Cafes / Reviews
Beyond The Wall – cafe review
Granola bars and aero bars are the two topics of conversation on Monday morning at Beyond the Wall.
In this small new cafe, only seating a dozen people, the talk is of granola bars. In The Triathlon Shop within which Beyond the Wall now occupies a small corner, the talk is of aero bars.
Triathletes need refueling so it makes perfect sense for a cafe to open in the UK’s biggest triathlon shop on Millennium Promenade in the Harbourside.
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It’s been opened by Andy Persson, formerly of Hooper House Cafe in Stokes Croft, who in 2012 ran seven marathons in seven days to raise money for the charity Frank Water.
But you don’t need to know the difference between aero bars and aero bib shorts to enjoy Beyond the Wall – or even have struggled through that physical and mental barrier that long-distance athletes endure from which the cafe gets its name.
Coffee is from Extract in St Werburgh’s, with smoothies (£3.50) and orange blitzes (£2.80 for freshly squeezed orange and other fruits) for the more health conscious.
A simple all-day breakfast menu includes crushed avocado on sourdough toast, porridge and homemade granola, while lunch served from midday to 4pm has a trio of options: soups, salads and sandwiches. There are also homemade cakes.
A television remains on one wall which will no doubt continue to show cycling events. The counter is covered in trendy chipboard, there are grey plastic and wooden chairs, and a view across to Pizza Express one way and a selection of garishly coloured running shoes the other way.
Friska within Rise on the Clifton Triangle shows how successful a cafe within an existing shop can be. A new cafe has also recently opened within Waterstones book shop in The Galleries. Beyond the Wall, although on a much smaller scale, could easily continue this trend.
You might even be inspired to swim, bike, run and add an order of aero bar to accompany your granola.
Beyond The Wall, Millennium Promendade, Bristol, BS1 5SZ