Board
Exeter’s own ‘Board’ on South Street invites you to crack open a board game while you sip your latte. Whether it’s a classic game of Monopoly, student favourite Cards Against Humanity or a new indy game such as Tsuro of the Seas, you’ve got your pick of the board game bunch. It’s a good spot to wile away an afternoon post-exams.
The Blind Café
It’s easy to take our sense of sight for granted, so this series of pop-up café events in the States hosts dinners in the dark, in aid of blind awareness. All the waitstaff are legally blind local people, taking guests by the hand and leading them to their tables in a blacked-out room. The meal is a sensory experience – you’ll need to use your other senses to work out what food you’re eating and who you’re sitting next to – with music and Q&A session on blind experience. I can vouch that it’s a pretty unique café experience.
Depressed Cake Shop
Another pop-up café with a conscience will hit Exeter this month. The Depressed Cake Shop was conceived by creative director, Emma Thomas, in 2012. Bakers raise depression awareness and money for local mental health services by following a simple cake brief: grey coloured cakes, perhaps with a pop of colour for hope. Pop-up Depressed Cake Shops have appeared all over the world with local recipes, from custom marshmallows to ‘misfortune cookies’.
Cereal Killer
The notorious Cereal Killer café made headlines last year as it became the target of a protest against gentrification in Brick Lane. Boasting a global menu of over 120 cereals, various milks and a selection of toppings, you can munch on your breakfast cereal of choice from 8am – 8pm every day of the week. Is it just a gimmick? Is it worth £3+ per bowl? Check out their comprehensive menu here and make your mind up for yourself.
The Rainforest Café
This London venue was peak birthday party goals for kids in the early ’00s – who wouldn’t want to eat a burger surrounded by plastic tree-frogs and the trumpeting of elephants? Some of its animatronic animals are now looking a little worse for wear but The Rainforest Café has proudly kept up its premium price tag. You’ll be paying £10+ a starter for the pleasure of eating in under an LED starlit ceiling in the urban jungle. It’s little wonder that this novelty café is a tourist trap which Londoners give a wide berth.
Temari no Ouchi (てまりのおうち Cat Café)
The cat café is a concept that’s really taken off in Japan, where few landlords allow fluffy companions for their tenants. This particular café is a whimsical custom-built cat palace, complete with cubbyholes, cat-perches and 17 feline friends. Because who doesn’t want to walk away from a café feeling caffeinated and cat-cuddled?
