News / Cafes
Roastery and cafe opens in east Bristol
The owner of a new roastery and cafe describes the space as a “granny’s living room meets Irish bar”.
Radical Roasters on St Mark’s Road in Easton serves speciality coffee and package-free beans made in its on-site roastery.
Owner Cat Manson has filled a building which has been empty for five years with porcelain trinkets of cats, retro mugs and vintage cabinets, with an Idaho-made 5kg Diedrich Roasters machine in one corner and a Marzocco PB coffee machine on the counter.
is needed now More than ever
Coffee-lovers can fill up Radical Roasters jars with their packaging-free coffee
Originally from Ireland, Cat moved to Edinburgh where she ran a coffee shop, working her way up to become a semi-finalist in the UK Barista Championship not once but twice.
She moved to Bristol seven years ago, working at Clifton Coffee and doing various consultancy jobs before deciding to open her own roastery. When she isn’t roasting coffee, she is also making music with her garage punk band, Kiss Me, Killer.
A Great Taste Award Coffee Judge and a certified Q Grader – the equivalent to a wine sommelier but for coffee – Cat is now bringing her knowledge of the industry to her own roastery.
After she began roasting coffee in her back garden shed a year ago, Cat decided to take the leap and open Radical Roasters through Bristol City Council’s Vacant Property Grant.
A bountiful window display of vegan, gluten free and halal pastries and cakes
The cafe is currently open from Friday to Sunday, while the roastery operates from Monday to Thursday. They also serve cakes and sweet and savoury pastries too, which are all on show in the vibrant window display.
“We’re not just for coffee lovers. We have halal, gluten free, and vegan options to suit everyone. And we want to be price sensitive,” says Cat.
Cat is also hoping to run free coffee workshops for marginalised groups from her roastery, as well as opening the space to community-focused events. Representation is important to Cat, who is proudly working class and has worked “around the clock” to make the space a reality.
Radical Roasters can be found in the formerly vacant 60-62 St Mark’s Road
Main photo: Mia Vines Booth
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