Every so often you get an invite out of the blue. So, when, just before Christmas, I was invited to visit a new venue in Putney from a group I had not heard of before, the Coppa Club, I was intrigued. It turns out that Coppa is a part of Various Eateries PLC founded in 2014 by Hugh Osmond. Yes; he was the man who founded Punch Taverns. The core brands of Various Eateries are Coppa Club and Tavolino, the latter being a chain of Italian restaurants. Coppa was born after Osmond and his team purchased the Strada restaurant group. Their goal was to reinvigorate the sites and go on to add new ones, which is where the Putney site comes in, having previously been a Carluccio’s. But the crucial difference is that the Coppa sites fall into CAMRA’s definition of being pubs, all nine of them. Put simply you can go in for a drink and do not have to buy food.
So off to Putney it was, but first some non-beer leisure time. To the west of Putney Bridge on the north side of the river sits a lovely park and a museum that we had not come across before: Fulham Palace House & Gardens, which is the historic home of the Bishops of London. It is run by an independent charity and admission is free but donations are welcome. It is well worth a visit, as is their cafe for tea and cake. In the warmer weather, a table on the terrace provides a lovely spot from which to contemplate the gardens.
After an invigorating walk by the Thames, crossing Putney Bridge and heading slightly east, you will come to Brewhouse Lane which leads to a modern square. This now has three pubs, a Wetherspoon’s (the Rocket), a Young’s house (the Boathouse) and the Coppa Club. The fourth side of the square is the Thames, which means that all three venues have considerable outside seating which is well used in warmer weather.
While the first two pubs do offer cask beer, that is not yet something available at the Coppa bar. There are keg taps for Peroni, Camden Hells and Curious IPA (from Ashford, Kent). As you enter you come into a large lounge area with, in winter, a warming fire to the right. It offers what could best be described as comfortable lounge seating; tastefully modern with settees and armchairs but plenty of stools for bar seating. There is a bar menu with burgers, pizzas and a smaller range of snacks.
This lounge area then extends into some semi-private areas, leading to a workspace with ample power points and Wi-Fi for those who like to use a pub for working. At the very end will be found a space that resembles a boardroom cum library snug which is good for small meetings. Some spaces can be hired for private use.
But, for an alternative, to the left of the entrance, is the restaurant area overlooking the Thames Path. We ate here and the food can be recommended (especially the fish dishes) along with the impeccable service. Children are welcome, as are dogs (lounge area only) and it opens at 9am for breakfasts until 11pm.
As well as Putney, Coppa’s current locations include Tower Bridge, Clifton Village (Bristol), Cobham Village, Henley on Thames, Maidenhead and Brighton, as well as Streatley on Thames and Sonning on Thames. The latter two both include riverside hotels and cask beer. With their ambitious plans, you may see one near you soon.
For more information go to here.
John Cryne