The days of long lunches are history, which means you end up in a café or coffee shop of some sort.
I have my regulars and my views about them, and I’d be fascinated to hear what other people think/recommend.
Anyway, my coffee shop rundown:
Caffe Nero on Bridlesmith Gate – good service and a window seat means you can chat and watch the fashionable world go by. Dingy at the back, though.
Costa, Waterstones – service OK, the opaques stuck to the windows ruin what could be a great view. Better now it’s spread out, with a reading room vibe in parts. My greatest time-waster because you can linger amid the books afterwards.
Delilah – good food and coffee, but room limited and you’re stuffed if it’s busy
Café Contemporary – until recently, the only blemish on the Contemporary’s ground floor eatery was the fact that it is closed on Mondays, which is commercially silly. Otherwise, a hassle-free atmosphere in unique surroundings where it was easy to talk in your own space. Jury is out now, though: does the new franchisee understand its position as a particular kind of fashionable haunt?
Caffe Nero, Wheeler Gate – good service, roomier than the Bridlesmith Gate branch, room to breathe upstairs.
Starbucks, Sainsbury, Castle Marina - where I head when I'm working late. Except I can't now because they brought forward closing time from 7pm to 6pm. Aaagh*!?
Costa Coffee, Castle Wharf* – great addition to an already humming business location which daily attracts hundreds of visitors from the businesses in Castle Wharf, the courts, Castle Boulevard. Set to make a killing in the summer because of its canalside location. Overcomes the coffee shop desert which exists between Broadmarsh and the Station.
*OK, so I can dream, can’t I?
It's more than a year ago now, but I had a fantastic coffee in Nottingham Victoria Market. Don't want to sound impossibly cool, because I'm not, but it was run by an Italian guy who said "this will be the best coffee you've ever had in Nottingham" and it was. Very handy for the pagan/witchcraft stall too - although I don't think there was any link between that and the excellence of the coffee.
ReplyDeleteI'll look that one up next time I'm in the Viccie, Rob. I don't mind the coffee chains at all as they're at least handy and reliable. I'd love to hear of more non-branded outlets, though - especially those who don't try to kid you into buying a coffee the size of a swimming pool.
ReplyDeleteI don't go in any Nero now because they can't be bothered to clear and tidy the tables (bit much when you're paying £2.50 plus for a hot drink) and I always found Contemporary's cafe to be disappointing in terms of atmosphere (hmm,great view...) although the food is good. I always go for Delilah when I can -or the John Lewis restaurant when I'm feeling flush, which isn't often to be honest.
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