One of Liverpool’s favourite indie coffee shops opens in the Baltic with its own roastery

The owners of one of Liverpool’s longest-standing independent coffee shops have opened a new one in the Baltic Triangle with its own roastery.

Rococo Coffee House upstairs on Lord Street, Liverpool has been a favourite for coffees, breakfasts and lunches since it launched in 2008.

It’s built a loyal local following and has become a popular stop with tourists arriving in the city centre who spot its little doorway signage.

Now Gareth Dyer and Paul Vernon, the business partners behind Rococo and its sibling Café Lucaya on Water Street, have created a third coffee shop – Stanhope Coffee.

Located on Stanhope Street, near Cains Brewery Village and Jacaranda Baltic, it has an in-house roastery and a menu of bestsellers chosen from the other two sites.

It’s also got a few new additions not available in Rococo or Café Lucaya, including a build-your-own breakfast toastie which has proved an instant hit.

Co-owner Gareth, who’s originally from St Helens, says Stanhope Coffee comes with exactly the same ethos that’s made their other venues such a success. “Our initial slogan for Rococo was ‘saving Liverpool from corporate coffee’,” he explains.

“We were one of only a few independent coffee shops in Liverpool city centre at the time and all the big corporate chains were coming in. That’s what our aim was – doing coffee better, in a better environment, with better service and better quality food. 

“We wanted to create something unique where people feel at home and the staff we have are like a little family. It’s what we’ve based our business on ever since and thankfully it’s worked.

“When we first launched our plan was just to survive and be able to pay the bills, but over time we expanded. We only had one room at first and now we’ve got four, so we had the space to be able to grow.

“Once that happened, if we could find another opportunity and another good location for our ideas, then we looked to roll out what we already have. That’s what we’ve done with Café Lukaya and now Stanhope Coffee.”

Gareth says he and Paul originally bought the old warehouse building in the Baltic as a roastery, supplying coffee to their own shops and to customers via online subscriptions.

“That was just over three years ago, then because we had the space we decided to get planning permission to turn it into a coffee shop as well. 

“The USP of Stanhope is people can come in and see their coffee being roasted, so you can’t get any fresher than that.”

Dog friendly Stanhope Coffee seats around 30 with a few extra tables outside and is open from 8am to 4pm every day.

The good news for fans of Rococo and Lukaya is there are plenty of familiar items on the menu including its much-loved cheese on toast and Baileys lattes. 

“Breakfast is more or less identical to the other two, and the main menu is slightly smaller but still got a good variety,” adds Gareth.

“We looked at what was most popular – we’re lucky enough to have two stores with different clienteles but also trends and staples – so the menu is really all the hits.”

Check out and get all the info on Rococo Coffee’s instagram here.

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