Harden's says
The third London outpost of this fish & chip chain (with sites in Shoreditch and Camden) takes over 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho's Old Compton Street. Owner Pat Newland - a fish & chip old-hand who ran a jellied eel stand in Rupert Street in the '60s - describes the interior as '1970s Soho café'.
Harden's survey result
Summary
Fish trade veteran Pat ‘Pops’ Newland started out cutting up newspapers to wrap portions at the age of 11, and has kitted out his three tourist-friendly chippies (in Soho, Spitalfields and Camden Town) in 1950s memorabilia to commemorate the era. The “no-frills” fish he serves is “excellent” and “consistently fresh” – but even fans can find it “overpriced by a long way”.
Summary
Fish trade veteran Pat ‘Pops’ Newland started out cutting up newspapers to wrap portions at the age of 11, and has kitted out his three tourist-friendly chippies (in Soho, Spitalfields and Camden Town) in 1950s memorabilia to commemorate the era. The “no-frills” fish he serves is “excellent” and “consistently fresh” – but even fans can find it “overpriced by a long way”.
Summary
Founder Pat “Pops” Newland, who started working in the East End fish trade at the age of 11, has decorated these venues (Soho, Spitalfields and Camden Town) in 1950s memorabilia, so “it feels like Poppies has been around since London’s rock’n’roll days”. It’s not as bad as it sounds – you get “proper fish and chips”: “all the classics are here, together with some welcome additions (seafood platter, lemon sole)”, but “most importantly, the chips are great!”.
Summary
“Excellent, fresh-cooked fish ’n’ chips” is served with lashings of nostalgia, provided by the post-war memorabilia on the walls at these “great fun” venues in Spitalfields, Camden Town and Soho. East Ender Pat “Pops” Newland, the founder, entered the trade aged 11 in 1952, and he has created “a great vibe”.
For 30 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Poppies?
Restaurant details
Opening hours
Last orders: midnight
Best Fish & chips restaurants nearby
Fish & chips restaurant in Marylebone
Fish & chips restaurant in Bloomsbury
Fish & chips restaurant in Southwark
Best similarly priced restaurants nearby
Japanese restaurant in Westminster
French restaurant in Westminster
Steaks & grills restaurant in Westminster
