Caffe Nero

Haven’t really been in Caffe Nero before, but seeing as I had a code for a free drink of my choice (courtesy of o2 Priority Moments) and I was passing, I thought I’d give it a try.
Firstly, this coffee shop is quite small downstairs, but further seating is available upstairs. We sat downstairs, just opposite the till. It was a bit cramped as people we’re trying to get by to exit the shop while others we’re queuing for the till. As there we’re no other seats available downstairs, it was our only option (my father has a disability and cannot climb a lot of stairs, so sitting upstairs was out of the question)
As I don’t drink coffee, I decided to try the Hot Chocolate. They do various flavours (Caramel, Hazlenut and Mint), but as the voucher was only valid for the basic one, I went for that. The regular price was much in line as that of other coffee shop retailers.
The chocolate was nice and warm. They provided you with a spoon so that you could stair it, as with most hot chocolates, it tends to sink to the bottom and get quite sickly. There was good white froth on the top (I was offered squirty cream and marshmallows, but I declibed on this occasion) and melted chocolate flakes, which was a nice touch! On the whole, not a bad drink.
The staff were polite and, despite being only 2 of them, service was fairly quick. I’ve had much worse in other coffee shops with more staff! One of the ladies was serving 2 of us at a time, how she didn’t get things mixed up, I’ll never know!
The toilets were downstairs in the cellar. There were quite a few stairs, so they weren’t suitable for my dad to use and we ended up going to use the facilities in BHS nearby. The toilets were clean but very cramped. Only enough room for one person at a time so give yourself plenty of time if your visiting during busy periods.
On the whole, not a bad place. Let down by it’s compactness, but then again, this is York and it’s in an old building, so there’s not much they can really do about it. It’s just a shame the toilets weren’t on the ground floor so that my dad could use them.

Of all the coffee houses which have taken to springing up over the last ten years or so, I usually prefer Caffe Nero, and will seek one out ahead of a Starbucks or similar if possible.
This particular, city centre branch, is pretty typical of most Caffe Neros. Prices are pretty much standard across the chain, but the coffees are always great quality — caffe Neros use double shots of coffee in their drinks, which means that you get more actual coffee flavour, even in the milkier drinks such as lattess and so on. In addition to the regular coffees you’d expect to find, theres also a range of iced coffees to choose from if thats your thing.
The food they serve is always good quality and reasonably priced too. The paninis and Italian flatbread wraps in particular are very nice.
Staff in this branch are friendly and professional, and even if it gets busy you’re usually able to find a table pretty quickly. The atmosphere in here is relaxed and unhurried.