Not far from the centre of beautiful and historic Bath is the small but perfectly formed Kindling Coffee Company.
I stumbled upon Kindling by chance, which is unusual for me (I normally know where I’m going before I get there, in terms of coffee shops anyway).
It was boiling hot outside and the pale, no-frills interior of Kindling was a perfect antidote. It’s a small place but it packs in a comfy sofa, a couple of window seats and some outside tables, amongst other things.
The simple decoration is un-pretentious. There’s colourful home-made art stuck to the counter, photos blu-tacked to the walls, a jam-packed notice-board and bits of kindling on the book shelves. The sort of stuff you could only find in an indie coffee shop.
The coffee comes from the family-run Bristol-based roastery Extract Coffee (http://www.extractcoffee.co.uk/), and as such is ethically sourced.
My latte was nice, although on that particular day I envied my girlfriend and her ice cool chocolate milkshake. The barista was a friendly guy and really into his coffee. Always a good thing.
I understand Kindling had a second branch which closed shortly before my visit. The original branch is still going strong and I am told by Rod, the owner, that there are other projects in the pipeline.
As you might expect, the usual coffee options are available, plus plenty of other drinks, cakes and light bites for lunch. The Company supports local producers wherever possible.
It’s well decked-out, perfectly down-to-earth and thoroughly relaxing.
Address
9A Claverton Buildings
Widcombe
Bath
BA2 4LD
Website: http://www.kindlingcoffee.co.uk/
We visited on 31 May 2009.
Visited in August 09 and the pretty girl who served me was fantastic, fast service, a proper latte and very sweet friendly manner. Sat down trying to drink my coffee and watched her boss yell at her twice for pathetic little details, one about a doormat being out of place and one for something dumb like how she arranged the pastries.
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Go to Lennies down the street.
I agree Martin! Visited Kindling summer 09, and found the general atmosphere to be very jolly! Despite delightful service from a lovely young lady, the atmosphere was thouroughly ruined by the arrival of the of the owner, who seemed to cast a gloomy pall over the whole place!
Overall, a lovely afternoon was had despite the very rude owner, who seemed to do nothing other than moan about tea-towels and chastise the staff over trivial issues!
What is it with businesses who have websites which don’t load or are out of date? If they can’t even get this simple task sorted…
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The paint is chipped and the room was poorly ventilated. I liked the girl who served me, she was very nice but it didn’t really make up for the fact that the venue was really unfit to serve as a cafe. It says its been open almost 4 years.. you can tell, it doesn’t seem to have been cleaned/ painted since it opened. Plus around the back the window to the kitchen is open for anything to crawl in.
I agree. Go to Lennies. Great food, great owner and not like the rude guy at Kindling. What a stupid name for a cafe.
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If you are ready to drink nothing but a glass of water and have a liking for nice-looking espresso machines then by all means you should visit, but Lennies down the street is superior, the owner, Lennie is always kind and cheerful with a spring in his step! I go there on a regular basis now!
Kindling is by far the friendliest coffee shop with the best coffee in Bath. I go there 3 or 4 times a week and have done since it opened and always will. I’m told the sandwiches are great but tend just to have a croissant with my morning coffee.
I’ve no idea what the other people on this site are talking about. I’ve tried Lennies and it’s fine but prefer the atmosphere and coffee in Kindling. Seems to me the other people posting might have an agenda 😉
To the website owner Cosy Coffee Shops:
What’s the definition of a fake review? One that mentions the competition in favourable terms.
Check out the reviews of Kindling (which by the way is just great). Just Google Kindling coffee to see the many great reviews which contrast directly with your website.
Good luck with your endeavours.
Neil
As a Mum with two young kids, Kindling is a real find in Bath. Even though it’s a bit bijoux and compact (as a London estate agent might call it!), my kids always find a cosy corner to do colouring and they LOVE the homemade flapjacks. There’s a toybox at the top of the stairs and, in general, the sense that it’s okay if you drop a few croissant crumbs on the floor or read a book a bit loudly to your kids. It’s just relaxed and reminds me of places I used to happen upon when I was traveling Down Under.
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