Pophams

Pophams is my local cafe.  It is very well known, and I’m very lucky.  Pophams is so well known, in fact, that often when I’m asked where I live in London I rattle off a few Angel landmarks and it’s only when I drop that I’m around the corner from Pophams that the blank expression breaks with a smile and an exhortation about just how bloody great Pophams is.  But is it?  I have probably been to Pophams a hundred times, seen it in all seasons, at all times of day, and know precisely what time to arrive with bed hair and avoid the queues.  It has been a constant presence in my life in Angel for the past three or so years.  We have grown together, in Popham’s case, taking over the adjacent off license and converting it into a painfully chic homewares boutique.  

Perhaps it is my Australian tall poppy syndrome, but sometimes I do wonder with Pophams.  Is it really that great?  Are the weekend queues worth it?  Does it deserve to stand out or has the hype snowballed as a result of that human tendency to join a queue because whatever’s at the end ‘must be good’.  So here’s my verdict.

It really is bloody great!  You need to try both of the house staple pastries: the Marmite Schlossberger, and the Bacon and Maple danish.  The former is a fluffy, cheesy, savoury scroll ensconcing (I think) a leek, and the latter is another scroll but rich, syrupy, and sweet with a delicious rasher of bacon.  Taste these and you will be tasting the very best of Pophams.  The other pastries are more picturesque than perfect, but delicious nonetheless.  They are beautiful, just like the decor and (often) the clientele, but I confess I prefer the croissants at Jolene’s.  (The debate of where to find the best croissant in London is a fiery one though, and with a French co-writer, I have to be extremely careful about what I can say!)  The coffee is exactly what a metropolitan expat Sydney-sider or Melbournian would appreciate, and this is disproportionately the type of person Pophams seems to attract. The coffee is on the richer side and they could always fill their gorgeous ceramic coffee cups up a little more for (I think) c. £3.50 for a long black.  Don’t be fooled by the people pretending to work on laptops or read.  The people and dog watching is far too interesting and you sit in such close proximity that it is impossible not to eavesdrop on the conversation next to you, which will often be in an antipodean accent and talking about someone you actually know from your childhood.     

So there you have it.  What aspirational guide to London would be complete without a passing comment on Pophams?  Should you go? Yes.  Should you make a special trip to Angel, or queue for more than 10 minutes?  No.  Go there early, or on a sunny weekday, get a photo of your pastry with someone else’s dog in the background for the ‘gram.  ✌️

https://www.pophamsbakery.com/
19 Prebend St, London N1 8PF