing. Walking in, it feels light and airy, with light coloured furniture, and a great Palm Beach type mural at the back of the cafe. A glance at the food, made me surprised that a cafe in the busy center caters alot for a gluten free diet. Every category of food here has a gluten free option. They do sandwiches, paninis, ciabattas and big salads. Their fillings are generous, and one's that I found interesting were brie & pear, roast chicken with vegetables, and a chunky meat feast! Cakes served here are brownies, lemon polenta cake, honeybuns (all these three are gluten free), and more traditional deserts like apple pie and cheesecakes. If you want something sweet after your food that's not a cake, they do freshly made smoothies, frozen yoghurt and ice cream too, where you can choose your toppings. A very breezy relaxing cafe, accentuated by its location right next to the river and that beach mural behind you.

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Playground Coffee House

4.6(7 reviews)

Love this place. Small but cozy, swing seats are the best. Plenty of games to play although not all…read morewith all the parts, but thats to be expected. Drinks are nice and staff friendly. Only downside is no decaf coffee as i cant drink caffeine.

I've walked passed Playground Coffee House a couple of times, always favouring Bagel Boy as it's…read morenext door and I'm normally after a decent feed. But today I just wanted coffee so I thought I'd give it a go. What an awesome little place to hang out! From the outside Playground looks more like a hipster arts and craft shop. But in a good way. It looks intriguing and different from a lot of coffee shops that try and be hipster - theres an irony to Playgrounds hint of hipsterness! Get inside and the first thing you see are two wooden swings (yes swings) with a really nice chill-out windowsill with cushions to sit on. I'm actually sat on the windowsill as a type this and it's a really nice place to be! Much like the outside, the decor inside Playground is different to many other coffee shops close by; refreshingly different. There's lots of colour, swings and a few board games. It feels much more relaxing than your average chip board heavy coffee shop. The coffee itself is really good. I went for the house flat white which was quite sweet and really moreish. It was delicious. All in all a really nice experience and refreshing to see someone breaking the mould. Accepts Bristol Pounds & text to pay

Flat white and mocha, with brownie and Apple crumble(:

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Park Street Cafe

5.0(2 reviews)

0.2 mi

Hi dears!!! If you are around Bristol on Friday night, you definitely should go to the APERITIVO in…read morethe Park Street Café. Amazing range of Italian finger food in buffet style everything made with premium products comes directly from Italy and also a huge choice of the best drinks to accomplish the food. Don't miss it and come along to join it!!!

This new cafe has the most scrumptious range of pastries and cakes and it is such a warm and…read morewelcoming little cafe! You can get a range of breakfast food and really heartwarming soups and baguettes for lunch and there is free wifi which is a bonus! But the Cakes are a MUST!

Watershed Cafe Bar

3.9(14 reviews)

0.3 mi

I love the Watershed! First off, this is a movie theater, with both foreign and independent cinema…read morethat is arty and thoughtful, and the Watershed is also inclusive, creative space. It's a Haven! Then to top it off the cafe and bar serves excellent fine craft beers and support and arts and salads. I've had the fish and chips, the beetroot soup, and a butternut squash salad with arugula, sauteed red onions topped with hazelnuts. Delicious. Everytime I get the Goose IPA but they also have hand pours and lagers. You can take the food and drink into the theaters. But you can just stay at the bar, the staff is friendly, the music is good, and stare out at the river

I met a friend for lunch at the watershed cafe today, I have been to the watershed many times but…read moremainly either just for a drink or to go to the cinema - their cinebabies weekly showings of films for parents with children under 1 are excellent but more about that another day! I arrived before my friend and decided to change my babies nappy before we ate, the baby changing facilities were in the ladies toilet (great for me as I am indeed a lady, not sure if they had any facilities that a man could use to change a nappy) the changing table was clean and there was plenty of room for my 13 month old. I then found a table and managed to move the furniture round a little bit and grabbed a high chair, the high chair was perfect for my child but may not have been so great a few months ago when she was smaller as it didn't have a tray and didn't have a back but as I say great for us right now. My friend arrived and we ordered food. There was a good selection of lighter meals but also bigger meals too. I ordered a jacket pot with cheese and tuna and my friend had falafel, the food arrived pretty quickly which was good as my friend was on his lunch break so only had an hour, unfortunately they forgot my cheese but quickly and without question brought out a big pot of grated cheese. The jacket potato was fluffy on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside, it came with a delicious side salad and the cheese was really tasty mature cheddar cheese, the tuna had just the right amount of mayo with it. I washed it down with a pint if draft cider (I think it was bounders) which was a bit of a treat on a school day lunch time ! They did have a good choice of children's food but my little one likes to share mine so we didn't get her anything separate. The cafe was busy but not too busy so there was a nice buzz about the place and not so quiet that I couldn't have a good old gossip with my friend. So a cheap and cheerful lunch for under £6 in a nice airy cafe was a great way to spend a Thursday lunch time !

Pint and popcorn ready for a movie

Food with a view

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From the balcony

Boulangerie

3.9(7 reviews)

0.1 mi

This sweet little cafe-cum-bakery at the top of Park Street is sometimes lost among the better…read moreknown names like Cafe Nero, Pret a Manger and Starbucks. But even though it looks quite humble from the outside, it's worth a visit if you're looking for a simple tea or coffee and a massive sweet treat. With a cup of tea for around £1, this no frills cafe is a welcome change to the ridiculously huge selection its chained counterparts offer. And the staff are happy, helpful and look like they like their jobs, which is a welcome change from most Bristol coffee houses!

Boulangerie is the knight and shining armour for all penny-pinching library-bound Bristol…read moreUniversity students. Just round the corner from the main university precinct, it is the most affordable place to grab a snack when the conflict between hunger and concentration proves too much to bear. At lunchtime there's invariably a fairly long queue outside Boulangerie. It's tucked away in between the louder and more lurid chains such as a Nero or Greggs but far better value than any of them. Boulangerie doesn't need to shout, anyone who's been knows how great it is. In fairness, most of the sandwiches taste pretty similar (there about four varieties of chicken and to me they all just taste like chicken salad despite whatever pretensions to Thai or Mexican flavours). It doesn't really matter though when the ingredients are fresh and the prices are this low.

Croissant and cappuccino

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Twoday Coffee Roasters

4.8(9 reviews)

For the coffee connoisseur, Twoday Coffee Roasters must be like some sort of Eden. It is not just…read morean extraordinary range of beans, cultivated from all over the world that are on offer but you can also purchase a wide range of coffee paraphernalia. Mugs come in such abundance that you are guaranteed to find one to suit even the most idiosyncratic person and their cafetieres cater for lonely one-cup coffee drinkers to coffee families (or perhaps just very tired people)! Expect to pay a lot of money but expect to come out with the perfect gift for anyone who has strong views on the magic bean!

As soon as you step within a quarter of a mile of this shop you can be sure to catch a whiff of…read moreburnt coffee. Not the nicest smell, but the job is really good. You may have to hold your nose to brave it inside but browsing the shop is definitely worth the smell. The shop is very cheerful- a bright red exterior and brightly patterned mugs in the interior. The mugs are fine bone china so prices are slightly more than you might expect. Some of the images and motifs on the mugs you can find in other shops but there is such a vast range that there are plenty of rarer images and patterns. If you, or somebody you know, is a coffee-lover then I would certainly pay this shop a visit because you are bound to find just the mug you want. The shop also sells a selection of coffee which you will not be able to resist adding to your shopping basket.

Roasting green beans.

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Small St Espresso

4.8(9 reviews)

Best latte I've ever had! Fact!…read more I arrived yesterday about half an hour early for a meeting, so I threw my bag down and studied the pretty extensive menu. I'd not been here before, so went with my normal Latte order to see how it compared to my other favorites. It came in a glass without a handle and looked perfect, so I was really looking forward to trying it. I sat down on one of their small but surprisingly conformable wooden table and stools, had my first sip and - BOOM! Absolute taste sensation! Seriously, this is the best coffee I've ever had; and I've travelled South America! I'm not a coffee connoisseur, so I can't say if it was a dry, dark, sweet or had hints of mahogany to it. What I can say it that I almost wanted to down it, it was so good! While I was waiting for my meeting to arrive I was listening in to the guys behind the counter. They were taking about doing a 28day brew and were discussing other coffee stuff with customers; they really knew their stuff! On the counter were some lovely looking cakes and pastries. I didn't have any but I'll definitely try some when I go back. This is a fantastic little coffee shop ran by coffee enthusiast - and the results speak for themselves. Best coffee in Bristol? In my eyes, definitely!

This specialty coffee shop in Bristol is not overrated; the hype is deserved. This brick-walled,…read moresmall space is tucked into Small Street near St Nicholas Market. My decaf latte was served in a glass and topped with foamy, yet smooth-looking, latte art. The taste of the espresso dominated the milk without being overly bitter. Small Street Espresso features coffee roasters from Bristol and the UK, which are listed on display on a chalkboard near the counter. The price was about what I would expect to pay for specialty, but the serving was a bit on the smaller side (my guess would be an 8-oz pour). Cheers, Small Street Espresso, for indulging my craving for specialty roasted coffee.

Interior.

Vegan chocolate filled donut, £3.75, and house coffee, long black style, £3. Great combo of bitter and sweet.

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Interior.

Full Court Press

4.4(9 reviews)

0.5 mi

This place goes in the A+ category. If you're into coffee that tastes locally roasted and is…read moreprepared in a manner that brings out all the flavors...this is it. I've been traveling across England and this is by far the best cup I've had to date. This is one of the rare places that does a pour over or "filter" as they say here. Top shelf coffee for those who are looking for it.

It's simple, Full Court Press do coffee right and they definitely know what they are doing…read more Even if you don't have a deep understanding of coffee like they do, they will patiently explain the menu options and flavours. I've been in too many independent coffee shops who are impatient with customers and expect a certain level of knowledge. This place is the exact opposite, very welcoming. The menu is another indicator of how much they know. It's not your average coffee menu with each espresso drink listed. There are only four blends, two espresso and two filter, simple yet the flavour profiles are nicely detailed. Espresso can come with milk but the filter is served black. I get the impression adding anything to the coffee is not an option and have heard Full Court Press is insistent that milk not be added to the filter and sugar not in any of the drinks. Personally I agree with this but fair warning to those who take sugar in their coffee. I ordered a flat white and one of the filter options. Both were incredibly delicious and smooth, especially the flat white. Plus the latte art held it's shape all the way until the end of my cup, a sign of proper milk frothing and technique. The filter was actually very sweet despite not having anything added. I can definitely attest the quality of our drinks to the skill of the barista. If you're in Bristol searching for coffee, make this the first place you try. You won't regret it.

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A Fair Cup

4.4(8 reviews)

0.3 mi

It's Monday morning. You've got to be in work at a ridiculously early hour. You're tired and angry…read more You see A Fair Cup on the Central Promenade. The sky clears, the sun appears, and a smile spreads across your face. Life is good again. This may have been a slight exaggeration - but A Fair Cup certainly felt like a Godsend whenever I needed a caffeine boost before an arduous day of work. Open from 6:30am during the week, this fair-trade coffee unit serves tasty, hot drinks at a reasonable price. Used to serving rushed office workers, they're great when you need a coffee in a hurry.

A Fair Cup is so easy to find. In the docks area, it's the stall just behind the 'climbing frame'…read morestructure on the Central Promenade between the Hippodrome and Baldwin Street. You can also see it in the mornings from the queue winding around from the hatch. The delicious coffees (smooth not bitter), teas, and hot chocolates all fairtrade accredited and less than £2 a pop. If I wasn't such a loyal customer of Baristas, I'd go here every morning.

Photo from official website

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Cosy Club

4.1(13 reviews)

Lovely environs and decor. The menu was fairly classic with some refreshing twists (eg. we had a…read morestandard English breakfast with chorizo beans, a flair that my partner really liked) and all was delish. The service was very attentive but not obtrusive at all.

We first entered the grand old bank that is now Cosy Club last week for breakfast and promised…read moreourselves that we would return for dinner, so this evening I had tapas (£11.50 for three small dishes) that consisted of small Cumberland sausages, chorizo and fish. The other dish was a New York steak ciabatta (with amazing chips). We ordered wine and washed the tasty meal down before following it up with sticky toffee pudding and a decidedly evil peanut butter cheesecake (which comes in a glass). We like it here. It's grand and light, and the food is good and reasonably priced. What would we change? We would upgrade the condiments, so that the ketchup is better, and that authentic maple syrup is used on our pancakes rather than golden syrup, which is thick and doesn't taste of much. We would also have preferred our meals a bit hotter, as we felt like we had to wolf it down before it got cold. But these are small niggles that can be easily fixed, and probably will be at some point if the professionalism of the staff is anything to go by. They're friendly, not over-familiar, not too pushy, and they seem to want to go out of their way to make sure you enjoy Cosy Club. The wine list is short, but will hopefully improve in time. As of writing, it's only been open a couple of weeks. I look forward to being able to buy Champagne by the glass!