The Howdah Tea and Coffee Company — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

Sadly never had a chance to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea as my friend and I were met with a cold and unpleasant attitude from the man behind the counter. The guy was super unhelpful and plain rude, as we were trying to decide what tea we wanted to buy. When asked about their tea selection, the guy just pointed out at the number of jars behind him without any inclination of explaining the types. He looked grumpy and unfriendly. I have a good eyesight but I struggled to read the labels on the jars. Meanwhile the guy stood there plainly ignoring us, which was really obvious. This is not the type of service that should be acceptable anywhere, and certainly not in the nice and upmarket area of Stockbridge. They should really up their game, otherwise they risk losing their customers- we won’t be coming back and won’t be recommending the place to...

The café looked so appealing as did the amaretti biscuits. Unfortunately ,this was not the case with the gentleman barista. I decided on the very delicious black almond tea and asked should I take milk? I got a shrug and a disdainful glare . Such a shame because the place has character, the tea and the pastries were delicious but the atmosphere and service made us feel we really needed to leave. A little customer chit chat and even a smile would go a long way. The little dog was super friendly in a animalistic way, and clung to my arm or leg before being removed and put to his bed. I think he was trying to make up for the cold and empty glare of the staff. I was going to buy some loose tea but decided against it because I was too scared to bother the...

I felt rather unwelcome.

I was unimpressed by the bald headed barista who never said “hello” “have a seat” “I’ll be right with you” basic BASIC customer service skills a monkey would have. He just ignored me, continuing to potter around at a time when the cafe was empty.

I asked for a cortado to which the cheeky git replied “do you even know what that is?”

Afterwards he sat on a stool and played on his phone the whole time I was there. So…..I will not be back and I won’t be recommending this establishment to anyone.

In fact, I make a point of telling people how awful the place is every...