Josie’s Wine.Coffee.Deli – Bishop’s Waltham

Josie's.Wine.Coffee.Deli, Bishop's Waltham
Strange looking man exiting Josie’s, High Street, Bishop’s Waltham

A week ago my friend and I were out cycling and stopped off at Josie’s Wine.Coffee.Deli for coffee and cake. This was my first visit and we were lucky to get the last table. We both enjoyed a very nice chocolate brownie – for only £2.50 which I thought was good as it wasn’t a small one – and a cappuccino. It seemed like my kind of place and I vowed I would return soon and have something more substantial to review the place properly.

Josie's.Wine.Coffee.Deli, Bishop's Waltham
Very nice brownie with a soft centre

And this I did, less than a week later. On Sunday my husband and I decided to have brunch at Josie’s but at first we couldn’t get a table! It was packed and even cyclists were queuing for takeaway coffees. It must have been good because there was a Costa’s up the road. Not to be thwarted we went for a walk around the block, window shopping as it appears that most shops are closed in the little village centre. We did the right thing as on our return a table became free, hurrah!

Josie's.Wine.Coffee.Deli, Bishop's Waltham
Great meeting place.

Josie’s is one of those places which has a nice feel to it, a real buzz. There was music in the background but I couldn’t hear what as there was so much chit-chat going on, people meeting with friends, couples and families (I’m not complaining by the way).

Josie's.Wine.Coffee.Deli, Bishop's Waltham
Large wine selection to drink in or take away

Along one wall are lots of wines to choose from to drink in or take away – by the glass is also available. Also on offer were packets of tea and coffee. It was rather difficult to see what wines etc., were available because the tables were quite close to the wines and we didn’t like to disturb people, ‘invading their space’ so to speak. We did manage to choose a nice bottle of red to take home with us though. These wines you won’t find in supermarkets.

Josie's.Wine.Coffee.Deli, Bishop's Waltham
Lovely full English breakfast

On the menu were full English breakfast, egg benedict, bubble & squeak – Capers in Southsea do an excellent bubble & squeak – and a few other ‘breakfast’ type dishes – soup of the day, salads, ciabattas, toasties and American style pancakes, which sounded rather good.

Josie's.Wine.Coffee.Deli, Bishop's Waltham
Josie’s menu

We both chose the full English, not something I have very often. Nicely scrambled eggs (I hate them when they’re soggy) a sausage, bacon, field mushroom, grilled tomatoes on the vine, and two rounds of toast with butter. All for £7.95 which wasn’t a bad price. It was very tasty and freshly cooked.

Josie's.Wine.Coffee.Deli, Bishop's Waltham
Great cappuccino

I would have loved to have tried the pancakes but alas, my stomach was full. Well, almost! I have to finish my meal with something sweet. So…

Josie's.Wine.Coffee.Deli, Bishop's Waltham, carrot cake
Delicious, moist and fresh carrot cake

…I went for a slice of carrot cake whilst Geoff went for cherry & almond slice (Bakewell tart). Geoff enjoyed his tart and my carrot cake was very fresh, moist and bouncy. The butter frosting on top was topped with grated orange zest.

Josie's.Wine.Coffee.Deli, Bishop's Waltham, bakewell tart, cherry & almond cake
Geoff’s Cherry & almond slice (Bakewell Tart).

With the cakes we had another coffee each. Whilst the cappuccino was very nice the espresso made me pull a face. You know, the type you pull when drinking whiskey. Well I do anyway. It was, however served in a little glass which I quite like.

Josie's.Wine.Coffee.Deli, Bishop's Waltham, espresso
The not so great espresso.

The decor was nice, the entrance is through two very tall doors. There are tables along by the windows looking out onto the pavement to watch the world go by and a couple of high tables with high stools, the rest being normal tables and chairs. I noticed a few chair seats covered with hessian coffee bean sacks and some pillows made of the same, I like to see the sacks being made use of.  It isn’t waitress service which is what I generally prefer and the staff were friendly. There were lots of orchids in the washroom and a huge bottle (empty) of champagne which the toilet roll was balanced on.

There are a few nice places in Bishop’s Waltham. We’ve reviewed Piccola Roma the Italian restaurant (just behind the High Street) which we loved and have returned to a few times now. There’s another place there on my list to try too. Would I return? Yes I would. It has a nice ambience and was friendly, so perhaps next time I might just have some pancakes.

Living life, loving cake

A x

 

5 Comment

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  2. […] A lovely fresh and moist carrot cake from Josie’s Wine.Coffee.Deli at Bishops Waltham which we reviewed this week. We also had a very nice full English breakfast there […]

  3. […] White Red has now closed but Josie’s, who also have a shop in Bishop’s Waltham which we reviewed a while back, are in it’s […]

  4. […] visited several places in Bishops Waltham, Josies in the High Street; next door to that is Giorgios Mediterranean Restaurant & Bar which was ok, […]

  5. […] UPDATE: 02/11/2017 Now Josie’s […]

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