Small StreetEspresso

Small Street Espresso occupies a narrow shopfront in Bristol's Old City, where Chris Chubb and John Drysdale opened the espresso bar in 2012. The counter turns over espresso, filter and single-origin pours from a rotating cast of guest roasters alongside a house blend from Clifton Coffee Roasters. Pastries and sourdough arrive each morning from a nearby bakery, and a short menu of toasties covers lunch. There are no seats to linger over: regulars drink standing at the counter or carry their coffee out onto Small Street itself, part of the appeal in a lane usually associated with solicitors' offices rather than queues for flat whites. The café closes by mid-afternoon and shuts entirely at weekends, a rhythm built around the office trade of the surrounding Old City rather than passing tourist footfall.