Prov Blog | Our Coffee Guide, Part 2
Here’s part 2 of the Team’s favourite UK coffee recces for you to add to your next road trip and Google Maps pins.
Oli, Glen and Katie shared their go-to coffee orders stretching from Leeds to Bath and we dove into coffee roasts, food menus, interiors and more. We weren’t expecting coffee shops from Japanese origins and roasteries that double up as music venues but we can’t wait to check them out.
If you have some Autumnal road trips or days out coming up, why not try to hit up some of these mega spots, warm up with a delicious speciality coffee and let us know what you think.
Oli
Omotesando Koffee, Rathbone Square, London - Founded in the Omotesando district in Japan, Omotesando Koffee is a legend in speciality coffee circles. Their house-blend is bespoke from Assembly Coffee, and they offer it on espresso and, my choice, pour over. They also have single-origin coffees on regular rotation too. I really loved the Japanese Wabi-Sabi interior of Omotesando Koffee.
Fika North, Headingley, Leeds - A super intimate coffee shop, the feel is “coffee with friends”. Their house coffee is locally roasted by Casa Espresso but they switch up their guest roast on batch brew and espresso every few months, featuring roasters from all over the UK. You can also grab a retail bag and have it ground to take home. I really enjoyed my flat white and had that alongside a croissant. Their food menu gives brunch vibes but they also offer cocktails and beers on tap.
The Colombian Company, Abbey Gate Street, Bath - Speciality coffee, fresh food, homemade cakes and cosy environments designed to bring a little bit of Columbia to Britain. The dark interior at their flagship store gave a very different experience than I’m used to but it was a great hideaway to enjoy good coffee and cake. I ordered a flat white, made with their Finca Las Cruces roast, and a delicious slice of carrot cake.
Glen
Vutie Beets, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire - Vutie Beets is an awesome independent vegan restaurant/coffee shop in Letchworth where they roast their own coffee (Level Ground Co). I love their ethos there and they’re also heavily involved in the community. The mushroom/pesto focaccia is to die for!
Treelogy, Paddington, London - Treelogy is a coffee shop just outside of Paddington station and has some of the most extensive selection of coffees I’ve ever seen! The team are great and are happy to do a pour over of any one of the dozens of coffees they have to choose from. Espresso and filter every time. Their cake and pastry counter also offers a wide range of options, all of which look delicious.
Hot Numbers Coffee Roasters, Cambridge - Hot Numbers is a speciality coffee shop/roastery in Cambridge. They’re all about high-quality speciality coffee - their Burundi Mutambu Hills is a must try! They also serve an extensive brunch menu (with far too many tasty sounding options to choose from) or if you’re heading to their roastery, you can choose from a range of stone baked sourdough pizzas too. If that wasn’t enough, they host a number of gigs and events, from sketching sessions, to live music.
Katie
Just Between Friends, 56 Tib Street, Manchester - This is my favourite coffee spot in the Northern Quarter. Their Tib Street shop is super cosy, bright and welcoming but on first glance, it’s so unassuming that you might just miss it if not for having “COFFEE” painted in big white letters above the entrance. The speciality coffee on offer is delicious, they have Assembly on House Roast but mix it up with amazing guest roasters like Obadiah, Dark Arts Coffee and Machina. They have a limited food menu but their pastries are massive. My last order was a mocha and a croissant.
Bold Street Coffee, University Green, Manchester - I usually order a cortado and sometimes a portion of hash browns but they offer their full, freshly made buoys, breakfast and lunch menu at the Uni Green spot. The sweet treats also include donuts and pastries. The house espresso changes every quarter and guest roasters rotate regularly too. The staff are really lovely and it’s the perfect spot for working and studying. All of their Coffee Shops display artwork from UK-based artists and the Uni Green spot displays super bright, colourful art by Manchester-based artist Jessica Lee.
Pollen, Cotton Warf, Ancoats - This isn’t a regular spot of mine but the flat white I had at Pollen was delicious! Their House Roast is a single origin from Hasbean and guest beans are switched up regularly to keep it varied. Pollen is basically a household name in Manchester but their Ancoats site is iconic with it’s Scandi meets Industrial vibe. Above all, they’re known for their handmade, fresh baked goods which are queue-down-the-street good. They have eat in and takeaway options!
Enjoy Part 2 of our recces? Check out Part 1.
From the uniqueness of coffee served to the history in the bricks and mortar of the buildings their housed in, we all have our own take on what makes a coffee house, roastery or café memorable and special to us.
We hope our take on our favourite coffee spots comes in handy for your next cross-country trip or just makes for an interesting read. Narrowing it down to just three recommendations each was hard work so if you’re looking for recommendations for a location not on the list above, drop us a message or come and ask us next time you visit the Coffeehouse. Equally, if you have recommendations, we’d love to hear them!
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