Of all the coffee chains these days, I will always go to Caffe Nero above any others as I find their coffee to be consistently the best of the bunch, with good flavour and strength.
I like this branch, housed in what used to be the St. Enoch's subway station ticket office, which is a lovely piece of Glasgow architecture. When they modernised the subway in 1980, the entire building was moved several metres to this location so they could install the escalators - an impressive bit of engineering!
Because of the proximity to the station, it's handy for a quick espresso fix when you get off the subway before shopping, or a final cappuccino and a sit down before you head home again.
There are comfy chairs and chairs with tables, so you can take your pick. They also have more seating upstairs, but I've never found it busy enough that I've needed to resort to that. There's usually a couple of newspapers to read in the rack on the wall by the door, and free Wi-Fi to boot. For the nicotine addicts, there's plenty of seating outside where you can indulge your monkey.
I would normally have given it 4 stars, but on this visit I was mildly irritated by the fact that they had 4 members of staff standing behind the counter, but only one of them was doing any work. She smilingly served me my Americano, offered to toast my sandwich for me, took payment, and provided a wee tray and plate for me while the other three stood gabbing to each other. This is not a good way to impress your customers, people. At least make an attempt to look like you are working. read more