I was super excited to hear about the upcoming opening of the second Hideout Coffee in Southsea last Monday. I’ve been peering through the window for weeks, desperate for some indication as to how the refurb is getting on. This site on Lord Montgomery Way was once a printer shop. Now it looks fantastic, you should see what they’ve done with the place.
Hideout Coffee started life just behind Starbucks in Guildhall Walk. Now, you can’t get much closer to your competitors that that! This, however, is DECENT coffee. No syrup shots or mass produced muffins here. This little hang out is tucked away down a side street with zero advertising, a proper hide out. It’s essentially the in-house coffee shop of the design agency I Love Dust who’s offices sit above.
So the story goes.. the guys at Hideout got chatting to some guys at Coffee Lab in Chichester (Coffee lab is a good coffee shop with awesome brownies but it’s rather on the small side). So, this talk continued and they came up with a genius idea to open a bigger Hideout. Both parties were a little OVER working in such a small space and wanted to create an area where people could hang with their mates and work if they needed. The result of this coffee-infused chitter-chatter saw two of Coffee Lab’s team take the plunge and move to Southsea.
Here, Hideout Coffee #2 was born. A location was acquired and the work began. This wasn’t an easy project, a transformation needed to take place to get the look and feel they wanted.
I popped in on their first day of opening and was impressed with how the place looked. A large shared table dominated the room with plenty of space for groups of friends or loners like me. Around the side of the room is a sturdy work surface and stools for people to work on and plugs and USB points plentiful. Quirky signs and a little foliage has been dotted about.
Downstairs is an entirely pink room with one long winding seat and tables dotted about. You have to see it to believe it. I imagined myself in a giant dolls house when I went down to take a look.
The back of the main room is where the magic happens. The barista takes his place at the machine and creates some good shit. The beans are from River Coffee Roasters in Winchester and the milk from Northney Farm in Hayling Island. My Americano was decent; smooth and drinkable. My cortado was the show stopper; the milk mixed wonderfully and some nice coffee art on there too.
What about the food I hear you ask? DOUGHNUTS are the main event. Coffee and doughnuts, who needs much more? The doughnuts are made in-house by the girl previously from Coffee Lab (I can’t remember her name but she’s ever so lovely and cheerful). Considering she’s new to this doughnut making malarky, my PBJ doughnut was unbelievable.
I happened to get one of the last ones as they had sold out within two hours of opening! A generous amount of filling, innovative flavours and aesthetically pleasing. There were savoury muffins, cookies and sweet muffins on offer too.
I ended up spending the entire afternoon at Hideout. I liked the vibe; it’s cool, it’s very hipster and it’s just what this part of Southsea needs. I was a little chilly at the time but I am always cold and you can’t please everyone.
There’s no denying that the branding is unique, just take a look at their Instagram page. It’s OUT there. Mum and some of the more traditional Portsmouth dwellers may not like the swearing and sexual references but I do understand their motive. It’s unique, it’s niche and it’s pretty trendy right now.
I would definitely return. This time I will make sure I hadn’t substituted lunch for a doughnut as two coffees and a doughnut on an empty stomach saw me bouncing off the walls for the rest of the afternoon. It’s a great place to work remotely so I’m sure I will be there again soon.
Well done Hideout Coffee, you’ve done a fab job!
Ambience 9
Quality 9
Service 9
Value 9
Overall 9/10.
Return? Yes!
Living life, loving decent coffee,
H x
Her name is Ella & her donut creations are amazing.
Thanks Jan! Yes you are right, Ella’s doughnuts are amazing! We may even get another today 😋
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