A few weeks ago in May 2011, I toddled down to the Café at 36 to grab myself a vanilla latté and a toasted panini as a bit of a treat. I was surprised to see that it looked a little different from the last time I had ventured in and was told that the previous owner, Jim, had left the café before Christmas 2010. This was sad news in one way as he was a very nice chap and his wife had provided the colourful artworks that once hung on the walls. These are now gone, having been replaced by more sedate, traditional works. What has been retained though is the menu with a few tweaks and additions as well as the same air of French café style. The menu is still fairly simple - paninis and soup - but dishes I hadn’t noticed before are American pancakes with maple syrup with or without bacon and Welsh rarebit with a fried egg. They may well have been there before, but I don’t remember seeing them!
With the abundance of high street coffee shops in Exeter, this is still one of the most inviting and characterful places to get your caffeine fix, catch up with friends or grab a bit of lunch. Cowick Street isn’t exactly convenient for those who are shopping in the centre of town, but if you fancy something a little different it’s definitely worth a visit. For locals, it is still a precious gem that I’m sure they are very grateful to have in their midst.