Kiss the Hippo Coffee — Restaurant in London

i started coming here for my regular Sunday church-accompanying espresso, craving the short black drink that reminded me of a blissful continental European vacation. the prices have gone up recently but that's obviously an indicator that their coffee has only gotten better. what others may percieve as a lack of quantity (ahem Costa!) they make up for in QUALITY. Often, but not every time it must be said, the espresso drink is like drinking "liquid gold". fierce competition is stirring in the form of Blank Street Coffee, watch this space. i am often greeted by familiar faces at this particular shop, which is attributed to positive atmosphere. staff haven't recognised me enough to initiate regular conversations, which leaves mood/service/atmosphere here to be desired, but that's probably more on me; ordering an espresso for takeaway lends itself to brief interactions. thankfully my anti-depressants are working and the brain is neuroplastic so i might be able to one day strike up a small chat without thinking too hard about consequences. i try not to be a boring person who just orders coffee and leaves. nevertheless, i feel chill here and staff are always friendly and helpful (reminding me of the single origin bean on offer) and always seem happy to be working. speaking of chill, i once ordered a coffee to SIT IN and the atmosphere (and coffee) was so rich that i simply enjoyed a good stare out the window whilst being present with myself and my coffee. here was a space where i could recuperate and accept who i am. they have a great range of other products that are not instant consumables, including mugs, badges, reusable cups and bags of coffee beans, the latter of which i bought for a friend once a few years ago and now they're super into coffee. never had food here but i did at another shop and...

Nice and interesting coffees, good decor. But go in the morning, when the baristas enjoy what they’re doing, not in the evening when they want to go home.

Visited 2 days in a row. First time, great, so we invited 2 more persons the following day. This second time, terrible experience. Ordered a Japanese cold coffee and they told me they couldn’t do it ‘cause they were closing in 15 minutes. That’s ok, so we ordered espresso and flat white. Even when we wanted to drink them there, specially the espresso, they served them all in cardboard cups to take away. That’s still understandable.

Main problem was when I went to the toilet downstairs. There was a bucket and a mop next to the stairs, but no clear sign not to go through. I wanted to ask the barista if I could go down, but she was talking to another lady at the counter. So I went down, 2 minutes. When I came up, barista started yelling at me that she had told me not to go down and that it was very disrespectful. Over and over again. I told her I hadn’t listened her (and I truly didn’t), but she insisted in yelling that I was so disrespectful. As a customer you expect to be able to go to the toilet up to the last minute the place is open. If you cant’ go to the toilet, put a clear sign that says so. If you don’t want people to order coffee or go to the toilets the last 15 minutes of your shift, kindly ask them not to go into your place 15 minutes before, would be nicer than yelling at them.

Very sad the last impression was as bad, as the people we invited didn’t like the coffee or the attitude, so might not go back.

The staff in the morning was pretty friendly, opposed to the...

My sister and I entered the shop just five minutes before closing. We ordered an oat flat white and a chai latte, both of which were enjoyable but came at a steep price of £7.90. However, my complaint is not about the drinks; it's about the service, particularly from a young lady who seemed to be the manager. Upon our arrival, we were informed that the toilets were already closed, which irked us since restroom facilities should close when the establishment shuts down, not before closing time.

As we settled down, we were abruptly informed that the coffee shop was closing. While we had planned to quickly finish our drinks and leave, the manager insisted that we depart immediately. She pointed to the door and rolled her eyes, offering no courtesy. Noisily, she brought out the bins, banging them against the floor four times. Despite finishing our coffee, when the family next to us asked to dispose of their used cups, the manager curtly replied, "No, the bins are now clean," directing them to take the cups with them.

In her eagerness to get us out, the manager signaled to her colleague to turn off all lights in the shop. The colleague hesitated, showing awareness that this wasn't the most mature behaviour, but she followed orders. Thus, we left in complete darkness, and our empty cups in hand.

While I understand that hospitality can be challenging and unrewarding, it doesn't excuse such disrespectful treatment of customers. I've worked in the industry and empathize, but professionalism and courtesy should never be...