A café that makes healthy eating exciting, uses high quality fresh produce, has nailed good service, an impressive understanding of various dietary needs and eating preferences, a huge variety of homemade bakes, and cocktails if you’re feeling a bit cheeky on a weekend.
I feel like I have discovered something quite special in the heart of Harrogate.
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, all choices that were once upon a time, and still too often are ‘second thought dishes’, an afterthought added to a menu to fill a quota. The thing is, fulfilling dietary requirements here isn’t a second thought, it’s a speciality. Nothing is compromised. The words boring and bland simply have no place here.
Let’s start with their juices, all freshly prepared to order. Not sure which to go for, you simply HAVE to sample the Juice Flights. A taster shot of all four of their signature house raw pressed juicers, on a board with fruit garnish for £5. Like everything at Hustle, this is beautifully presented and an aesthetic treat to behold. It’s rare I would order juices, so for me this was a perfect introduction. Drinking the rainbow would be an accurate description.
While I’m on the subject of what I rarely order, lets discuss their gluten free, house-made Granola with yogurt and an autumn compote. Not usually a fan of Granola, I walked away recommending it, I left a Granola convert. To give you some idea of the flexibility of this menu and the attention that goes into it... the berry compote was made from apples from the owner’s orchard and whilst I opted for the Greek Yogurt, vegans can enjoy the same dish with a plant-based yogurt.
The French toast with egg-soaked brioche, pan-cooked with smoked streaky bacon, smashed avo, roast baby vine tomatoes and sauteed mixed mushrooms is a dish I will be indulging in again. Perfect for a lazy brunch.
Their strapline is ‘reassuringly different to the ordinary’. I couldn’t write a better one for them. Owners Nici and Jo, are not from a catering or hospitality background which initially shocked me, considering the sleek café bar they run here. Then I realised it all makes sense. They have done it their way. Extremely passionate and hands on (you’ll see them dashing about, welcoming customers like old friends and making sure everything is ‘just so’!). Their passion is what makes Hustle & Co. Nothing here is done half-heartedly.
On top of the bar is a tempting cabinet crammed full of house made bakes. Their signature Raspberry and White Chocolate blondie is delightful and gluten free. 90% of their bakes are gluten free and 50% of those are also vegan. I love how so many of their dishes can be added to. Take their Goodness Grains Bowl (£12), smoked miso marinated tofu, house grains, broccolini finished in toasted sesame oil, sauteed and seasoned mixed peppers and onions with a house made satay sauce that I want the recipe for. This dish was busting with flavour and texture and alone is gluten free and vegan, but if you want more there are endless extras to add. I recommend the sticky Halloumi. If you’re wanting to increase your protein intake then the crispy parmesan crumb chicken sounds delicious but it would also work really well with a poached egg or perhaps some smoked salmon.
I hope I have given you a small taster of the diversity and flexibility of the offering at Hustle & Co.
I nearly forgot to mention, I’m planning on returning with the girls for an afternoon tea, Hustle style! (£28.50pp) These look refreshingly different indeed and I can assure you we will be
sampling one of their artisan curated cocktails. I hear they also serve some mean mocktails for those driving too.
Contact us
Hustle & Co.
Prince Albert Row, 71 Station Parade,
Harrogate HG1 1ST
Tel. 01423 552844
Facebook & Instagram: hustleandcocafe
Email. hello@hustleandcocafe.co.uk
Visit their website or social media for table reservations.
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