12 Coffee Shops to Visit in Nottingham

Wired

Wired have drawn inspiration from many a coffee shop, from Sydney to East London, and they brew passion into every cup. Alongside your morning cup o’ Joe, you can give back to those who need it with Wired’s suspended coffee scheme, where you buy a coffee for someone who can’t afford it to enjoy later. Whether you’re an Aeropress kinda person, or not ashamed to order the humble cappuccino, they’ll sort you out. You might even be lucky enough to receive a little frothy swan on top. They also have many an interesting evening event, including regular supper clubs with Notts chef, Alex Bond.

200 Degrees

These guys, based in both Nottingham and Birmingham, are all about making sure you get a perfect coffee and are proud of it. After getting a good foot in the coffee-house door of Nottingham just off the square, they've recently opened a second cafe, which is conveniently located for commuters on Carrington Street, near the train station. If you want more of what they're offering, you can buy their coffee blends, and, for those who just can't get enough, they hold regular barista classes. The Flying Horse Walk cafe decor fits nicely with the Tudor-esque building and at Carrington Street you'll be hard pushed not to be impressed by the light bulb game. The staff at both venues are passionate about their stuff, which is perfect for when you want to try something new and aren't sure what's for you. Keep an eye out for their A-boards too – they're right funny boggers.

Outpost Coffee Roasters

Fancy a quick coffee? A raw milk? Bit of an unashamed hipster? Step this way. Outpost are one of the newest coffee shops on the scene and a cup of joe from them is pretty ridiculous. And they are fast and friendly, with all their baristas appearing to love what they do. It’s quite a small interior, but if you do fancy a sit down then there are a handful of tables to relax at. If you’re feeling peckish, but on a diet, they also have a fresh, healthy menu to choose from.

The Coffee House of Nottingham

A tiny, cute place with only a couple tables on the ground and first floor, the staff are extremely helpful and will ensure that you make the right decision choosing your poison. The place is pretty old fashioned and has quite a nice range of hot drinks to choose from. They only have one or two working staff on a normal day, and with the intimate size, if it so takes your fancy you can have a good old heart-to-heart with them while they make your coffee. It’s cash only – none of them futuristic Apple Pay shenanigans going off around here. It’s been reviewed by many as the most adorable place in Nottingham, definitely worth popping by. All you have to do is squeeze your way up the Hurts Yard alleyway – you could even make a stop off at Rob's Records or The Barrel Drop micropub while you're at it.

Divine Coffee House

The decor and atmosphere in this place make you instantly feel at home. You can tell how good the coffee is by how busy it is, especially of a morning. A lovely place to sit and chat for a couple hours, if time allows, and there’s plenty of space. Every season, they have special hot drinks so you can mix it up from time to time. The autumnal selection included Sliced Appletino and the Nutella Latte. You can't say fairer than that. The lattes and hot chocolates have been highlighted as being a popular choice among the regulars, and the staff aren't averse to adding fun patterns in your milky froth. Well in.

Delilah Fine Foods

For a coffee that’s both sweet to taste and easy on the purse strings, take a stroll down Victoria Street, cos Delilah’s your gal. Owner Sangita Tryner opened Delilah to offer a food and drink experience where everything is handpicked and well sourced. Obviously, the coffee meets their high standards, and after working with Lee & Fletcher for over eleven years, they’ve created their own house blend, Samson. A brew they describe as “a blend of strength and body; full-bodied enough to be used in a flat white or latte but still holding the complexity that a coffee guru expects from an espresso.” What more could you ask of the humble bean?

Hartley’s

These guys are top, not only because they do great coffee, but also because they’re about ten steps away from our office. Hartley’s Coffee & Sandwich bar is dead popular among the Hockley masses quite simply because of the lovely staff, the wide range of sandwiches and their awesome drinks selection – both hot and cold. Their specialist, fair trade coffee is called Doi Chaang, from Northern Thailand and roasted in Nottingham. Delicious. And if that didn't take your fancy, they've got an array of ice cold fruit smoothies to give you a kick up the backside in the morning, or there are the ridiculously indulgent Mable's Mooshakes. Banoffee for the win.

Lee & Fletcher

Nottingham’s long-standing caffeine heroes. They were considered mad as a bag of frogs in 1992 when they stocked eight different coffees, so goodness knows what people think of ‘em now they have 85 different single origin varieties. Their name might not be instantly recognisable, but they stock some of the city’s favourite establishments, including Copper, Hartley’s, Hand and Heart, The Larder on Goosegate and Thea Caffea. They pick single-estate coffee beans for their Gourmet coffee range, roast their own beans, and can even help you get the right kit as they recommend and supply commercial coffee equipment.

Sobar

It goes without saying, there shall be no drunken debauchery here. Set up by the charity Double Impact as a Community Interest Company (CIC) with support from the Big Lottery Fund, Sobar offers a place to socialise away from alcohol. But the coffee more than makes up for the lack of vino. Plus, they host a slew of different evening events, from spoken word to open mics, and it’s nice to know you can have a fun evening sans pint in hand. Plus, the caffeine will keep you going. They make a lush cake too, but that’s another story entirely.

The Bean (Beeston)

The Bean has been around since 1998, aiming to bring good coffee to Notts – and they’re not holding back. Fancy some science alongside your brew? The staff at The Bean weigh, measure, and froth milk to a precise temperature and produce a lovely latte out of it. As a speciality coffee shop, they only use beans that are the product of direct trade; this means that the grower is making an exceptional product and receiving a price 25% higher than Fairtrade rates. Not bad, not bad. Great coffee, better pay, and everyone comes out in a happy, more caffeinated place.

Cartwheel

Lovely bright interior – check. Achingly stylish seating – check. Hipster coffee ‘flights’ served on a cork board – double check. Immerse yourself in Nottingham’s hidden yellow-brick corner coffee shop. There’s beans in the bones of the place, as founder, Alex Bitsios-Esposito is the son of Silvana, who owned The Bean (see above) for eighteen-odd years. By roasting their coffee in house, Cartwheel coffees have a really original flavour. Plus, they use some right scientific contraptions to gerrit tasting that good. There’s a huge selection of roasts and beans, making it a proper coffee connoisseur hot spot.

Lee Rosy’s

Fancy an escape from all this espresso? Lee Rosy’s will sort you a proper cuppa and rid you of those pesky coffee shakes. They’ve got an unparalleled selection of loose leaf teas – over 100, to be exact – and if you really can’t do without your caffeine fix, they’ve got all the usual coffees on offer, too. It’s the perfect spot for people-watching the artsy types of Hockley, or settling down on that coveted sofa with a book. Wear your grandma’s favourite cardi and stash a beaten-up copy of a George Bernard Shaw play in your hemp bag to truly look the part.

Malt Cross

A place bustling with character, good food, good vibes, good beer and, most importantly, good coffee. Take a seat in one of Nottingham’s oldest watering holes and one of the UK’s only surviving Victorian music halls. After undergoing a redevelopment in 1997, the Malt Cross was redeveloped as a modern music and arts venue, thanks to £2million of Heritage Lottery funding. They’ve put loads into making it the space it is today, and it’s definitely worth a visit. And if you time it right, you could go from sippin’ coffee one minute to cave exploring the next. Yup, we’re in.