After visiting so many coffee shops thought it would be cool to share some of the places I’ve had my double espresso shots in! Check out more Coffee Sessions Here.
Coventry Road, Birmingham has a special place in my heart. Ever since my childhood I have frequented this road to do shopping, eat and pray. Mostly the area was of a South Asian community, now it’s even more diverse with East African communities. It’s awesome. There is always an amazing vibe down this street, from the nights of Ramadan, to busy shoppers during the day, buzzing supermarkets and the locals relaxing in the numerous eateries and cafes. Unfortunately for the past few years I have not visited as much as I used to do, so when I was there recently, I took advantage and conducted a mini coffee shop crawl. Here are my favourites.
Pastry House
Located in the heart of the Arabic quarter on Coventry Road, it has been serving cakes, sweets, Arabic tea since 2005. I’m a not dessert person at all, so never really ventured here. However it was on Eid, while waiting for the family to come for our traditional morning breakfast here I walked in and found they served coffee. So I tried my usual double espresso. I’m not sure if it was because I had been fasting for a month and missed my coffee because with one sip I closed my eyes and mmmm’d my way to finishing it off. It was delicious. I went back there again to make sure and was the same delicious taste. Now full disclosure for you coffee purists out there I had sugar as always but the coffee is naturally sweet. They are going through a major refurbishment at the moment so looking forward to coming back when complete.
Eis Cafe
Heard so much about Eis Cafe from my brother and local food bloggers so had to check it out during my mini coffee shop crawl on the road. The first thing that struck me was the decor inside. It was awesome with all its wooden styles floor to ceiling. Total contradiction to the sign outside. Which if I’m perfectly honest put me off the place. If they match the outside visual to the indoor would be key improvement and differentiator. The menu is extensive, full of desserts and coffees. Opted for their Cortado. Was lovely and smooth, the milk adding all the sweetness you need without extra sugar. Love the ambience here and various seating options to cater for all. Solo tables, communal benches, group tables, and even a lounge like area. Really impressed. It almost felt like a hidden gem but probably because I never visited.
Chaiiwala
Seeming a little counter intuitive to go to a place that literally means Tea Person to get a coffee, but I love this franchise. First experienced it in Leicester having real Karak Tea. Karak is the method of brewing the tea with milk, sugar and cardamom. Not only popular on South Asia but also parts of the Middle East, as it’s quite similar to Adeni Tea. So why not have the same but with coffee instead? Thanks Chaiiwala that’s exactly what you serve. You still get the same flavours from the chai, but with the added coffee flavour. It is sweet as it should be. I’m pretty sure the coffee is nothing special, probably Nescafé! However I really liked it, and it’s a lovely little cool place to hang out, have some tea and snacks. Really impressed on how they growing.
Amico Cafe
For the last one I let my son choose. And he chose the most laid back, humble place on the street, Amico Cafe. I love him. This is one of those cafes where the men come in have their tea and talk till the early hours of the morning. I love it! It made me think about the times in the motherland Bangladesh with my Grandfather chilling in the local tea house with his mates smoking and drinking away. Totally same vibe. I had a single espresso shot here which was slightly bitter but smooth. I did want some Moroccan tea to refresh myself but they were out, so had some Adeni Tea instead, which was nice to sip over while talking with my boy. What a great way to end our little crawl.
For sure I will be revisiting each of these places when next in town, trying out new places and it’s awesome to see all these places on a road that’s special to me, without compromising on the taste of coffee. Who knows, may even have a dessert! Peace&Love.
Art of Man's Life 