Caffe Avanzo

Popped in for a quick coffee this morning while waiting for the bank to open. Have passed it so many times over the years that I had to give a go and was not disappointed. The latte was very good and the food on offer looked good but I didn’t have the time to try it. Seemed friendly and popular. I like to give business to local independent cafes in preference to the big multiples.

There have been a few coffee shops in this spot and I was a regular over 10 years ago when this place was called… err…actually I forget what it was called but it was a required Saturday stop off point for lunch and coffee for a while.
Now I see Café Avanzo is the latest and perhaps greatest to occupy the spot. The layout is still the same, counter/​serving area over to the left and then quite a spacious stone floored room with seating and the rest. The doors opened out onto the streets and as it was a lovely day you could almost kid yourself you were in mainland Europe.
The latte was great and the selection of tray bakes looked and smelt (kitchen out back) great. They seemed to be doing a roaring trade in sandwiches with some hearty panini’s doing the rounds and plenty of content looking punters. Do pop in if you are passing.
Pros: Friendly atmosphere, clean toilets.
Cons: Food nothing out of the ordinary.

Just lately I have taken a liking to this café. It doesn’t look like much being a little overshadowed by the hairdressers up above but is rather nice and secluded from the pedestrian hurly burly of College Street near the Fountain Centre. I enjoyed a very welcome, quiet cup of coffee there one morning and returned after a day or two for lunch.
All I wanted that day was something comforting so I chose a ham and cheese toastie. It was fresh and good accompanied by salad that included beans which impressed me because there wasn’t a drop of coleslaw in sight, thank goodness — I’m not fond of all that gloopy mayonnaise, in a generous enough serving and quite reasonable at £3.75.
Other lunch options include various hot foods like pasta bake and soups. I saw someone tucking into a tasty looking slice of carrot cake while the other muffins and cakes looked tempting. The staff were friendly too, in this straightforward, comfortable café which is pleasant without the need to try too hard or charge too much.