Hop Scotch Café: Honor Oak Park

Last week we visited Hop Scotch Café in Honor Oak Park. This particular café could not be more easily accessible, being 100 yards down the road from Honor Oak Park station, on an intersection of several bus routes, and having plenty of non-permit parking in the nearby streets.

Honor Oak Park itself is a quiet, tranquil area, and so ambient noise was minimal. There is a cute little coffee garden at the back, and inside there’s a rustic collection of benches, wooden tables, and at the front a sofa and a couple of armchairs. We noticed a distinct "mumsy" feel during the day, as they play Disney films on the TV inside and serve “Babycinos”. However Hop Scotch has a lot advertised in the evenings, with a wide range of artists and bands performing throughout the week, and you can sense at night it changes from a chilled café to a vibrant bar.

From a work point of view there is free (unsecured) Wi-Fi and easily accessible plug sockets. The music selection is trendy and alternative, although perhaps a little loud for making work phone calls. Having visited here before I can say from experience that the coffee is consistently good, with a wide range of options offered. There is a lovely little food menu offering a twist on popular dishes, and prices for both food and drink are reasonable. When we visited there was no table service, and there was only one waitress serving, but as we were working we appreciated being left alone.

Overall our visit was a pleasant experience. It’s not the livliest place we've visited, but Hop Scotch provided a nice working environment provided you don’t need to make many phone calls, and a mellow place to meet friends for coffee. Just so long as you don’t mind the odd toddler running around your feet!