Small Business Life

14 cool cafés and coffee shops for client meetings in Bristol

Lyzi wears black gridded top and beige trousers, sits on a pink sofa in a pink room, holding a magazine
Lyzi Unwin
Content Producer
Fervent blogger sharing signature Studio Cotton advice & small business stories

Our web design studio is based in central Bristol, but a lot of our clients are dotted all over the UK (and some even further afield), so many of our meetings are held online.

Sometimes, though, we’ll have a meeting with a local client, or a faraway client will visit us in Bristol, in which case we jump at the chance to show off all the exceptional coffee shops, cafés and meeting places Bristol has on offer.

We really like coffee and we really like our clients, so when we can combine the two – oh gosh, do we love it.

Here’s where we’d take ’em.

Full Court Press

59 Broad St, BS1 2EJ

We love Full Court Press (FCP), not only because they're approximately 8 seconds from the Studio Cotton office, but also because they brew exceptional coffee.

If you're having a meeting with us in the shoffice, you better believe we'll be treating you to a hot cup o' something from 2 doors down.

FCP is best for a sunny summer's day meeting, as their outside space is lovely and surrounded by beautiful old city buildings.

Their indoor space is a little small, and down a spiral staircase.

small-street-espresso-inside

Small Street Espresso

23 Small St, BS1 1DW

Little by name and nature, Small Street Espresso has a super cosy wood and brick interior and friendly staff who are amazing at remembering regular customers' orders.

It's a popular haunt for barristers (Bristol Crown Court is across the road) but as they usually take their coffee away, you should still be able to bag one of Small Street's limited tables.

dareshack-coffee-bristol

Dareshack

Wine St, BS1 2BD

With a super cool, dark interior, delicious coffee and plenty of space, Dareshack is a great spot for meetings.

There are a plethora of tables, so it's likely you'll find one for your business chats.

You'll get extra cool points from your client if Dareshack have an interesting exhibition or event on, too.

bristol-loaf-beacon-inside

Bristol Loaf (in the Beacon)

Trenchard St, BS1 5AR

A bright and beautiful space on the ground floor of Bristol Beacon - a renowned music venue and creative space.

The Loaf café has lots of beautiful seating for your meeting, and seriously delicious freshly baked goods for eating.

They also have cafés in Bedminster and Redfield, if you happen to be there!

society-cafe-bristol-outside

Society Café

Farr's Ln, BS1 4BB

Bristol now boasts two Society Cafés, but our favourite is the one on Narrow Quay, overlooking the harbour.

It's a family-run, independent small business, serving up speciality coffee and yummy cakes. They hold cupping events, exhibitions, and even produce their own newspaper.

Society Café has loads of seating inside as well as out, if you happen to catch one of those perfect sunny days in Bristol.

artist-residence-bristol-lyzi-studio-cotton-1

Artist Residence

28 Portland Square, BS2 8SA

Inside an old boot factory, the Bristol branch of boutique hotel company Artist Residence has a super cool space for food & drinks, which makes for a quirky meeting location.

With interesting prints adorning their rustic walls and a bangin' coffee, this is the place to meet clients with a penchant for the unusual.

It's also perfect for those looking for a place to stay, with comfy beds in cosy rooms, and a very tasty breakfast.

greytone-coffee-bristol

Greytone Coffee

13-19 Dean St, BS2 8SF

One of the newest coffee shops in Bristol, Greytone has really made an impression.

With a modern interior that is truly unlike any other café in the city, you'll feel like you're stepping into the future.

There's only a small number of tables and chairs, but you should defo take your client here if you want to knock their socks off with amazing coffee and decadent baked goods.

25a-old-market-coffee-ciara-hillier

25A Old Market

25A Old Market St, BS2 0HB

One of our clients, independent jewellery designer Jacks Turner, insisted we include 25A, and we couldn't say no.

Upstairs you'll be greeted by a big, beautiful floral display by Pretty Wild, and 25A's signature copper wall.

There's just one long table up here, but venture downstairs and you'll find plenty more tables perfect for meetings.

small-goods-cafe-bristol

Small Goods

2 Glass Wharf, BS2 0EL

Small Goods is a lovely bright cafe with big windows, and a pink tint, with a modest seating area.

They serve up great coffee and focaccia sandwiches (which Studio Cotton founder Aime loves a lot) but their speciality is doughnuts, with the flavours changing every week or two. And oh my, they're so delicious.

Small Goods is right by Temple Meads station, making it a great spot to meet any clients heading to Bristol via train.

little-victories-wapping-wharf-bristol

Little Victories

7 Gaol Ferry Steps, BS1 6WE

Sister café to Small Street and Small Goods, Little Victories is a light and airy cafe at Wapping Wharf.

It's the perfect place for people-watching, as lots of people walk through Gaol Ferry Steps now that the bridge is back open.

Do yourself (and your client) a favour and order a slice of toasted and buttered banana bread each - you won't regret it.

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New Cut Coffee

Museum St, BS1 6UD

Also at Wapping Wharf, New Cut Coffee are an independent specialist coffee roaster, a little closer to the river.

It's a lovely spot for watching the comings and goings of the busy river, as well as being a cool place for a client meeting.

Alongside their tasty coffee, they serve up a seasonal fruit pie, along with other (mostly plant-based) cakes, cookies and sandwiches.

sweven-coffee-southville-bristol

Sweven

12 North St, BS3 1HT

Just out of the city centre and into Southville, Sweven is a good location if you or your client are driving, as free parking is abundant.

They're a company who are really into their coffee, working closely with their suppliers to create a sustainable small business.

And if you're wondering what the heck Sweven means, it's an Old English word that means both “dream” and “vision”.

Albatross Cafe Bristol by Elinor of Hunch Co

Albatross Café

60 North St, BS3 1HJ

This is my personal favourite café in Bristol (I used to live approximately 1 minute walk away!) and is perfect for casual meetings on lovely vintage furniture.

Unfortunately, they're now only open Thursday-Saturday, but if you're planning an end of the week meeting, this would be a lovely setting.

Top tip: go on a Friday, when they have a counter full of fresh doughnuts.

apostrophe-coffee-bedminster-bristol

Apostrophe

Unit 6 Imperial Arcade, BS3 4HH

One of the newer kids on the block, Apostrophe opened in December 2023 in the undercover stretch of businesses near Asda Bedminster.

They've got baked good aplenty alongside amazing speciality coffee, should you want to treat your client to a tasty little extra.

Their furniture is perfect for meetings, they have a big table that is gagging for meet ups, and laptop bench space too.

So that’s our top 14! With the sheer volume of amazing coffee shops and cafés in Bristol, we could’ve gone on forever, but we had to stop somewhere.

Check out our Visitors’ Guide for loads more brilliant Bristol recommendations for places to shop, eat, wander and more.

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