UPDATE (30/12/20): Since writing this post, East Village is now 100% vegan and shares part of the premises with their sister company French Grey, a vegan gift shop. They are however, still serving delicious vegan pastries, cakes, savoury lunch and breakfast options and coffees.
I would say I have a love/hate relationship with London; there’s a lot I love about living here for sure, particularly the amount of amazing vegan restaurants, cafes, street food vendors and markets we can enjoy. However, I’m sure a lot of you can relate to the feeling that London can be a little bit much at times, sometimes you just need to get out and unwind! When things do get a bit much, Charlie and I often go back to our hometown, Bristol.
Last weekend we went back for a friends birthday, so we decided to look online to see if there was anywhere new that had opened since our last visit. We came across East Village, a 100% vegan cafe, which opened in October 2017.
East Village is situated on what seems to be the gateway into the heart of Clifton village. It’s a very pretty area of Bristol which has a very ‘villagey’ feel to it. It’s filled with beautiful cafes, florists, antique shops and fancy gift shops etc. East Village seems to fit seamlessly into it’s surroundings, whilst also still feeling young and modern.
We arrived on Saturday about 10 am, and there were plenty of seats available when we arrived, but as it quickly filled up, it was clear to see that East Village is a popular weekend brunch destination. The building itself is beautiful; the space at the front is very bright and airy with its tall ceiling and lots of lovely natural light. There’s also a cosy little nook at the back with comfy sofas and chairs, perfect for relaxing on with a book, a cup of coffee and a piece of cake.
Charlie ordered his usual (a black Americano) and I ordered one of their smoothies. I went for the Green Monster which had spinach, banana, kiwi, avocado, lime, hemp protein and apple juice in it. It tasted as fresh as it sounds! I know most people turn to coffee when they’re lacking in energy, but it never really works for me, it just makes me shakey. I tend to go for something like a fresh juice to give me the boost I need! This smoothie definitely did trick. It was fresh, healthy and had a nice little kick from the lime, just the thing you need to revive yourself.
For food we ordered the Overnight Oats Bowl with oats, chia, seasonal fruit, compote, nuts and seeds. Still in my London mindset, for the price of £5, I was expecting a tiny bowl with a few pieces of chopped fruit on the top, however it arrived as a generous helping in a proper breakfast bowl, topped with a large variety of delicious fruits, nuts and seeds. It tasted lovely and fresh, and felt really nourishing, yet it was also really filling, I almost couldn’t finish the bowl.
We also got the Avocado on Toast with radishes, green shoots, and a vinaigrette made with red beetroot powder. Again, this is one of the cheaper vegan options on the menu at £6.50, yet this didn’t lead to skimping on the portion size. The three slices of crispy sourdough, from local Bristol bakery The Assembly Bakery, were covered with generous helpings of smooth avocado. Coupled with the pepperyness from the green shoots and the tang from the vinaigrette; each bite of this was completely delicious.
East Village is open 7 days a week, where they are serving up delicious brunches from 8am – 5pm. Other vegan options on the menu included the Savoury Corn and Quinoa Waffles with smoky tomato salsa, sour cashew cream, sweetcorn and avocado and the large range of vegan cakes on offer (which are absolutely amazing – we took home a lemon and pistachio cupcake). We had a lovely relaxed morning at East Village, chatting with the friendly staff and enjoying the delicious food and drinks. It’s now definitely firmly on our list of places to go whenever we go back home to escape the London madness!
WHO’S IT FOR:
- Small or large groups as there’s plenty of space
- Any budget, prices range from £5 – £10 for food
- People looking for fresh and healthy food
East Village
Arch House, Boyce’s Ave, Clifton Village, Bristol, BS8 4AA
https://www.eastvillagecafe.co.uk/
Have you ever been to East Village? If so, we’d love to hear what you thought. Leave us a comment, like, or share this post with your friends.