Discovering a new eatery is one of life’s greatest pleasures for me – and discovering a new coffee and cake shop is possibly even better!  Trade opened up on Commercial Street just a few months ago – a welcome addition to the row of of fashion and textiles wholesalers just south of Spitalfields market.

Formerly the site of a menswear wholesaler, the Trade team thankfully ripped out the furnishings and started over, giving the place a fantastic makeover.  Lots of wood, bare bulbs, copper piping and clean-lined furniture make the space a joy to relax in, particularly on a sunny day (such as Easter Monday, when I visited), and the doors at the back of the café were thrown open so that we could sit on the sunny decking.

An independently owned specialist coffee shop, Trade offers small-batch roasted specialist coffees, quality loose leaf teas and delicious food.  The cakes, cookies and muffins are homemade daily from the finest, ethically-sourced ingredients.  The meat comes from an artisan supplier in Devon, the bread from local bakers, and the fruit and veg is purchased daily from New Spitalfields Market.  There’s even a mini smoker out the back for producing the Trade-Made deli meats that fill the Trademark sandwiches.  Now that’s dedication!

Ciaran and I popped in for a cuppa, cake and catch up on the afternoon of Easter Monday.  I drank fresh mint tea with a chocolate granola bar, and he devoured a ginormous block of carrot cake (generously frosted with cream cheese!) and a ginger beer.  I think all of that came to £11.

My only criticism was that they didn’t serve chai lattes 🙁 but the mint tea was probably a healthier post-Easter option (if you can’t live without chai, however, you must pop along to Exmouth Coffee Co, just 5 minutes away next to the Whitechapel Gallery – the best chai in E1!)

Trade is conveniently located just far enough from Spitalfields Market to escape the droves of tourists, but close enough for those-in-the-know to seek it out for a high quality caffeine fix – and a piece of cake while you’re at it!

Trade
47 Commercial Street, E1 6BD