Tea Leaf Cafe Hove

you're on portland road, which runs through hove with the kind of unhurried pace that makes it easy to slow down. tea leaf cafe sits at number 89, and if you're passing through on a weekday afternoon, it's the sort of place that makes you reconsider whatever you had planned next. it's independently run and carries that weight seriously, not in a performative way but in the way that shows up in consistency and in the fact that the people who come here tend to keep coming back. hove has its own rhythm, quieter than the seafront, more residential, and tea leaf fits that stretch of the city well. the coffee here has a reputation that locals clearly feel strongly about. if you're starting your morning on portland road, this is where to start it.