On the slow bar this week: Cerro Azul, Colombia — washed, poured to order. Holding a table for five or more?
Fern LoomCoffee room & bakery
Menu
Morning light falling across a wooden cafe table set with a filter coffee, a glass of water and an open notebook

Independent coffee room & bakery

We brew slowly and bake at five.

Twenty-six seats, one long shared table and a slow bar where single origins are poured to order. Everything on the shelves was mixed, proved and baked in the back room before the lights went on.

Read the menu Hold a table

Batch brew refreshed every 40 minutes · Kitchen serves until 15:00

On batch today

Finca La Pradera, honey process

Fig and brown sugar, soft acidity — the easiest cup in the room. Ground coarse for batch and refreshed on the clock, so the pot you are handed is never more than forty minutes old.

Decaf is on the second grinder all day and goes into any drink on the list.

Opening hours

When the door is open

  • Monday – Thursday7:30 – 16:00
  • Friday7:30 – 17:00
  • Saturday8:00 – 17:00
  • Sunday8:30 – 15:00

Last coffee orders fifteen minutes before close. The kitchen stops at 15:00 every day; the bakery shelf stays open until it is empty.

Out of the oven

Bake day runs from five

Morning buns, almond croissants and a fig and rye scone come out first. A second, smaller bake lands around one o'clock on weekdays — ask the counter what is proving.

Whole loaves of seeded sourdough are set aside on Saturdays while they last.

The room

A loom bench, a slow bar and twenty-six chairs

Fern Loom took over an old weaving workshop, and we kept what was useful: the long bench down the middle, the north windows and a floor that has already seen worse than spilled coffee. The bench seats ten and is shared, which is the fastest way into a seat at nine in the morning.

The slow bar sits at the far end, away from the grinders. One barista, one cone, one conversation at a time. If you have never tasted the same coffee brewed two ways, ask for the split pour and we will set both in front of you.

How to find a seat

Window seats and the two counter stools are kept for walk-ins and short visits. The loom bench takes laptops before 11:30 and after 14:00; in between it belongs to the lunch crowd and conversation.

What we buy

Three single origins at a time, bought in full lots so a coffee stays on the bar long enough to get to know. Roast dates are written on the bag and on the tasting card, never hidden.

“We would rather pour four coffees properly than fourteen in a hurry. If the queue is long, the batch brew is the same coffee the slow bar is pouring — just already made.”

Field note from the bar, posted by the grinders
A cafe counter with an espresso machine, cups stacked on a shelf and a barista working behind the bar
A single white cup of coffee on a saucer resting on a dark table

This week

Three lots on the grinders right now

These rotate when a lot runs out, usually every three to four weeks. Tell the barista which note sounds right and they will point you at the cup.

  • Lot 04

    Cerro Azul

    Huila, Colombia · 1,780 m

    Process
    Washed, 36-hour ferment
    In the cup
    Red apple, panela, orange zest
    Poured as
    Slow bar, to order
  • Lot 05

    Shantawene

    Sidama, Ethiopia · 1,900 m

    Process
    Natural, raised beds
    In the cup
    Blueberry, jasmine, cane sugar
    Poured as
    Slow bar and iced latte
  • Lot 06

    Finca La Pradera

    Huehuetenango, Guatemala · 1,650 m

    Process
    Honey, 10-day dry
    In the cup
    Fig, brown sugar, cocoa nib
    Poured as
    Batch brew all day

Questions

Asked at the counter most mornings

Do you take bookings?

Tables for one to four stay open for walk-ins, so there is no need to book. Groups of five to ten can be held with a day's notice using the form below, and we keep the end of the loom bench for you.

Can I work from the cafe?

Yes, on the loom bench before 11:30 and after 14:00. Between those hours the bench is for eating and talking. There are power sockets along the bench side and the network name is written on the chalkboard.

Which milks do you pour?

Whole milk, oat as the standard alternative and barista soy. There is no surcharge on any of them. We do not keep skimmed, and we will not pour an extra-hot flat white — it stops tasting like one.

Is there decaf?

A Swiss-water decaf sits on the second grinder from open to close and can go into any drink on the list, including the slow bar if you would like it brewed as filter.

Are dogs welcome?

Dogs are welcome in the front room and on the courtyard benches. Water bowls live by the door; please keep leads short near the pass, where staff carry hot plates.

When does the bakery sell out?

Morning buns usually go before eleven and most shelves are bare by two. A second, smaller bake lands around one o'clock on weekdays — worth asking, as it is never on the board.

Can you cater to dietary needs?

Vegetarian and vegan dishes are marked on the board, and the granola and bean bowl can both be made vegan. The kitchen handles wheat and nuts in a small space, so we cannot call anything gluten-free — tell the counter and we will tell you exactly what is in a dish.

Do you sell beans and ground coffee?

All three lots are bagged at 250 g behind the till, with the roast date on the label. We will grind to your brewer if you tell us what you use, though beans keep their sweetness far longer whole.

Hold a table

For five to ten people, with a day's notice

Send the details and we will reply by email to confirm. Smaller groups do not need to ask — just come in and take a seat.

Before you send

  • Holds run for 90 minutes at the end of the loom bench.
  • We keep the table for 15 minutes past your time, then release it.
  • Kitchen orders stop at 15:00, so lunch holds work best before 14:00.
  • Tell us about allergies in the note and the kitchen will plan around them.

We only use these details to answer your request.