Queens Road café Joe & Co marks first year with awards and expansion ambitions

For charity fundraisers around Clarendon Park, Joe & Co’s first year has meant support ranging from gift cards to brunch for two. The Queens Road café has also joined the street’s winter and summer fairs, with owner Ammaar Bobat crediting its community involvement as part of its success.

Speaking to Leicester Mercury after the business marked its first anniversary, Mr Bobat said it was providing gift cards for a forthcoming Rainbows Hospice for Children fundraiser. He also described work with Leicester University on fundraising for orphaned children.

Mr Bobat said the café aimed to contribute whenever it received a genuine request for charitable support.

Recognition after a challenging start

The business has won the Prestige Awards’ Central England artisan coffee shop title for 2026/27. It is also competing as a finalist in the Best Cafe category at The UK Small Business Awards, whose winner is due to be announced at the end of the year.

That recognition follows an opening year Mr Bobat described as challenging. He works full-time, and his business partner left for personal reasons, leaving him to manage the venture himself. With only about 10 indoor seats, he initially worried whether enough customers would find the shop.

Its menu includes breakfast, brunch, filled croissants, brioche rolls, rice bowls and desserts. A limited-edition pour-over tiramisu latte featured during the summer, while canned iced coffee and matcha have proved popular.

Ambitions beyond Leicester

Mr Bobat said he admired Chaiiwala’s growth from a small Evington Road shop into an international business. He told Leicester Mercury that a conversation with its owner, who praised Joe & Co and said he ordered from it, had been a particular highlight.

Another Joe & Co site is among Mr Bobat’s ambitions, alongside a longer-term hope of expanding overseas to places such as Dubai. These remain goals for the business rather than announced openings.

Mr Bobat said: “We’re dreaming big right now. We want to branch out. We want to grow. We want to open another one of our own.”

Source: Leicester Mercury