A unique vegan café is celebrating moving into its new home in Southport town centre.
Megafauna has built up a fast-growing following since opening on Wesley Street three years ago.
Their popularity has now seen them moving to much-needed bigger premises, in the former Le Boulevard restaurant in Cambridge Arcade.
Megafauna owner Ben Chew said: “We have been on Wesley Street for the past three years, but have now gone and expanded.
“It has been a full-on three weeks getting everything ready. But I am still here, and still standing!
“We have had a lot of regular customers coming in to see us on our first day, but we have seen lots of new faces too, which has been nice to see.”
Ben moved into his first venue on Wesley Street three years ago, choosing a small unit to start with as he tried to assess whether there was enough demand for making his dream become a reality.
The response has been overwhelming.
Ben said: “We realised as early as six months in that we were going to need bigger premises.
“I under-estimated the size of the vegan community in Southport.
“The vegan community is growing every month, getting bigger all the time.
“People who come to Megafauna know that they can do so with real customer confidence.
“They want to be able to visit a café or a restaurant where they know that their needs and requirements are going to be adhered to.
“Not only that, but are they going to be able to find something tasty and interesting to eat?
“We want to be able to give diners the guarantee that the vegan option is not going to be the after-thought at the very end of the menu.”
The café offers locally roasted coffee, irresistible loose teas, their own blend of hot chocolate and some very special latte infusions. Megafauna primarily uses oat milk for hot drinks but organic soya and coconut milk can be used upon request.
Their very busy kitchen makes great vegan and gluten free treats for customers to enjoy.
The menu changes daily and weekly but you can always count on there being vegan pastries and sandwiches to eat, gluten free frittatas and salad selections, soup made in their kitchen and their famous vegan and gluten free cakes.
Megafauna works closely with local growers and veg suppliers to offer only the best in local and seasonal produce.
The move to new premises has allowed Ben to review the Megafauna menu and make some changes.
He said: “We have made an upgrade to the menu, with some exciting new choices. But we have also kept a lot of the old favourites.
“One of the things we have introduced is a Vegan Omelette, which has had a great response.”
Megafauna is delighted to become part of a bustling Cambridge Arcade and Cambridge Walks,
Ben said: “It is really exciting to be in the arcade, with all the great independent shops in there as well as great cafes and bars such as the Hungry Monk, Tap & Bottles and Cranberry’s. There is a real community feel.”
- Megafauna in Cambridge Arcade in Southport is open every Monday to Saturday, 10am-4pm. Call them on: 07858 390 879 or visit them on Facebook here or on Instagram here.
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