Cafe Paradiso - Chichester's Vegetarian Cafe — Restaurant in Chichester

Review for Café Paradiso, Chichester

I visited Café Paradiso in Chichester today for the second time, and while the coffee was acceptable, my experience was slightly marred by the service, or rather, the lack of it.

Upon entering the café, I noticed there were approximately five waitresses behind the counter, all engaged in a lively conversation about various topics, none of which appeared to be work-related. While I understand that staff need moments to chat, the situation became awkward as I stood there, uncertain of the protocol. My friend had already found a table, leaving me to wonder if I should wait for my coffee at the counter or if it would be brought to our table.

After a few minutes of standing there, watching the girls continue their conversation, one finally began making our drinks. I politely asked if it would be okay for me to sit down while they finished preparing the coffee and have it brought over. To my surprise, the response was, "No, not really. Can you wait here until I finish and then take them yourself?"

With five staff members present, none of whom seemed occupied, it was disappointing that no one took the initiative to offer to bring the drinks over to our table. Instead, I was left to stand there for several minutes, waiting while the drinks were prepared. It was a small issue, but one that could easily have been handled with a bit more attentiveness and customer care. Even the manager, who was present, did not step in to improve the situation.

In the grand scheme of things, this is not a significant problem, but it's a detail that, if addressed, could greatly enhance the customer experience. A simple offer to bring the coffee to the table would have made a big difference and been much appreciated.

Other than this minor hiccup, the coffee was fine, but the overall experience left me hoping that the management might consider this small tweak in their service approach. It’s the little things that often leave the...

We went to Chichester today and had lunch in Cafe Paradiso. We had walked past it yesterday and the display of cakes in the window made our mouth’s water. Looking on Google maps today I see the label includes the word vegetarian. This is not clear from outside the shop or when waiting in the queue to order food. We had an egg mayonnaise sandwich each and shared a curry vegetable slice. Also a pot of tea each. This totalled £21.00. the food was fresh and very tasty. The lower score reflects the lack of posting about the shop being vegetarian and the negative reaction of the staff member when my husband asked for a tuna sandwich. I am vegetarian so the preference of the cafe to be vegetarian was not a problem. It was more that there did not appear to be a list of sandwich options displayed when we looked from the queue therefore we did not know and felt uncomfortable by the staff member‘s reaction. Another point is that the cafe was very busy but food had to be ordered before finding a table. This causes a concern that food may be ordered but there may be nowhere to sit and eat it. All this being said we would go there again if we are...

Just experienced the worst lunch I can remember. Went for the sandwich option which was a mistake as I chose cheese which I thought was a safe bet. Sadly the cheese was the tasteless grated variety, comparable with a version you expect to get in a supermarket. This was not improved by the bland sliced bread and a few slices of tomato. The only factor setting it aside from a petrol forecourt version was that I didn’t have to take any wrapping off it. Given there was a choice of cheese or egg I was not exactly spoilt for choice. My expectation that it would be enhanced by perhaps a few leaves of lettuce/dressing etc or even a few crisps was clearly a...