Grainhouse Cafe
About
Coffee & Tea, Desserts, Sandwiches
Price Range : Under $10 (££)
Location
Adress: 14 Narrow Quay, Bristol, BS1 4QA
Phone: +44 117 922 1659
Work Hours
Business info
- transit_enterexitOutdoor SeatingYes
- wifiWi-FiFree
Reviews
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Will P.
This corner of the waterfront is particularly lovely. Lots of cobbled stones, views of the harbourside, and you've got the Arnolfini making things feel a bit cultured. A great spot to have a café then, and I'm pleased to say the that Grainhouse café does its location justice.
It's attached to the youth hostel also to be found here. Fortunately that doesn't mean a self service kitchen or dodgy canteen food, but it does mean low prices. They've got a pretty typical café menu, with soups, sandwiches, and all the other things you would expect. More on the healthy than the greasy side of things.
Being attached to youth hostel gives it a bit of an international cosmopolitan feel - you're likely to hear a few foreign languages spoken. To say that sitting outside with a croissant you could be mistaken for thinking you're in Amsterdam would be a lie, but you would certainly be enjoying the cheap food in a lovely location. -
Danny D.
*American reviewer* coffee shop attached to the YHA hostel. Easy to miss, but dependable. The menu is small but with most standards, except for regular drip coffee. Plenty of baked goods and prepackaged sweets to accompany your coffee or tea. Enjoy your drink and sweet with the free wifi, whether you're a local taking a break from work or a world traveler like me, avoiding the snoring roommate in your hostel room.
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Rowena H.
I had such high hopes at the start of the day -- get to town, find a really great place for a flat white, shop in the sales. Well, that was scuppered with every place we tried being closed! What's the deal with cafes being closed on a bank holiday? Definitely wouldn't happen in Leeds, I can tell you that. (Yorkshire, Yorkshire, Yorkshire, etc.)
ANYWAY. Eventually, my Mum and I found this little place next to the water. The long and short of it is that some of the treats were homemade (win) but not especially amazing. Tasty, for sure. The cafe serves decent enough coffee, but I'm a total snob, so it wasn't my favourite. If you're not too worried, it's definitely a nice place to refuel.
Love that there are plugs to recharge. Ambiance was okay. Think it's attached to a hotel of some kind? Decent prices, lovely location, and friendly staff! -
Melanie M.
An undiscovered coffee shop that's part of the YHA Youth Hostel down on the waterfront (the same side as the Arnolfini). I'd seen it shimmering across the water and thought to myself 'Mm, coffee? Independent? Good location? Why haven't I visited?' I went to investigate.
I haven't had the pleasure of staying in the youth hostel (cos I live in Bristol, duh!) so I won't comment on that. The cafe's open to every thirsty human being, regardless whether or not you're staying there.
Coffees come flat, frothy or iced - so far so not Starbucks (good or bad, depending on your bag). The prices are so not - £1.60 for a beverage and a croissant for about £1.20. All tasty as I expected. I did not expect a full on menu of sarnies and light lunches such as soup and a roll. Nor did I expect bottles of reasonable wine to sup with my meal. The Grainhouse is a gorgeous surprise.
Outdoor seats are scattered to soak up the harbour-side atmosphere and more inside (first floor tables & chairs and second floor squishy sofas). Jazz and chill-out tunes are piped into the cafe, the selection of newspapers updated daily and paintings by local artists for sale on the walls. Venture here if you want a rest from the hipness/expense of Arnolfini cafe or the Watershed. -
Qype User (day_dr…)
Grain House cafe / coffee shop (YHA Bristol)
We have done a fair bit of travelling and staying in youth hostels which are normally a mixed bag. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the one in Narrow Quay looked the first time I walked past. Even though we have no need to stay there, we love to visit the coffee shop attached, not only for its great location but for the vibe.
It is very reasonably priced and serves a variety of coffees (£1.60), pastries & cakes (pane chocolat £1.20), light lunches (soup & bread £3) and alcohol (bottle wine between £8 - £10). There are seats scattered outside to soak up the harbour-side atmosphere and more inside (first floor tables & chairs and second floor sofas). Inside chilled music plays and that really is the vibe. The staff are very friendly, the coffee good and there are a variety of newspapers to read and art for sale on the walls. And every now and again some foreign guests will make their way to the accommodation section, chattering in another language, making you feel that you could almost be anywhere in the world.