Tired of feeling guilty every time you shill out on an overpriced filter coffee? Or for always skipping the plant-based toasies in Starbucks – in your defense they are always soggy.
If only there were a way that you could eat on-the-go both sustainably and deliciously, saving the planet and your friends from your hanger. Oh wait, here are four sustainable cafés that you can try in Newcastle- Upon-Tyne that level up the usual sad, bland vegan options. With succulent meals and juicy environmental policies to match, maybe you’ll finally be able to finish Veganuary this 2025.
4 – Pink Lane Bakery
With all meals around the £5-£6 mark, and drinks between £3-£4, The Pink Lane Bakery operates at a mid-range price point that is definitely doable for students. Located a 5 minute walked from the West Jesmond metro centre, it’s accessible from the University and situated between rows upon rows of student housing.
They stock a wide variety of vegan, vegetarian and GF options, with ingredients of their baked goods listed in-store and packaged products listing allergens on the back. Whilst their store gives away little about the company’s sustainability promises, the shop actually gained noteriety for its eco policies in the first place! They were one of the first bakeries in Newcastle to go plastic-free, switching to compostable cups in 2023. They went on the win the ‘Best Plastic Free Business in Jesmond’ award the same year! The company also donates to climate initiatives on Ecologi and solely uses electric vans and bikes to transport goods.
Unfortunately, I find the products at Pink Lane Bakery a little lacking, with cookies snapping dry in your mouth and coffee lukewarm at best… I have also yet to be able to try one of the sit-down meals as the back of the café is entirely full at seemingly all moments of the day, even in the holidays! In general I just find going into the store a little stressful, with the food displays placed awkwardly near the door and the small queuing space, I always feel like I’ve stood on top of someone for 5 minutes only to end up wasting my food.
3 – The Coffee Trader
A little step-up in price, Coffee Trader offers meals from around £7-£10, and drinks from £3-£5. Located just past the Laing Art Gallery off of New Bridge St, the café is safely in the city centre and accessible from the University and high-street.
They offer a slightly smaller range of sustainable food products, with a few vegan and veggie options. Allergen information is a little harder to find, with customers having to ask at the till. However, the company all but makes up for it with their impressive ethical sourcing policies, introducing the UK’s first triple-certified (Fairtrade, organic and Rainforest Alliance) espresso in 2004. Their website details strong commitments to their workers, minimising waste and all-in-all environmental trailblazing. You can wash away the climate-guilt with one of these uber-sustainable coffees.
Coffee Trader offer a wide enough range of meals to satisfy most tastes, and are particularly well renowned for their absolutely massive hot drinks. You definitely get what you pay for! They are also lenient with students studying in the space for hours, curating a homely, studious vibe in the dimly lit café.
2 – Urban Green Café
Another in the mid-price range, Urban Green Cafe in Exhibition Park, Jesmond, sells food from £4-£7, from sarnies to stotties. They also have a fun dog menu, boasting raw, ethically sourced cuts of meat!
All proceeds and profits from this café go right back into maintaining Exhibition Park, one of Newcastle’s most important green-spaces and home to a range of local wildlife. Almost everything on the menu is either vegan or vegetarian, a spot truly for the environmental among us. This spot also won the ‘Best Plastic Free Business in South Jesmond’ award in 2023, for their dedication to reducing plastic waste in takeout orders.
The inside of this café is dedicated to the eco-friendly vibe, decorated with exposed wood and fraying rope. They’re extremely dog friendly, so if you, like me, enjoy a little canine company then this place is truly elevated. As it is located a little off-road, this café is usually quiet save for after a Park Run, so perfect if you enjoy sitting alone and watching the nature go by!
1 – Magic Hat Café
Every students dream, the Magic Hat Café serves meals from as cheap as £3-£10! Hidden underneath some perpetual scaffolding on New Bridge St West, this place is truly a hidden gem.
Where to start on their mind-blowing sustainability?! Every day the menu at this café changes in accordance with what locally sourced fresh produce is available; and, the staff aim to sell out products during the day and take them off the menu as a commitment to having no food waste! They also support BIND, an zero waste environmental campaign. Most of the options on this menu are vegan or veggie, with all allergens listed on their online menu available by QR code at the table.
This café almost feels too cool for me to sit in. Lilting jazz backtracks the soft hum of people chatting and working in the collab-space, a fun mixture of students and online workers. You’re greeted with a complimentary water the moment that you walk in, and staff are eager to help you find a place to sit despite the clear popularity of the joint. There is no rush to move along, as people all around are immersed in work or conversations, they have truly achieved their vision of an environmentally-friendly, hipster second space.
Justice for Pink Lane Bakery!! Try the one that’s in Newcastle not Jesmond their brownies are mega