Sourdough Sophia - Essex Road
Bakery · Canonbury ·

Sourdough Sophia - Essex Road

Bakery · Canonbury ·

Small batch sourdough bakery with pastries, coffee, and bow croissants

Sourdough Sophia - Essex Road by Sinéad Cranna

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119 Essex Rd, London N1 2SN, United Kingdom Get directions

£1–10

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119 Essex Rd, London N1 2SN, United Kingdom Get directions

sourdoughsophia.co.uk
@sourdoughsophia

£1–10

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Last updated

Dec 10, 2025

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Sourdough Sophia - Essex Road - Review - Islington - London - The Infatuation

"Step inside this Islington bakery and into Sourdough Sophia's world. There is soft, velvet seating, there is a pink tiled bar—it is all loveliness and sugar highs everywhere you look. There's a cosy, homely energy where friends meet other friends' babies for the first time, and catch-ups are had over photo-ready Sourdough Sophia Bows—bow-shaped croissants filled with passion fruit curd. We're fans of the focaccia sandwiches, which are soft, pillowy, and won't hurt your sensitive palate. But some of the novelty pastries can be sickly sweet—a tiramisu cruffin becomes a personal challenge rather than a treat. Stick to the classics, though, and you can't go wrong. Food Rundown Chicken Schnitzel Focaccia This is an undertaking. We didn’t want to do anything after we ate this, apart from cradle our stomach and lie in the foetal position. It’s great, though. The focaccia is fluffy, light, and not overly oily, and the chicken schnitzel is crisp. Our one gripe is we would like the addition of a sauce with more of a kick, to balance the creamy mayo. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Cereal Milk Cookie Cornflakes in a cookie is a breakfast food we’re very much here for. Especially when there’s a generous helping of caramelised white chocolate and chocolate chips. The malty, sweet, nutty flavour is delicious, but ours could have been a little gooier inside. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna" - Sinéad Cranna

https://www.theinfatuation.com/london/reviews/sourdough-sophia-essex-road
Sinéad Cranna
Sourdough Sophia - Essex Road

Karen T.

Google
This has been on my list to try for a while but just never jumped the gun. Regrets not trying sooner because I loved everything! Firstly the bakery is the cutest pink cafe and there’s both seating inside and outside. Secondly, this is probably the best service I’ve ever gotten at a busy pastry shop. Staff are usually just trying to get through the orders but the ladies here were full of smiles and happy to explain the menu There are lots of yummy choices so I did have choice paralysis. I got the passionfruit bow WHICH IS A MUST!! Good amount of passionfruit curd within the bows on either side and the pastry itself was flaky and irresistible. The cardamom bun was just addictive, had to fight my partner for the rest. We wanted the ham and cheese but that sold out so we went for the smoked salmon bun. This was what you expect it to taste like.

Kitchen I.

Google
My expectations were as inflated as an airport welcome home balloon. Im not that balloon 5 days later, but it wasn't all celebration. The sandwich bread hasn't got the expected crust development..you know, that sourdough chew that makes you see yourself as a camel gif. The crumb had good flavour, but for this use, this bread needs to be about a third thinner. I get the need to impress with a cinder block of cheese. I feel that the effect and texture would work better with shards. But I know that's not ploughman's. But the block smothers the beautifully small dice celery, banishing it to the distant background. The whole thing is recognisable as quality, but it can't satisfy in these proportions. The pastry of the pumpkin pie is first rate, beautifully rendered. I get that they want to dry the veg filling to avoid soggyness. I think the only solution is a teaspoon if olive oil in the veg mix. It just eats like its been in a salad spinner, which it likely has, for good reason. I've just deleted 1400 words of technical suggestions. These guys can bake, for sure. In my view, they need to get high on their own supply, and perform the necessary tweaks.

Sansi D.

Google
I'd you're a man fear not how "pink" this place is. They make up for the lovely independent cafes the whole world is missing out on these days and should be placed on your google maps. The coffee beans were a little too strong for me but again I was here for the atmosphere and the pastries that came with it. The music was nice. Huge selection of pastries who is baked in house. Wow. Oh and join the app for a special treat. Come already!

Sara S.

Google
I was very sceptical, and so very surprised when I tried this. I am generally skeptical about cruffins but the texture and flavour was amazing, the rest of the pastries don't look amazing (more like, not my vibe of pastries) but I would try it again.

Tani

Google
I had ordered several pastries to pick up the night before from their website. The staff at the counter were really friendly! The service was really swift as they already had my order prepared. I’d been wanting to try the cruffin for a long time and it didn’t disappoint. I had the cinnamon sugar variation and it had just the right amount of sweetness without missing out on the classic buttery flavour. The bow croissant was so cute to look at and really tasty. This one was flaky and filled with a sort of chocolate mousse. Really lovely if you love chocolate, but slightly too rich for me. Overall, I’d definitely recommend paying them a visit as they have so much on offer!

Nia B.

Google
This bakery is a favourite! I’ve visited both locations but am lucky that the Essex road is not too far from me! It’s just a few minutes from Angel Station, and offers both takeaway and dine-in options. On this visit, I was lucky enough to win a Strawberry Cheesecake Croissant in a competition on Instagram and took my sister along for her first experience. We both absolutely loved it! Every bit was delicious, the quality of the flaky buttery pastry and flavour of the filling were unmatched. The service staff were so friendly and it made our whole experience so enjoyable. The coffee here is also excellent, which is a big plus since many bakeries don’t always have the best quality coffee to enjoy with it. They always have delicious seasonal treats, which is a lovely touch and keeps things exciting and always wanting to go back!

Laura N.

Google
My new favourite coffee spot since moving to Islington. Lovely coffee, delicious buttery pastries and a cosy seating area with gorgeous decor. Friendly staff too. Wish I could go more often! 🩷🩷

Esme W.

Google
This is a lovely bakery—I love stopping in for breakfast & to grab bread for the week. Their sourdough is really amazing! And their pastries are delicious as well. The people at the counter are always so sweet. Super cozy spot.