Caffe Nero

I’ve probably walked past this Caffe Nero hundreds of times and on Friday I finally popped in for a meeting. It’s beautiful on the outside but that doesn’t continue inside where it’s just a generic coffee shop. And a badly laid out one, at that. Inside the door there’s the start of the line to the counter which is a really narrow walkway with tables along the wall. You can’t really see what’s on offer when you’re in the line and then boom, someone’s asking you what you want. Thankfully I was just getting a bottle of water but still, this is a really badly laid out coffee shop.
I was here for a while and during the meeting I noticed the queue would sometimes back right out the door which moved pretty slowly. As I was leaving I went to leave the loo but they were all out of order with a sign directing you to go to St Enoch Centre instead. Will I visit here again? I doubt it although they do have an outside seating area which would be nice in the sunshine.

I love it here. Upstairs is a great place to sit. You can charge your phone get free wifi, comfy seats & of course great coffee. This place is great for people watching there is always someone interesting in, good conversations going or someone engrossed in a project on their laptop. The staff are always friendly & that coffee is nice & strong :)

I can’t say something that hasn’t previously been stated about this Nero. The staff here is friendly, and the WiFi fast. Nero delivers.
It seems that a lot of people order to go (probably due to the subway being so close by), so there’s always seats available. That goes for the outside as well. The location is perfect for a coffee in the sun. However, you have to visit this particular café because of the building. It’s pure awesomeness.

Content-​wise, this Me to is the same as any other.
Good things:
It’s an awesome building, particularly upstairs
Free WiFi
Friendly staff
Outside seating
Bad things:
Slowest staff in any Nero I’ve been in. Like I queued for 20mins the other day. There were only 2 people in front of me.
It’s always this slow.

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.

Stopped in here to get my caffeine fix on yesterday afternoon and to use the free wifi :) went in for a to go cup, but usually stay in and take my cappuccino upstairs for a chill rest from walking around town. I am not a huge fan of chain coffee places but this Nero has something about it that I love. We don’t have a Caffe Nero in Los Angeles and it was the first coffee place I ever tried when I stepped foot into Glasgow, so I definitely have some sort of attachment to this place connecting memories of my firsts in the UK… it for sure has meaning to me.) The main reason that I was attracted to this location in the first place was the building! It’s so awesome looking and it stands in the middle of its own square really standing out. Once inside there’s a serving counter with a few seats and if you can’t find any seating downstairs, there’s a full 2^nd floor seating that you can usually find a spot in. I love the building because it is a huge part of Glasgow history as it used to be the old subway entrance building and from what I have heard became a city information center after that. There are old black and white photos of the building hung on the walls, so defo check those out! Overall the service is fast, Baristas or aka Maestros as they put it are polite and the coffee is pretty good. Always get their Palmine Biscuit with my orders because they are a nice light delicious compliment to my cappuccino. Also their roasted tomato soup is a delicious for a healthy quick lunch as well. I like this place but the only downside is it closes at 7, even on Thursdays, which I feel like is way too early.

The day was Thursday, the venue? None other than Caffe Nero situated in St Enoch Square and formerly the tourist information building. I stopped here because I was early to meet someone and required some liquid refreshment in the form of tea. I asked the kindly barista what he would recommend to someone who was severely ill with lady flu (like man flu but worse, obviously!) The kindly barista recommended a nice cup of camomile tea which was lovely thankyaverymuchly! 2 thumbs up and you can keep the change fine sir!

My review is basically exactly the same as Katie A’s down there. I looked up this Caffe Nero to review because while it is just a chain, it is a chain in an unusual and lovely setting. The café is set right behind the St. Enoch subway station entrance in, quite randomly, a miniature castle.
Apparently this was the original subway entrance (bitchin’!) and then from the early 70’s until about two years ago it was a tourist information center. I think it is actually best suited to a café, actually. Downstairs it’s an intimate spot where you can linger quietly over a latte; upstairs it’s a bright airy space good for watching people in the square below.
So if you’re in the city center, go here for perfectly fine coffees and pastries and to sit for a while in a wee bit of magic.

So yes, this is a Caffe Nero. But I’m writing this review to point out that this isn’t just ANY Caffe Nero. Nope. Instead, it is a Caffe Nero based in an absolutely beautiful building.
To be honest, I’m not quite sure how this building ended up in the hands of Caffe Nero. It would be much more suited as a mini castle to a modern-​day princess (i.e. me).
Yes, it is a little stranded right out in the middle of St Enoch Square with no next door neighbours to speak of. It’s true, too, that there is a little bit too much scaffolding in the immediate vicinity for the view of this place to be completely perfect. But if you’re going to visit one of the coffee chains, at least do it here in this oh-​so-​fabulous building.