Dundee Cycle Hub Cafe

It was a lovely sunny January day when I was meeting Lyndsey of Lyndsey Currie Textiles for a semi-business lunch. We had met at the waterfront for a wander and were deciding where to go when I remembered the Dundee Cycle Hub had a little cafe with a lovely window seat and some vegan options.

We headed over and were delighted to find the window bench was free. It’s the perfect spot for enjoying the Waterfront view with the bonus of people-watching. It was quite quiet, but I’d imagine it would be a lot busier in summer when everyone is making the most of the Urban Beach.

It’s such a welcoming space with industrial bike-themed decor, plants, books, magazines, and merchandise. You can hear the workshop happenings in the background, but it’s still very peaceful. It would be a great place to get on with some work on your laptop over a coffee and you can even bring your dog.

We had a look at the wee menu; there aren’t a lot of options as it is a small cafe, but it’s very reasonably priced. Vegan-wise there was just the black bean and coconut chilli bowl, but there was also an avocado toast which I’m sure could be made vegan. We both opted for the chilli which was just £6 and came with some tortilla chips. It was very warming and the ideal comfort food for a wintery January day. We both loved that it was made with desiccated coconut as it wasn’t something we’d tried before (we both make a lot of chilli) and it really added to the texture.

There is usually a vegan sweet option, you just have to check the cake cabinet on the counter. We decided to share a slice of Oreo rocky road which was delicious - very rich and chocolatey - I certainly wouldn’t have managed a piece all to myself after the chilli. We had been planning on ordering a hot chocolate too, as we’d asked if it was vegan-friendly when ordered with oat milk, but we were all chocolate-ed out after the rocky road.

Of course, the Dundee Cycle Hub is much more than just a cafe. They are a social enterprise that provides bike recycling, sales, cycle servicing and repairs, bike hire and training opportunities. If you’re thinking of hiring a bike (or electric bike) they will be happy to help and have lots of information on local cycling routes. Their website has lots of details of current events and projects if you’d like to find out more. They also have a cycle hub in Arbroath.

The Dundee Cycle Hub is a fantastic addition to the Waterfront and I have to say I’m tempted to organise a bike hire for myself… though I think it’s been well over 15 years since I’ve ridden one. We’ll see how well that goes as to whether it makes it onto the blog!

Find Dundee Cycle Hub at Waterfront Place, Riverside Esplanade, Dundee DD1 4EZ
www.dacyclehub.org
@dundeecyclehub