Coffee On The Crescent is a coffee shop in Hyde Park opened by a former professional cricketer after he retired from a ten-year career. He had spent his downtime as a player seeking out independent coffee houses around the world, and the shop is his way of recreating the spirit of The Alchemist, the Paulo Coelho novel that changed the course of his life at 16: “A calm, friendly, beautiful and inspirational place for people to meet, drink great coffee and feel uplifted.”

The house espresso is roasted by Echelon, whose roastery is a ten-minute walk away and with whom the shop has worked for more than five years. North Star’s The Docks blend, its Brazil decaf and Rwandan Ijabo, and coffees from Cuppers Choice in Sheffield are on the shelf, with Hebden Tea loose-leaf teas from York, and sourdough and organic eggs for collection on Fridays.

The shop shows and sells the work of local artists, authors and makers, and has hosted an art exhibition. In 2021 it raised 3,000 pounds for the local food bank and started a project to restore a forgotten corner of Woodhouse Moor. It is a real Living Wage employer with five full-time baristas.

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: Coffee On The Crescent