Bea and I took a trip this week to the newest cafe in Portishead, Coffi Lab, which is on the High Street virtually opposite Costa and Impero Lounge.

First impressions – it’s spacious, bright, incredibly clean and design wise very aesthetically pleasing. It also wins points with me because the reason it’s coffi not coffee is there’s a Welsh influence which you’ll gather later 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

We nabbed a fab window seat in the front (perfect for people watching), but it also looked cosy in the back with lots of nice lighting and comfy sofas and cushions). Heading up to order, there was a large fridge with a huge range of soft drinks, toasties, sandwiches, salads, breakfast rolls etc.

At the main counter you’ll firstly find a selection of beautifully displayed focaccias and croissants, with the bread sourced from the Angel Bakery in Abergavenny then freshly filled on site by the Coffi Lab team. On arrival selection was limited, but I noticed it was replenished during our visit so don’t give up hope if what you fancy isn’t available.

Most impressive though was the incredible array of in-house baked goods… Welsh cakes (woohoo!), tea cakes, pastel de natas, brownies, flapjacks, you name it…

My heart was set on one thing only having been alerted to its existence (and actually this cafes opening) by the dessert queen herself cupcakeiceingsugar… I wanted a whipped chocolate ganache Crwfin!! And as luck would have it – there was one left.

So I nabbed that at the same time as grabbing my focaccia and skinny (I realise this makes no sense) hot chocolate. In a slightly flustered fashion I accidentally went vegan with our sandwich and ordered the plant based mozzarella, tomato and pesto filled rosemary and sea salt focaccia.

The bread was delicious, I loved the pesto and sun-dried tomatoes but the cheese was not melted enough for my liking… I didn’t go back and ask for it to be reheated because they were busy and I wasn’t that bothered, but realising now I’d ordered vegan cheese I’m wondering was that why?! Maybe vegan cheese doesn’t melt the same? Maybe vegan followers can fill me in on that one…

My hot chocolate was ginormous and actually hot! Luke warm hot choc is a pet hate but this stayed hot for quite some time so I was pleased. I’ve been to two cafes within hopping distance recently whilst Bea attended school camps, and this was definitely the best of the three on that front.

The Crwfin though was the star of the show. Coffi.lab head of food Ceri has created their own version of the more commonly known ‘cruffin’. It’s a cross between a croissant and a muffin, where croissant dough is baked into a muffin mould and filled with something scrumptious – in this case, a heavenly chocolate ganache which gave off warming hints of coffee – and then garnished and covered in copious amounts of sugar.

They are £4.50 so on the pricier side of a baked treat (brownies are £2.95, blondies £3.50) but it’s massive and incredibly rich, so Bea and I split it no problem. In total inc the crwfin, focaccia and hot chocolate I spent around £14 which isn’t cheap, but I felt it was good value for the produce and surroundings.

I’m not a coffee person so I cannot tell you if that’s any good – sorry! 🤦🏼‍♀️ But if you read the statement from founder James on their website (I actually recommend you do, but then I like my homework), he’s clearly passionate about coffee. But it’s not just how it tastes, he’s fully invested in how a coffee shop can be a community enhancing meeting place.

Then there’s the ‘lab’ part to the name. I had at first assumed laboratory 😅 but it’s in reference to Labradors. James describes how he has grown up with them, how they can be family members and how they can provide warmth, love and comfort. So Coffi.lab is very much ‘dog friendly’ with a Labrador featuring in the branding, and water bowls dotted around.

As a non dog person I wondered before heading in what that would mean – but our experience was that there were a handful of beautifully behaved pooches, who didn’t bother a soul. The cafe is open and tables well spaced with allows ample room for canine friends but having my parent hat on, also prams! And I saw as many parents with little ones as I did dog owners, as I did couples with neither.

Something else that sets it apart is that not only is it a suitable place to take your canine pets, but they have a social mission to support Guide Dogs for the Blind. James aptly sums up why on the website: “Whilst labs have given me tremendous joy I am mindful how they can literally be saviours to people where they need it most”. So next to the water station there is a display detailing how they fundraise and giving an up to date total – an incredible £60,000 so far.

So would I go again? Absolutely. Mostly because it’s the best hot chocolate I’ve had in Portishead recently and I really want to try another of their baked goods (I have my eye on the brownie). But also because I enjoyed the atmosphere there and I believe in the virtues they’re trying to emulate and their fundraising, it’s nice to go somewhere with a ‘face’, even if it’s a furry one 🐶

If you’ve made it this far, thanks as ever for reading.

Lizzie (and Bea) xxx