Paradise - Alnwick

The café is situated in a beautiful setting within one of the largest secondhand bookstores in the country, housed in a former railway station. Unfortunately, the breakfast menu leans heavily towards vegan options. They were out of avocados (despite having two supermarkets on the same road), didn't offer any vegan spreads, and there were no fried options available. The only option was dry toast paired with a glass of Tiptree jam. At least they have soy milk and fruit tea, so you can at least enjoy one hot drink. Many visitors travel a long way to reach the bookstore, suggesting it attracts a diverse clientele. This review is an update from my previous one on August 2, 2021.

I visited the dog-friendly waiting room café at Barter Books for lunch instead of Paradies. It was quite busy, and we had to wait for a table. The service was efficient and friendly. I had the mushroom sandwich, which was absolutely delicious—so much so that we decided to get another to take home! However, I didn’t notice any vegan cakes on the menu.

Last week, Paradise introduced an innovative sandwich menu that allows you to customize your filling to suit vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free preferences. This is a fantastic addition to complement the vegan options available at Caffe in Barter Books. The staff is lovely and friendly, and the coffee is excellent. Additionally, there are benches in the parking lot of Barter Books, providing a nice spot to sit and enjoy your meal.

The café is situated in a lovely setting within one of the largest secondary shops in the country, which was formerly a railway station. Unfortunately, their breakfast options for vegans leave much to be desired. They were out of avocados (despite having two supermarkets on the same street), had no vegan spread, and there was no option for baked beans. The only available offering was dry toast with a jar of Tiptree jam. On the plus side, they did have soy milk and fruit tea, so at least you can enjoy a warm drink. The café attracts a diverse range of customers who travel from afar to visit the bookstore. This review was updated from a previous rating on August 2, 2021.

We chose the dog-friendly café in Barter Books for lunch instead of heading to paradise, and it was quite busy, so we had to wait for a table. The service was both efficient and friendly. I ordered the mushroom sandwich, which was absolutely delicious; it was so good that we decided to get another one to take home! However, I didn’t notice any vegan cakes on the menu.