Donuts & coffee – a classic combination, and something ultra-cool Portsmouth spot Hideout Coffee Co. has absolutely nailed. In the centre of Portsmouth, nestled between the university buildings and shops, is where you’ll find one of the city’s most popular up & coming coffee spots. Since their opening in mid 2019, Hideout Coffee Co. have been making fresh donuts daily and selling out within a few hours of opening – they are seriously popular.
I’d been aching to visit and get my hands on one (or three) of their donuts, so when I finally found time a couple of weekends ago I was extremely excited. I headed into Portsmouth in the morning, parked around the corner and hurried into Hideout Coffee Co. for my donut fix. The aroma of freshly ground coffee was extremely welcoming as I walked through the glass doors from the cold outside world.
You might also like this post, Hoxton Bakehouse at God’s House Tower, Southampton
The interior is very cool – think straight off of a Pinterest board, instagram worthy decor with lots of quirky features and a (not so secret) pink basement. Filled with mismatched chairs, plenty of plants and light-up signs, I love how well planned the layout is at Hideout and I can see why it’s such a popular destination.
Hideout Coffee Co. take pride in their edgy, sometimes sweary, out of the box decor and attitude – as you’ll see across their social media pages. They’re blurring the lines between what may be deemed as acceptable and not, and in doing so they’ve established themselves as a unique and quite appealing coffee spot. You wouldn’t see that in Starbucks!
At Hideout the donut selection varies daily, so you’ll never know what they’ve decided to bake that day. On my visit, there were options such as bounty, mocha, lemon meringue, unicorn, oreo & cherry bakewell.
You can eyeball each donut offering and have a good look before you decide – the staff will run you through each of the days choices. Donuts are available in 1, 3 or 6 – with takeaway boxes to spoil anyone waiting at home for you. I loved their repurposed glass display unit – a unique and ingenious way to show off their doughy masterpieces.
There were also several jars stacked with vegan treats – so Hideout can cater for vegan diets too.
There’s a curated selection of coffees available – iced, hot, decaf and plant-based, you’ll find something for everyone. If coffee isn’t your thing, there are other choices too – even a babyccino if you’ve come with children.
I ordered an oat milk cappuccino (made with their aptly named own-brand Morning Glory coffee) and settled down at the bar seating, hot drink in hand and donuts by my side. Their coffee was excellent – very smooth, just the right strength and perfectly made. If caffeine didn’t give me the shakes, I could have easily enjoyed several coffees during my visit!
Here it is, the moment you’ve been waiting for – the donuts. Oh my, they were delicious.
Unlike any donut I’ve ever tried before – big and airy, while at the same time dense and stuffed with various fillings. I opted for the lemon meringue (filled with lemon curd), mocha (filled with chocolate) and oreo (filled with chocolate) – in a sharing box to take home to T. I’m not sure I could handle all three on my own! The lemon meringue donut was my favourite (I’m a sucker for lemon curd) but all three were delicious, and I was pleasantly surprised by how moreish the mocha donut was.
The donut offerings from Hideout Coffee Co. were by far the best donuts I’ve ever tried – unique flavours, not too sweet and not too expensive. At £8 for three, I felt this was reasonable for the size and quality.
If you’re more of a tea drinker, Hideout have plenty of loose leaf tea options to choose from as well – so no worries there. Decaf and milk alternatives are also available, and there was a cosy, family-friendly atmosphere inside – so bring everyone along (including your canine friend)!
Hideout Coffee Co. is an excellent spot for coffee & a donut, and a much needed addition to the busy centre of Portsmouth – previously dominated by high street chains. It is fantastic to see another great independent business thriving in the heart of a busy city, and I can see Hideout being extremely successful (although they already are!).
If you’d like to visit Hideout Coffee Co. – and I highly recommend that you do – you’ll find them on Lord Montgomery way, a short walk from the Guildhall & just around the corner from Outside-In Food Court.
They’re very popular, so if you’d like to make sure you get your hands on some donuts before they sell out make sure to arrive by 11-ish. They open every day apart from Sundays, and it’s the perfect spot to while away the time with a good book or your laptop.
The donut choices vary daily, so keep an eye on their Facebook and Instagram pages for new flavours. I’ve got my eye on a few, so I’ll definitely be returning very soon! Rumour has it they sometimes serve a fried chicken donut – given my love of fried chicken, I’m dying to try one!
Where is your favourite coffee spot in Hampshire? Let me know!
PIN IT FOR LATER
You,ve made it sound and look so inviting…….can’t wait to sample the venue ☕️