A coffee and cake crawl through Bristol

Six Bristol stops from Wogan and Full Court Press to Bakesmiths in Clifton, each naming the roaster, the machine behind the bar and what is on the cake counter.

Bristol has been building one of the strongest independent coffee scenes in the UK since Wogan began roasting here in 1970. Several roasters run their own cafes, which means you can follow a bean from the roast to the cup without leaving the city. Greytone Coffee and Elemental Collective both roast and pour on Stokes Croft and Dean Street, and Full Court Press in the Old City runs two espresso and two filter options at any one time. Bakesmiths on Whiteladies Road is as much about the cake counter as the coffee, and roasts its own filter batches on a 1 kg Genesis in the back of the building. This crawl starts in St Paul's and works south to the Wapping Wharf harbourside before finishing up in Clifton.

1. Wogan Coffee

Wogan is a third-generation family roastery that has been roasting in Bristol since 1970, with its cafe and bean shop near Stokes Croft in St Paul's. The espresso bar doubles as a shop for retail bags, and the brew bar runs espresso, batch brew and V60. A strong, roaster-focused opener for the crawl.

2. Greytone Coffee

Greytone is a small-batch speciality roaster and espresso bar on Dean Street in St Paul's, a few minutes on foot from Wogan. Greytone roasts its own coffee at a separate Montpelier roastery and pulls the result on a Synesso machine. The bar keeps a tight menu and the decaf option runs a proper single origin rather than an afterthought.

3. Elemental Collective

Elemental Collective at 123 Stokes Croft is a combined greengrocer, bakery and espresso bar with the Triple Co Roast roastery operating at the back of the building. The espresso bar serves Triple Co on a La Marzocco Strada, one of the more considered machine choices in the city. Baked goods from the in-house bakery supply the cake counter.

4. Full Court Press

Full Court Press is on Broad Street in the Old City, running two espresso options and two filter options at a time, one of which is always its own roasted coffee. The multi-roaster format means the menu changes regularly as different roasters cycle through the guest slots. Cake comes from Hart's Bakery.

5. Mokoko Coffee and Bakery

Mokoko is the harbourside stop on this crawl, on Gaol Ferry Steps at Wapping Wharf. It pours a James Gourmet Coffee house blend and bakes its own viennoiserie and sourdough on site daily. The pastry and cake counter is as much of a draw as the coffee, and the open-plan space looks out over the water.

6. Bakesmiths

Bakesmiths on Whiteladies Road in Clifton is the bakery-led final stop. The cafe bakes sourdough and pastries fresh each morning and roasts its own small-batch filter coffee on a 1 kg Genesis CBR-1200 fitted under the stairs. It is one of a small number of cafes in the UK where the roast happens inside the cafe rather than in a separate facility, and the roasting machine is visible from the counter.

Common questions

Which Bristol cafes roast their own coffee?

Wogan Coffee has been roasting in Bristol since 1970 and runs a cafe and bean shop near Stokes Croft. Full Court Press roasts in the Old City alongside a rotating guest espresso programme. Greytone Coffee roasts at a Montpelier roastery and pours at its St Paul's bar. Bakesmiths roasts small filter batches on a 1 kg Genesis CBR-1200 at its Whiteladies Road cafe, and the Triple Co Roast roastery operates at the back of Elemental Collective on Stokes Croft.

What espresso machines do Bristol specialty cafes use?

Elemental Collective at 123 Stokes Croft pulls Triple Co Roast on a La Marzocco Strada. Greytone Coffee on Dean Street uses a Synesso. Both machines are signals of a bar that has invested in espresso precision.

Where should I go for coffee and cake near Wapping Wharf?

Mokoko Coffee and Bakery is on Gaol Ferry Steps at Wapping Wharf, baking viennoiserie and sourdough daily and pouring James Gourmet Coffee. Little Victories is a short walk along the same harbourside strip, serving Clifton Coffee Roasters with cake from Hart's Bakery.

Is Bristol good for independent coffee?

Yes. Bristol has one of the strongest independent coffee scenes in the UK outside London. Several roasters operate their own cafes, including Wogan, Full Court Press, Triple Co Roast and Greytone, and Clifton Coffee Roasters and Extract Coffee Roasters supply independent bars across the city.