Coventry office harbours a 'hidden gem' cafe serving Caribbean fusion dishes

A new cafe in Coventry has been described as a 'hidden gem' offering a niche twist on its dishes after less than six months from opening. Cafe 101, at 101 Lockhurst Lane in Foleshill, is located within the office building and owned by Manpreet Kaur and her business partner Meeks which opened in August 2024.

The halal cafe offers breakfast, brunch, pancakes, grilled items, and fresh bakes, including viral desserts, in an open, family-friendly atmosphere from Tuesday to Friday. The menu entails a Caribbean fusion, which Manpreet says makes the dishes 'unique' and 'versatile'.

The pair's inspiration for starting Cafe101 was their experience of private cheffing, corporate events, and cooking for celebrities with their sister company, Official Brunch Bae, which started in 2021. The company uses the concept of brunch to create catering platters, from grazing tables to hot and cold food platters for special occasions.

Read more: Coventry's newest brunch cafe where food is served from unique feature

Speaking to CoventryLive, Manpreet said: "No one knows that we are located within a corporate building, but as there are many different businesses here, we get a good amount of footfall from clients who work in the building. The public footfall has been good so far, but we hope to push our social media to attract more people to visit."

When asked what makes Cafe101 stand out from other places in the city, Manpreet highlighted that their Caribbean fusions and having their own kids' corner in the cafe to use the space make them different from other Coventry establishments.

"I see lots of cafes in Coventry serving desi and English breakfast, but not anywhere where you can have the taste of the Caribbean in your meals, such as breakfasts with fried plantain in them. Also, many families like to go out, but it can be hard to keep the kids occupied, so our cafe has easy access to pushchairs, and our kid's corner is there for them to run around and keep them busy while parents have time to relax and chat."

Since opening in August, the menu has changed a couple of times to 'keep people interested,' with an additional kids menu to match the family-friendly atmosphere: "We make all our food fresh daily and make all the desserts ourselves, and keep up with the viral food trends, and we are the only place where you can build your own breakfast to fit everyone's needs. It also makes it cheaper for people to have that grab-and-go option if they don't have time to sit in."

She added that working seven days a week, attracting customers, and managing costs due to high food prices has been 'challenging'. With the current cost-of-living crisis, both of them have been 'reasonable' but said profits need to be made to survive and, in some cases, had to increase some of the items on the menu.

"We do want more customer flow and getting more people to know where we are. In the area, we don't have much competition around here, apart from a few food vans which sell the typical baps and breakfast items," Manpreet said.

Cafe101 has also hosted events from birthday parties and corporate functions and hopes to continue this moving forward in 2025, so people can hire the space out for their own The pair also hopes to open on Saturdays, have monthly specials, and try out new things such as munch boxes, including fried chicken waffles and lobster tail, to keep the menu 'new and exciting.

Where to find Cafe 101:

Location: 101 Lockhurst Lane, CV6 5SF.

Opening times: Tuesdays to Fridays 9am to 4pm.

For more information about Cafe 101, visit their Instagram page @cafe101cov.

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