The Populus Coffee & Food Co. - still a popular cafe after all these years

The Populus Coffee & Food Co. along Neil Road has enjoyed great success from day one. It is still a popular cafe after all these years, surviving the pandemic and holding its own against a host of new hip and trendy cafes. It even outlives its celebrated neighbour The Lokal.

Revisiting Populus Cafe

We visited Populus Cafe at Neil Road many years ago. Then it was common for popular cafes to pack in as many tables as possible. At Populus then, the gaps between tables were only inches wide. We had visited a crowded Populus on a busy weekend and our brunch experience there was not the most pleasant.

Recently, we had brunch on a weekday at The Populus Coffee & Food Co. and had a vastly different experience than that of our visit many years ago.

The tables in the nicely decorated cafe were well spaced out. The cafe was well patronised but not crowded. The service crew were welcoming and courteous.

Brunch at Populus Coffee

We ordered the Halibut & Leek ($26) and Populus French Toast ($23) with a black coffee ($5) and white coffee ($6).

The Halibut & Leek at Populus Coffee was plated as a stack with braised leek on top, and the roasted Atlantic Halibut sitting on a bed of mashed potatoes. It was drizzled with a creamy roasted garlic sauce. The fish was lean and firm and had a mildly sweet taste. The nutritional leek and the garlic sauce enhanced the flavour of the fish. It was a delicious dish.

The Populus French Toast was still a good looking dish but not as photogenic as the French Toast we had when we visited Populus back in 2016. The baked vanilla brioche with caramelized bananas and yogurt was fairly typical cafe fare.

The coffee at The Populus Coffee & Food Co was still very good.

The Populus Coffee & Food Co. is a good place to visit on a weekday when it is not too crowded. It has a fairly extensive menu and serves good coffee as well as exquisite teas and artisanal hot chocolate. On weekends and public holidays, Populus has a new Level 2 lounge concept – an escape valve when the popular cafe gets crowded.

Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 4
Value: 3
Atmosphere: 3
Overall Rating: 4 TOPs