Cafes / Reviews
CJ’s
Around the BBC on Whiteladies Road, businesses have sprung up to complement and service the corporation’s output, with much of The One Show being made by Icon Films overlooking College Green, and other businesses such as Films at 59 on Cotham Hill offering some of the best post-production facilities not just in the city but in the country.
The same affect has happened around the BRI, a sprawling site that now almost joins up to St Michael’s Hospital up the hill – which I have spent a lot of time in over the last 24 hours following the birth of my second daughter, Lois, on Tuesday evening who can’t wait to explore more of Bristol than Ward 76.
Dads, mums, siblings and the thousands of hospital staff and visitors need something to eat that’s not just chocolates and crisps from vending machines.
is needed now More than ever
The Robin Hood pub on St Michael’s Hill is a popular place to drink to the health of new babies, while despite outcry over the appearance of a large Costa in the BRI’s new foyer, it serves a purpose and is usually full from morning until night.
Head over the road and there are more welcoming choices, however, with the newest option CJ’s Coffee House & Deli on Upper Maudlin Street.
Formerly the Spanish-Italian cafe Alioli, the kitchen is still at the back, with an increased emphasis on the deli. So there are now jams and relishes to buy in jars, and a counter where you can choose the fillings for your sandwich or baguette.
No doubt most of the trade here will continue to be breakfast and lunch on the run, but there are still a dozen or so seats inside, with some fascinating old GWR adverts displayed on the walls including promenading down a traffic-free Portway.
Specialities at CJ’s include focaccia and a spicy breaded chicken wrap, both £3.95 for takeaway or £4.95 to eat in.
Pastries and tray bakes come from Cakesmiths on the Kingsland Trading Estate in St Philip’s, beginning to be a familiar option in many Bristol cafes.
There are also soups and quiches of the day, and a plat du jour which on Tuesday was chilli con carne.
There is 10% off for NHS staff at CJ’s. Seeing the work they do at first-hand this week, I can confidently proclaim the midwives, doctors, nurses and assorted support staff heroes one and all.
If I owned a business around the hospitals, I wouldn’t just be grateful for their custom, I’d roll out the red carpet whenever they visited.
CJ’s Coffee House & Deli, 14 Upper Maudlin Street, Bristol, BS2 8DJ
0117 904 4495
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