Next time you find yourself wandering the streets of Angel, do yourself a favour and turn a corner into Charlton Place. I promise that you’ll find a unique coffee shop waiting there for you.
Located at the edge of Camden Passage, this cosy, understated cafe draws you in and helps you forget the busy streets of London.
Cafes often become a way for their owner to display their personality, and that’s exactly what Mokapot has become for owner Palma. Filled with a plethora of unique and interesting nick-nacks, ornaments and items, Mokapot walks the fine line between balance and clutter – there’s lots on show, but everything feels like it belongs.
Palma spent 14 years working in London as a manager, before deciding to do something for herself. With a love for coffee and a want for something to call her own, she decided to open her own coffee shop. Her father, who is back in Italy, proved to be a source of inspiration as a business owner himself and, after a year of prep and planning, October 2016 saw Mokapot open its doors.
Walking into Mokapot, chances are you’ll find yourself in the company of some of the friendly regulars who help make this cafe feel like you’re walking into a friend’s living room. Plants, miniature chairs on walls, and typewriters all contribute to the quirky charm that makes simply sitting down and enjoying the friendly, comfortable ambience a pleasure.
Local business people also pay patronage in the mornings, with things tending to quiet down by the afternoon which makes it a perfect time to unwind.
While Mokapot may appear small at a first impression, there is an upstairs seating area waiting to be discovered. This, paired with a tiny garden out back that is lovely in the summer, really helps the cafe capture the essence of a home, something which Palma strives to achieve.
Unusually, the cafe sports a no-laptop policy, which is designed to encourage customers to sit and chat with whoever they’ve arrived with. This isn’t a place to hunker down for hours and hours of work, which again plays into the home vibe that permeates Mokapot.
Covering the walls are many paintings by, Mark Ryden, an American Pop-Surrealist artist and a personal favourite of Palma’s.
I paid a visit on a typically cloudy London afternoon and, with a desire to brighten my mood, I chose to go for a long black with a generous slice of carrot cake. It definitely did the job. The shot of Red Brick espresso was pulled excellently and paired very nicely with the carrot cake, which Mokapot sources from the family-run Madeira Patisserie across the river in Clapham.
If you’re tired of the cut-and-paste coffee shop design and want something a little more personal and a little more offbeat, we’d highly recommend a visit to Mokapot. Maybe just leave the laptop in the office though, eh?
Moka Pot
4 Charlton Place, London, N1 8AJ
@mokapotangel
