Woof Coffee

My espresso, a single-origin Honduras from Clifton Coffee Roasters, served in an over-sized yellow up on a blue saucer, with a bite-sized piece of chocolate brownie at Woof Coffee in Teddington.I came across Woof Coffee in October 2016, receiving an e-mail invitation to a party to celebrate its official opening. Sadly I couldn’t make it (the party was the day I arrived back from my first around the world trip) but I duly stuck a star on it in Google Maps and made a note to visit. Fast forward 22 months and I took a small excursion to southwest London that saw me call in on Beanberry Coffee in Kingston and The Press Room in Twickenham. And conveniently half way between the two (sort of) in Teddington, there’s Woof Coffee.

Woof has a simple, espresso-based coffee menu with the ubiquitous Redchurch blend from Allpress acting as the house blend, with a different guest roaster every month. Woof buys in a number of single-origins/blends, which are available as retail bags, with a different option as the guest espresso every day. If coffee’s not your thing, then Woof has plenty of tea, working with a local tea merchant who sources a range of loose-leaf tea exclusive to Woof. Finally, there’s food, with a simple all-day breakfast/lunch menu backed up by five sandwiches, all of which can be toasted.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

  • On the north side of Broad Street in Teddington you'll find Woof Coffee.
  • There's not a lot of space for an A-board, so it's inside the window.
  • The front of Woof Coffee from just inside the door.
  • There are four tables on the left-hand side...
  • ... while the windows are used as display areas...
  • ... rather than being presed into service as seating.
  • The same is true on the right-hand side...
  • ... where there are another four tables (the two at the back were occupied).
  • The counter takes up the rest of the space on the right, with more seating on the left...
  • ... in the shape of a long bench, lined with four narrow tables...
  • ... each with a pair of low, wooden chairs.
  • Right at the back is a long, thin alcove...
  • ... with wooden bars along each side of the wall.
  • The counter has the food, cakes & sandwiches, in a large glass display case at the front.
  • Retail bags of coffee are also for sale, starting with the house espresso from Allpress...
  • ... followed by various beans from that month's guest roaster (Clifton while I was there)...
  • ... while at the far end are various bags of tea, confusingly with (Woof) coffee on them.
  • The menus are on the wall behind the counter, drinks on the left...
  • ... and food on the right.
  • The choice of coffee is on a handy clipboard by the till...
  • ... while the espresso machine (no pour-over here) is at the far end...
  • ... along with the grinders, which also tell you which guest coffee is in the hopper.
  • My espresso, made with the Honduras Norma Iris Fiallo from Clifton Coffee Roasters.
  • I also had a toasted mozzarella and tomato sourdough sandwich.
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Woof Coffee is on Teddington’s Broad Street, the western extension of Teddington High Street. Easily accessible by bus and train, it’s a few minutes’ walk from Teddington station. You can sit outside, where there are two benches, one in front of each window, but the street is very busy, plus Woof has a pedestrian crossing directly outside its front door, so it’s not very quiet!

The shop has a simple layout, starting with the central, recessed door, flanked by two deep bay windows which are used for display purposes. Long and thin, the counter’s on the right, slightly set back, leaving space for four two-person tables arranged in a square between it and the window. There’s another four tables on the left, then, opposite the counter, a long wooden bench with cushions runs along the left-hand wall. This has four narrow four-person tables, each with two low, low-backed chairs.

The counter faces the bench from the opposite wall, with cakes and sandwiches in a large, glass display case, which also houses the retail bags of coffee and tea on the top. Next comes the till, and then, at the far end, the Nouva Simonelli espresso machine, an old-school chunk of metal, complete with a pair of sleek, Mythos One grinders (house blend and guest single-origin) with a third grinder, a Mazzer Super Jolly, for the decaf.

Beyond the counter, Woof continues, an enclosed kitchen on the right and, on the left, a small seating annex with two bars, one on each wall, seating for each provided by three high, wooden stools. The front’s flooded with natural light from the generous, south-facing windows, while the back is pretty bright too, with plenty of lights, plus borrowed sunlight from the front.

I made a rookie mistake when I ordered, failing to look up, thus missing the (large and prominently displayed) food menu on the wall behind the counter. Instead, I allowed my head to be turned by the sandwiches in the display case, missing out on smashed avocado and poached eggs on sourdough. That said, I had a rather tasty mozzarella and tomato sandwich, which was toasted to perfection. This was one of five sandwiches, all on sourdough (or gluten-free bread), with two meat, one fish, one vegetarian and one vegan option.

Turning to the coffee, I’m very familiar with Allpress and its Redchurch blend, so went with the guest roaster, Bristol’s Clifton Coffee Roasters. There were four choices, the EQ blend, plus three single-origins, all washed coffees, from Colombia, Ethiopia and Honduras. I’ve really liked Clifton’s single-origins in the past, so went with that day’s choice, the Norma Iris Fiallo from Honduras. I had it as an espresso, as recommend by one of the co-owners, Alessandro, who I’d met before when working for Artisan in Ealing.

Served in an oversized cup, with a small, bite-sized chunk of chocolate brownie on the side, it was excellent, with an acidic smell, but much mellower in the mouth, although becoming more acidic towards the end.  I also received a glass of water without asking, refilled throughout my stay.

Before I left, I had to ask Alessandro: why Woof? The answer was simple: it’s a name that’s different, instantly recognisable and easy to remember. I can’t argue with that. After all, it worked on me!

31 BROAD STREET • TEDDINGTON • TW11 8QZ
www.woofcoffee.com +44 (0) 20 8616 2290
Monday 07:30 – 17:30 Roaster Allpress + Guest (espresso only)
Tuesday 07:30 – 17:30 Seating Tables, Bars; Benches (outside)
Wednesday 07:30 – 17:30 Food Breakfast, Lunch, Sandwiches, Cake
Thursday 07:30 – 17:30 Service Order at Counter
Friday 07:30 – 17:30 Payment Cards + Cash
Saturday 08:00 – 17:30 Wifi Free (with code)
Sunday 09:00 – 17:00 Power Limited
Chain No Visits 8th August 2018

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3 thoughts on “Woof Coffee

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