Inside hidden Durham market café serving Rolocoffees and Cherry Bakewell matcha

A family-run Durham Market Hall café is attracting attention with quirky drinks including Cherry Bakewell matcha and Rolo iced coffee.

Inside hidden Durham market café serving Rolocoffees and Cherry Bakewell matcha

Tucked away in the bustle of Durham Market Hall, an independent family-run café is drawing customers in with some unconventional coffee creations.

Perched on the mezzanine level, Café Cenno has long been a favourite for homemade cakes, hearty lunches and giant scones, but it’s the café’s eye-catching range of flavoured coffees and matchas that is now turning heads on social media.

Food and lifestyle TikToker Mariella Rigali recently paid a visit and highlighted what she dubbed the café’s "crazy coffee flavours", including a Cherry Bakewell matcha and a Rolo iced coffee.

According to Mariella, the Rolo-inspired drink tasted more like a chocolate milkshake than a traditional coffee, while the Cherry Bakewell matcha offered a colourful twist on the increasingly popular green tea drink.

The café currently offers a range of speciality drinks, with customers able to choose from a selection of speciality coffees and matcha drinks, designed to put a playful spin on classic café favourites.

Brownie Batter, Peanut Butter and Nestle Rolo are among the indulgent flavours on offer, providing something a little different from the standard flat white.

However, drinks are only half the story at Café Cenno.

A look at Café Cenno on Trip Advisor

(Image: TripAdvisor)

The family-run business has been based in Durham Market Hall for decades and has built a loyal following thanks to its home-cooked food and fresh baking.

The café is known for everything from traditional breakfasts and homemade traybakes to pies, quiches, soups and afternoon treats.

Fans of the market-based café are also quick to point towards the food on offer, from katsu chicken loaded fries, chilli bacon stacks and acai bowls.

Plus, those with a sweet tooth can choose from homemade cookies, banana bread, traybakes and the café’s much-loved scones, all baked on site.

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Part of the café’s charm is its setting.

Overlooking the market floor below, customers can sip a coffee while watching shoppers come and go beneath them.

The mezzanine location gives Café Cenno the feel of a hidden retreat in the middle of the city centre, offering a quieter spot away from the crowds.