Little Coffee Southsea, Portsmouth

Welcome

We stumbled across Little Coffee Southsea some months back and our first thoughts were ‘what a cute little van’ – we just had to go check it out. Little Coffee Southsea is Southsea’s smallest espresso van and is located on Southsea Common opposite the Queens Hotel.

It’s a converted Smart car-come-van and inside is a coffee lovers haven with everything you need to make a decent cup of freshly ground coffee. We’ve become particularly fond of Little Coffee Southsea for many reasons.

Coffee & Treats

Firstly, the coffee. Moonroast is the choice of beans, a firm favourite of ours, and the oat milk is tasty – just how mum likes it. Coffee is served fast and proper and there’s always a selection of sweet treats to purchase with your brew.

Some of the treats on offer include freshly baked croissants and vegan cinnamon buns from local bakery Bread Addiction plus, boozy Eccles cake and gooey brownies from Pomona Kitchen (who used to own Manna in Old Portsmouth, now Nell’s).

Open at 7am

Secondly, Little Coffee Southsea is the ONLY place down the seafront to open at 7am which is a godsend for those who like to get down there early to walk dogs or exercise. Since Little Coffee Southsea has opened we have woken up before sunrise to grab a coffee and I can honestly say, I’ve gone for more morning runs in Southsea, just so I can end my work out at Little Coffee Southsea. This little wagon really has got more people out and about!

Smiles

We love Olivia! What a friendly face, always happy to chat and always gives us a wave whenever she sees us around town. It’s really nice to go somewhere knowing you’re going to be met with a smile, even on the wettest windiest of mornings – especially in these strange times – a friendly smile and a chat really makes a difference to my day. I love the fact she does this with her dad too – what a lovely thing to do with your dad!

Community

Olivia has many regulars who live nearby and visit daily. They all pick up a coffee early morning and some bring their breakfasts too, so they can all chat and make sure everyone is ok – obviously keeping a 2-metre distance on the grass. Then, a bit later on, the cyclists and runners swing by, followed by the local dog walkers before the regular trade starts.  What a wonderful addition to the community.

Please help

I hate to end such a positive post with a negative but I have some bad news. Little Coffee Southsea is only contracted to stay until March 2021. The council opened up her spot and bids came flooding in and she lost. I expect this is due to money, which is such a shame and it saddens me deeply. No longer will we be able to enjoy an early morning walk down the seafront (there’s no way I can walk that early without coffee!), no longer will we enjoy coffee and chats in all weather, no longer will I have an excuse to get out for a run. It’s so unfair Olivia and her dad have to stop doing what they love.

Her regulars have started a petition to allow Little Coffee Southsea to keep her spot and continue to bring the community together and get more people outside and exercising. Please go down and sign the blue book or sign the petition online here.

Living life, loving Little Coffee Southsea,

H x