Plymouth's café culture thrives with ever-changing venues

Summarised from PlymouthLive's report · Updated 17 Oct, 07:08 · Archive

Plymouth's café scene is more varied and extensive today than at any point in its history.

Plymouth's café culture has deep roots but is now more varied and extensive than at any point in its history. Older residents remember chains like Lyons alongside independent venues such as Genoni's and El Sombrero, which pioneered the late-1950s coffee bar scene where young people would nurse a single cup for hours, enjoying jukebox music.

In recent decades, cafés have evolved into multipurpose spaces for reading, writing, dining, socialising and relaxing, with hardly a busy street in Plymouth lacking one. Some venues have endured, such as Cap'n Jaspers, while others have faded from memory or been short-lived, including the Chicago Rock Café on Cobourg Street and the brief cyber café era before smartphones made internet access ubiquitous. New establishments constantly open and close, making it difficult to keep track of the city's café landscape.

Read the report

• Sips through the decades: The Plymouth cafés we loved, lost and still cherish todayPlymouth's café society has a rich, long history but never has it been so widespread as it is todayPlymouthLive · 17 Oct, 06:00

In this story: Plymouth · Lyons · Genoni's · El Sombrero · Cap'n Jaspers

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