Parkview Cafe

I used to work with adults with learning disabilities and came to this great little café as it was very disability friendly. One of the main reasons for this is that it is run by and staffed by people with disabilities supported by able bodied mentors.
But now I just go there because the food is great. Always good veggie options, and responsibly sourced where possible with great coffee. I’ve always found it really friendly and very buzzy at lunchtimes.
Two other plus points are the the architecture of the building it used to be an old church and originally called Cloisters and it’s also directly opposite Victoria Park.
The last time I was there I had a great salad with some amazing bread. in my experience the portions are pretty generous. The price is slightly more than you’d pay for food generally but the portion size is good and the care taken over the food is second to none.

You can’t help but notice Parkview café in Canton as it is a church. Sometimes a grand entrance like this can be a bit off putting especially if you just want a cup of tea but I implore you to enter as you will not only receive a warm welcome but will enjoy the cosy surroundings.
Parkview employs people with learning difficulties and was set up with European Social Funding and has recently received further support from the Big Lottery for its development into a sustainable social enterprise.
Essentially its a lovely project well worth your support not just because of what it attempts to do but because its hold it own as far as what it sells. Not only is the menu varied and tasty but its all fresh ingredients supplied locally wherever possible.
So if you’re popping to Victoria Park over the road then pop in for a quick snack and I guarantee you’ll feel better for it.

If you’re off to spend some time in Canton’s sweet little Victoria Park, this café is well worth knowing about.
It’s located just opposite the park and is run by a charity that trains and employs people with learning difficulties, so by going there you’re supporting their work to help vulnerable people with varying disabilities.
Not only that, but they have a really decent menu, with fresh food including many ingredients from local partner producers, and a mix of café classics such as jacket potatoes and some more creative options such as goats cheese and beetroot salad.
Set up with European Social Funding, the café has recently received further support from the Big Lottery for its development into a sustainable social enterprise — and it’s great to see how well supported it is by the local community, too.

This is a yum café with a side order of social vision.
The Park view café as it’s name suggests is located opposite a park, Victoria park. They have some seats outside with a view and some inside, with less of a view but very cosy. The space inside is small but cute. The food counter is surrounded by a colourful chalk board of culinary delights and seating is fittingly church pews. (the café is part of a church)
The food is fresh, homemade, sometimes even homegrown and seasonal and there is always at least one veggie option on offer. On the menu when I visited was ‘stuffed courgette’ and ‘courgette soup’. Why this repetition you ask? Well I chatted to Rob, the head chef and he said that sometimes they get their ingredients farm fresh, from a farm run by a partner organisation the Amelia trust. On this occasion courgettes were in season and there was an abundance of them.
So what about the social vision bit I mentioned earlier? Well the Park View café is run by a local charity called ‘Innovate’, and the café employs and trains adults with learning difficulties.
Tip: Bring cash for now at least. Although the café has existed for the last 7 years, at present it does not accept card payments. However apparently there are plans afoot to change this and it will accept card payments in the future.