Sweven Coffee’s insider guide to the independent restaurants, bars, & cafes of Bristol, England 🇬🇧
Jimmy Dimitrov and his wife, Aga, came from a decade in the coffee industry when they decided to settle down in Bristol. In 2019 they opened Sweven Coffee, a cafe & roastery at the fore of the ‘local independent restaurants and bars and cafes’ which Jimmy highlights in his travel guide to Bristol.
Filter: What do you like to do for fun around Bristol?
Eat & drink! Bristol is a great place to hang around and meet friends and enjoy the local independent restaurants and bars and cafés.
Sweven Coffee is located in the Bedminster neighborhood of Bristol, England. Photos courtesy of Sweven Coffee
Filter: If a good friend came to visit, where would you be sure to take them?
I would normally meet them in our coffee shop based in Bedminster, which is our neighbourhood, popular with its local community, street art, and independent businesses culture. We will have some coffee to begin with and then we will head over to visit some of the amazing local independent restaurants and bars around—The North Street Standard, The Old Bookshop, or Sonny Stores, only a few to mention.
Filter: What do you like to do to escape the city?
There are some amazing sceneries around Bristol and the surrounding areas. I recommend visiting the Mendips and Cheddar Gorge or going to Chew Magna or the Cotswolds.
Filter: What touristy things around Bristol are worth the hype?
Going to Bath to explore the ancient Roman baths. You can also eat some great food and find some nice coffee shops out there.
Filter: Where are your favorite quiet corners, green spaces, charming walks, or hidden gems there?
Poets Walk in Clevedon is beautiful. It’s only 30 minutes from Bristol and you can walk around the coast and see Wales across the channel if you are lucky on a sunny day.
Filter: What's another coffee shop around there that you really admire, and what about them stands out to you?
I recommend visiting a coffee shop in Bath called Colonna & Smalls which is one of the pioneers of specialty coffee in the southwest.
Filter: What makes Bristol feel like home to you?
The community, the local independent spirit, and being close to my family and friends.
Filter: How did you end up in the Bristol coffee scene?
It all began in 2010 where I was working in a local independent coffee shop alongside with my now wife. Back then coffee was very different to what it is now, but we both stayed in the industry and progressed eventually to get to where we are today, 14 years later.
Filter: Can you share about your role starting & running Sweven?
Since I’ve started my coffee journey back in 2010, I’ve worked in many different positions within the industry from being a barista to head barista to more managerial roles and training and quality control and sourcing. Our decision to open Sweven back in 2019 with my wife was based on our long-term experience and expertise in the coffee field. We combined everything we’ve learnt over the years and came up with a clear vision about what we wanted to create and achieve and this is how Sweven came about. Sweven is about the people first and foremost, it’s about relationships and sharing special moments, and being able to achieve this only around coffee is the most powerful and rewarding part of it all.
Filter: If you could move to any place in the world just for the coffee scene, where would you move, and what shop would be the biggest reason?
I love the coffee scene in Tokyo, Japan and would really like to visit one day. A coffee shop that serves an Omakase-style menu and it’s called Cokuun.
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