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Shoreditch has a thriving café scene, giving local coffee lovers plenty of choice. We speak to the co-founders of popular café Attendant on Great Eastern Street, Bosh McKeown and Ryan De Oliveira, on community, great tasting sustainable produce and what they love about the area.

1. What is Attendant and how would you describe yourselves?

Attendant is a group of innovative and service-focused brunch cafés. Our vision is to create a great experience for our customers by offering high-quality and sustainable produce. We have also designed our cafés in Shoreditch and Fitzrovia to be welcoming spaces that bring people together from all walks of life. A place to take a moment, gather your thoughts, and refuel.

2. What separates your coffee and café from the others in the area?

Our cafés are centred around cultivating a community of like-minded people that have a passion for ethical sourcing and sustainability. We work very hard to produce an environment that is relaxing, inspiring and has an energetic vibe, consolidating all of this with the best possible service, coffee and food.

3. Why did you decide to launch Attendant?

We really wanted to offer something different; wholesome food that is produce-driven, seasonal and fresh, and coffee that is sustainably farmed and tastes great. We are passionate about supporting the sustainable coffee trade and this is reflected in the better-quality coffee we use and the way we roast it, honouring the hard work local people have put into farming it.

4. What first attracted you to the area? Why is Shoreditch a good fit for Attendant?

We have now been in Shoreditch for 2.5 years and we were drawn to the area because of the strong and eclectic community that Shoreditch attracts, from creatives and fashionistas to start-ups and tech and finance workers - we love the rich diversity of people in the area.

We designed Attendant in Shoreditch with all of these people in mind, from how the café looks to the food we serve. There is also a great appreciation of sustainable food and coffee in the area, which fits our philosophy perfectly. Customers in the area really appreciate good coffee too.

5. What is your favourite type of coffee?

Flat white for milky coffee and Ethiopian single origin filter coffee. 

6. What are the most popular brunch and/or lunch dishes at Attendant?

Smashed avocado with poached eggs and maple cured bacon or Maldon deep smoked salmon.

7. Where’s your favourite place for lunch / drinks / dinner?

Lunch: Mercardo Taverna, Spitalfields
Drinks:  Calloo Calay, Nightjar and The Hoxton hotel
Dinner: City Social 

8. Why is Shoreditch such a great place to spend time?
   

The dynamic mix of people in the area really makes Shoreditch stand out from so many other parts of London. The synergy of all these different types of people make the area truly special.

We love spending time here because of the upcoming art galleries in the area, cultural activities on offer and the street art, which is inspirational. There is also a thriving restaurant and bar scene, with a great selection of good quality food, coffee and cocktails.

For more information, visit Attendant at: www.the-attendant.com