While I was back in Oxford last weekend, I finally had the opportunity to make a long-awaited visit to Green Routes, the flagship cafe of local roaster Routes Coffee. Located on Magdalen Road, Green Routes serves top-notch specialty coffee and brunch in a cosy, multi-level space. It's well worth the stroll (or short bus ride) from Oxford city centre to East Oxford.
I've been meaning to visit Green Routes for some time now, but I never seemed to be in East Oxford at the right time. Magdalen Road itself is one of the best food and drink destinations in Oxford with venues like The Magdalen Arms, Taste of Tibet and Elle's Deli (formerly — and soon to be again — Oli's Thai) nearby. But if you're in the market for brunch, look no further than Green Routes, which has an extensive plant-based brunch menu, as well as other pop-ups and food collabs.
As soon as I walked inside Green Routes, I realised I'd been inside the space before, in its previous incarnation as Oxfork, perhaps a decade ago now. I love a good mezzanine inside a coffee shop and Green Routes has a particularly nice one, as well as several other seating areas set across three areas. Whether you want a cosy armchair or need to get some reading done at a table, you'll find a lovely place to sit.
I arrived relatively early on a Saturday morning — before the brunch rush and, unfortunately, before the Magdalen Road Food Festival kicked off (I had to go and see a man about a blue plaque). I headed straight to the shelf with retail bags of Routes Coffee beans. They had some delicious-sounding coffees, but it was hard for me to look past the Julio Quicken cultured fermentation coffee from Colombia. I've been brewing it at home in my V60 and the juicy melon and peach notes are coming through beautifully.
The same coffee was also available as the featured espresso on the brew bar, but I decided to stick with the house espresso for my piccolo. Named for the wonderful Hamblin Bread — just around the corner on the Iffley Road — the espresso is a blend of Colombian and Guatemalan coffees. Brewed as a piccolo, it tasted sweet and smooth, with chocolate and orange flavours. The latte art was excellent too.
I managed to nab a spot on the mezzanine balcony, which gave me a great view over the cafe, but I had a wander through the rest of the rooms too, which have a relaxed, cosy vibe, with local art on the walls and lots of different seating options. There's also a seating area outside; sadly, the British 'summer' was not playing ball last Saturday.
I discovered that the Routes Coffee roastery is even closer to home: it's located in Cowley, just a couple of miles from the village where I grew up and where my parents still live. You can visit the roastery to have a coffee or buy beans, but it's only open on weekdays. I'll have to bear this in mind for my next trip home!
Green Routes Cafe. 39 Magdalen Road, Oxford OX4 1RB. Website. Instagram.
Check out my Oxford specialty coffee city guide for more recommendations — originally compiled in 2016, but regularly updated.
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