We visit the ‘hidden gem’ Bristol coffee shop that also serves the best sandwiches in the city

Tucked away close to Newfoundland Road, where the M32 meets Cabot Circus, the brew bar at Wogan Coffee has a prime central location but it’s still something of a ‘best kept secret’.

Wogan Coffee has been roasting coffee beans on the same site since 1970 but its brew bar is a recent addition.

Now run by the third generation of the family, the cafe is within the roastery and there is also a shop where you can buy freshly roasted beans to take home.

The brew bar is light, airy and minimalist in design, with hessian sacks of coffee beans adding a rustic edge.

On the morning we visited, most tables were occupied and there was a steady trickle of people buying beans from the shop.

A glass-fronted display cabinet next to the espresso machine in the cafe is filled with croissants, pastries, cookies and cakes.

These include vegan chocolate torte, banoffee cake and raspberry and pistachio frangipane (all £3.50).

Most of the savoury food, which can be eaten in the cafe or taken away, is made for Wogan every morning by Bianchi’s, the Bristol family-run food business that also runs acclaimed local Italian restaurants like Pasta Ripiena, Pazzo and Cotto.

On this visit, these included spicy sausage rolls (£4.50) and generously filled focaccia sandwiches such as harissa chickpeas, feta, red pepper, watercress and pumpkin seed (£5) and maple and mustard roasted carrot and parsnip, truffle aioli, spinach and capers (£5).

I went for the focaccia filled with meatloaf, scamorza (an Italian cow's milk cheese), peppercorn mayo, frisée and pickled chilli (£5.50).

The slice of porky, spicy meatloaf worked well with the mild and creamy cheese. The peppercorn mayo and pickled chilli provided a tingle of heat. It was one of the tastiest sandwiches I’ve had for a long time and excellent value for not much more than a supermarket sarnie meal deal.

When it comes to coffee, there is a daily choice of options - all roasted in the room next door. There was a coffee from Rwanda with the promise of ‘blood orange, papaya and caramel’ notes and a decaffeinated Peruvian coffee described as tasting like ‘maple syrup, praline, milk chocolate’.

I went for the Guatemalan Blue Ayarza Santa Rosa, which the barista assured me had hints of lavender, blueberry compote and honey. They were spot on with their tasting notes.

And what is also striking is just how cheap the coffee is despite the high quality. Because it’s roasted on the premises and has little transportation cost other than somebody carrying a bag from the roastery, it’s virtually cost price.

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A long black or Americano costs only £2, a cappuccino is £2.60 and a flat white £2.50 - considerably cheaper than most coffee shops in Bristol.

If you love great coffee and above-average sandwiches and cakes, the brew bar at Wogan Coffee is a real hidden gem. 

And, yes, of course I had to buy a couple of bags of coffee beans on the way out. When you have to exit through such a tempting and aromatic gift shop, it would be hard not to.

Wogan Coffee Roastery Shop & Brew Bar, 2-11 Clement St, St Jude's, Bristol, BS2 9EQ.