Retro, vintage and achingly cool, a café that is a creative city gem

Café and Salvage

@CafeandSalvage

84 Western Road, Hove, BN3 1JB

01273 323884

www.cafeandsalvage.com

Café and Salvage is beautiful, both aesthetically and in ethos. Set up as an independent alternative to Hove's obsession with corporate coffee shops, this vintage boutique stands out as being the place for the creative souls of Brighton and Hove to relax, chat and work - without a time limit or WiFi charge in sight.

Co-run and owned by Meg and Tazz, Café and Salvage opened its doors last September. Former neighbours, the duo initially bonded over their shared love of boot fairs, vintage finds, and salvaged goods. A business partnership formed and Café and Salvage was born.

Ranging from crockery to leather sofas, Café and Salvage is as much shop as it is food-and-drink establishment. Meg and Tazz scour antique markets and flea markets to bring an eclectic array of goods for café-goers to browse and purchase. With an ever-revolving collection of furniture, this ensures that no two visits are quite the same.

Selling everything from leather sofas to Mona Lisa prints, Café and Salvage is Hove's own miniature Snoopers Paradise. You can even purchase the teapots, should one take your fancy. A unique element to this fine independent café.

Tazz puts heart and soul into sourcing and organising a mighty-fine selection of loose teas. Arranged in beautiful, large jars with an almost Alice-in-Wonderland-like labelling, these teas say nothing but "drink me". Ranging from black cherry to delicate passion fruit, the teas are served in equally-exquisite and dainty cups and saucers.

The coffee is incredibly reasonably priced. A mere £2 will get you your favourite caffeinated beverage with no added charge for extra shots and each cup is made precisely to your liking.

Food at Café and Salvage ranges from early-morning American-style pancakes, served with lashings of maple syrup to light lunches, bagels and paninis.

All bread is from Real Patisserie and fillings sourced as locally as possible. One of the main draws are the stellar handmade cakes. From traditional carrot cake and rich, gooey fudge cake to American-influenced pumpkin pie and New York cheesecake, each are handmade daily and consistently throughout the day; if one sells out, Meg is seconds away from the kitchen to whip up another. Slices are £3 each and cut big enough to last until your next visit.

Very popular post-lunchtime, Café and Salvage draws together the creative minds of Brighton and Hove: singers, actors, novelists, directors and screenwriters - you name it, you'll find them in Café and Salvage. With a distinct, living-room feel, the café is all-inclusive and welcomes babies and dogs with open arms.

There are plans to introduce folk evenings and host classical music throughout afternoons. With a space so tall and full of history, Café and Salvage is the ideal location for both.

This is a place to let the mind wander and open to new experiences; a conversation with the person sat next to you could lead to inspiration for that latest chapter you are struggling to finish or spark that lightbulb moment so many of us crave.

It is retro, it is vintage, and it is achingly cool: a true gem of a Brighton and Hove café. Visit soon and be sure to listen to Tazz talk about his passion for tea. It is enough to put a smile on the face of even the darkest of creative souls.