Swallow Coffee Shop

Goldhawk Road’s first speciality coffee shop is open for business.

With its stylish exterior, Swallow is a distinctive addition to the neighbourhood. ‘I’d been wanting to open an independent coffee shop for a few years and there wasn’t one on Goldhawk Road, ‘says owner Matt Parkes. ‘I walked past this building – I only live five minutes away – saw it was empty, rang up and that was that.’

Matt’s ethos is to ‘go the extra mile’ with excellent coffee and delicious fresh food, snacks, cakes and pastries (including vegan and gluten-free options). ‘Our coffee from Ozone is superb as is our unhomogenised Brades Barista milk. We also serve a wide range of teas and freshly baked goods.

‘We take pride in creating a relaxed environment,’ Matt continues. ‘Our experienced baristas, Jo and Ayesha, are welcoming, we’re dog-friendly, we offer free babyccinos and we’re happy to host meetings for local groups and cater for parties. So far a real cross-section of people has come – and that’s perfect. I see Swallow as a centre for the community.’