Coffee connoisseurs can enjoy the finest cup in the world in Paris, Naples, Barcelona, Turin – and in the heart of Swansea City Centre – according to the Daily Telegraph.

[aoa id=”1″]

Swansea’s beloved Kardomah Café has been picked out as one of the 50 best coffee houses in the world, for its fine brews, its layers of history, its people watching and its atmosphere.

Marcus Luporini, who is at the helm of the Kardomah, alongside his wife Louise, said: “I am chuffed. We are very proud of the Kardomah, and we work hard to make sure it retains its charm, its warm welcome and its uniqueness, so it is great to see it recognised alongside some of the shiny cafes to be found in trendy travel destinations like Lisbon, Turin, Trieste and Amsterdam.

[/aoa]

“The writer of the article points out that you can really access the personality of a city, as a tourist, by visiting its best cafes. I couldn’t agree more. Our regulars and our staff – many of whom have been with us for decades – help to make the Kardomah feel like a family home, in many ways, and you can’t put a price on that.

“I’m also pleased to see the heart of the City Centre being featured in a very positive way. Swansea City Centre is going through a transformation at the moment and we are all working hard to make a success of our businesses and to help Swansea thrive in challenging circumstances – and this really helps to give us a boost.”

Russell Greenslade, Swansea BID (Business Improvement District) Chief Executive, said:

“We are very pleased to see the Kardomah, one of our longest established Swansea BID area businesses, in the spotlight. This positive attention is very well deserved. The Kardomah is one of the great success stories of Swansea City Centre, as a very long-running independent family business. And I know people have a real fondness for it. Swansea has so many great food and drink outlets to be proud of, to suit all tastes, and it is interesting to see the Kardomah finding pride of place amid so many coffee houses that might be called ‘hipster hangouts’. It just goes to show, you can’t beat a bit of genuine Swansea soul and we encourage visitors to support them and our other businesses in the City Centre.”

The Kardomah Opened in 1957 and it still sports its original wood paneling, tiled floor and deco-style reliefs. Famous visitors have included Doctor Who and its writer Russell T Davies, while Dylan Thomas, Alfred Janes and Vernon Watkins were frequenters of Swansea’s original Kardomah, which was destroyed during the blitz.