Brad and Dills, Harpenden

67 High St, Harpenden AL5 2SL
Sequestered at the far end of the High Street and competing with a considerably larger premises that sits almost exactly next door, one might wonder at how such a small business holds its own in a post-pandemic world. In fact, the first time I saw it, I was with my, then, heavily pregnant sister who physically couldn’t perch herself on the trendy barstools of their space maximising set-up and so we were driven to the, perfectly serviceable, cafe just two doors down. One likes to store away the locations of speciality coffee shops for future use and it wasn’t too long before the opportunity to try their brew arose again.
Like a pre-war Kuwait sandwiched between the Sultanate of Nejd and a burgeoning Ottoman Empire, one might expect this tiny spot to be swallowed up by the greater powers of its direct neighbour or the superpower that is Costa just further down the high-street. But where oil money, British interventionism (for better or worse, I’m making a laboured history analogy and not trying to make any sort of political or social point) and the strange tides of history saw Kuwait hold-off, and even outlive, these two powerhouses, Brad and Dills relies on Caravan coffee and freshly made bagels.
A tiny, one roomed ‘cottage’ of a place with a bar and benches outside, it’s quirky decor inside a historical housing probably appeals to many hipsters and high-end coffee snobs alike. It creates an air of excellency, of differentiation, just by being where it is in its cutesy cubby hole. But don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t earned its customers. Caravan Coffee Roasters are one of the speciality coffee roasters that have marked themselves out at the very top end of an extremely crowded field in London and the South East and so, to have your own house blend provided by them is certainly a great way to mark yourself out from others. Sweet and extremely fruity coffee, with rich caramel and chocolatey undertones, it suits my regular oat latte down to the ground and the provision of alternative milks is pretty standard. With plenty of plant based alternatives my hopes were up that the freshly made bagels they serve might also have a vegan option but on this occasion they were dashed as my companion revelled in telling me just how good their shmear and chive one was as I sulkily sipped away. I could have had some snack foods on offer but when the sign says ‘coffee and bagels’ you do rather hope you might be able to get both.
Set that aside, the non-vegan amongst you can easily enjoy great coffee and (I’m assured) delicious bagels without issue, inside or out of the characterful spot. Diminutive in stature it certainly holds itself well and long may its reign continue.