So we didn’t expect the newest branch of Caravan to be over on North Road – just off York Way, in fact (and not far from this other classy new arrival). But yep, this week their flagship coffee Brewbar flings opens its doors.
The coffee supremos, founded by New Zealander trio Miles Kirby, Laura Harper-Hinton and Chris Ammermann, are serving up their “well-travelled” brews to enjoy either at the bar or on-the-go, alongside fresh pastries and sandwiches.
If you’re a coffee freak, this is pretty special, as you can get up close and personal to all the action with a panoramic eye-level view onto the roasting floor.
And it marks the first time that the roastery, previously operating from the basement of Caravan Exmouth Market and then the acclaimed Granary Square restaurant, is open to public viewing since it moved to N7 in 2018.
The team roast on a 70 kilo Loring, prized for its consistency and low environmental impact, and you can gawp at the inner workings of how they craft each roast to highlight unique regional flavours.
Taking advantage of the on-site bakery, the Brewbar will also sell a range of breads and goods baked on site, from a banana, caramel and coconut croissant to sweet and savoury buns. Flavours include sweet ricotta, marsala, fennel seed and peach; curried lentil, fried curry leaves and ghee; and anchovy, caramelised onion, chilli and rosemary. (We’ll take the latter, please.)
It’s also worth pointing out that they source half of their coffee from female producers, and give back 1% of their revenue each year to environmental causes. Sounds, in short, like a perfectly ethical weekend wander to us: don’t miss a stroll in Caledonian Park, with its landmark clocktower, before or after your caffeine hit.
Caravan Coffee Roasters Brewbar is open daily (8am-4pm) at Lambworks, North Road, London, N7 9DP @caravanroastery
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