🎨 Bonbon Pottery Cafe: Royal Wharf London

wanderingazuki
Jul 18
6 min read

Updated: Jul 22

Looking for a cosy, creative escape in London that’s a little different from your usual café day out? I recently tried out a pottery painting session at Bonbon Pottery Café in Royal Wharf, and I’m here to spill the tea (and paint) on how it went.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Badge: Azuki Approved

Website: https://www.bonbonpottery.co.uk/

Booking Needed: Yes – book online in advance

🎯 Perfect For:

First-timers wanting a gentle creative session
Friends or couples looking for a wholesome date activity
Calm solo time with a paintbrush and your thoughts
A local day out with a riverside walk included

📍 Getting There: Location, Location...

Bonbon may be tucked away in Royal Wharf, but it’s more accessible than you’d expect! Whether you're local or venturing from central London, here are several easy and scenic ways to reach the café:

🚆 By DLR (Docklands Light Railway)

The quickest and most convenient route for most visitors:

Get off at Pontoon Dock DLR Station – Bonbon is just a 5-minute walk from here.

⛴️ By Thames Clipper (Uber Boat)

Yes, you can actually arrive by boat!

Hop on the Thames Clipper and disembark at Royal Wharf Pier.
Enjoy a scenic 10–15 minute riverside walk to the café.

🚡 By Emirates Cable Car

Want to make your journey part of the adventure?

Take the Emirates Cable Car from IFS Cloud Greenwich Peninsula to IFS Royal Docks.
From there, it’s about a 25–30 minute walk, or you can transfer to the DLR:
- Walk to West Silvertown DLR and go one stop to Pontoon Dock.

🚌 By Bus

Several bus routes serve the Royal Wharf area. Use Citymapper or TfL’s Journey Planner to find the most direct route from your location.

✨ Tip: If you're travelling from central London, the DLR is your best bet – it's efficient, scenic, and drops you off just minutes from the café.

🎨 The DIY Session: What to Expect

I went for the DIY Pottery Painting session at Bonbon, which lasts 1.5 hours - which you can book online. It costs £5 per person as a deposit, and then you pay for the pottery piece you choose on the day. I visited on a quiet Friday afternoon — while it was lovely not having crowds, we were all seated in a single row. With all the paint, chatter, and materials, it would’ve been nicer to have a bit more space between tables.

There’s a good variety of pottery pieces to choose from: bowls, plates, coasters, money boxes, seasonal items (there were lots of Christmas-themed options at the time), and more. Each piece is individually priced. I ended up picking a heart-shaped plate, which came to £19.50 after the deposit was deducted.

As a first-timer, I found the experience surprisingly overwhelming — in a fun but slightly stressful way. I spent about 20 minutes just deciding which item to paint on. With so many choices, it was easy to get stuck in decision mode. Once I chose my piece, I then spent another 10 minutes figuring out what to paint, which left me with only an hour to actually sit down and get creative.

Short clip of cafe

To help you make the most of your time, here’s what I’d recommend:

📝Tip 1💫: Know What Item You Want to Paint On Arriving with an idea of what kind of item you’d like to paint (e.g. mug, plate, ornament) can save a lot of time. Without a preview or guide, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the selection — and you might end up choosing something that ends up just sitting at home collecting dust.

🖌️Tip 2💫: Sketch a Design Beforehand I didn’t come in with a design in mind, and that made things feel rushed. I recommend planning your design in advance — even a rough sketch or photo reference helps massively. Otherwise, you’ll likely find yourself staring at a blank piece for longer than expected.

🍽️ Tip 3💫: Choose a Flat Surface If You’re NewMy heart-shaped plate had a dip in the centre, which made using stencils tricky — the paint kept slipping and bleeding. I even ended up painting over my first attempt and starting again. My friend chose a flat coaster and used the stencil properly (painting inside the holes rather than over them), and her final design came out so much neater.

📝 Note: The paintbrushes provided were a bit worn down, so fine and precise designs (like calligraphy or detailed lines) were quite hard to achieve. If you're particular about clean lines, you might consider bringing your own brushes or keeping your design simple.

🎨Tip 4💫: Once your piece is glazed and fired, the colours tend to appear lighter than when you first paint them. If you want your design to pop, go for the darker shades – especially for outlines or details you want to stand out. Those beautiful pastels might end up looking more washed out than expected.

✨ Overall, once I got going, it was a fun and calming activity — but I do wish I’d been a little more prepared. Next time, I’ll come with a clearer plan, maybe even ask if you can bring your own paintbrushes, and hopefully spend more time painting than second-guessing!

💭 Things I Wish I Knew Beforehand

This was such a lovely concept, but I think there are a few ways Bonbon could improve the experience, especially for first-timers like me:

📔Beginner guidance: A quick visual guide or recommended items for first-timers would’ve been so helpful. Even just listing the easiest pieces to paint on would save time.
🎨Design inspiration: They should include some example designs in the confirmation email to help spark ideas — we ended up Googling on the spot.
🖌️Paintbrush quality: The brushes really could use a refresh. If you’re particular about your design, bring your own for more control.

📝 Note: You can order food and drinks during your session or pay an extra £5 to bring your own snacks — a great option if you’re making a day of it with friends!

📦 The Aftercare

Once you're finished painting, the staff will glaze and fire your pottery — the usual turnaround time is about two weeks. However, ours were ready in just under a week, which was a lovely surprise!

You can choose to pick up your piece in person or have it posted to you (ideal if you're not local). If you’re collecting in person, you can usually walk in any time on weekdays. But here's something I wish I’d known: on Sundays, you need to book an appointment to collect. I wasn’t aware of this and just happened to go in on a Sunday — thankfully, the sales assistant kindly let me collect without a booking. That was a relief, because even though I live locally, coming back another day would’ve been a bit of a hassle.

✨ Tip: If you're planning to collect your piece on a Sunday, make sure to book an appointment in advance to avoid any issues!

Despite being slightly disappointed in my final design, I’m still excited to see how it turns out after firing — the glaze can really bring everything to life.

🌟 Final Thoughts: Would I Go Again?

My plate design turned out much nicer than how I painted it. It looked very abstract as opposed to the messy painting I left it as. I had a genuinely relaxing time. It’s something different, creative, and perfect for a rainy London afternoon or a low-key catch-up with friends.

I would definitely go again and would highly recommend this place.

✨ Tip: It helps to arrive with a plan. Think about what item you want to paint and maybe even sketch out a rough design idea beforehand.

Check out my Google review and my Tripadvisor review

Cost Summary💰:

£5 deposit per person to book (this will be deducted from the final cost)
Pottery prices range — mine was £19.50
Optional £5 fee to bring your own food & drinks
Collection is free; delivery is an extra charge (depends on location)

🧳Your Turn to Wander In🧋

Have you ever tried pottery painting before? What kind of piece would you go for — something practical like a mug or something decorative like a trinket dish?
Let me know if you decide to give Bonbon a go and share some photos.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear your stories and experiences!