First look inside Keynsham’s new lounge bar - and a taste of its £13.25 large breakfast

‘Oh look John, it’s open’, said an elderly woman to her partner as they walked toward the old HSBC bank on Keynsham town centre. It was just after 9am yesterday (March 11) and there was a buzz of excitment amongst the early-morning shoppers with the opening of a new lounge bar called Mokka.

Locals have been watching over work to convert the old bank into a bar for several weeks, and on Saturday they got their chance to look inside with a ‘soft launch’ featuring a ‘25% off the food bill’ offer this weekend.

This is Mokka’s second location, with the company already operating in Downend High Street, and it replaces the HSBC branch on the corner of High Street and Charlton Road which shut to customers in September last year - not that you could tell it was a bank anymore when you walk inside.

Below a large ‘Mokka’ sign, you walk through the main entrance door and into a small lobby where a bright pink neon sign reads ‘this must be the place’ before a second door leads you to a waiting area in the open lounge. And inside, obviously, everything is new.

The bar area is stylish and well stocked. The laminate flooring is smart and the colour and style of the tables and chairs resemble many of the ‘lounge bars’ you see on high streets today. There’s even greenary with artificial plants lining the wall and on the pillars.

And when it comes to the breakfast menu, Mokka offers everything you expect; from a small or large traditional breakfast (£9.95/£13.25) to a salmon, avocado and eggs dish (£9.75). There are also breakfast options for vegetarians and vegans, and a kids menu.

The bosses look like they’ve done their homework. A large breakfast is priced in the same bracket as competition in the town centre. At Bonzo Lounge, a Big Lounge Breakfast costs £13.75, and at Grounded an Epic Breakfast costs £12.95.

I went for the large breakfast, along a strong cup of white coffee (£3). Despite it getting busy I didn’t have to wait long - and it was good. The hash browns and black pudding were crispy, the sausages and bacon freshly cooked and the granary bread of good quality with plenty of butter on top. The eggs, although not the most attractive on the plate, were tasty with the yolk still runny, and the mushroom not too oily. As with any lounge bar, the baked beans came in a small pot - no, I don’t know why either.

I must admit, I struggled to eat it all and left a sausage, egg and piece of bacon - but that’s not to say it wasn’t good, and well worth the £10 I paid after the introductory offer. And it more than filled me up before a walk around the busy town centre, which yesterday featured a craft fair at Fear Hall, a repair cafe at the baptist chuch and the monthly farmers’ market outside the library.

Mokka opens officially tomorrow - and with other offers including a cocktail deal from Monday to Friday and a bottomless prosecco event on the first Saturday of every month.

With Keynsham fastly becoming a coffee shop/lounge bar attraction outside Bristol, Mokka certainly adds a string to its bow - and, it ain’t another charity shop!