*Words below are taken from my Instagram post for these food items. With some additional thoughts/ideas *
If you were to ask me my top five places to eat in North Wales, then Alpine Coffee House ( And now also their Pizza place Hangin’ Pizzeria just a few doors down) definitely make the list! Every time I’m in Betws, I have to pop in for a meal or a pastry.
The menu is filled with Vegetarian and Vegan-friendly options from breakfasts, quick bites, toasties and even an afternoon tea. For those that love tea ( not me, unfortunately), they have a HUGE collection and an entire menu dedicated to the different types. Personally, I’m a smoothie girl at heart! Luckily they always have a few smoothie options!
So, Why visit Alpine Coffee House?
What I Love about Alpine is that it’s a business with a cause. Or as they put it, a ‘cafe with a conscience’. Their entire business ethos regards raising awareness and funds towards Orangutan and Ape conservation. Specifically Ape Action Africa and Orangutan Appeal UK.
As well as their food sales, Alpine also sell various items online and within the cafe. This includes eco-mugs, t-shirts, food items ( homemade granola included!) and recently I noticed eco-friendly coffee logs. ( yes, I did do research and no; unfortunately, they don’t smell like coffee when burning! But what a fantastic way to recycle a waste product!). If you want to know more about what they do, then check out their BLOG for all their fundraising and various Ape-related news.
Alpine is also 100% palm-oil free and no longer offer single-use plastic straws or take-away cups ( but feel free to bring your own coffee cup/containers). Plus, the decor is eclectic and wonderful with an appropriate amount of Ape-inspired photography and artwork- which I love. They are also dog-friendly- Which is excellent considering Betws-y-coed has tons of fantastic ( and gorgeous!) walking paths for all levels of fitness.
What we ate at Alpine Coffee House, Betws-y-coed:
The below images are from two different visits.
The first time I decided to get the Vegan Breakfast: This comes with homemade hummus, Glamorgan sausages, mushrooms, tomato and diced potato as well as toast. The potato was so delicious, perfectly crispy and seasoned. The sausages and hummus were equally delicious. The mushrooms were slightly under-seasoned for my liking, but overall I was mighty impressed. I also got a sweet, tropical smoothie and guzzled it down within minutes. Can’t go wrong with a fresh, fruity smoothie.
For our second visit, we were popping in for a quick snack before a day of location-reccying. Alpine has a very inviting display of savoury and sweet homemade goodies. I haven’t been disappointed by one yet.
This time around, we decided to sample the ‘Hummingbird cake‘ ( a tropical banana and pineapple cake with a cream cheese frosting). Also, a Cheddar & Piccalilli tart. I can’t say much about these apart from we both loved both and we picked up more on the way out, to take home with us. I think that says it all!
The tart was quiche-like, with a buttery, crumbly pastry base and delicious filling. The cake was moist and flavourful and the icing was creamy and delicious.
Location: Betws-Y-Coed, Snowdonia, N. Wales
[
VEGETARIAN & VEGAN friendly ]
Web: @alpinecoffeehouse || http://www.alpinecoffeeshop.co.uk/
Remember, if you check out my Foodie Map then it contains the categorised (vegan-friendly, vegetarian-friendly, snacks/Grab n’ go etc.) location of every single foodie place I’ve reviewed, with links to my reviews.
