How to get a reservation in the Coppa Club pods | Coppa Club Tower Bridge

Way back last May, when the air was warming up and summer was still an anticipation of long balmy evenings, mum and I had a girly day of London fun. It began with a half day at work then a leisurely lunch at Coppa Club in one of their paradise pods (the summer version of the Coppa Club igloos), and culminated in most mums’ favourite activity, a Take That concert. 

As everyone knows, it’s a bit of a mission to get a reservation in a pod at Coppa Club which made me even more excited to visit. Is there any better girly day than a nice lunch, cocktails,  getting ready together, then a concert? This Friday was a really sunny spring day which gave us gorgeous views over the Thames and Tower Bridge from our pod. 

The pods: an explanation

Coppa Club is a restaurant and bar in Tower Bridge, set on the north bank of the Thames just West of Tower Bridge (hence the gorgeous views from the Coppa Club pods; Tower Bridge looks glorious all year round, day and night). 

You can eat inside the restaurant, however outside facing the river is where Coppa Club really comes into its own. Half a dozen or so transparent plastic ‘pods’ line the Thames pathway, which are themed each season. 

When I visited in spring, the ‘paradise pods’ were surfer shack themed, complete with bunting, disco balls and a VW camper transformed into an outside bar. However in the winter the theme shifts to igloos, with furry throws to keep warm, fairy lights aplenty and patio heaters. The pods are well insulated and face away from the river, so can be like a greenhouse on a hot day but well insulated in the chilly British winter. 

If you’re a larger group (you can book for up to eight people) then you will have the whole pod, with a round table; my mum and I had two other tables of two in our pod but it was in no way cramped or noisy. 

How to get a reservation in a Coppa Club pod / igloo

To put it simply, sign up for their emails! You need to get in quick when the bookings open in order to get a pod at Coppa Club, so having a date in mind that you’d like to go in advance is the way forward. A handy way is to work out when you’re going to be in London anyway, for a concert or show maybe, so you can search for that specific date and know you’ll have somewhere cool to eat beforehand. 

I still can’t quite believe that I got a booking as easily as I did. I had looked at the reservation system a couple of weeks prior and was met with the classic ‘all booked up unless you want breakfast at 7am on a Tuesday’. However I then signed up for Coppa Club’s emails to be notified when there were more reservations opening.

When the booking system opened on a Friday morning I sat in a two hour online queue, which I remember saying to a colleague was laughable for a restaurant reservation. However I was at work so just left the tab open whilst I worked, and checked on it intermittently to see where I was in the queue.

By the time I got through there were loads of pods available so I could easily choose the time that I wanted a pod for the day that I wanted! However if you’re trying to book on a whim after the bookings have opened then good luck to ya mate. (This doesn’t apply to the main restaurant, a group of six of us walked in with no reservation on a Wednesday night just before Christmas and got a table straight away). 

What’s on the menu?

The menu is extensive, with main dishes such as burgers, steak and lamb chops, a pizza and pasta section and small plates and nibbles. As we were having an early-ish dinner, mum and I opted for a few of the small plates between us, making a tapas style lunch which was delicious and just the right amount for lunchtime:

• Butermilk fried chicken
• Crispy fried squid
• Smoked haddock arancini
• Sticky chorizo sausages
• Skinny fries

What’s a girls’ lunch without a cocktail and something sweet afterwards? I love restaurants that offer mini desserts; you still get the treat but without stuffing yourself. Mum and I were planning to get an ice cream or fancy doughnut in the afternoon but with the option of a mini butterscotch pot on the menu we couldn’t say no!

Are the Coppa Club pods worth the hype?

Absolutely; if you can get a reservation in a Coppa Club pod, take it! There’s something special about sitting in your own little space and the decor and views are gorgeous. With the amount of coverage that the pods get on social media, paired with how difficult they are to book, I assumed that the menu would be pretty expensive but the food and drinks are really reasonably priced. What a bonus! 

Have you visited, or do you prefer a more traditional restaurant? Let me know in the comments!

Becca x

Read about other London restaurants here.