I wouldn't get away with a blog about coffee without mentioning this place. :-)
I've spent plenty of hours here, too. The staff are always welcoming and will remember your order if you're a regular. People tend to shy away from chains, but I would argue that Nero is a step away from the others. Whilst Starbucks and Costa are run as franchises, Nero is all one company with one owner. This means that their standards should be consistent across the brand, though I dare say I've witnessed coffee of a lesser standard than that produced here at shops further afield.
Now let's get something straight, I'm not an espresso aficionado: that honour belongs to my bike mad better half. I appreciate the merits of a coffee with marshmallows and syrup, and all that other stuff that pollutes the pure product. So between the two of us we have all bases covered and it's obvious that the guys and gals here care about how their drinks are made.
Free wifi without any silly time limits is also a plus, and clearly makes this spot a favourite of the MacBook Air owning crowd, as there are plenty of plug sockets dotted around the joint. In fact, I'm using their Internet right now with a caramel frappe latte!
I'm told their regular espresso is nice too, and we never feel rushed sat around. Despite previously citing my love of comfy chairs (of which there are plenty), I find myself often sat on the high tables near the counter for some reason, checking out the latest flyers from local talent.
The only thing for me that lets this place down is their sad lack of gluten free lunch options. I try to stay away from bread for main meals at least (I frequently succumb to their maple pecan pastries or white chocolate raspberry muffins), and really the only thing open to me with that in mind is soup without the bread.
So, if I've had lunch, ill spend a day here happily. But ill probably like to have eaten something substantial first (except at Christmas where the turkey panini is irresistible)!
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