Poppins in Basildon

Staff are not very welcoming. You ask for something and it seems too much. Chips are horrible and cola is flat. Atmosphere is like you are a funeral. Decor is very gloomy too. Feels like I’m in the Wimpy back in 1982.

The service was ok food was not good omelette was oily and the cucumber was off,would not eat in there again.

Poppins is pretty iconic. It's a cafe located in Basildon next to the back entrance for eastgate shopping centre and it's been here ever since I can remember. 30 odd years. It's retro in that it hasn't changed its furnishings for some time and it works a treat. Classic diner style 70's browns and wooden decor with an 80's finish, big Mirrors and semi moody lighting. All this I adore. Staff are healthy looking which is always comfort and they are classic in 'not over the moon about working' but I wouldn't want them any other way. Cafe culture perfection, innit. It's has a touch of class. It's a cafe / restaurant. The coffee's good Food - I chose to create my own brekkie as i won't eat meat and dairy. It's easier to pick. There's a vege burger addition that doesn't sounds up to much with all the option available today. So, i went for tinned toms, fresh toms, 3 hash browns (obvs) and toast and beans and mushrooms Tinned toms and mushrooms tasted a bit funky so I left them aside. There were no vegan option sausages bacon or egg (yes vegan egg, it's a real thing and tastes awesome) which is a shame being how accessible all these products are now and reasonable in cost. Also flora butter has recently gone fully plant based they did however provide a non milk based spread for my toast. Over all, long live this cafe and their transition into a fuller and more plant based delicious menu. If your are vegan / vege I'd opt for beans on toast. There's a large community in the surrounding areas just waiting for a vegan option breakfast: DD Take advantage !

This place is so so cute. Its like walking into a 1950s american dinner or a scene from Grease :) The food is OK The value for money is crazy good The staff are professional and friendly

Ate here today. There were more staff than customers which isn't a good sign. Ordered quickly enough and the waitress brought over our drinks quickly too. Food arrived and wasn't quite as explained (no mushrooms on breakfast) and the hash browns tasted like they had been deep fried in old oil but it was OK. Defo had better and defo had worse. A bit of a pointless review this really isn't it. 6 out of 10

This so called restaurant does not cater for the disabled or those who have a dairy alligies, the food is over cooked or salty (I had over cooked French Fries, wife had very salty jacket with beans & cheese) normally we have normal tea with soya milk but had to have herbal tea has no dairy alternative.

Visited here today for lunch, I'd not been here for years. Totally loved it here, good honest food at good honest prices. Just the same here as when I visited the last time in the 90s. Nice friendly and polite staff, nothing too much trouble. I will be coming back very soon.

lovey friendly staff, child friendly, value for money and you're never rushed, we often visit here on shopping trips.

Ordered bacon egg and chips plus a got chocolate. Bacon nicely cooked, egg sitting in a puddle of oil and crunchy thin chips. When I went to pay he charged me for the hot chocolate which I declined to pay for as I had never been served it, apparently it was my fault for not asking for it, thought I had done when I Ordered!! The table behind me also had to remind the waitress they hadn't had their drinks either. Food ok...ish service muddled.

My family and I went her today for lunch as we fancied a change from the usual fast food places. When we first walked in we thought we was in another decade many moons ago! But sat down outbox politeness but could easily of walked out. Before we knew it our drinks were arrived and had the joys of flat coke. Ordered food which arrived after a short wait. Chips were burnt floating in grease and had to use half a bottle of vinegar to soften the chips. The cheese in the burger was dreadful and I couldn't eat it. While eating the waitress decided to start hoovering around us and the Hoover filter was releasing a flowering scent!! Yummy!!! The staff were friendly no complaints at all.

Hadn't been here for years, what's happened it was empty. Used to be packed, now only about six people in there. Food was plentiful, omelette was nice, burger not so nice. Having a nice catch up with daughter, all of a sudden someone put on the disco music, couldn't hear ourselves think, let alone talk to each other. Asked for it to be turned down, which was done by one notch, return visit won't be happening.

What a disappointed. We used to visit Poppins many years ago and decided to go today whilst in Basildon. My Spanish omelette was covered in black bits both inside and out and on tasting it had an overwhelming taste of greasy sausages. The only thing I can think to explain it is the griddle is never wiped off hence the black bits are charcoaled bits of previous orders and obviously having finished the breakfast run my omelette was placed straight on top of the griddle, hence the taste of breakfast grease. Had two bites before deciding it was enough. The salad it came with consisted of lettuce soaking wet and a few pieces of cucumber and tomato. My husband also had an omelette which was sent back the first time. This plus one hot chocolate and a tea came to £14.90. Not cheap but not bad if it had been an enjoyable lunch but a complete waste money instead. I remembered Poppins fondly but have vowed after this experience never to return. Horrid.

just your normal cafe and normal cafe prices no fancy just average breakfast places need a lick of paint and some tlc but cant fault this

Been eating here for years. Staff are always friendly and helpful and if you want a good old-fashioned fry-up then this is the place.

Popped in yesterday with other half, staff were nice and friendly, but £16.00 for two poached eggs on dry toast and two rashers bacon twice and 2 teas na sorry been better places and paid less,, sorry won't be recommending you nor coming back, I'd rather stay hungry and go to harvester and get unlimited for two for £1. More

Good value,good food but entrance a bit awkward,staff very attentive,the cooking area is on show and looks very clean.

Mary Poppins es un lugar encantador para disfrutar de una comida, la comida es muy agradable y los precios son muy razonables. Es siempre el lugar que vaya a cuando estoy en la ciudad! El personal es muy agradable y amable! Es tan limpio también!

Decidimos tener una tarde de compras en la ciudad, mientras que el desayuno hoy con mi pareja después de haber pasado varios cafés llenos nos decidimos por Mary Poppins ya que fue aparentemente tranquilo y que necesitábamos espacio para un buggy!

Been here for ages. Often call in during trips to Basildon. Not changed much but still good value and clean.

nice food friendly staff near to shops go there quite a lot good value for amount of food meet there quite a lot before shopping

Ideally situated in Basildon town centre for a snack or meal whilst out shopping. Friendly clean cafe with a vast range of food & desserts.

I like poppins. One of only a few establishments that has survived over the years. Clearly says something doesn't it.Nice food. Breakfast style options, along with fish, burgers, sausage chips and beans if that's your thing.It's a varied menu. The milkshakes are lovely! And so are the staff.The look of the restaurant hasn't really changed at all since I was a kid (I'm 32 now). But I like that! Feels very nostalgic lol!I like poppins and will always go there when I fancy having a little sit down lunch.

Had to pop into Baz for some bits for Easter and wife kindly offered to buy me and my 6yo daughter breakfast. She was brought up in Pitsea but never eaten here but it's well thought off. Went for the normal breakfast. Don't like tomatoes (so asked for beans) and trying to be good and so swapped sausage for bacon. They did with no fuss and no cost. Wife just wanted egg on toast and a side of mushrooms and my daughter just beans on toast. Service was all at the table and the girls brought our drinks while we chose breakfast. Portions came out and all big. Daughter had no chance in finishing and I had to finish my wife's mushrooms. It was all cooked well and bacon was really nice, no too fatty. For 3 of us was £15 incl drinks so well worth it and will go back again. The menu was quite big and the pancakes are supposed to be fantastic.

The food was freshly cooked and delicious. This is a nice place to eat and chat without feeling harassed.It's nice to still have one of the original restaurants in Basildon.

I've now been here a few times and it's always great food, great sevice at a great price.This time we just stopped in to have a warm drink as it was a cold day but when we smelled the food being cooked we decided to stay for lunch. The waitress was lovely and came over really fast and took our drink orders (lattee and a hot chocolate; which came with cream and a little flake) then gave us time to decide what we wanted to eat. You really don't feel rushed here, the staff are friendly and polite and make you feel welcome. We ended up having the "Late Breakfast" which is sausage, bacon, fried egg, fried bread, tomatoes and mushrooms, and the "Poppins Mix" which is sausage, fried egg, chips and baked beans. This is not a greasy spoon cafe, this is a clean, quality place with good food. The sausage and bacon were good quality, the egg was cooked well and had a good soft runny yoke, the fried bread was tasty as were the chips, beans, tomatoes and mushrooms. The portion sizes are big and filling but you don't feel all bloated like you can do with some fry ups. Nothing was fatty or greasy. It's just good quality, really tasty food. I've never seen this place empty. It's a nice relaxed atmosphere and has comfortable booths to sit at. The staff are lovely and for the quality and amount that you get, it's great value.I plan to keep going back :-)

I visited poppins Café once and once only with my young 13 year old Daughter and she only has very small meals instead of having the set meals on the menu we picked the meal we wanted ourselves.Big mistake when paying the bill they wanted £34 off me for two greasy spoon breakfasts.I got them 3 times to add the bill up again in the end I said im not paying that price I gave them £15 and left even that was to much would never go back again rip off.

Good ordinary restaurant, nothing special served here, but the meals are OK and the prices are reasonable, this is probably the best restaurant in Basildon. The only fault I would comment on is that outside, the restaurant have an outside seating area, where everyone smokes, and that smoke wafts into the restaurant, which is not what everyone inside wants. Otherwise, all OK.

A friend suggested this place to have some lunch while we were out shopping. I probably wouldn't have noticed the place or wouldn't have given the place any thought as it does look a tad dated and not exactly inviting from the outside, but now that I've been there I'd definitely go back. It is just a cafe but the staff were friendly and helpful and the food was tasty and well priced. I had a mediteranean omelette and chips, my friend had a spanish omelette and chips and her little girl had fish fingers and chips. They do lovely milkshakes made with ice cream and also whipped cream and sprinkles on top. I had a banana milkshake and really enjoyed it. This was a lovely place to have lunch and since they also do coffee and cake, this would make a good change from the usual chain coffee shops if you just wanted to sit and have a drink and a break. They also did jacket potatoes, breakfasts and burgers so I'd go back to try the rest of the menu.

Arrived during a busy lunchtime, was quickly seen to had our coffees within a few minutes, the caramel latte was delicious! Meals followed shortly after, I had a plaice and chips, beautifully cooked not greasy at all unlike many others around. My husband had one of their gourmet burgers which he said was fantastic.Good prices for the quality of food and the girls serving us were very friendly and polite! WIll be back!Thank you girls!

Recently Poppins have put tables outside the restaurant to compete with the Dream Cafe ,why ? We sat outside in extreme heat and were ignored , whilst serving inside numerous people who arrived after we did !

Normal run of the mill cafe. Nothing out of the ordinary but nothing to complain about either . Ideal stop off if shopping.

Always get good service and prompt wholesome food. Good friendly staff, and very helpful. Must keep it up

Stopped going to this restaurant about six years ago it had deteriated and the fried food tasted as if it had been cooked in stale fat.Went in roughly a week ago and have been back again. The food now is very good, staff very friendly. Told them how much I enjoyed the meal and was told that it is under new management, will definitely go back.Was not rushed at any time to decide on food or to pay bill, which I have sometimes found in other restaurants.Would now recommend this restaurant, also it is nice that they have now put tables outside.

Perfect waitress served my group. Was very understanding with the veggies in the group. It wanting food cooked near meat. Our food was lovely, never would of thought of going here before but recommend it now to everyone

Friendly service, cooked to order, excellent quality of food, good prices, worth a visit if your that way.

Good value food and you get what you pay for. The setting is a little dated but the fry ups are very nice. Always busy must be well liked. Worth a visit if you are feeling ravenous.

Sounds a bit crass but this is about all I can say about this establishment... It is a café serving café food. Do not expect butter on the toast and many of the items served are catering-pack.

The cafe seems to always be busy, so I thought I'd give it a try. There's quite a varied menu. I had the cooked breakfast. It was ok but not the best I've had.The service was variable and the couple next to me started complaining to the waitress about the length of time it was taking for theirs to arrive. Mine was about 15 minutes. A bit long for a simple cooked breakfast but manageable. All in all, it looks like a transport cafe and is ok.

poppins is part of the eastgate shopping centre , the menu is extensive , the food is very good and you can see it being cooked in an open kitchen,the staff are efficiant and the seating is comfortable , an ideal place to eat during a shopping trip.