Independent coffee & cake in Oxford

Oxford has a real independent specialty coffee scene that does not lean on chains. The city centre is anchored by roaster-cafes like The Missing Bean on Turl Street, which has roasted its own beans since 2009 and supplies a network of cafes from its East Oxford roastery and bakery, and Jericho Coffee Traders, which grew from a turquoise tuk-tuk into a High Street espresso bar and an Osney Mead roastery. In the Covered Market, family-run Colombia Coffee Roasters roasts single-origin Colombian coffee on site, while NewGround on Ship Street roasts at its Headington workshop and runs as a B Corp social enterprise. Society Cafe and Coffeesmith round out the centre, pouring guest roasters such as Round Hill and Origin.

The scene spreads east and north too. Along Cowley Road and Magdalen Road you will find Routes Coffee at its plant-based flagship Green Routes, the cycling-themed Peloton Espresso, and Mostro tucked inside the Truck record store. In Jericho, tiny window-service bakery Broche turns out pastries and proper bread, and Tree Artisan on Little Clarendon Street is known for its latte art. Cake and bakes matter as much as the cup here, whether that is the Missing Bean bakery's pastries, Colombian hot chocolate in the market, or vegan almond croissants in East Oxford.