came for Starbucks, stayed for Nero.
walked into the cafe and enjoyed the sight instantly: exposed beams, brick wall, skylight, floor-to-ceiling decorative book shelves, lots of comfy couches/chairs, tables of all heights, sizes and shapes, and a fireplace (possibly functional). vast spacious seating area, free WiFi, light music, and more than one stall in the ladies, together send a very clear message: you're welcome to stay here to chill, work, do whatever. 3 hours of complimentary wifi automatically connected; was using Spotify with it and had no problems at all.
wall menu above the counter offers tons of coffee options with some lingo that an average American may not be able to decipher, but even so there are the basics that we can stick to, or inquire with the friendly barista. espresso machine faces the patrons (opposite placement than Starbucks), so one can appreciate watching how their beverage is made.
drinks are SUPER yummy, in a sense that you can taste the coffee! I got a mocha frappe in the first round, which required the use of smoothie blender. the resulting content wasn't the icy bits as produced in form of Starbucks frappes, but instead a creamy, smooth concoction that reassembles coffee mixed with soft serve ice cream. also, unlike Starbucks', this drink has a strong coffee presence, not merely a brown colored beverage overpowered by sugary, syrupy sweetness.
food offerings range from a selection of sandwiches ($7+) and pastries ($3+). I had the chocolate croissant, toasted. it was airy, flakey, had the correct amount of chocolate; not overwhelmingltly sweet. it paired well with my drink.
they offer a rewards program (buy 9 drinks get the 10th free), in form of a little paper card to be stamped - old school, but poetic at the same time. with the brand's recent explosion of exposure, I can recall two other locations more convenient for me to visit, and I am much motivated to make a trip there after today's experience.
as i was finishing my drink at the tail end of my visit, i was compelled to order another beverage to go - might as well work towards my next free drink, right? iced mocha is exactly what it is supposed to be: strong coffee with a notable presence of chocolate. the real test will be whether I'd see a smudge of syrup left at the bottom of my cup (as I would with Starbucks) when I'm at my last sip. time shall tell. but so far so good for now.
I hope I didn't insult Nero by obsessively comparing it to Starbucks, but as a current SB member with an app on the phone and lots of reward stars collected, I have only that to measure anywhere else against. that said, if I were to ever find Starbucks and Nero side by side again (as in today's case), I will pick Nero over Starbucks in a heartbeat, even without the rewards. judging from how each rewards program works, Nero's current program is much more generous in comparison.
bonus for this location: small alcove of 4-hr metered parking right outside of the cafe.