No 12 Easton

Coffee * Provisions * Deli | No 12 | EastonNo 12 Easton is a little off the beaten track, although it’s not that far off the beaten track. On the eastern side of the M32 and a few minutes’ walk from Bristol’s Stapleton Road station, I was first put onto it by twitter’s Bristol Café Watcher. Occupying an interestingly-shaped corner of the High Street, No 12 is a little bit of everything: coffee shop, café, deli, grocer, off-licence and community hang-out space.

If I’m honest, I had my doubts. I’m firmly in the “do a few things and do them well camp” and was worried that the coffee wouldn’t be up to much. However, I should have more faith in Café Watcher: No 12 serves some excellent coffee and, talking to owner Chris, there are aspirations to do a lot more, although perhaps not at No 12 itself.

As it is, No 12 serves a standard espresso-based menu using a cast of rotating roasters. During my visit, Extract was in the hopper, the roastery literally located on the other side of the motorway. There’s a selection of loose-leaf teas (with cups for one, pots for two or more), cake, an innovative hot food menu, and well-stocked deli and grocery counters.

April 2017: No 12 now has a little sibling, 25A Old Market. See what I made of it when I visited in March.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

  • No 12 Easton, on the High St, Easton, in Bristol, occupying an interestingly-shaped corner.
  • This is the view when you're approaching from the east...
  • ... while this is what you see coming from the west (and the train station).
  • No 12 Easton does a little bit of everything. I'm impressed it all fitted on the A-board!
  • Mind you, when it comes to the other side, I think the sign-writer slacked off a bit :-)
  • The view from just inside the door...
  • ... and the view looking back towards the door.
  • There are quite a few seating options, starting with this table to the right of the door.
  • There are two more to left, culminating with this one and its bench.
  • Looking across No 12 towards the right-hand corner at the back.
  • If you don't mind sharing, or if there's a large crowd, then this might be the best table.
  • Another view of the interior, this time taken in the evening. I love the warmth of the light.
  • There's one more seating option, tucked away in the far corner...
  • ... this little bar, up against the wall (and under the craft beer) where I spent my first viist.
  • The view from my seat in the corner (when I turned around!).
  • No 12 has lots of nice touches, such as putting cacti in the windows.
  • Other plants are also represented.
  • In case you forget where you are...
  • That said, it's quite hard to forget where you are in No 12.
  • See what I mean?
  • Talking of wall decorations, this is my favourite, on the wall to the right of the door.
  • Other nice touches are the condiment trays on the tables...
  • ... and the candles, which come out at night.
  • No 12 has lots of interesting light bulbs which I failed to take a single decent picture of.
  • The counter is at the back and gives full scope to No 12's varied offerings.
  • Here's No 12 the deli, with its cheese counter...
  • ... and here's No 12 the butcher's shop.
  • No 12 the grocer is over on the right, behind the large, communal table.
  • Just a small selection of the goodies on display.
  • Soft drinks and milk are in the fridge (which is where they should be).
  • No 12 even sells what looks like port to me...
  • No 12 is also a cafe, with a kitchen behind the counter...
  • ... and an interesting breakfast/lunch menu.
  • And, of course, it's a coffee shop.
  • There's the usual espresso-based menu, with decaf on the second grinder.
  • All the usual suspects.
  • In case you were wondering who the coffee was from...
  • ... although the grinder is a bit of a giveaway.
  • There is also a reasonable selection of cake, laid out on the top of the deli counter.
  • Croissant, anyone?
  • I feel the cappucino cheesecake may be making another appearance...
  • So, to coffee. On my first visit, I had an espresso...
  • ... oh, and look! A slice of the cheesecake! I wonder how that happened?
  • I followed that up with a decaf flat white...
  • ... which had some awesome latte-art...
  • ... which lasted all the way to the bottom of the cup.
  • By then it was lunchtime, so I had to try the fried egg on a potato cake...
  • ... which was good enough to get the Instagram treatment.
  • Finally, I had a lovely, creamy hot chocolate...
  • ... which, if anything, had even better latte art!
  • I was so impressed that I returned for lunch the next day , having the three-cheese toastie.
Javascript Sliders by WOWSlider.com v4.6

No 12 Easton opened in 2014, occupying a pleasant, sunlit spot where Roman Road meets the High Street. It’s an interesting shape, roughly a rectangle, but with the corner cut off. The door is in the middle of the short side, facing onto the High Street, while the long side runs down Roman Road.  Generous windows along both sides means that the uncluttered interior is bright and spacious, helped by the white-painted walls and ceiling, along with the tiled floor.

The seating is around the edges, where benches run along the windows. There’s a small table to the right of the door, with two more tables along the windows to the left, a smaller one along the cut-off corner and a large, wide, eight-person communal table along the left-hand side. Two tables have been pushed together on the opposite side to form a large, 10-person communal table in front of the grocery shelves on the right-hand wall. As well as the aforementioned benches, there are also plenty of bar stools. The counter’s at the back, the kitchen behind it in a separate room. Meanwhile, tucked away at the back, to the right of the counter, is a four-person bar. I enjoyed sitting there, but the drawback is that you have your back to the entire café.

No 12’s as much a deli/neighbourhood grocery store as it is a coffee shop, with two chiller cabinets forming the counter at the back. There’s an interesting array of cheeses in one, while the other holds sausages, bacon, whole chickens and the like. Also, as much as No 12’s a speciality coffee shop, it’s a neighbourhood café, serving an interesting range of hot food from the kitchen at the back, which opens from nine ‘til five each day.

No 12 only has two grinders, one of which is for decaf, so rather than have house/guest roasters, it rotates the roasters on a regular basis. No 12 uses local roasters, such as Bristol’s Little & Long (who I’d not heard of before), as well as going further afield to the likes of Climpson and Sons and North Star. While I was there, the coffee was about as local as you can get, from across the M32 at Extract.

I started off with Extract’s original espresso blend which was surprisingly fruity and went down very well. I paired it with a slice of cappuccino cheesecake, which was surprisingly light, fluffy and cheesy. I managed to string this out until lunchtime, so I had to try the fried egg on potato cake, which was served atop a bed of kale and mushroom.

It was delicious: the egg done to perfection, the potato cake smooth and light, while the mushroom/kale mixture was a delight. There was a portion of chilli aioli, which was too hot for me, but since it was on the side, I safely navigated around it. However, it was spread over a green leaf, so on retrieving my plate, the waitress said that since I’d not eaten my greens, I couldn’t have any pudding, which was fair enough. However, I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I’d already had my pudding (insert smug face here).

I paired my lunch with an excellent decaf flat white. The coffee blended well with the rich, creamy milk, but was strong enough for the taste to cut clearly through. I rounded things off with a creamy hot chocolate, the perfect end to my day.

I was so impressed that I popped back the following day for lunch, consuming an excellent three-cheese toasty and its tasty side-salad.

December 2016: No 12 Easton has won the 2016 Best Neighbourhood Coffee Spot Award.

12 HIGH STREET • EASTON • BRISTOL • BS5 6DL
www.facebook.com/No12Easton +44 (0) 7824 664003
Monday 08:00 – 19:00 Roaster Guests (espresso only)
Tuesday 08:00 – 19:00 Seating Tables, Bar
Wednesday 08:00 – 19:00 Food Breakfast, Lunch, Cake
Thursday 08:00 – 19:00 Service Order at Counter
Friday 08:00 – 19:00 Cards Mastercard, Visa
Saturday 09:00 – 17:00 Wifi Free (with code)
Sunday CLOSED Power Limited
Chain No Visits 13th, 14th January 2016

Liked this? Then don’t forget to check out the Coffee Spot Guide to Bristol for more great Coffee Spots.


If you liked this post, please let me know by clicking the “Like” button. If you have a WordPress account and you don’t mind everyone knowing that you liked this post, you can use the “Like this” button right at the bottom instead. [bawlu_buttons]
Don’t forget that you can share this post with your friends using the buttons below.

9 thoughts on “No 12 Easton

  1. Pingback: Slate Coffee Roasters | Brian's Coffee Spot

  2. Pingback: Urban Larder | Brian's Coffee Spot

  3. Pingback: 25A Old Market | Brian's Coffee Spot

  4. Pingback: Porter | Brian's Coffee Spot

  5. Pingback: 2017 Awards – Coffee Spot with the Best Basement | Brian's Coffee Spot

  6. Pingback: 2017 Awards – Best Neighbourhood Coffee Spot | Brian's Coffee Spot

  7. Pingback: Coffee Spot Awards 2017 | Brian's Coffee Spot

  8. Pingback: Milk Teeth Café & Stores | Brian's Coffee Spot

  9. Pingback: The Collective | Brian's Coffee Spot

Please let me know what you think. Guidelines for comments are in the "Posts" drop-down menu.