Cafe Of The Day

Today's featured cafe.

The Boston Tea Party, Park Street, Bristol, England  MAP 

I first went to the Boston Tea Party in the spring of 1996; I think it was a Thursday. We'd only popped in for afternoon tea (revision avoidance) at about four o'clock, but it was so relaxing that we were still there, lounging on a sofa drinking coffee, when they closed at 9.30 p.m.

Sofas and other furniture

It was the sofa, of course, that kept us there so long. Most places don't have the kind of furniture that you want to sit on for hours. In its big upstairs room, the Boston Tea Party has a motley collection of old furniture, including a couple of sofas. I like that: it's good to be able to choose between sofas, armchairs, a big kitchen-style table, or a little table by the window. Variety like this makes the place all things to all people.

In contrast to the well-worn furniture, there is usually some aspiring artist's collection adorning the smartly-decorated walls. You wouldn't know about any of this when you walk through the door downstairs, though, where the counter and open kitchen are always busy. The rushed office-types who dash in for a sandwich and a take-away latte at lunchtime are many metaphors away from the mixed crowd who are chilling out upstairs.

Excellent coffee

The coffee, of course, is excellent; as is the large selection of teas. It's only a shame that the coffee mugs aren't as huge now as they originally were.

Rachel and I had actually gone looking for the sofa that first time, having seen a public sofa on the telly in the first series of Friends. Fortunately, the Boston Tea Party doesn't have a bimbo-with-hair-on-backwards waitress hanging around, so it's actually better than Central Perk. There is also a wall opposite the sofa, which you don't get in a television studio.

So this is where it all started for me - hanging around in cafes, only leaving to look for another one to add to European Cafe Watch.

Did you miss CB1, the previous Cafe Of The Day?