Coffee bean and brew hunting in Basingstoke and Deane
For those perfect bean and brew hunters amongst us, Basingstoke and Deane is the place for a good cup of tea or coffee from an independent cafe. Here are some of our favourite best-kept secrets…
Indepedent cafes in the town centre
We’ll start with Willows Coffee House, at the bottom of Church Street on the corner of Cross Street, in the centre of Basingstoke. This dog-friendly corner café is small with a huge heart, serving coffee made to perfection. The café has a lovely range of sweet treats, freshly baked bread and crafts from local artists providing a warm and safe place for all members of the community to enjoy, including four legged ones!
The Dice Tower Gaming Café is a lounge and café with a pop culture theme, filled with board games, graphic novels, fantasy, sci-fi, pagan and alternative titles. Let the good times roll with fantastic food, community events and you guessed it, great tasting coffee!
Sticking with the town centre, then a nice take away option is Festival Street Kitchen. It is a well-known popular big-pan takeaway lunch option but not many people know about its smooth coffee.
Another of our town centre favourites for a latte is the Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery, where you can enjoy a walk around the Sainsbury Gallery with its revolving exhibitions before or after a Hampshire Cultural Trust coffee made with love by one of the museum staff.
Ideally situated to enjoy the great outdoors at War Memorial Park is The Orchard Community Café. Stop here for a great tasting hot drink and a light bite including 'all day brekky' sandwiches and toasties. It is a volunteer based cafe overseen by youth workers. In return for local young people's time volunteering at the café, they are given food hygiene, preparation skills and barista training.
The Proteus Creation Space Café has a lovely selection of cakes and coffee best consumed while enjoying a workshop in art, or watching new theatre and circus in development. This is a great place to find out what future art will be appearing in Basingstoke – the café is a hub for networking and ideas.
The Tea Bar in London Street is one of the top on our list. It has all the character of Alice in Wonderland - bone china galore, free Wi-Fi and very friendly staff serving up homemade soups in the winter months, as well as great coffee and a huge selection of teas. You could stay into the evening and listen to live music and continue with the tea theme with cocktails served in teapots.
If you want something a bit stronger, then the Duck and Tipple’s cocktail makers know how to make the perfect Espresso Martinis.
Discover coffee outside of Basingstoke town centre
The village of Oakley is home to Jolly Olly’s Coffee Shop, a great simple Americano served best with their freshly baked brownies which are to die for.
The Café Dome in Brighton Hill is a charitable project to train young adults with a learning disability in all things hospitality and catering with the end goal of getting all participants into employment. Their cooked breakfasts with coffee are amazing and incredibly good value. It is great to know that you can drink coffee and support their programme of work. Popular for those who want a meeting or anyone who wants service with a smile.
The Parlour Tea Room at Viables Craft Centre serves the most gorgeous looking food in Basingstoke. Their cream tea option is hard to say no to.
Café in the Park at Beggarwood Community Centre, which overlooks beautiful Beggarwood Park, has all the coffee and treats you need and has some great social media reviews to back it up.
A hidden gem located in Lychpit is Indigo Bakes' very first bakery shop - Indigo Bakes at The Courtyard. Enjoy their award-winning artisan crafted breads and pastries, washed down with your favourite hot drink. Open Wednesday to Sunday to eat in, sit outside or take away. We've heard that the 'cruffins' are not to be missed.
Kudos Coffee in Whitchurch serves up speciality coffee, teas and food in a comfortable, relaxed café that is dog friendly too. Sneaking another hot beverage in here, along with great coffee a Kudos hot chocolate is something else!
The tea room at Overton Gallery runs on a booking basis with takeout option available. During the winter months you will find a cosy open fire. Summer can be enjoyed in the courtyard, surrounded by fig trees and other beautiful plants. There's light breakfasts, cakes, toasties and soups available and on Saturdays, they make their legendary 'sausage sarnies'.
At Chineham Shopping Centre is Vemillion, a 100% vegan cafe offering a welcoming, relaxing atmosphere. Its drinks menu includes speciality coffees such as a honeycomb latte and a dirty chai. There is also a large selection of teas, iced drinks and milkshakes available.
And if you are looking for something a bit different, why not try artisan bakery and coffee shop, The Street Bakeshop, in Old Basing.
So don’t worry, there’s no need to stay at home ordering in fresh coffee beans for your machine. Get out and explore Basingstoke's best baristas and support independent business at the same time.
Updated February 2024
