As any new parent will tell you caffeine in any shape and / or form is a necessity. Your baby could be weeks old or a few years and chances are you will rely upon your caffeine fix to get you through the day; I was doing this way before having a baby. One of my favourite ways to get out of the house and get my caffeine fix is to head into Altrincham for a coffee after our baby sensory classes on a Tuesday afternoon. Having worked in Altrincham for two years and a bit years before having Alexander I am confident I have tried 60% of the coffee on offer. That being said, new independents are constantly popping up and that means I have a lot more exploring to do and taking a lot more of Steve's money to spend on coffee trips.
I thought I would do a little overview of what are, in my opinion, the best coffee spots in Altrincham. I know a lot of you adventure into Altrincham for weekend afternoon trips or you may work there and fancy a little pick me up during the day. Whatever your reason for stumbling across this guide, we are glad to have you here. I will continuously add to this guide as we explore more places and also as new places crop up. If you're an Altrincham coffee shop / spot that thinks you have the best coffee or a coffee lover that knows of a spot I have missed out please comment below and I will make sure to try your recommendations out. This guide features many independents and two chains - that being said the two chains actually seem to do worse than the independents nearby. The guide is alphabetised and not in order of my personal favourites.
Onto the guide itself....
Bap - I have a wonderful love hate relationship with Bap and that is because of my obsession with their tuna mayo jacket potatoes that made me gain a crazy amount of weight whilst pregnant. We regularly have work lunches at Bap and that involves having their coffee too. I do not know if how they brew their coffee has changed in the six months since my last visit, but for coffee from a machine it tastes really good! It is probably the only place in Altrincham that I will willingly go and have a machine coffee from, because I am a coffee snob and everywhere else seems to burn it and make it taste weird. Bap gets it right though with great service and a super quick coffee. Perfect for on the go and really cheap at £2.60 a coffee!
Californian Coffee & Wine Co (sadly only went for the coffee) - I regularly mention Californian Coffee as a place to go for food and wine forgetting that I have had an extraordinary coffee from here during a work meeting. The clue to it being good is probably in the name really, because if you're including the word coffee in your name you need to be able to back it up with decent coffee. Incredible atmosphere and coffee priced at £3.50 for a Mocha, what more could you want?
Cafe Nero - Now I am a lover of independents, but every now and then a coffee shop chain does go above and beyond and Cafe Nero have certainly done that recently. Usually chain shops do not care for prams or babies and in my experience have made me feel rather unwelcome with my pram. Cafe Nero in Altrincham are great though and the staff are incredible. They regularly help us with the prams or finding us space where all the prams can go and always offer to bring our coffee, cake or sandwiches over to our table instead of us trying to balance hot coffee and prams. Price of a coffee is around £2.50 - £3.00.
Common Ground - I enjoyed a lovely latte from Common Ground whilst out for lunch. A very enjoyable coffee and a lovely cafe to visit, which has a very nice atmosphere. Pram friendly due to a large downstairs space, although can get very busy so booking in advance for those with prams is recommended. They do now have a very good outdoor seating area, but with the weather being crazy warm at the moment it is usually packed. Price of a coffee is around £3.50.
Costa - Again, another chain (what on earth am I doing?) but I do feel Costa in Altrincham deserves a mention here. If you are in a hurry and at the far end of the precinct your options for coffee are limited. There is Stutter & Twitch (which I have never visited as it is always packed. I do intend to rectify this ASAP) and Costa. Those are your options. Therefore, I do not feel too bad that I am including a chain in this round up, because when your options are chain coffee or no coffee you're going to visit a chain. The service has always been great, there are lots of options and the prices are reasonable from around £3.00. Very easy to grab on the go and usually on the way to the tram / train station.
Gran T's Coffee House - This was one of my favourite on the way to Court coffee places in Altrincham (to clarify my day job is being a Solicitor). Whilst Gran Ts do a great coffee and their coffee shop is lovely and cosy, honestly it reminds me of my Nana's house, it is not the most pram friendly place due to the layout. If taking young children with prams, I would recommend either calling in advance to see if space can be made or trying to sit outside. We have visited before and ended up leaving just because we could not physically get the pram in (it is much worse when the place is packed, which does happen a lot). The staff are great and always really helpful. If you do not need use of a pram it is probably one of the best places to go for a coffee.
Oxford Road Cafe - I love Oxford Road Cafe; it has some of the best American style food in Altrincham and also has a very good coffee range. I am a huge fan! It is slightly off the usual beaten track, but is by some other incredible independents such as 'off the wheaten track' & Californian Coffee & Wine Co (featured above). Again, the cafe is slightly difficult with prams due to the layout. There is an outdoor area, but you need to go up and down some steps (you may be able to go around the back, but I have not tried this yet myself). I personally have not seen anyone with a pram in here so I am assuming everyone has the same thought as me that it would not be practical. It is a shame as the place is incredible, but I suppose it is one to visit on a childfree weekend.
Rhode Island Coffee - A firm favourite with many other mamas, because it is a huge space with tables that can be put together to make larger tables and with incredibly friendly staff. Coffee is great. A personal favourite of mine is the white chocolate mocha and prices range from around £3.50. I also always get an incredible toastie to go with my coffee. The location is perfect as Rhode Island Coffee is located right in the centre of Altrincham meaning you can do some shopping as well - a perfect way to spend an afternoon with the other mamas from our NCT group.
Two Brothers Coffee - Another firm favourite is Two Brothers Coffee. I first visited here earlier this year with a very young Alex and a massive pram. We managed to squeeze in (without prams you are absolutely fine space wise, but with prams it is a bit difficult but not impossible). I was a big fan of the coffee and the aesthetics - think industrial chic but classy. The staff were really kind and I was very surprised that it was not busier for a Sunday morning. Located on one of the main roads in Altrincham town centre it is about a two minute walk from the centre and has a few shops (two lovely charity shops) nearby to browse. Coffees start from around £3.00.
Overall thoughts
Altrincham is an incredible and vibrant place with lots of independent shops and food places all within walking distance of local parking and the huge multi-storey carpark or train / bus stations. It is a wonderful place to visit no matter what day of the week, although bear in mind that most places are busier Friday through to Saturday.
If you think I have missed out a great place for coffee, please let me know in the comments below or drop me an email and I will be sure to add it to my list of places to visit. The guide will be updated as and when we visit new places and updates will be provided over on Instagram.
Until Next Time
T
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