Poppys Tea Rooms in Colchester

After a bit of shopping we were looking for somewhere for lunch and came across Poppy's. Very quaint little tea room set out very nice with 50s music playing in the background with lots of old 50s posters and pictures on the walls. We ordered coffees, my with having black and me a caramel latte which was extremely nice. We both ordered sandwiches,my wife having tuna mayo with red onion and me having a club sandwich of chicken,bacon,lettuce,tomato and mayo. The sandwich was then lightly toasted. They were both very well presented and were very tasty. Would highly recommend this lovely little tea room!!

Found this lovely tearoom by chance and have been back since my first visit and will return again, friendly staff, with fantastic service, delicious breakfast just the way I like it. Well worth a visit while in Colchester.

Was just walking past late lunch time and popped in- from the outside nothing fancy but inside a proper tea room, great lite lunch menu, friendly, fresh and reasonable priced! Yep will be back and pleased stubbed acroos it!

This is a lovely place with friendly staff, and a nice atmosphere. The downside to being in a quaint old building is that you can never really get the place warm - I perched myself right next to one of the electric heaters but still felt cold. But the jacket potato with chilli I ordered warmed me up from the inside out! Tasty and quickly served (though that meant the skin hadn't had chance to brown and go all lovely and crispy). Also served with a nice side salad, and cheese on the side, which let me put on as much or as little as I wanted. It would have been better served on a larger plate, though - the chilli spilled over into my salad, and it was difficult to keep all the food on the plate. I happened to be having lunch there on Valentine's Day, and was slightly piqued that they were giving away a biscuit to any couples (loosely defined) dining there on the day. Enduring Valentine's Day as a singleton is bad enough - surely we should be the ones getting free biscuits! Despite that, I would happily return, particularly to sample their delicious-looking cakes!

Visited for lunch on a busy Saturday. Great location in town. As soon as you walk you are welcomed with a smile. Decor is smashing and music playing is old school which is a welcomed change to other places in the Colchester area. Varied brunch menu and all at reasonable prices . We had baguettes which comes with salad and crisps. Extremely fresh and presented really well. Didn’t have to wait long for food to arrive and were asked if everything was ok. The waitresses were very young but so professional. They were constantly working polishing cutlery , cleaning the glass doors on fridges and cleaning cups. A really pleasant lunch . Would recommend a visit . Ideally located for all activities in the town centre.

This place is OK for quick eats, its cozy small and friendly. they play 50s and 60s music, the staff are friendly.

I came for lunch with a friend, and we were both impressed with the food and service. I had a luxury hot chocolate and a brie and bacon panini. It was absolutely delicious and we would definitely come here again

I came in to Poppy's with my partner and had booked an afternoon the day before. It came with a selection of scones, sandwiches, cakes, savories,clotted cream, jams and unlimited tea and coffee! It was simply delicious, leaving us both absolutely stuffed. Would thoroughly recommend!

Excellent food and lovely service. Grandparents really enjoyed the music and described it as a ‘blast from the past’. Would strongly recommend their breakfasts, especially the breakfast special. Good quality food at good prices. Will definitely be back.

Was looking for somewhere new to have some food with family and so glad I found this place. Nice and cosy with plenty of options available on the menu. Opted for the cream tea which was delicious and made fresh every day- shall definitely be going back

We loved this place!! Living in Colchester all our lives we always endeavor to try out new places and came across Poppy's Tea Rooms. Cannot fault it, we had a lovely lunch and the staff were great. Would highly recommend!

Was in the area and popped by Poppy’s for lunch. The service was fantastic, the food was simple but absolutely delicious and the cafe itself is just adorable! Such a cute place!

Came here for the most important meal of the day - afternoon tea! It was a delightful experience and the food, service and ambience was excellent. Definitely coming again soon.

Went here with friends as a small celebration a month or so ago.

Popped in for a tea and a cake with the kids, can thoroughly recommend this place. Great service, cake and atmosphere for all!

The first time I have ever written a Trip Advisory Review but couldn't resist! Quaint tea room on a cobbled street in Colchester - what more could you want! Lovely tea, sandwiches and cake and great service and atmosphere. Will definitely be back!

I visited Poppy's for lunch with my sister and it was so lovely. The staff are great, so friendly and attentive and the food was delicious (the cakes are mouthwatering and reasonably priced). Would definitely recommend and would absolutely return.

A satisfying, pleasant lunch with good service with a smile. A good place to pop in for coffee and paninnis. Lovely cake for the little ones. Recommended!

I wrote a review of Poppys a while ago, but I want to add to it as today as I had the most perfect winter lunch there which has only recently appeared on the Menu.

A big thank you to Helena, who made our special date even more special. Great coffee to!! A charming and traditional British tea rooms.

I visited Poppy's tea rooms during half term with my children. We had tea and scones and a lemonade for my son. The scones were delicious spiced scones and my daughter had a hot chocolate with cream.

This delightful little Cafe is my one and only go to place for food when I am in Colchester town centre. Tucked away in a side street, it can be easily overlooked especially as Colchester has so many places to eat these days. However, if you want good, honest food at a reasonable price, then this is the place to visit. They have several choices from their delicious scones, to an all day breakfast and so on.

Really disappointed in this place! We hoped to find a new little spot in Colchester and we had high hopes from previous reviews. On ordering, the manager seemed really pleasant which was a great start but after the long wait for our food, we became frustrated. Our meals came and they were extremely bland and overpriced- I had soup and a sandwich and my boyfriend had mac and cheese. I wish I took photos of our meals because the portions and quality were absolutely laughable. The chef was running around apologising to other customers about the delay but we didn't get an apology and no-one came to check on us after receiving the food. No napkins were provided and my soup didn't come with a spoon :(

its okay bit on pricey side and small as its an old building . not much seating area .but its a must try

Friendly staff and nice menu, sadly our visit was spoilt by the over powering smell of bleach. The coffee machine was being cleaned and the fumes quickly spread from the cleansing fluid. Maybe this could have been done after closing time.

Poppy's is a lovely little spot! My family and I tried the patisserie first but was so busy we walked on and only found this my chance! Perfect cream tea our waitress was great with my son. Unicorn milkshake was a hit too!

start of a bad afternoon needed to sit down and a coffee found a great and well run tea room it's small but welcoming the staff was great happy and attentive and the food was fantastic and I would definatly return and recommend to others .also good variety of foods .

A long time cafe in Colchester delivering great food - had a beautiful tuna and mayonnaise sandwich and really good Tomato and Red Pepper Soup. Does what it should do easy simply and very clean and well presented cafe in comparison to some others

Firstly I would like to say, the ploughmans I had was lovely and really good value. My partner like his panini too. However, for the member of staff to but into our private conversation with her comments was not really on. When I asked if there was a toilet, I was told no by the chef (?) Then, ha ha! Yes it's at the back. Nothing wrong with the food at all but maybe the staff need a lesson in customer service and appropriateness.

Lovely little tea room. My boyfriend and I ordered a cheese salad and prawn baguette. Food was good, staff were friendly and had great hygiene. I also had a unicorn milkshake which was delish! Bathroom was in desperate need of a clean though but overall a nice little place to stop

Lovely 'olde worlde' restaurant and coffee shop serving excellent coffees, teas, hot chocolate etc. Having initially tried Poppy's when a former coffee shop we used to visit closed down, my wife and I now visit most Saturday mornings, together with other members of the family if they are available. Very friendly and helpful staff and an excellent chef. Try their fruit or apple and ginger scones - they are wonderful! Have also had a very good lunch here on occasions when needed.

Fantastic first class breakfast at this gorgeous little vintage spot. This cafe is 1940's inspired, tucked away in the corner of the hustle and bustle of the back streets if Colchester.

Oh what a lovely find. Staff great and friendly. We had breakfast twice here. Good clean and reasonable price. Would definitely return.

My partner and I found Poppy's Tea room on Google and decided to visit for lunch.

I ordered a Vegetarian Deluxe Panini, rather stupidly I did not ask what it entailed but thought it sounded good. I was so disappointed to find my panini consisted of a couple of pieces of tomato, not even a full slice of onion and some cheese - hardly deluxe!

Great service fab food great selection of teas and the food was awesome ( beef cobbler was to die for !)

Had a lovely goats cheese salad, soups and sandwiches after calling in on passing. Desserts of scones, apple crumble a let down. More custard needed. Service good prices average. Would come for lunch but not cakes.

My father and I had an appointment in trinity street Colchester as we were early we thought we would have a full English at Poppy's tea room the place was quite nice the drinks came first my dad had pot of tea which was ok I had Americano which was week and Luke warm the breakfast came then the toast the toast was cold and rock hard the sausage was nice the beans bacon and egg were cold was very disappointing and not good value for the money which was £5.95 such a shame if I go back to Colchester I would not visit Poppy's again and or recommend it

Found this lovely little tea room, we had the fresh home made soup and bread it was absolutely delicious. Apple &ginger; scone and fruit scone were also home made and simply scrumptious. Pot of tea for one held at least 3 cups. Well worth the money and excellent service. Lovely background music 1950/60. Will definately return next time we are in area.

I accept it was lunchtime but after an interminable wait a 'chicken' and cashew nut sandwich was served with a very wilted and warm side salad. I ate a few mouthfuls of the sandwich and asked my husband to taste it;which he very reluctantly did. The 'chicken' was in cubes and obviously for filling pies where it's horrendous texture and taste could 'maybe' disguised. My husband had ordered a cream tea with a fruit scone but a date and wheat meal scone was served. The family next to us had their meals but the ladies soup came well after her husband and child had finished and she had to ask for a spoon!ladies beside us had their order completely stuffed up after waiting nearly an hour. The waitresses were sweet and apologetic and explained they had a new chef but we still had to pay full price for the privilege!!

Well this is a quaint little place with a nice atmosphere and great 50s and 50s music playing in the background. Not massive on space and if it was busy I can imagine it would feel cramped but when we visited we had the back section to ourselves. The air con was on and my partner was cold which the waitress picked up on and immediately changed the settings for us. Very attentive staff throughout our lunch I thought so well done to the staff. The food we ordered was gluten free chicken and bacon sandwich and a prawn baguette. Generous serving of side salad and crisps to accompany them. Yes the crips were plain but actually for my partner this is good as they contain no milk in the coating. The prawn baguette was packed full and was tasty. The baguette was a little pale but tasted fine and I was happy. The chicken and bacon gluten free sandwich was also nice although the chicken was not the best in town. Overall the experience was good. Nice pots of tea also, you get a few cups out of it but it holds its taste. I think the only improvement for me would be to get better chicken. I would come back though and I am sure we will.

Goed, simpel eten, aardige mensen. Kleinschalig, niet voor grote gezelschappen. Leuk oud pandje midden in het centrum. Foto's van eten spreken voor zich.

It was a scorching hot day in Colchester today and we were in need of some light refreshments and to rest our weary feet for a while.

Lovely food served in a very intimate space. Goid service and a goid range of dishes. Jacket potatoes are very good.

We visited yesterday and had high expectations. Sadly it didn't live up to them. I had a salad which was very bland and my boyfriend had the BLT sandwich which was chewy. There are better tea rooms in Colchester, we shall we visiting them next time.

We have just has a delightful visit to this small tea room. It was my daughters birthday and stopped for a bit of lunch. I had the hunters chicken which just melted in the mouth and my daughter had the mac and cheese/garlic bread. All very delicious. We had the cooked apple and cinnamon pie with ice cream for pudding and that was amazing. Thank you so much for a wonderful lunch.

This is a quaint place, and we popped in for a lunchtime snack on a visit to the town on a Saturday in July 2016.

Leuk ingericht pand, misschien wat krapjes (als je met buggy's etc naar binnen wilt). We hebben scones, soep en omelet gegeten (en natuurlijk thee gedronken). Leuk om hier even te zitten. Je hoeft er niet voor om te rijden.

Had lunch here with my mum, just stopped for a quick bite. It was very pleasant, the two girls working were very happy to help and the service was delightful. Food was yummy would go again.

I took my granny and cousins here for lunch. We had the mac and cheese (which is delicious and comes with garlic bread - very reasonably priced as well) and a couple of paninis. Service was excellent and very fast, and the staff friendly and helpful. I would definitely recommend Poppy's - I can't wait to go back and try some of the other things on the menu!

Went for a visit with my partner and were welcomed by the two lovely new owners. There is a wide variety of sandwiches and the bread was really fresh and the scones home made with good quality cream and Jam. Definately will be visiting on a regular basis as I love their afternoon tea.

A new owner since march, so they told us, so only fair to read reviews since then I guess. Its busstling with old building charm, low beams, wonky floors. Its a tight cozy squeeze inside. The pots of tea were good, and the soup of the day of carrot and coriander lovely. Service was very friendly. There seems to be plenty of cafe choices in colchester, so if you want old charm, choose poppys.

Had a wonderful afternoon sitting outside Poppies on Sunday. The sun was shining the welcome was warm and the food fantastic. I had the macaroni cheese with pulled pork washed down with a bottle of Prosecco and could not fault it. The was later followed by one of the beautiful array of homemade cakes on offer. My favourite was the lemon and poppy cake, but I also really enjoyed the cake in an ice cream cone which was fun to eat. Would thoroughly recommend this tea room for excellent value, friendly staff and delicious food. Well done to the new owners, you have made an incredible transformation. Keep up the good work and I will look forward to seeing you again soon.

We popped into Poppy's for a spot of lunch and we're seated in the very small back room. The staff were friendly and the place was clean. We both had a ploughman's which were huge and very nice. My coffee was decent enough and my partner's pot of tea was enough for two cups. All in all, we were happy and, as the place was packed, Poppy's is clearly popular with the locals.

My son and I have popped into Poppy's a few times for a quick lunch. The sandwiches are nice, my son usually has pancakes. We have a pot of tea each as we like different teas. Nice atmosphere, nice staff, nice food.

This is a very tiny little cafe,with beautiful features and wonderful staff,the food is really really good but I would only go as a small group to avoid dissapointment in getting a table.very reasonable and lovely at anytime of the day!!

We had a lovely afternoon tea food was excellent thanks to debbie and staff for making it so special for our mum would visit again soonxx

In one word! Terrible!! never had a sandwich so bad, wish I'd read these reviews before spending my money, went with my daughter ordered coronation chicken & hot bbq chicken sandwich both arrived on a boring white plate with some bog standard plain crisps, no salad garnish

Went for lunch with a friend, very busy downstairs, so got shown upstairs. Just one other couple there, so not really any atmosphere. Table and chair were on the wonk due to uneven floor and table was sticky - so not a great start - but I can get passed that.

Just got back from a lunch in Poppy's, we'll all I can say is it's overpriced, bland tasting tiny tiny portions. This review is given having had the Chilli, Lasagne and the beef stroganoff. Chilli, where was the chilli literally about 2-3 spoonfuls severed with overlooked white rice, lasagne again what lasagne literally measured about 5-6cm square!!! And as for the stroganoff well it was basically a plate of rice,the meat and sauce virtually non existent. Please don't waste your time and money. I'd rather have gone to McDonalds, I don't like McDonalds!!

This place is fine for a quick lunch. However, its promising location and quaint exterior are not matched by the food on offer. For me there are better options in the vicinity.

Nice interior but food wasn't good and neither was it cheap. Toast was cold, the Kids English breakfast was microwaved and my vegetable soup tasted vinegary. Teapot that served the tea had dried on tea stains and was not clean. Such a shame as I do try to support local businesses as much as possible, but today I definitely wasted my money. Won't be back.

We visited Poppys Today - what a wonderful experience, We were a part of 7, but this was no problem for the more than helpful staff, we would recommend a visit to this tea room when in colchester John Essex

My friend & I decided to have breakfast here as we had been in before & it looked very nice.We both ordered the full English.When it arrived the sausage was burnt,the bacon was beyond crispy,the egg was swimming in grease & it was warm as opposed to hot.Being British we didn't complain which we should have done & ate it.The owner? asked if we'd enjoyed it & was shocked when we said it was awful especially as we'd eaten it.She said she'd never had any complaints before so perhaps we were just unlucky.To be fair she said we didn't have to pay so we compromised & paid for 1 meal instead of 2.As in all things we'll vote with our feet & not go there again

Looked promising from the outside - quaint and cosy!

we visited on Friday lunchtime, it was quiet, only about 6 other customers. Waitress was prompt it taking our order and bringing our drinks but we had a long wait for our hot food, When the food arrived she did apologise for the time we had to wait. Not large portions but it was all very nice, and a little bit pricey we felt.

Great little place in a charming, very olde worlde building. Friendly waiting staff and a nice range of items on the menu, something suitable for dining from breakfast to tea time. As we wanted a light lunch, we chose the home-made soup of the day which was served with a choice of bread - delicious, hot soup - a good portion and a nice chunk of granary bread. Tea comes by the pot, with more than one cupful per person. Good value.

This is a typical English tearoom with lovely traditional food. The food was quite good but the presentation wasn't great. Furthermore, it would have been nice to have more variety with our English breakfast as the usual black pudding and hash brown weren't included (which happen to be my favourite part of the English breakfast). The service was beyond excellent and the food was of very good value for money.

We don't come in to Colchester too often these days due to the ridiculous car park charges but when we do we always make sure we stop for Lunch at Poppy's.

First visit and we will be back. Had to wait a few minutes for our order but that give us time to drink our tea which arrived very quickly.

Whenever I happen to be in Colchester I always make the effort to visit Poppy's. This was my 4th visit now, and there are very few places to compare it to. If you want to experience quaint original Colchester architecture then go here. I always feel like I'm stepping back in time. Steep staircases, low roofs and wooden beams. The decor is tasteful as is the furniture and crockery. A real taste of "Ye Olde England" It is a little cramped but for me this isn't a negative and only adds to the experience. We ordered a light afternoon snack as we were having dinner with family that evening. Victoria sponge cake and parsnip soup. Both were homemade and boy could you tell. So much flavour! The staff are young and still learning the ropes, but everyone was pleasant and how great to see the young generation supporting in preserving the English tea time culture. I would much prefer to support the local economy in Poppy's than sit in a big chain coffee shop over the road. All in all a great Tea rooms in the most beautiful building, an old English tradition which I fear is dying out.

Dropped in for lunch here. We were immediately told to "sit anywhere". The staff seemed bored and spent their time chatting by the till area. We ordered drinks, one omelette and a chicken & bacon baguette. The drinks did arrive promptly and after about 20 minutes the food arrived. The omelette was overcooked, a dark brown colour and extremely chewy. The salad garnish was going brown. The baguette arrived with just the meat, no salad or other garnish, but based on the garnish with the omelette, maybe it was a good thing! We were both extremely disappointed and on mentioning this to the waitress she just gave us our bill. I did ask to speak to the manager to express my concerns but was told she wasn't in that day.

we stopped for lunch here.My wife had a jacket potato which was not heated through properly and had cold patches.On the menu was a cheese and ham toastie so I asked if I could just have the cheese in a toastie which they said was fine.I asked for it on granary bread.When it came it was served on white and not very warm at all.....and to add to this when I paid I was charged the full price for a cheese AND ham toastie although I only had the cheese.

Stopped here for lunch. Food was ok but staff were young and not very attentive. Their inane chatter re what they doing that night was intrusive.The worst point was the ladies loo. Filthy dirty, one very dirty towel to dry hands on. Made me feel quite ill and was glad to leave.

Just had the best breakfast I've ever had in Colchester. Quality, quality, quality. Service was good and attentive and everything was exactly as requested. Great value!

This was our first visit to Britain's oldest recorded City, Colchester. We had just been to the castle and we were looking for the Firstsite art centre. We found this lovely little place whilst a bit lost.

A pleasant place for coffee, just off the High Street. Friendly owner, good coffee, reasonable prices, interesting pictures on the walls.

I went to poppys on a Saturday afternoon, I couldn't believe how busy it was but the friendly staff found us a table very quickly and accommodation to our every need. The coffee was of a high standard and the food was wonderful. I expected a little cafe but this was more of a restaurant with how good the service was. I bought my friends from America and they wanted to see a good old British tearoom. We was served tea and cakes to follow after our lovely mains of battered cod. Overall it was a lovely experience and I will return soon in the future :)

Do not waste your time! Went for lunch but when ordering one of the specials on the board, we were told they had run out .... it wasn't even one o 'clock! Don't know why they advertised it if they didn't have it!

I have been here before and was very nice, unfortunately however on this occasion I was very disappointed. We both had prawn sandwiches, the prawns were tasteless and hard, maybe they had been microwaved to defrost, I don't know but it just wasn't very nice at all. I wanted a fruit scone with Jam and Cream but they didn't have any left, only cheese scones left which do not go with the jam and cream, so disappointed with that as I had been looking forward to it. I did have the lemon cake, but a bit too sweet for me. My daughter wanted a strawberry fruit tea but they didn't have any of that either so overall a very disappointing visit. Also, one of the waitresses had a really short skirt on which is a bit off putting when you are eating as she glides past your table.

Everytime I go here with my step mother we are greeted with a smile. service is quick and quality high, I put a 4 for food as there could be more varity on the cakes but that maybe just a personal opinion. If you are visiting Colchester id defo go!