Mokoko, Wapping Wharf: Review

For months, I’ve regretted living near the new Wapping Wharf development and working from home – the sound of building work has been a little distracting.

Now, though, things are different. With a huge number of food and drink businesses opening their doors, it’s looking like the Cumberland Road development is set to become a bit of a foodie hub for Bristol.

One of the first businesses to open their doors was Mokoko: a coffee shop and bakery which opened its first site on Bath’s Dorchester Street, and has now made the move to Bristol. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens when Small Street Espresso open their second branch – Little Victories – almost directly opposite, but currently, Mokoko seem to be faring pretty well.

Located on the newly opened Gaol Ferry Steps and with plenty of outdoor seating, it’s a great place to relax – the buildings muffle the sound of traffic on Cumberland Road, and it’s a venue with a friendly, chilled out vibe. Walk through the doors and you’ll see that they’ve embraced the ever-growing industrial trend for their decor, along with plenty of blue tiling and beautiful light fittings that give the place a less clinical feel.

At one end of Mokoko you’ll find an open-plan kitchen, where they turn out a range of cakes, pastries and savouries, which are freshly baked each day. While it’s fun to watch the kitchen team at work, their proximity to the customers makes me think that some kind of perspex screen may be an idea for hygiene reasons…

Back to the counter, where you’ll find two bright yellow Conti machines, their flashy lights making them stand out. As you’d expect, it’s coffee that’s the big focus here – while the printed menu on the counter only gives the option of an espresso (£2), espresso with milk (£2.60), black (£2.40) or filter coffee (£3), they’ll happily make other drinks if you ask nicely. There’s a choice of blends available for both espresso and filter coffees too – a house blend which you’re served as standard, unless you ask for one of their special blends which is priced slightly higher. It’s good to see tasting notes detailed for their blends too.

Non-coffee drinkers also have the choice of a range of teas, hot chocolate, homemade lemonade or fresh orange juice – and there are jugs of water on the counter by the window to which customers can help themselves.

As you’ll see above, the counter’s also home to a variety of sweet and savoury treats, ranging from £1.80 to £2.80. On the morning of our visit, there was a huge selection: pains au raisins; squash, pumpkin and banana muffins; salted caramel brownies; cinnamon buns; Somerset cider and apple cake; apricot and lavender cake and even a raw vegan cake. On the savoury front, a choice of a spinach and ham tartine or a spinach and mushroom option, both priced at £3. Again, I’m never a fan of pastries/cakes on open counters with no cover – especially on a sunny day when the doors and windows are flung open…

We ordered our drinks and pastry, and decided to take a seat outside, having been given a table number so our drinks could be brought over to us.

Chris’ latte was beautiful: lovely and rich with a decent froth from the milk, and served nice and hot. He wasn’t sure about the choice of handle-less mugs for hot drinks, though…

My fresh mint tea (£2.40) was beautifully presented, served on a wooden tray with a glass of iced water on the side. The teapot was ridiculously heavy, but I was pleased to see how many fresh mint leaves had been thrown in, giving the tea plenty of flavour. I was a little surprised that I was offered nothing to sweeten it, though.

And finally, onto the pastry. Chris had ordered a cinnamon bun (£1.80) – and the thing was a work of art – look at how beautiful it was! The multiple layers of baked dough had a lovely shiny glaze, and promised plenty of cinnamon…sadly, while the bun itself was beautifully cooked, we felt that the cinnamon flavour could have been stronger.

With well-made drinks, an inviting atmosphere and being on the main route from Bedminster to the city centre, I’m certain that Mokoko will do well. There are just a few little issues that, in my mind, need to be ironed out, but I’ll certainly be back again soon.