Coffee #1 Coventry is by the railway station in the city and is a good location because the station itself is small with a lot of foot traffic from both passengers and public from the city centre. The doors into the building are push and pull only, so I had to rely on the door already being propped open or for someone to open it for me. The coffee shop had flat access, so I was able to get into the cafe with ease. I didn’t see a standard size disabled toilet in the cafe, all my friend saw was two small individual water closets on their own, with a small sink and toilet down the hallway. The accessibility around the cafe was very good, with enough space for me to manoeuvre around the tables and access the coffee counter to where the baked goods were on display. I was able to see the menu and the selection of baked goods, and I could approach the barista and order myself at the counter. Sitting at the tables, we found one which I could manoeuvre around and sit comfortably with, however most of the tables were lower. The one we sat at still let me sit close enough to enjoy my drink.
The staff members in the cafe were very nice and patient and approached me directly as an independent customer which I really appreciated the customer service. The atmosphere in the cafe was really pleasant, as my friend and I attended to go on an evening before catching the train, and it wasn’t too busy at this time. It felt very peaceful with a cosy ambiance, offering a space that intrigued me to hide away with my laptop and just get into my work. Coffee #1 had a plentiful amount of baked goods, leading me to always desire more than one treat.
In the times that I went, I had both the flapjack and the orange cake, and both were moist, which I was pleasantly surprised as I thought sitting out the baked goods would be hard and stale. I had hot chocolate both times, one time ordering the seasonal drink which was a gingerbread hot chocolate, but I found that one quite sickly as the gingerbread shot itself was overpowering. The second time I just had a regular vanilla hot chocolate, and this one was more enjoyable and I find the actual chocolate they use is good quality. I am always nervous about trying new hot chocolates as they typically seem to be more hot water then chocolate, but these drinks were full of flavour.
I have enjoyed my time visiting this cafe, and wish there was a closer Coffee #1 in Birmingham where I live. With all the time I went to Coventry as a University student and walked by this cafe, I wished I had stopped here sooner to try it earlier as I have been pleasantly surprised by it.
The Life of Sophie 