Benedict's Store — Restaurant in England

We’ve regularly visited Benedict’s for a coffee on a Saturday morning whilst our daughter is at her Saturday activity class. If we can get a seat (it’s not a big space) we sit in for the 20 ish minutes we’re there, we usually have our 2 year old and 3 month old with us. It’s not a cheap place to get a coffee, the customer service isn’t as friendly as other places or the best place for food (it’s really quite overpriced and quality is average compared to other places nearby) however we appreciate the coffee served is really good and we aren’t in there for very long.

On this particular occasion (22/03/25) we went into Benedict’s as usual and initially sat at the bar on the bar stools. I needed to breastfeed our 3 month old and preferred to sit on a chair with a back instead of a high bar stool. There were two tables with two chairs and each table had one occupant. When the gentleman that was sat at one of the tables left, he was waiting for his take away, we sat at the table. The kind departing lady on the next table offered her table to us as she could see that I was breastfeeding our 3 month old and it’s a tight squeeze on the other side. We were sat down about 5 minutes before my husband went to order a drink for our 2 year old. As he was at the counter, buying another drink, the waitress made him feel very unwelcome by asking him to give up one of the tables as we “didn’t need it”. Bear in mind there are 2 adults, 1 toddler and 1 baby, having 2 drinks, a sausage roll and with another drink on its way. My husband explained we were using 3 seats and hence why we were at both tables. I explained to her colleague that we were unhappy with the comments, she said we could all fit on one table as it’s made for 4 people, I said there is only 2 seats per table to which she pointed out there is a spare chair which at this time was at a different occupied table altogether. I am baffled as to why we were expected to know how to set the tables up to accommodate 2 people. In my opinion if you want 4 people around a table then put 4 chairs around a table. We swiftly left and won’t be coming back.

It is a tight squeeze at the best of time, it would be unsuitable for multiple tables of 3 to sit in. If you want to sit in and you have young children or need space for a pram or other items, it is not the place for you. In addition, we have visited Benedict’s almost weekly for a long time and are totally unappreciated as regular customers. It made us think why bother supporting Benedict’s if we are treated as an inconvenience. We were more appreciated at one of the chain coffee shops along the...

What a shame! I love the coffee in Benedict's, and particularly enjoy the lemon drizzle cake, banana loaf and ginger cake. I have lost count how many visits I have made over the past year. Unfortunately, on my last visit last Friday, my friend was told that we could not stay and eat at the table as they were for lunch orders only. My friend then asked if we could use the very small 2 seater table next to the toilet. The reply she received was a begrudgingly 'yes' but we could tell it was not really acceptable, and perhaps we should have left at this point, but we had ordered and paid for our cofgee and cakes. We felt very embarrassed. Interestingly, over the next half hour the empty tables remained empty and so we were crammed in the corner unnecessarily. My friend said she wouldn't return after such an unfriendly action, and quite honestly I don't think I will. They also have several notices around stating that no Wi-Fi and no laptops etc. are allowed. The chairs are uncomfortable and the tables are rocky and a bit scruffy so...

Nice atmosphere, friendly staff. The croissants are nice but not perfect, they need a little more bite. We gave them 6/10. The coffee was a bit disappointing, only 5/10. Great to see Monmouth beans used, but to be completely honest, the finished product is a level below independent coffee shops in London. The ratio of milk to coffee and water to coffee were off in our flat white and black americano, respectively. Still, nice place and I hope if they read this review they can take the comments constructively, because Beaconsfield needs a good independent coffee shop and we're...