Caffè Nero

This is the branch located just by St Paul’s tube. Plenty of space inside and a few tables outside
Caffè Nero (Italian for black coffee) or Caffè Nero Group Ltd is a European style coffee house brand with its headquarters in London. It was founded in 1997 by Gerry Ford. Currently, the company runs more than 700 coffee houses worldwide and is established in seven countries, including the UK, Ireland, Poland, Cyprus, Turkey, the UAE and the United States.

You can’t beat this Nero’s for location. Right at the exit of St. Paul’s underground it’s the perfect place for an informal rendezvous. Can’t beat the coffe either.

Nero’s is one of my favourite coffee places in London. There is pretty much one on every corner in the City and although Costa is my absolute favourite, I visit Neros at least once a week.
What makes Nero’s different from other coffee shops is that the coffee is slightly cheaper than elsewhere — around £1.79 for a latte is really reasonable and the best thing of all is their loyalty card. You pick one up from the till and after you have bought ten coffees (or charmed ten stamps from the guy who works there!) you can get one free. Sometimes if you buy a large coffee you even get two stamps.
I tend to go for a decaff soya latte and this costs me £2.25 because of the decaff (20p) and the soya (10p) but this is still cheaper than Costa and Starbucks. The soya is good (Pret have a habit of putting it in when the water is really hot and making it curdle — yuck) and the coffee has a lovely rich taste.
My favourite coffees are the Costa Christmas ones and I was disappointed by Neros — they did have an Amaretto one but there wasn’t any variety and each time I ordered it I never got my amaretti biscuit to go with it! I have had the hot chocolate in Nero’s and I have to say its as good as the coffee. As are the croissants (try the almond) and chocolate muffins. They also do sandwiches, pannini’s and soups though I have never tried them.
I like this Nero’s because it usually has places to sit — they have a lot more seats than Starbucks or Costa and are happy to let you sit and chat for a while instead of making you feel you are in the coffee equivalent of a fast food resturant.
A great place.

I am a vile, unrepentant coffee snob. I like my lattes one way, and one way only: perfect. I like my coffee roasted dark, like death, and the milk steamed perfectly to 120 degrees (slightly lower than the average, which in the US is 140).
Caffe Nero delivered on all counts. I wish I hadn’t discovered it so shortly before I left. It’s not Starbucks, it’s more like it’s long-​lost American cousin Peet’s. High quality and soooo good.