Alma - Primrose Hill — Restaurant in London

TL;DR: HIDDEN CHARGE, NO WIFI

A welcoming sight in the neighbourhood. Had a couple of takeaway coffees and cakes and was generally satisfied with the coffee. There are very limited cake options, and they are also a bit stiff in my opinion.

Decided to sit in for lunch and coffee or even work there for the afternoon one day, food I ordered was really good. The decor was nice and relaxing but there was no Wifi?!! I asked if they would install it in the future and the staff said no plans in the near future. Personally, that’s a very big mistake for a cafe in a residential area. On top of that, when I paid for the bill there was a hidden flat £2 sit-in charge on top of 12.5% service charge, not advertised anywhere on the menu. When I asked for a clarification as to why there is a hidden charge, and what’s it to do on top of service charge, the staff stuttered and said it is for things like dishwasher…

Such a shame that this experience was far from ideal. The worst thing is Alma decided to sneak in a hidden fee, and was absolutely shaken when asked about it. I would’ve become a frequent and loyal customer for the coffee and food they serve, but that wouldn’t be the case after this dine in experience.

Update: Now 1 star, simply because the owner has been dishonest in the response, thinking you can talk your way out of this. And then shortly after this review went live, I got a SPAM email asking me to 'fxxx yourself', very mature. Also, I have absolutely no incentive to defame this cafe that I have already said, is a welcoming sight in my neighbourhood. Re. 'dishwasher', this was quoted from the Asian staff, I sat from 2ish to 5pm when your cafe closed on a weekday, I don't see or know who the manager is but I have been serviced the entire time by an Asian staff. I simply have no reason to make anything up. I am just writing an honest review that reflected my experience for my fellow neighbours and potential customers. If they come in for take away coffee, then good. Perfect place, I recommend the coffee and I said the food was great from the very start. If the hidden £2 sit-in charge has since then been cancelled, then good for everyone else. But please, I did not BS anyone and...

Unfortunately, I am unable to tell you what the food and drink are like at this cute establishment, because they refused our business last night - which would not have been a big deal except for the way we were turned away.

The closing time is listed as 5pm. My friend and I were due to perform at the church opposite and ran over at 4:40pm to grab a quick coffee and a pastry for take away. Someone was inside finishing a drink, the doors were open and the closing time clearly posted and yet we were immediately told by two female staff members that they were closed and that we should leave.

We explained that we were hoping to just get something to take away and had no plans to stay to drink it, even just a tea bag and some hot water to go would be ok…would that possibly make a difference?

Barista: No, you must leave.

Us: Oh, our apologies, of course we will go…sorry to be a bother. Just so we know for future as we are local, has the closing time changed? Do you close at 430? Or is it normally 5?

Barista: You must leave.

Us: Yes….of course…we are leaving…no problem at all…but…what is your normal closing time? Also by chance do you know somewhere else nearby we could go to as we are a bit desperate for a hot drink?

Barista: No. We are closed. It is very busy here during the holidays and our staff deserve to leave early to rest. Leave. Now.

Us: Ookayyy…

There were so many better ways to have dealt with an early closure, but unfortunately the staff member went for a aggressive attitude, refusing to answer our questions and making two older church going ladies feel like we were causing a scene - which certainly wasn’t our intention. Sometimes small businesses need to close early and that is understandable. But the way we were spoken to made us feel awful.

Unfortunately, it left us both agreeing never...

We've decided to sit in the café' with my girlfriend and the table we sat at hasn't been wiped clean. Then we've ordered the American style pancakes and my partner asked if she could have berries instead of the banana that the dish comes with. When the food was served, the dish arrived with a handful of extra berries that felt more like decoration than a replacement for the banana. When we pointed out that we've asked for extra berries it was pointed out that the space occupied by the banana was used to place extra berries however we felt that they could've done a bit more for us. We've also had to ask for cutleries and napkins separately as they didn't come with the food. The food wasn't bad tasting but wasn't amazing either, both me and my partner had to rush to the toilet shortly afterwards so there was definitely something off either in the food or the smoothies that we've ordered. The smoothies were also served in a plastic takeaway cup even though we sat inside which seems a bit of a waste. I rarely leave bad reviews however all in all, £50 for two pancake dishes and two smoothies served in takeaway cups, even for London this meal felt overpriced and didn't meet the quality we...