CASCARA — Restaurant in Bath

I stayed at the Premier Inn for a hospital appointment, just a short walk away is Cascara (walk up and follow the road around). Having already made a note of it before travelling I couldn't wait to pop in to get a coffee and something to eat before the appointment.

I'm not their target market as I openly say but they are one of the few places that can safely feed me as I have a severe cows milk allergy. I'm also gluten free, a combo which generally doesn't go well together when eating out. Server was very friendly and very helpful. I ordered a soya latte and gluten free jam on toast, a modest but lovely breakfast and took a seat outside where it was brought to me. The coffee has a wonderful taste and that was without any added sweetness, the same can't be said for a lot of over used franchises.

The decor and overall atmosphere for me were on point. I didn't see upstairs but downstairs was a mixture of industrial and natural, the table in the window is made with breeze blocks for legs and it all goes really well together. A lot of thought has been put into it.

After being suitably caffeinated I took my cup and plate in, and picked out a cake to take away with me - custard slice made in house and it was amazing, I ate it later that night at my next destination. Again it was brilliant to have gluten free options.

I didn't look at the menu too closely as I was only there for breakfast but did notice it had gluten free options throughout which again is nice. I find it hard to get both dairy and gluten free options together when eating out, so seldom do I try, this was a nice surprise and a great experience all around.

If you are staying in Bath or just visiting, this is an independent business you should definitely support. Very easy to find and add in as a stop using the google...

We were drawn in by the signage proposing 'speciality coffee' and its sleek, minimalist exterior and promising aesthetic. Unfortunately, the coffee didn’t quite live up to the first impression.

The espresso was technically well made, medium-bodied, low in acidity, and well balanced, but ultimately unremarkable. The almond milk latte was on the sweeter side, but the flavour felt muted, and the presentation was a slight let down (some latte art attempted, but not much finesse, and it arrived already spilled into the saucer). The decor, while stylish, leaned a little too far into pretentious territory given the quality of the drinks. That said, the loft seating area was comfortable and inviting, though it became quite stifling on a hot day.

Service was friendly and polite, even if a little slow considering how quiet the place was. The all-vegan menu is either a unique selling point or a gimmick, depending on your perspective, but it’s certainly different.

All in all, it was a pleasant enough visit, but I left feeling that the vibe promised more than the...

We were recommended to visit Cascara by several friends and colleagues, praised for now being all vegan. Excited to try, we were disappointed to find service was a little ill-equipped. Our food was mixed - the chickpea "tuna" melt was delicious, highly recommend! The Tempeh BLT however, was awful. The GF bread was bland and would have benefited from being toasted - the filling was no better unfortunately. We ordered a coffee, after 40 minutes it had not arrived despite staff members walking past our table several times without noticing. Mistakes can happen. The interior is great, split between basement, ground and first floor. The ground and upper level is much more inviting, with the basement feeling somewhat 'forgotten'. Music only appeared to be playing on the ground floor making the basement feel even more out of the way.

Overall, we left disappointed. However, we will try again - fingers crossed things run a little...