Jolene Redchurch Street

Memorable. It was a tough choice, but I went with the coffee & cacao bun, and I’m so glad I did. Flaky on the outside, with a soft, layered pull inside, like a cross between a croissant and a brioche. Not doughy like babka, with just the right amount of chew and buttery stretch. Light enough to keep you coming back for more. I finished it in minutes. No regrets.

Small little pastry and bread shop with benches outside. No indoor seating. Much smaller than the one at Stoke Newington but equally good pastries! Love their pain au chocolat! Crispy fresh layers of buttery goodness! Coffee is also excellent! Rich nutty flavour with no extra charge for alternative milks! A little pricey but you get what you pay for.

Delicious fresh pastries, great drinks, amazing vibes. Went to Jolene for breakfast, tried several pastries and was not disappointed. Particularly liked the rhubarb pastry, very tasty with a perfect balance of acidity and sweetness. Among the savory pastries my favorite was the sausage roll but everything was excellent tbh. Their hot chocolate is the best I’ve had in a long time, reminded me of how my mom used to make it, delicious, very chocolaty and not too sweet. The atmosphere is very nice, was there on a Thursday so it wasn’t busy and was able to sit on the bench outside. To conclude, worth the hype, worth the price, go there during the week, try the rhubarb pastry.

The bakery was decent but was it really so nice that you must try? No. Not worth of the hiked up inflated price for the taste that was just an average. Something I would eat for breakfast in South London would be more tasty, memorable and unique. Plus you get surrounded by loads of pigeons if you decide to eat outside Jolene. Gross.

Very viby and aesthetic bakery with great coffee however croissants are mediocre and don’t feel very fresh. Also, wasn’t told that it is self service so was waiting outside for the pastries for a while until I realized people just take them. Service can definitely be much better.

I’d been looking forward to trying out Jolene but it was somewhat disappointing. The sausage roll was quite greasy and soggy - I heated it up in the oven to restore the crunch of the pastry. The apple crumble danish was pretty good - I like the flavour combination and pastry was flaky. The worst was the polenta and olive oil sourdough. It was super soft which was promising but then it tasted somewhat dense and undercooked. It might have been underproofed, the crumb looked pretty bad :(. Staff were super friendly and helpful but I don’t think I’ll return sadly.

Finally made my way a Jolene after wanting to visit for months! The location is beautiful, and the shop itself cute and tiny! I ventured there for the sticky toffee pudding cake which I had heard good things about online, and was lucky they were still in stock at about 12pm on a Friday, as they seemed out of most other things! The staff were friendly and I quite like the concept of being able to pick your own slice/item. Now let me tell you, this is one of the nicest cakes I have ever had. I am an avid sticky toffee lover, and this cake captured the vibe very well! The sponge is incredibly moist with a lovely caramel and date flavour and scent. The frosting - oh my, I have no I idea how they get it so smooth, and again, an amazing toffee flavour! While quite pricey, this is standard for London, and I shall definitely venture back to Jolene to try some of their other offerings! Update June 2024 - I have visited Jolene twice since this fiest occasion. Both times I chose two different cakes that were on the counter on the day (it is impossible to know in advance what may be there!). I got the Boston Cream Pie and Coconut Raspberry Layer Cake. Both these cakes have been absolutely exceptional. The service has also always been warm and welcoming. I will most definitely keep on coming back and recommend to anyone after a good slice of cake!

Just took my first sip of my quadruple Cortado… Obviously this is an old school roast! You just got a love keeping the through line from then to now on good coffee!