Café 67 is in the middle of the Colwick Loop industrial estate on Road No 2. I found the place on a food hunting lunch time sortie when I was using myfoodhunt ‘radar’ and had guessed that there would be some sort of café on the industrial estate (or perhaps I was just driving aimlessly about feeling hungry?) Either way it turned out that my hunch was right and there was indeed a café on the estate.
If you drive along the Colwick Loop Road between Netherfield and the Racecourse you can turn in to Road No 2 either at the Netherfield end by Road No 1 or the Racecourse end at Mile End Road just past the Toby Cavery. Follow the road around and you will see multiple café signs.
As you walk in the first thing you see is the Sign for the Special Breakfast (which I did try) a feature I was most delighted to note as I am always happy to locate ‘all day breakfast’ situations.
You never know when you might be in dire need of such a plate.
The Special Breakfast
As I said on my first visit I took a chance on that Special Breakfast, and was met with mixed fortune, you most certainly got a good sized plateful for your money, but I also got a couple of the things I don’t like on the plate too.
If I have to have tomato, I am always hopeful that it will be a grilled half of a tomato, and I always hope and pray that it is not a big spoonful out of a tin. I always hope for a decent sausage and not a cheap catering sausage, it wasn’t starting well.
However on the positive side I had a couple of really nicely fried eggs with runny yolks, I liked my bacon and the toast was just as I like white and buttery.
What did I learn from this? I learnt that next time I want breakfast at Café 67 I will order fried eggs on toast, or bacon and eggs and if I do that I will be a happy diner. Cracking mug of tea as well that really hit the spot, not too shabby for £5.
The Specials Board
There are a regular set of Homemade options on the various ‘Dish of the Day’ boards adourning the walls. Wholesome and Hearty options that you just know will slip down nicely.
On each visit I have made to Café 67 the options have been ‘Chilli Con Carné’, ‘Chicken Curry’, ‘Spaghetti Bolognese’ and ‘Sweet and Sour Chicken’.
I am kind of guessing that they may be the same every day.
I decided to try the Chilli with rice and for some reason agreed to a topping of cheese. This is your classic café chilli con carne, it isn’t too spicy, just mildly warm, it has many of the ingredients that you expect in a chilli and is a classic reminding me of dishes I was given in the Seventies.
It was a plate covered in a mixture of mostly mince beef in gravy with red beans, onion, some mushroom, and some bell pepper (I think I had bits of yellow and red, as well as the expected green pepper.)
The cheese sprinkled over the chilli was so wrong but yet so right at the same time as it melted into the chilli making it all gooey on top.
This would have been better on a jacket potato than with rice, and it would also have worked in a soft tortilla or in a wrap.
It didn’t take me back to Mexico but it did take me back to a childhood memory of what we thought chilli was supposed to be, and for that I was warmed inside and satiated in my mind and stomach. I would eat it again.
I have to say that I liked Café 67, it is brightly lit with a kind of Mod theme all over the walls, Mopeds, Quadrophenia, the Jam, the Specials you know the kind of thing.
There isn’t a big group of scooter boys though in the corner which would have made it more interesting, but each time I have come in, the place has been frequented with a set of regulars all talking about local stuff on the radio and stuff that was in the paper that day.
There is a mixed crowd from the surrounding industrial estate and a few passing by as well. It is a warm and friendly place, and if I was working on the industrial estate I could easily make it my local café spot for lunch, possibly breakfast too and somewhere to grab a cup of tea.
As I noted Café 67 is on Colwick Road No 2 in the heart of the industrial estate, you cant really miss it as it is well signposted. There is also plenty of parking at the back and on the main road.
It is worth making a mental note if you have a greasy spoon urge as you pass along the Colwick Loop Road.