The Best Coffee Shops in Devon

Prime is a bright bolthole in the busy city of Plymouth which is filled from floor to ceiling on one side with books. The huge, worn, green Chesterfields were made for having deep conversations and the selection of teas and coffees are great. But in Prime it is all about the vegan cake. The sweet, decadent cakes are bought in from external baker V is for Veggies. They sell out fast, so be quick!

Wild Thyme is an award-winning cafe in the UK’s largest village, Braunton. Inside it is bright and comfortable and the menu is wonderful – catering for everyone. The star of the show here however is the coffee itself, with their beans imported green all the way from El Salvador and then roasted in Bristol by Clifton Coffee. This is artisan coffee at its best and you can expect notes of rum, raison, walnut and cocoa to come through.

It’s hard not to love the Exploding Bakery; their coffee is perfect, their cakes are the best in the whole of Exeter, especially the salted caramel brownie and the courgette, lime and poppy seed cake and the sour cherry and pistachio cake and the passionfruit cheesecake… you get the picture. They also sell sweet sweet kombucha tea which is as delicious as delicious gets. Need we say more?

Ivan’s is never in one place, but this touring VW Splitscreen is not to be missed. After years on the road with bands and artists such as Mumford and Sons and Ben Howard, Ivan had had enough of bad coffee and decided to bring great tasting stuff to the masses. You can expect friendly service and speciality coffee whenever you see Ivan, his wife and their VW parked up. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a tale of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle served up with your flat white.

There are some things that we just haven’t quite got the hang of in England; wine bars and late night coffee hangouts being two of them. These things are best saved for Europe, for wine caves in France and coffee shops in Portugal. But not at Artigiano, no sir. Here the beans are chosen with care and roasted with love, as are the grapes for wine and snacks to go with them both, all served until late. If there was ever a coffee cult, this is it.

In a sleepy corner of beautiful South Hams, Coasters Coffee is one of the best places around for sinking into a comfortable sofa and reading a good book. The coffee served here is ethical and gives back to the charity, Coffee Kids. The snacks are out of this world and whether you’re in for lunch of a cheeky bit of cake, you’ll leave satisfied.