Poppy's 4 (IV) — Restaurant in London

Express menu for lunch is £8 for a starter and main which, given portion sizes and overall quality, is definitely on the cheap end.

I am a lover of real Thai cooking so I felt it necessary to try out this newly opened restaurant nearby my home. It was an experiment for me: I’m lucky enough to have a very well-loved Thai restaurant even nearer to my home which serves up superb food at medium prices and has done for at least the 15 years I have lived here so far. (I’ll name it below…)

From a Thai food point of view, Poppy’s is definitely not up there with the nearby competition. Everything was “in the right place” for an express lunch, if you know what I mean. Portion sizes and value for money were both very good. Nothing was sloppy. Nothing was bad. But nothing was really good. The red curry had a nice flavour but lacked punch or depth. The pad kra pao wasn’t moreish, the Tom Yum was shrimpless (closed cup mushrooms…) and neither hot, sour, nor strong in flavour, and the rice was not fluffy or fragrant.

Similar quality Thai food at the same price point can be found in multiple nearby pubs, try the Cross Keys for lovely surroundings where you can have that cheap Thai lunch with half a cider in the sun (the Thai food there is a touch more basic but in the same ballpark I’d say).

For tourists I suspect the interior design of Poppy’s, which features taxidermy bunnies, foxes, monkeys, caged birds, and a fake giraffe wearing a fascinator (hopefully I didn’t need to specify the giraffe was fake…), and gentle vocal jazz will give it that Instagrammable advantage over other Thai places nearby. I did like the prawn toast served in a mini shopping trolley, that was fun. But for me, or anyone else wanting really good Thai food, I’m afraid it’s a no. As mentioned - nothing bad, but there are so many other great options nearby.

Service was not special by any means: all the menus were crumpled (not in a rustic way) and you can’t have ice in your drink as the ice machine isn’t working. (If I ran a restaurant and my ice machine wasn’t working, wouldn’t I nip literally across the road to Tesco to pick up a bag? Of course I would.) One front of house lady was friendly but the person who served us was a little on the surly side, didn’t come back to check on us, and we had to pay at the till in the end rather than waiting for the bill, along with another couple who also got tired of waiting. Perhaps service on the day I went was not as good as usual? Finally you can’t pay by card, not a biggy, but would have been nice to know before we sat down to eat.

You’d think based on the interior that this place would be great with all the little details, but based on my visit it was not. Perhaps it’s unfair to judge a restaurant based on its express lunch menu, on the contrary I’d say this is your chance to shine and attract customers by serving up great flavours.

For great all round Thai, go to 101 Thai Kitchen, to Jin-Da for good Northern Thai, or even to Salutation pub which is known locally for great Thai food - all within a few minutes...

Had been there once before and had been quite happy on the whole. This time, my friend and I had an awful experience. I wanted to book for 6.30pm and was told it would be better to get there between 6 and 6.15pm since we’d have to vacate the table by 7.30pm, which was fair enough. Upon arrival at 6.10pm, we were badly greeted, not a smile, to then be told we were not booked!! Luckily I spotted my name on the booking sheet, crossed out!! So I showed it to the chap, to which he rudely replied, «you’re 10 minutes late » Great start!!! From then on we were rushed all through our dinner, her plate was taken away from my friend before she’d even finished her starter, and replaced with a plate for the main course, and because she had to use it to finish her starter, she was then told off by the waiter for having used it as it was meant for the main course!!! To which I replied that they should have waited till she finished her starter to remove it, soooo rude again!! We were then presented with the bill before we’d even asked for it and before we had finished, and that was at least 15 minutes before we were due to vacate the table. The whole experience was utterly unpleasant, staff were rude and very unprofessional, all in all a very uncomfortable and...

Very disappointing experience. I was really looking forward to dining at Poppy’s IV — the decor is beautiful, Unfortunately, that’s where the positives end.

Despite many empty seats, I was placed between two tiny, tightly packed tables, which felt uncomfortable and awkward. After sitting down and reviewing the menu, I was informed they only accept cash — something that wasn’t mentioned anywhere beforehand.

When I said I could only pay by card, there was no flexibility, no understanding, and no alternative offered. I left hungry and very frustrated.

In 2025, not accepting cards — with zero notice — is unacceptable. I won’t be returning, and I wouldn’t recommend this place unless you’re carrying cash and have very low expectations...