Pophams Bakery in Islington

Awful cafe: overpriced and poorly sourced coffee, rude staff, and an inordinate, unclear list of “rules” which make the experience deeply unpleasant

We arrived at about 9.30 on Friday morning and managed to order quickly. We were lucky in that regard because by the time we sat down the queue was reaching to the kerbside. We were also lucky as we managed to get seated inside the cafe whereas the vast majority were sitting on the uncovered tables outside. Excellent and huge pastries were the stars. Coffees and hot chocolate also good. The locals are very lucky to have this bakery.

While visiting London, I stumbled on Popham's Bakery, and it was truly a delightful find. I had the ham and cheese croissant, which was absolutely incredible— there's an incredible amount of delicious cheese that's balanced by the flakiness and buttery-ness of the croissant. One of the best I’ve ever had! I also tried the maple bacon croissant, which was delicious, though a bit much to have alongside the Ham and Cheese. It’s rich and sweet, but probably better enjoyed on its own. The cozy atmosphere and friendly staff made the experience even better. If you're in London, don't miss this place!

Ate dinner here with a friend, had a glass of wine each and two mains for £100+. The portions are absolutely minuscule and to be honest, not even that tasty. This is a perfect example of overpriced east London nonsense - I won’t be returning and would avoid if you are looking for an actual meal.

Next level amazing! Thank you for the breakfast bliss! Will be back to try more of the menu. Love, love, loved the maple bacon goodness.

Went to both pophams so hopefully got the reviews in the right order. Went for sn evening meal with our son and daughter in law who live in london. We are visiting so they took is to their favorite place in london and it was superb. Really enjoyed it - even more than other more famous names

Massively overpriced, queue long, Pastries and coffee are beaten elsewhere for much less. E.g Southpaw coffee or any others.

Good vibes, nice staff, yummy coffee! The outdoor seating is great on a nice day out. There’s lots of tables and usually room. The pastries are good, pain au chocolats aren’t my favorite in London but they’re definitely flaky. Their other pastries are great! Delicious hot chocolate as well.

Pophams was a total delight. The fresh modern decor, open kitchen and super friendly staff made us feel very welcome. We had a dry Prosecco with homemade bread huge slices and marinated olives to start. The carpaccio was divine and muscles dish first course sharing was such a fab blend of flavors. We shared mains and the pasta, honestly was heavenly. By the we had desserts which were superb, the place was full and I can see why. This place felt well run, sensational food,friendly staff and was a total delight! I’d highly recommend this place to experience modern London/ Italian cuisine .

Superb eat in/out bakery with incredible pastries, wonderful coffee and exemplary service. Conveniently located just off London Fields and Broadway Market, Pophams is one of the best cafe bakeries in East London.

Customers are spilled out all over the pavement, blocking people from being able to get past. This seems to be a daily problem. Rude and unhelpful staff that do nothing about it.

Sono venuto poco fa a fare colazione con un amico in questo posto. Prendiamo perché c’erano molti special la mince pie, il double cooked pan au chocolat, special one con marshmallow e un bacon con maple syrup. Allora tutti gli impasti erano buoni, la qualità anche mi sembrava ottima però devo dire che tra tutti quelli che mi è piaciuto di più è stato il double cooked pan au chocolat, la mince pie aveva il sapore di frutta troppo forte che copriva la crema di formaggio, e quello con il marshmello aveva la cioccolata un po decisa, maple syrup non male, pensavo peggio ma sicuramente meglio degli altri 2. Costo per questi con succo di frutta e caffè 30£ quindi non economica come colazione. Personale super gentile e disponibile, molto professionale

Finally got round to visiting the wonderful Popham’s. A lot of seating indoor and outdoor. Went for the apple crumble pastry, delicious and maple bacon swirl which was still warm, amazing. For sure lived up to the hype for me. Prices about what you expect to pay for this quality and service was great. One of the top bakeries in London no doubt.

Visited Islington to see the the Streetcat Bob memorial statue. Pophams was in the vicinity and decided to come for a quick lunch. The pastries were very attractive and I tried a savory one with marmite/cheese/leek. Good coffee. Lovely outdoor sitting area for a sunny day.

Cold, unfriendly atmosphere from staff and patrons. Pastries were visibly overcooked and lacking flavour. Also the fig danish I had was tiny! Super disappointing. Regret choosing this place over Jolene around the corner

We arrived on Saturday night and we were looking forward to stuffed courgette flowers as a starter. We were told they were sold out. We were offered baby courgettes and reassured that they were delicious. They arrived- 3 tiny sticks of baby courgettes for £6.50. We were shocked! We ordered with our mains a side of courgettes which was a decent portion for £6. We complained to the Irish waiter that this was wrong and they should have taken it off the menu , rather than make do! Please do not rip off customers.

Delicious pasta, minuscule portions. Either eat before, or if you’re minted just order 1 of each pasta, then you might not leave hungry.

My partner and I visited this morning & didn’t realise that there was no vegan option except coconut yogurt. I can’t believe somewhere in islington doesn’t have a vegan pastry option as nearly everywhere else does, such a shame as we live locally & would love to become a regular.

Ottimo posto per un’eccellente colazione, ampia scelta di brioche appena sfornate e buona scelta di bevande calde. Location molto accogliente e personale molto disponibile

Lovely little find. The restaurant is very basic and the menu is limited, but this isn’t a negative. They’ve focused on the quality of the pasta and it is amazing. We tried all but one pasta dish (I’m allergic to blue cheese so we skipped it!) and all of them were just delicious. If I was pushed I’d say the Barchette with Mazzafegati Sausage was best, but honestly, they were all excellent. I’ll be back.

Fantastic service. A small but perfectly formed menu with amazing freshly cooked pasta - the best I've tasted. Wine was good too.

The pastries and coffee are good. The bread may take your teeth out! It’s just too dry and overcooked. Have tried it on several occasions - it could be so good. .

One afternoon in early 2022 the feet brought me to stop by this bakery. I ordered a candied Clementein, gingerbread custard & gingerbread crumbs seasonal danish. The danish is soft and crunchy, the custard is faintly sweet with thick ginger aroma , candied clementine is soft and not bitter. The unique blend of savory, crunchy, smoky and sweet flavors on the maple & bacon croissant is worth a try. That day there was a delicious lunch menu, cavalo nero, white beans soup with sourdough bread. Also the swiss chard provolone pie, which has a thick cheese taste, is very appetizing.

My friends a food blogger and raves about this place and now I can see why! It feels so nice to eat and drink off of proper ceramic cups and plates! The building in Hackney is shared by other food establishments but this doesn’t detract from the overall experience. You can tell it had a local, loyal following and when you visit you can see why..they were starting the lunch menu as I was leaving which looked delicious! Will definitely return ❤️

By the time that the staff had deigned to take the first order, seven minutes after the scheduled opening time, the well-behaved and distanced queue was trailing as far as the Co-op on the opposite corner. "Four plain croissants, to take away" I asked. "There's been a problem with them, so we don't have any; I'm sorry". OK, but there still on the blackboard outside the door as I left was written "Plain croissant £2". And so it was still, 5 hours later.

Interesting flavours, constantly changing menu, an Instagram must see, yummy freshly baked goods. Visited through lockdown for a treat and daily exercise

On holiday to London, so fancied a pastry instead of fry up and this place was near. Hard to believe that the queue was out of the door and when we did get to the front, it was still out of the door. Sat in the window seats and they still kept on coming. The maple and bacon pastry was awesome. Wish I had 2 instead of the chocolate one as that was all puff. Coffee was too small really and the cups and plates are hand made, but pretty useless. Not cheap, but obviously had a good following and made delicious pastries among other things.

We are obsessed with Pophams. As in, last Saturday we waited in line in the rain for 30 minutes to get a croissant. The pain au chocolat is our favorite by far, but the specials are always good as well. Get a flat white and...

Good aspiration and style. Perforated integrity. The substance has not yet reached its design. Too proud and not proud enough.

London’s best bakery. No, the country’s best bakery. I’d eat my weight in their pastries if my girlfriend would let me. Divine. Tastes like a little bit of heaven with every bite.

still getting away with it ! not cool ! i guess the actual value you're selling is not the coffee, but, the experience of drinking it in a cute ceramic cup in a cosy cafe. well done. smart.

I visited for lunch today and suggested that a friend and I change plans to have dinner at Padella to dine at Pophams instead. We had a table booked for 6pm and when I arrived a saw my friend and another diner standing in the...

I have been to the London Fields branch a couple of times and although the pastries have always been delicious, the staff attitude is poor and can even be condescending (!). It’s a shame but needless to say, I won’t be coming back.

Went for breakfast, had a delicious maple and bacon pastry and espresso. My girlfriend had a marmite and spring onion pastry which went down a storm. Excellent chilled tunes in the background of stripped back relaxed café. Would recommend to pop in or to take...

I have been going to the Islington Location every 2 weeks for their amazing pastries. When I found out they are opening a new, bigger location in Hackney , I was excited for them and could not wait to see what was new. The pastries...

We pooped in for breakfast at 8.30am and already a queue was building up at the counter to order the most delicious pastries, which you can eat in or takeaway. We plumped for the marmite and cheese, peanut butter fig and banana, pumpkin croissant and...

So my partner brought me here were for our morning coffee after he saw it on IG. The Islington branch is quite small inside and so most of the seating is outside. When the weather is good which it was, it was very pleasant to...

Finally tried this hidden gem and totally worth it! Got a triple chocolate pastry that was so crunchy and filled with loads of chocolate!! Such interesting combinations as well, a must go to for sweet breakfast!

I live locally and was very excited to hear Pophams were opening in London fields. Firstly, however, when we arrived we were asked to give back a menu and share one between 3 which I thought was pathetic seeing as there was maximum 5 other...

I went to the London fields branch at lunch time hoping to have something delicious. I saw they had pasta on their menu when I checked online but discovered they only make pasta in the evenings. I tried the sour dough bread with garlic cheese,...

I had an an apricot pastry and latte and the pastry was the best piece of Viennoiserie I've ever eaten. The lamination is A+. The crunch! The flavours! The coffee was excellent as well. It's a shame it's so far out of central london otherwise...

I think that this should come under the Hidden Gem category. Friendly crew making beautiful pastry and breads. Quite a small building with homemade seating and pavement tables in the shade of trees. Apparently the bakers start working at 23.00 and bake 600 pastries. Coffee...

Arcade Food Theatre is an upmarket food hall which has just opened on the ground floor of a refurbished Centre Point. It has kitchens from some of the most notable independent restaurants to have opened in London over the last few years including Oklava, Flatiron,...

If you're near Islington, this is a must visit for breakfast or brunch. The pastries are some of the best we've had: they are flakey, some are sticky with stewed fruits and dark chocolate, and one has bacon. Nothing more needs to be said. The...

Having lived in Milan, I know good coffee. This place has the best cappuccino I've found in London. It also has great food (bakery items and sandwiches) - bacon in a croissant glazed with maple syrup? Sounds disgusting right? It shouldn't work, but it does......

There are lots of places that serve bad coffee out there. This place is not one of them. Excellent coffee!

I’d been wanting to go here for ages and when I finally did it didn’t disappoint. The pastries were delicious; perfectly flaky and lovely flavor combinations. They do a great hot chocolate too. Definitely worth coming earlier than I did though since they seem to...

Yes yes yes! Pophams bakery is a super bakery with creative, innovative and delicious pastries. Unexpectedly savoury and sweet croissants and croissant variants are well thought out and perfectly baked. We loved the bacon and maple scroll and the rhubarb and cardamom brûlée croissant was...

By jove this joint is good. Excellent attention to detail, if its not the eloquently finished Japanese carpentry I love then it very much is high speed broadband and wifi connection. Ask Ollie behind the tills for the Gooner special!

This is my new favourite place! Buzzing atmosphere, when we arrived there was a queue out the door but we were sat down eating after 5 mins. Incredible flavours- we tried the bacon maple, rosemary sea salt and hazelnut praline. All three were delicious but...

This bakery was near the top of our list of places to eat on our trip to London. We visited on a Monday for brunch, and sat outside with our pastries and hot drinks as all the seats inside were taken. That wasn’t a problem...

I’ve been coming to Pophams for a while (though only on weekdays). Coffee is great, cakes are fantastic, toasted sandwiches and soup are lovely. Big tables outside and one inside - not so good for big parties when busy but great for two or three.

Didn’t ever expect myself to go for the maple bacon croissant but gave it a shot upon the staff’s recommendation. And wow. Just at a loss for words. The flavour combination was absolutely incredible, and the pastry was so flaky. The bakery might seem to...

Delicious and always welcoming. Great coffee. Waiting for the next special, hopefully a savoury one...

If you’re looking for the best pastries and the most delicious sourdough bread, you’ll find them in this small bakery in London, where I had the pleasure to taste the most unforgettable, flaky and indulgent pastries I ever had in my life. The house specialties,...

The croissants here are incredible, so many variations you will just want to keep coming back! Their passionfruit curd croissant topped with meringue looks to die for and tastes even better - it is now my post-workout Sunday treat of choice

A robust selection of food and an even more robust internet connection. I spent the afternoon here doing all my downloading.

Excellent coffee, a good amount of seating outside for those warmer days, and the pastries come in variants you won’t find almost anywhere else. Worth trying them all!

It's obviously when you walk in that these people really care about baking great pastry and bread. I had an excellent croissant and nice coffee. Service was friendly.

The pastries are amazing! Try the Ginger Custard and Nectarine Danish 😍 Bakers are in very early so the footpaths are filled with the smell of freshly baked bread. Service is always welcoming and Coffees are on point with Ozone Beans. Love that it’s my...

This place is really exceptional. The croissants are outstanding. Particularly the bacon and maple and the walnut fig and blue cheese. There is a lot of choice in the local area. This place is different and very good.

Great place to have some coffee and pastry. Friendly and helpful staff, cosy atmosphere. Too bad I live so far away from this place.

I have developed an addiction to their bacon and maple croissants - they have to be tried to believed. The cauliflower soup is fantastic too and the staff are really lovely, helpful and friendly.

This newly opened independent coffee shop and bakery is run by a lovely group of people. The coffee is excellent and the bread, sandwiches and pastries (baked on the premises) superb. I particularly recommend the rye bread.

Very recently opened small bakery and coffee shop in old chemist's shop. Very good coffee (competes for best in Islington now that the Food Lab has shut), range of interesting breads, nicely decorated and tended space, friendly and very quick service. A very good addition...