Cawa Coffee: Old HSBC bank in Broomhill set to become cafe as 'foodie hub' plans unveiled

A popular Sheffield cafe chain famed for its fish finger croissants is continuing its whirlwind expansion by opening at a former bank.

Cawa opened its first branch at a tiny premises in Broomhill in 2017 and had just four employees at first

Six years later, despite having had to contend with the Covid pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, it now has six branches, with more on the way, a huge bakery near Meadowhall and it employs around 85 staff.

When will the new Cawa cafe open and what will be different?

The latest Cawa cafe to open will be at the former HSBC bank on Fulwood Road, in Broomhill, beside its existing cafe.

The site, scheduled to open in late October, will be its largest yet and will be called La Reserve by Cawa. It will be Moroccan/Turkish themed, with a mosaic tiled floor and a 3.3 metre-tall artificial tree in the centre.

As well as the usual range of pastries, it will serve afternoon teas and will stay open into the early evening serving cocktails. It will have a Mediterranean menu, with a pizza oven in the kitchen. There are also plans to host events like Spanish-themed tapas nights with flamenco music and dancing.

It is only a few weeks since Cawa opened a takeaway at Meadowhall shopping centre, called La Croissanteria and focusing on filled croissants, which has proved such a success that there are already plans to open many more such outlets across the north.

Where are Cawa's existing sites and where else does it plan to open?

Cawa's other branches are on Division Street, in Sheffield city centre; Chesterfield, where there are two sites, including one at the railway station; and Nottingham station. More are in the pipeline at Derby station, Leicester station and St Pancras station in London, and there are plans too for a new sit-down cafe at Meadowhall.

Describing the soon-to-open cafe in Broomhill, Deon Jacobs, Cawa's business development director, told The Star: "It's going to be a bit more upmarket than the cafes we have so far and we want it to be part of a new foodie hub in Broomhill, like you have in Kelham Island.

"There are already some fantastic eateries in Broomhill but we want to bring more artisan restaurants into the area."

He added that it has not all been plain sailing so far, with the walls of the old bank being so thick that several drills have been broken trying to break through and create a door to the existing cafe.

What is the origin of Cawa Coffee and what are the best-selling items on the menu?

Cawa is the original word for coffee in Turkish/Arabic and today is used to refer to somewhere you can enjoy a hot drink, food and the chance to socialise.

It was co-founded by Galyna Hayat, who has Ukrainian heritage and emigrated to the UK in 1997, and the sourdough starter used to make their bread is 150 years old, having been passed down through the generations of Galyna's family.

The cafe's sign proudly declares 'Baked in Sheffield, rooted in Ukraine', and after the war broke out in Ukraine Cawa helped people fleeing the violence to secure jobs at the company.

With its Arabic name, Ukrainian roots and pastries made using LeScure butter and Moul Bie flour imported from France, Cawa has a very international feel, and it is not afraid to push the limits of food fusion.

As well as its fish finger croissants, which are Cawa's best-seller, you can get the traditional French pastry with Italian, Lebanese, Moroccan fillings, to name just a few.

Its cruffins (a croissant and muffin hybrid) and almond croissants are among the other most popular items on the menu, with Cawa so confident in the quality of the latter that it is entering them in the prestigious Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie (World Pastry Cup) taking place in France next year.

It's not all about the pastries, Deon explains, with the coffee beans imported from Colombia and Brazil before being roasted at Cawa's bakery and sent out to the cafes.

As well as supplying Cawa's own cafes, the 25,000 sqft bakery provides bread for other eateries stretching from Harrogate to Nottingham and its sourdough loaves are also available for home delivery via Amazon.