Blighty Coffee – review

Blighty Coffee: a caffeinated oasis in an erstwhile cultural desert. Photograph: Blighty Coffee

Hanging out in shared workspace with coffee flowing, food available and a sunny garden to sit in – this has come to characterise the lifestyle of many of Hackney’s creative professionals in recent years.

But until now the denizens of Finsbury Park have lacked suitable public spaces to lounge, chat and work.

Fortunately, Blighty Coffee, started by techie Chris Evans, has come to the rescue. Part café, part workspace, part cultural centre, this new venue on Blackstock Road has become a haven for designers, artists, and entrepreneurs since it opened in April.

Blighty is laid out over several levels, with the coffee shop itself on the ground floor, a public space with desks and sofas on the first floor, a combination of shared and private offices above, and a large public garden at the back.

The idea behind the project was to provide a common space for locals working in the creative industries.

“It would be nice to make this a cool hub for creative people, with lots of healthy food”, says Evans.

Much of Evans’s vision is yet to be realised, but he has lots of plans. In the coming months, he and his colleagues intend to branch out into culture with acoustic evenings, open-mic comedy nights and film and dinner events.

The food currently on offer ranges from pastries and cakes to sandwiches, salads and soups, the menu changing daily.

Most of the dishes are homemade, and there are plans to provide vegan and gluten-free offerings in future, as well as breakfast options such as eggs Benedict and eggs Florentine.

Though the café is now open 9am-5pm, Blighty is building up to longer hours, as well as an alcohol license.

Evans also hopes to develop the garden, and he is currently on the search for a green-fingered volunteer to grow edible plants for the café and for themselves in the 3×4 metre patch at its centre.

The little corner of Hackney that is Finsbury Park has long been somewhat of a cultural desert, but that is gradually changing, and Blightly Coffee could well set the tone for things to come.

Blighty Coffee
35-37 Blackstock Road,
N4 2JF