Such a fun find in London! The "farmhouse" decor with the natural light and wide, open floorplan…read moremakes the Vallery Farmhouse Bakery a really cute place to grab some coffee. Not only was the staff really efficient (and getting everyone taken care of quickly), but the coffee itself was delicious, and the ability to grab a dessert/treat for later is an added bonus!
We'll definitely be back for more coffee flights. This was great!
PROS:
-Coffee and hot cocoa flights! We came specifically to try them out, and Vallery Farmhouse changes out their flavors every month. They were REALLY fun and all of the flavors matched their descriptions really nicely. If you don't have a sweet tooth, go with the iced coffee flight. Even for two people splitting the hot cocoa flight, we couldn't finish it; we were very sugar'ed-out. It was really cool to be able to share a tasting experience like this outside of the world of beer, and it really added a fun, conversational aspect to the coffee. Their flights are served with straws for the number of people as well to keep everything as independent as possible.
-Their whipped cream is lusciously thick. It's almost bordering on a buttercream icing consistency. It's impressive and really unique. I highly recommend trying it on something.
-The cafe is huge. They really chose a great location. There are multiple coolers of displayed treats and an entire checkout area with trinkets/clothing, but even with that, there's probably 5-10 tables plus some couches for seating. Nothing feels cramped.
-So, so, so, so many treats. Wow. Homemade donuts of multiple kinds (filled long johns and RIDICULOUSLY large glazers with icing on top!), cupcakes, brownies, cakes, cake pops, hot cocoa bombs, and more. Not only can you grab a quick coffee, but you can also great a treat for later - to bring a selection into the office.
-We saw multiple people picking up bakery orders to-go. Looks like that's probably something they do here often.
-I'm unsure if this place has its own parking lot? The sign on the door encouraged us to park at a next-door business. Assuming they have an agreement with them, this makes for ultra-close parking that's about 20 steps from the front door.
-Really well-staffed. It's rare that I see this many employees working together so efficiently, and it deserves to be called out. There were 4-6 (I didn't take an exact count) people working at close on a Saturday afternoon. None of the customers had to wait, and coffee was being served up unexpectedly fast for anyone who ordered. Fantastic job staffing.
CONS:
-The hours are a little rough if you're coming here as a destination. It's probably the right span if you're in London already and want coffee, but for driving in from out of town with a 9-to-5 job, the only workable timespan is on Saturday before 2PM.
-The flights are a little expensive at $15-20 for 4/5 taster-sized drinks. However, I know how much work goes into preparing a coffee/cocoa drink - regardless of size, so I'd guess that most of the cost is employee labor. They're probably a pain in the ass to make.
-The bathroom is on the "very small" size, and I only saw the one bathroom. Someone with accessibility issues would probably find it very difficult to use, and wheelchair users will find it impossible (the chair won't fit in the room).
