Maybe I visited the cafe on Opposite Day because my experience was exactly that. I thought the coffee was delicious, but I tend to drink mine black so I always end up having a higher tolerance for bitter coffee. My study partner seemed to enjoy his latte quite a bit, though, and he is a pickier eater than a three year old.
After climbing up three flights of stairs to get to the Costa nestled within Waterstones, I bought some coffee and plonked down in the back corner. I had a few books of my own that day and was hoping to do studying as it was late afternoon and other coffee shops nearby were closing or filled with too many people to get any work done. Granted, the books were from another store and all I bought was a filter coffee, but the dirty looks I received from staff as I sat there for an hour or so reading and writing was off putting; I kept thinking I was breaking some unwritten rule somewhere. Well, I should be a bit more honest- the dirty looks I received from ONE staff member. The teenage cashier was really friendly and topped up some hot water I wanted for tea later on while asking what I was reading about. She kept trying to get me to buy pastries (tempting!) but I managed to be good.
Other than the glares I received from the one man wiping down tables, I enjoyed sitting in the back corner of Costa. Many of the chairs are plush and comfy, the tables don't wobble, and book stores always provides that great feeling of "I'm learning!" while you're reading within them and sipping coffee. Since my experiences here in the past were a bit more mellow, I'm hoping this was a one off deal. I look forward to more afternoons perched on one of Costa's chairs reading and trying not to buy every pastry on display. read more