When in France Islington…

Dog friendly restaurant review: Pophams, Islington

If you prefer your cafes to serve up a full English breakfast and a mug of builders brew, Pophams might not be up your street…

But if you’re looking for something a little more artisanal, this dog friendly cafe will start your morning off just right. With creative twists on all of your favourite baked goods, as well as downright delicious coffee, your belly might just pop after you visit Pophams.

Environment

Located just down the road from The Old Queens Head, the closest stations to Pophams Islington are Angel underground and Essex Road train station. Essex Road is closer, but the walk from Angel will take you on a nice stroll along Angel High Street. There are plenty of residential streets around too, so you should be able to find a parking spot if you plan to drive.

Pophams is pretty tiny, with only a couple of tables and a few bar stools at the window. However, they have plenty of tables outside and this is where people tend to sit. Dogs are allowed both inside and outside, so wherever you decide to sit, they should be comfortable. The decor is simple and scandi, with wooden notes, white walls and dried flowers. One of my favourite things about Pophams is their partnership with a local pottery maker. All of their plates and mugs are hand built and finished and this adds such a lovely aesthetic to the items.

Price

The pastries at Pophams range from £3 to £6.50. If you opt for something more traditional, like a plain croissant or a pain au chocolat, these are the cheaper items. Their more creative options, like the marmite and schlossberger or the rhubarb, coconut and white chocolate steer more towards the £6.50 end. Coffees average at around £3. All in all, you should expect to pay £10 or less for a coffee and a pastry.

Taste

When you come to Pophams, expect to queue. I’ve been here dozens of times and without fail, there’s always a line of people down the street. Don’t worry though – the queue goes down pretty quickly and people are willing to wait for good reason. The coffee and the pastries at Pophams are addictively good. The founder, Ollie Gold, wanted to put an innovative spin on traditional baking techniques and turned a derelict chemist on the backstreets of Islington into the first Pophams bakery in 2017. Since then, people have been hooked.

Service

But enough about the pastries. What about the pooches? As I mentioned earlier, Pophams is completely dog friendly. Your pup will be welcome both inside and out and there’s always at least three dogs there whenever I visit. If you’re worried about space inside, there’s plenty of room outside and tables tend to open up fairly quickly, so you shouldn’t have to wait long.

So, what’s the PETS (Price, Environment, Taste and Service) rating for Pophams, Islington?

• Price: 4/5
• Environment: 4.4/5
• Taste: 4.4/5
• Service: 4/5

Overall, this dog friendly restaurant scores 4.2 out of 5. This is one of my favourite cafes in London. In fact, Pophams is the reason I’m hooked on Chai Lattes. The score would be higher if the seating wasn’t so open to the elements, but I know their other branches have more inside space.

If you’re looking for pastries that ‘toast’ as good as they look, this is where you should splash your ‘dough’.

Check out their website here.