There are two cafés here within a few yards of each other: La Mocha, inside the Ashley Centre on the ground floor, and Moka which lies mainly outside. This review is for Moka.
The corollary to the "decent but inexplicably empty" restaurant phenomenon is the "dreadful but inexplicably busy" establishment. Moka falls squarely into the latter category: we visited on the assumption that a café so evidently popular must have something to recommend it, and left feeling decidedly disgruntled.
The service was both slow and perfunctory. The prices, for a café, are high. The food was dismal. The decor was fine, I suppose, but that's not much of a saving grace. We haven't been back since: I would genuinely prefer to save my money, skip lunch and go straight to dinner.
So why is it so busy? I really don't know. Perhaps we caught them on an uncharacteristic off day. Maybe most of their customers just have a cup of tea and avoid the food. Or it could be that Moka has one of the few sizeable outdoor seating areas (i.e. smoking areas) in Epsom town centre and there are enough hungry smokers to keep them open.
Whatever the reason, I can only conclude that if customers are not put off by the establishment itself, they probably won't pay much attention to this review either. Perhaps the best I can suggest is that you try it yourself, and document your experience with a yelp review. read more