Blank Street is coming to Brighton – and you can try its viral drinks for free before it even opens
Brighton already has plenty of excellent independent coffee shops. If you’re after a flat white, chances are there’s a brilliant locally owned café within about 30 seconds of wherever you’re standing. Which is why the arrival of another chain isn’t generally something worth getting excited about.
The news is more that Blank Street – the coffee brand responsible for some of the internet’s most talked-about matchas – is bringing free mini tasting flights, a beach hut takeover and its first-ever seaside store to Brighton in July.
The cult coffee chain is opening on East Street (on the old site of Jones Bootmaker) on Saturday, 11th July – and before the doors officially open, Brightonians will get the chance to try some of its most coveted drinks.
On Friday 10th July, the brand’s bringing its Tasting Flight experience to town, giving people the chance to sample mini versions of some of the drinks that have helped turn the New York-born brand into a social media phenomenon.
The line-up includes the strawberry shortcake matcha, white chocolate matcha and the new coconut cream latte, all served in a Brighton-exclusive carrier designed for beachside sipping. If you like the sound of a tasty freebie (who doesn’t, right?), you can book your free slot here.
If you’ve somehow missed the Blank Street hype, the brand has become one of the biggest names in the matcha boom that’s taken over TikTok and Instagram in recent years. Its colourful, dessert-inspired drinks have built a loyal Gen Z following, with matcha now accounting for around half of the sales of the now-global company that started life as a tiny coffee cart in 2020.
And Brighton seems like a pretty natural fit. In fact, according to Blank Street co-founder Ignacio Llado, people have been asking the brand to come to Brighton for months.
Inside the new store, you can expect to see the brand’s signature aesthetic – lots of bright matcha-green, plenty of natural light and interiors that are bound to end up all over Instagram before the first week is out.
But they’re not stopping at coffee. After opening day, Blank Street says it’s launching a dedicated beach hut experience, where visitors can reserve deckchairs, grab a branded beach towel and safely stash their belongings while heading into the sea.
There are also plans for swim club collaborations, with evening dips followed by drinks back at the store.
Love it, curse it or indifferently roll your eyes at it, Blank Street has become one of those brands people love to talk about. And judging by the queues that tend to follow new openings, we’d recommend getting there early if you’re hoping to see what all the fuss is about.
Blank Street officially opens at 8am on Saturday 11th July at 20 – 21 East Street, Brighton.
