The last shortlist for today for the 2013 Coffee Spot Awards is the “Coffee Spot Most Resembling a Coffee Shop” Award. This Award was won in 2012 by Plymouth’s Coffee Bean Central and celebrates those archetypal Coffee Spots that look just how they should look…
Of course, coffee shops come in all shapes and sizes, and there’s more than one archetype, so this award reflects the wide range of coffee shops and all the different styles they represent, with entries from around the UK (Exeter, Coventry, Brighton and London).
You can see the shortlist after the gallery.
There are five Coffee Spots on the shortlist this year, all listed in order of publication.
Regular readers will know I have a soft spot for the Boston Tea Party chain of coffee shops in the west of England. One of the the Tea Party’s knacks is taking iconic buildings and turning them into places which are instantly recognisable as branches of the Tea Party and yet are their own individual places. The upstairs lounge at the Exeter branch is the perfect example of this and the archetypal coffee lounge.
Not only has Kahawa Cafe brought quality coffee to Coventry, but its done it in a beautiful space that is exactly how I imagine a coffee spot should look. So much so that Kahawa featured in the Coffee Spot Calendar for 2014.
A London legend and one of the original Australian/ Kiwi-owned coffee shops that some credit with launching the recent coffee revolution in the capital. However, antipodean-style coffee wasn’t the only thing it introduced us to: there’s the look as well!
Taylor Street Baristas, Brighton
The Taylor Street Baristas chain of London (plus the Brighton branch) has got the coffee shop look nailed. I’ve never seen such a visually appealing coffee shop as the one on Queen Street Brighton. It sort of grabs you as you walk past and drags you inside.
Taylor Street Baristas, Mayfair
Just to prove that the Brighton branch wasn’t a fluke, here’s the Mayfair branch. There’s something about these two: they just look and feel exactly how coffee shops are supposed to look and feel. Not only that, they serve an excellent cup of coffee too!
And the winner is Kahawa Cafe!
Runners-up: Taylor Street Baristas, Brighton, Taylor Street Baristas, Mayfair
You can find all 20 of the 2013 Coffee Spot Awards here.
Special mentions also go to Boston’s Caffé Vittoria (for looking like a typical Italian café) and Café de Flore from Paris (for being the archetypal Parisian café).
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 drop-down “Share” menu below.
Pingback: Coffee Spot Awards 2013 | Brian's Coffee Spot
Pingback: 2013 Awards – Where It All Began | Brian's Coffee Spot
Pingback: Coffee Spot Awards 2013: Winners | Brian's Coffee Spot
Pingback: 2014 Awards – Coffee Spot Most Resembling… | Brian's Coffee Spot