We've been in this branch a few times before today and it's usually quite a pleasant experience. We normally go here after a Red Panda dinner just to get good coffee.
They don't advertise if they pay staff living wages. I think this is important to know as fair trade coffee buying is advertised from bean to cup then fairness starts with the grower and ends with the person making abc serving your drink.
The staff are always a cheerful bunch and they usually get through orders quite quickly and politely. This was a quick stop for us before we went to the Grand Opera House for Hairspray.
My wife opted for her usual cappuccino (£2.6) and I got a cortado (£2.35) just for a change. A cortado is of Spanish origin. In Cafe Nero's case it's an espresso mixed with a roughly equal amount of cream to reduce (cut) the acidity. It came as cortado's do, velvety smooth and lukewarm and it lasted less than a minute. I'd have this with a doughnut in Spain.
It's a pretty random place inside, with mixed seating choices from tall upright wooden chairs to low couches. We chose to sink into the more comfy armchairs but like most of these coffee chains the table we sat at - like all the others we could see around - had leftover cups and food from those there before us.
It's just not good enough that tables aren't cleared and cleaned and customers are invited to sit in a dirty environment and it's lousy management to hold responsible as usual. Time to start reducing stars for dirty environments and lack of wages data. read more
