Bird and Ballard

In the spot where the Bird and Ballard now stands you could once find one of London’s premier dive bars and dens of ill repute. The Foundry was a legendary venue for bike messengers, artists and anyone who liked a little filth as a chaser with their pint. It is missed but having stood empty for a not inconsiderable amount of time, it is of some comfort that the business that took over this spot was an indie coffee house rather than a huge chain to match the vast billboard that hangs above it.

The Bird and Ballard doesn’t utilize the same spaces that The Foundry did, but relies on the ground floor to do enough. And it does (do enough). Comfortable leather chairs are mixed in with utility wooden stools, huge displays of cake, vintage arcade machines and artwork. Spread between a main area and two more compact side rooms the space is big enough to accommodate a crowd should it ever think about opening in the evenings.

The look takes a DIY approach to interior design and the only thing we’d argue that lets it down are the unnecessary words painted around the insides of the suspended ceiling. ‘Latte’, ‘Espresso’, ‘Flat white’; all hand painted in what looks like an homage to the collages you used to find on the walls of Pizza Hut. Just in case you didn’t know there was more than one way to take your coffee. They should have just written words like ‘Zany’, ‘Funky’ and ‘Cool’. But now that we’ve got that small bugbear off our chest we can praise again. The coffee is excellent. The espresso blend used in the Americano beats a long list of reputable coffee tars around town for taste. The flourless Battenberg isn’t just good looking but delicious and for those that like to take their cake gooey, test the chocolate, cherry and coconut slice.

The Bird and Ballard offers something a bit different from the usual hip coffee house shtick and while we still miss The Foundry, we can definitely warm to the new residents.

Bird and Ballard

Bird and Ballard Picture Gallery

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