Bad Coffee

Bad Coffee is a specialty roastery in Hackney Wick with an espresso bar built into the roastery itself. Mandi started roasting in 2022 after years as head barista at the old Hackney Wick favourite PEARL, and her business partner Alex backed her to learn the craft as she went. The name is a joke at the expense of stuffy coffee culture, though the team is clear that being unpretentious does not mean being unserious about quality, from farm to roast to cup.

The space is bright yellow on the doors, floors and counters, and openly industrial because it is a working roastery rather than a design choice. Beans come from smallholder farms, cooperatives and experimental producers, roasted in small batches, and Mandi has since added SCA sensory accreditations. Customers sit right beside the roasting, which she says gave her direct feedback in the early days. The team has deep roots in Hackney Wick going back to 2010.