Kongoni (was "The Upstairs Coffee Shop")

Coventry has had some very good coffee houses. One, which was very popular, was the Kongoni in Market Way. I'm not sure when it closed (perhaps someone on the forum knows?) but I would think that if there had been enough trade then it would still be there now. It's only in recent years that 'proper' coffee has become fashionable.

I often went to the Kongoni Coffee House in the mid 60s. The cafe had a great atmosphere. On the way out I used to buy a 1/4 lb of Kenya coffee, medium ground - delicious.

The shop was in the subway / walk through to the Barracks car park, just down from the old Electricity Board shop where you paid your bills. On the ground floor were masses of coffee sacks and a large grinding machine, that you had to walk past to go upstairs to the cafe. Does any one have any memories of this shop, and its smells, and does anyone remember the name? I know we have an old thread to do with coffee shops, but this one seemed to import the stuff by the sack load. I am sure the smell came from the roasting of the beans, you could smell them all the way down the subway.

You may mean the "Kongoni", Baz

That's the one. Thanks.

Yes, it seemed very posh when I was young - later on it was just a run of the mill cafe upstairs! There was a shop which sold fur coats, next to it

They were both tucked out of sight weren't they in a sort of L-shaped "mini-arcade"?

But wasn't the smell from the Kongoni just out of this world!!

The fur coat shop was Swears & Wells.

It just crossed my mind that the coffee shops that we have in the city centre now, do not smell like the Kongoni ever did.

Hi all I am sure that I have shared this before, but, me as a schoolboy, waiting for the no.17 to Baginton Village at the Broadgate stop, with the aroma of coffee being roasted inside the Lyons (pre-fab) cafe was so nice. My parents did not like me having coffee until I was in my mid-teens. A parental guide book that my daughter-in-law has, discourages giving coffee to children.

No, they do not. Without mentioning any names there is no smell outside. I would go through that arcade every day on my way to St.Osburgs school. I'm sure that's why I'm a coffee addict now!

Yes, very much so! I think the difference was in me - as a small child it was something totally different to anything we knew - and being tucked away made it more mysterious! Then, as a grown up, with more life experience, the mystery had gone - like so many things in life, sadly.

I remember the Kongoni vividly because my 3 brothers all had Saturday/Summer jobs there when we were teenagers. I desperately wanted to work there too, but being a girl, I wasn't allowed. After a year of cleaning the house for my 50p pocket money, I went out and got a Saturday job on the makeup counter in BHS instead, much to the anger of my parents! The Kongoni was great - the smell is completely memorable, as are the memories of bundling upstairs with friends, squeezing together on the seats, and admiring the paintings for sale which displayed local art. My brothers always brought home a 1/4lb bag of coffee beans - our favourites were Kenya Costa Rica and Jamaica Blue Mountain. My Dad would grind the beans, and make the coffee in a small enamel coffee pot on the stove, which we would all taste. The paper bag which carried the fresh beans, would be left open on the boiler to infuse the house with a lovely coffee smell! I still grind my own beans today and this brings back vivid memories of youth! The owners were Mr and Mrs Metcalf, who I think, were South African. He was very strict and my brothers didn't particularly love the job! Upstairs was always bustling with young people, smells, music and constant chat. It was a great place, a hidden gem!

Hello & welcome to you, Helena Cerowski.