With new laws passing in June to give bars and cafes the option to go al fresco all year round, the nation’s love of a hot brew isn’t going anywhere, so which destinations should be a “must visit” on any coffee lover’s list?
UK dining club, tastecard, has just added a coffee subscription service, Coffee Club, to its platform, offering 25% off barista-made drinks at 1000s of UK coffee shops including Caffè Nero. tastecard is giving free access to members until 25th July.
If you're looking to enjoy the warm weather this summer and enjoy a cafe with outdoor seating, these are the best 15 cities to visit. Plymouth tops the list, with 74 cafes with outdoor seating and the fewest people per cafe.
The top 15 cities for cafés with outdoor seating:
| # | City | Cafes with outdoor seating | People per outdoor cafe |
| 1 | Plymouth | 74 | 3,516 |
| 2 | Edinburgh | 100 | 4,650 |
| 3 | Leeds | 89 | 5,114 |
| 4 | Southend-on-Sea | 57 | 5,181 |
| 5 | Belfast | 48 | 5,724 |
| 6 | Cardiff | 76 | 5,885 |
| 7 | Manchester | 62 | 6,379 |
| 8 | Bristol | 93 | 6,637 |
| 9 | Glasgow | 75 | 7,888 |
| 10 | Hull | 39 | 8,052 |
| 11 | Swansea | 37 | 8,118 |
| 12 | Sunderland | 37 | 9,065 |
| 13 | Derby | 29 | 9,326 |
| 14 | Sheffield | 72 | 9,519 |
| 15 | London | 751 | 10,062 |
To help those looking for a “coffee-cation”, the dining club has compared the UK’s 25 biggest cities on the number of cafés per person, the average café ratings, the number of reviews and the average price of drinks, to reveal the café culture capitals of the UK.
The city of Edinburgh was crowned number one, with Belfast and Manchester following closely behind.
For those who choose cafés based on their star rating, (and who doesn’t love a five-star rating?) then a trip down south to the capital will give you the highest rated coffee shops in the UK. With an average rating of almost 4.5 out 5, they’re fit for the queen.
However, if you’re judging café culture based on the sheer number of reviews, the city of Birmingham is the one for you. With a staggering 884 reviews per café on average, the Brummies’ are clearly passionate about their cappuccinos and cortados and are happy to shout about it online.
The cost of your coffee is another crucial factor when choosing where to go, so if you’re looking for a brew on a budget, then you’re best heading to Newport in South Wales. The average price of a cappuccino in Newport is £2.21, making it the cheapest place in the UK to enjoy a mug of coffee – what a bargain! In contrast, the priciest hot drinks are found in Bristol, where a cappuccino will typically set you back around £3.30.
Matt Turner, Group CEO and founder of tastecard, said: “With the majority of Brits visiting coffee shops on a regular basis, it’s no surprise that many will look for places with great café culture when choosing where to visit on their next short break. The Coffee Club subscription offers customers some of these finest spots for café culture whilst helping you save at the same time.
“Café culture has definetely risen in popularity over the last few years and while international cities like Paris and Rome have been well-known for theirs for a long time, it's great to see UK cities starting to embrace it here too.”
