Living in London, you cannot go without eating fish and chips at least once every few weeks if not every week. It is your staple good ol’ British meal. But too much of it and you can easily see your waistline balloon to double its size! Talking of fish and chips, one place that came to mind was Poppies. Anyone who wants to experience the diner experience of the 1950s and authentic fish and chips should visit this place. Located around the corner of Hanbury Street coming through Spitalfields Market, the decor and ambience takes you by surprise. From the jovial man who greets you to the retro outfits the waitresses wear, this place is an experience.

From their humble beginnings in 1945 to being the finalist in The National Fish & Chip Awards 2013- Pops Newland (the man behind Poppies) means business!

So I ordered the regular favourite, cod and chips with a side of mushy peas. Now my friend who took me to this place warned me that at first you wouldn’t be amazed by the fish and chips but the craving to go there again and eat the fish gnaws at you after a few days. I dismissed it thinking “that shit crayyy” No really I thought that’s a bit silly. If I like it, the feeling will be instant. So I took the first bite, the second and kept on eating until I couldn’t finish the last few bites BUT I did like the fish and chips. I will be honest, I wasn’t blown away but the fish was crunchy and had the right amount of taste- wasn’t too bland at all. The peas were a bit too mushy for my liking. But hey Pops calls it an experience, and an experience it was!

If you don’t fancy fish and chips on the day, which is quite normal like someone who doesn’t fancy a pizza going to Pizza East (hey we can all be weird sometimes! no judgement there), then they also have some traditional English puddings such as apple pie, Cartmell’s award winning sticky toffee pudding from Cumbria and ice cream from the Minghella family business on the Isle of Wight.

NOTE: That craving my friend talked about- IT DID COME BACK!! I kid you not, after a couple of days I was craving Poppies fish and chips. :O

Visit their website for more info: Poppies of SPITALFIELDS

Do share your experience of the place with me!!! xxx