The Coffi House

Good breakfast for sunday mornings

I’ve never really felt a great pull to this place. However, after a quick search on Google maps this morning, I found it was the nearest place to me that did all day veggie breakfast. Sometimes that’s all you need.
The décor here is a bit hard to pin point. With metal posters for brands such as Guinness and Coco-​Cola on the wall, the mood is very much 1930s. But whether the Coffi House is more nostalgic or dated, it’s hard to tell.
The place could do with a little sprucing up. I can’t criticise its hard to define feel though, as this is what seems to make it such an unlikely success-​story. It’s just that the menus seem a bit plain and flimsy, and the tables could most certainly do with a wipe.
The breakfast itself was impossible to fault. With two Glamorgan sausages and a healthy supply of mushrooms, it ticked all the boxes for me. The addition of sautéed potatoes was an unexpected treat, making a welcome change from the curious habit of having chips for breakfast.
URBAN CHALLENGE: Bond with a stranger over the weather. You can’t get more full English than that!

Wellifield road has a plentiful supply of cafes and The Coffi House is one of the best. Although it can get a little busy during peak hours, it’s the nicest place to get your caffeine fix before or after a busy morning trying to navigate Albany road.
Situated next to a Starbucks, it’s quite clear what The Coffi House can offer; good coffee and food, without the corporate nonsense. It’s a friendly place and the staff are always attentive and helpful.
Where many cafes insist on only serving breakfast until 11 a. m (I mean, really) I’m glad to say The Coffi House offers a smashing Full English all day. For me, this is a sign that they know what their customers want; the Full English being a favourite amongst people that have had very, very late nights.
If you want to avoid the rush; drop in later in the afternoon, grab a tea and cake, read your book or people watch out of the big glass front. Now that’s good Coffi.

Whether escaping the sun after a day lounging in nearby Roath Park on a summer’s day or, more likely, dodging the relentless Welsh rain, The Coffi House is a dinky diner-​slash-​café with more character than the Starbucks of this world. A quasi-​American vibe with a Welsh language-​nodding name, its quirky menu approach has a quintessentially and somewhat eccentric British feel. Fancy a beer with your breakfast? A slice of cake with your sandwich? A home-​cooked meal like your mother used to make? No problem. Rather than not knowing where it is pitching itself, The Coffi House is, in fact, damn near whatever you want it to be.

This busy independent café always seem to be rammed with people, leaving the Starbucks branch nearby far quieter and, to be honest, far more pleasant at times.
The Coffi House does, however, know how to make decent coffee (or ‘coffi’, if you’re speaking Welsh) — Italian Segafredo, no less. Some might also say they beat nearby Starbucks by offering a small courtyard at the back for an al fresco cuppa on a sunny day — although I quite like the couple of pavement seats out at the front of Starbucks (for a spot of people watching along Wellfield Road). And, finally, they also have the advantage of possessing a full alcohol licence so you can also enjoy some wine or a glass of beer with your food if you want to.
The food is fairly standard, simple café fare, including cooked breakfasts (£4.95 — or a veggie version for £3.95), soup with baguette; toasted sandwiches, filled baguettes and paninis; homemade pies, quiches and hearty dishes such as lasagne or jacket potatoes; and a few daily specials. For pudding, they focus on homemade cakes which usually include a Victoria sponge, carrot cake, chocolate cake, lemon cake, and the ultra sweet Hummingbird cake (which I think contains pineapple, pecans and bananas).
I’m not so convinced by the savoury food from here, but the cakes are tasty and filling!

The Coffi House, goes by, what is presumably, a Welsh name, but serves Segafedo coffee, which is Italian as far as I’m aware! This is not their only idiosyncrasy… check out the picture of the homemade cakes! Here you will find a silver coloured statuette of The King, Mr. Presley himself, alongside a white rose in a half pint ladies glass. It’s pure kitsch that warms the cockles of my heart, and adds a real quirky flavour to this otherwise unremarkable café. Having said that, it’s a café that makes homemade food with care and attention, but with so many other establishments doing the same in this area, this alone does not make it outstanding.
They have a sweet little garden out the back, which catches the sun when it’s out. The food is not very adventurous, but it’s well made, and the prices are reasonable. The couple that own and run it are quirky and pleasant enough.
They are not likely to be bestowed with the attentions of Egon Ronay or those very nice men from the Michelin Guide, but they serve well priced food in pleasant surroundings, and that’s good enough for me!

My absolute favourite thing about this place is that they will serve you any of their food to take away. Want some fish cakes, but you’re in a rush? Well, that’s fine, because they serve them to go. Now, fishcakes to go seem to me to be an amazing thing.
The main problem with The Coffi House (apart from the slightly irritating spelling of coffee… what’s with the fashion for this at the moment?) is how busy it gets. It is right next to a Starbucks and has completely stolen all of their customers, really. However, this just proves how lovely it is. Unfortunately there is no outside seating either, which I was a little disappointed by on this lovely day. But it is a minor gripe because the inside is decorated in such a comfortable way.
Get in early if you want a seat and be prepared for a little bit of a wait. However, you’ll find the staff friendly and unharrassed despite the busyness.