‘We want to create a really good coffee experience for people’ - new cafe opens in Great Yarmouth
Owners Marios Charalambides, 29 and Margarita George, 25, outside their coffee shop 21 East in Regent Road, Great Yarmouth. Picture: Joseph Norton - Credit: Archant
Who doesn’t love to treat themselves to a hot drink and a slice of cake after a long stroll along the beach?
Well, visitors to Great Yarmouth now have a new authentic coffee shop in which to do just that - 21 East.
Owned by partners Marios Charalambides, 29 and Margarita George, 25, the pair hope the cafe in Regent Road will soon become a meeting point in the town.
Mr Charalambides is a trained barista while Miss George has been working in her father’s restaurant, Wrights, for a number of years.
The duo now feel the time is right to embark on a business venture of their own.
Mr Charalambides said: “We want to create a really good coffee experience for people.
“I haven’t been able to find a place in Great Yarmouth which sells a proper coffee so that lead to me wanting to open this shop.”
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The 29-year-old said he has took inspiration from Strangers Coffee House in Norwich - a café he regularly visits which roasts its own coffee beans on site.
The couple have spent more than £10,000 on perfecting their coffee shop, which has included buying a specialist coffee machine from Hertfordshire to make sure customers are left with a lasting impression.
“We just want people to give us a try. What makes us stand out is how much we focus on the attention to detail,” Mr Charalambides said.
“Our cups are much smaller than the coffee chains and we have a better ratio of milk to coffee.
“I am sure people will be able to taste the difference.”
As well as hot drinks, the cafe also sells ice teas, slush puppies and smoothies.
For those who want to be slightly more indulgent the shop sells a variety of treats from cakes to ice cream.
With the coffee beans being roasted in Norfolk and the baked goods being sourced from businesses in Great Yarmouth, the couple are keen to maintain a local theme within the cafe.
Miss George said: “I was born in Great Yarmouth so I wanted to make sure we kept a real community feel to the place.
“We have had a fairly slow start but I am confident business will soon pick up.”
For more information visit their Instagram page 21eastcoffeeco or find them on Facebook.