Take a closer look at Blighty Coffee on Blackstock Road, Finsbury Park and you’ll enter a buzzing atmosphere of chat, creativity, community spirit and most importantly, great coffee!
A lovely waitress explained why the coffee house is such a hub of activity. “There’s a real sense of community here. There’s always so many things happening, we have office space, yoga classes and book club nights.” When I stopped in, there was a photoshoot happening in a corner of one of the upstairs rooms and it’s lovely to have that sense of a creative fun space.
The vibe
Blighty Coffee has re-created the style and character of coffee houses from the early 20th century. Back then, coffee houses were independent businesses where people came to gather and swap politics, news, or music, all over a strongly brewed coffee. I love the energy that this gives to the space today.
The owner’s fascination with the Blitz and wartime era filters into the décor and I love the vibrant murals on the walls and spitfire planes that hang from the ceilings. Coffee cups even come with a stamp of Mr Churchill’s face on them. The upstairs garden area has a fantastic replica WWII Bomb shelter to sit in when the weather stops being so chilly an changeable. We might have to give it a few more months!
The fare
This coffee house isn’t trying to pull the wool over your eyes when it comes to price. I had a delicious lunch special which was full of brie, bacon and cranberry on fresh sourdough bread, a mixed side salad and a cappuccino for £6.50. I’ll definitely be stopping by soon if not for the delicious food and coffee, but to see what fun classes are coming up! Other things to keep on your radar at Blighty Coffee are art classes, debates, table tennis tournaments and book swaps. I think life drawing will be up first up, I can’t wait.
