Gloucester Road, Bristol

Open at 6.
Somebody has to be.

We pour flat whites for night shift nurses, bakers on their break, and cyclists who left too early to eat. The lights go on at ten to six. The bolt comes off the door at six sharp.

See the menuGet directions
A tray of fresh swirled buns from Wild Rye bakery

Hanna's tray lands on the counter at 5:40. By ten it looks nothing like this.

Why six o'clock?

Most cafés on Gloucester Road open at eight. By then the people who start work in the dark have been up for hours. Priya spent twelve years as one of them, buying coffee from a vending machine on Ward 9.

Small Hours opened in March 2021 in what used to be a key cutting shop. We kept the old brass sign above the door. We added a long window bar so you can watch the street wake up.

If you work in a hospital, a bakery, a sorting office or a bus depot, your second coffee is on us. Just say so. We won't ask for proof.

Tom pouring steamed milk into a cortado

Opening hours

Monday to Friday
6:00 to 3:00
Saturday
7:00 to 4:00
Sunday
8:00 to 2:00

Bank holidays we open at 7. Christmas Day we're closed, and so should you be.

Behind the counter

Tom and Ffion standing behind the counter before opening
Tom and Ffion, 5:55 on a Saturday. Priya took the photo.

Priya Lal

Owner

Worked twelve years as a ward sister at the BRI and could never find a coffee before her 7am shift. So she opened one.

Tom Okafor

Head barista

Dials in the grinder every morning at 5:30 and will tell you more about water hardness than you asked.

Ffion Hughes

Weekends and toasties

Studying architecture at UWE. Runs Saturdays and has strong opinions about how much cheese is enough.

What the regulars say

“I finish nights at 7:30. For three years the only coffee open was the petrol station. Now I sit at the window with a flat white and actually wind down before I sleep.”
Grace M.A&E nurse, comes in four days a week
“They remember my order and they remember my dog's name. Biscuit gets a sausage end if Tom is on.”
Daniel R.Lives on Berkeley Road
“Best cardamom bun in Bristol and I've done the research. Get there before ten or don't bother.”
Aisha K.Self appointed bun critic

Come and find us

214 Gloucester Road

Bishopston, Bristol BS7 8NU

Next to the launderette, opposite the Co-op. The 75 and 76 buses stop right outside. There's a bike rack for six, and a bowl of water for dogs by the door.

0117 946 0213hello@smallhours.coffee
Sunlit window bar with wooden chairs looking out over the street