ALMA Café and Gifts makes best coffee shop shortlist

ALMA Café and Gifts in Coppergate is shortlisted in the top 10 coffee shops in York as voted by readers of The Press, in a competition paying tribute to the best businesses in the city.

Readers are able to vote for the Best Coffee Shop 2024 by picking up a copy of The Press newspaper until Saturday December 7, with the winner set to be announced in the week commencing December 16.

Lisa said her coffee, especially the flat white, is a customer favourite (Image: Supplied)

Owner Lisa Holah said the inspiration behind the name came from the initials of members of her family – Anna, Lisa, Max and Andres, and the café logo is a portrait of their cat.

Lisa said: “We opened just over two years ago and the plan was to open a café in which we ourselves would love to spend our time, with a warm, informal atmosphere.

“Where someone can enjoy a breakfast while reading a paper in a favourite seat, or might treat their companion to a quiet few moments seated on the sofa in the basement.

“That area provides a refuge for families and a free venue for groups such as book clubs.”

The basement can be used by groups such as this book club and Lisa said they would welcome more get togethers at the café (Image: Supplied) The owner said ALMA Café and Gifts has a focus to cater for the local community as well as visitors and their range of gifts include many designed by Lisa’s partner Andres, who is a painter and art teacher, and was active in planning the layout and decor.

The café offers breakfasts, lunches and afternoon teas and their ingredients are all sourced from local York suppliers, for example the milkshakes are made with Yorvale ice cream and coffee comes from York Emporium.

The family cat and inspiration for the café logo, here with Andres (Image: Supplied) Lisa said: “It’s not just about providing great coffee and a delicious menu, it’s about creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere in the morning, greeting everyone with a smile, and fostering a sense of community.

"After two years we’ve created a space that works wonderfully well for both our customers and ourselves.

“We’re committed to continuing to foster the sense of community.

“People seem to enjoy our library and we’d love to welcome more groups to use our basement for activities.

“Many customers return time and again, clearly happy to do so, and they engage with me personally, which is most rewarding.”

Lisa said from the menu, her coffee, especially the flat white, seems to be a hit and has gone down well with everyone, according to reviews.