Bartons — Restaurant in London

Thank you for responding. I understand your policies, but I feel my feedback was misunderstood. While signage may be visible, I missed it due to not wearing my glasses—my fault—also, not everyone looks up a café’s website or socials before visiting. A proactive verbal reminder during ordering could prevent these situations altogether and make it easier for staff and customers alike.

To clarify, the staff member was polite and respectful. My concern lies with the rigid enforcement of the policy, even when the café isn’t busy. Strictly applying rules can make paying customers, like myself—someone who values supporting local businesses—feel unwelcome for simply enjoying an evening alone and wanting time write outside of home.

I also found the tone of your response unnecessarily defensive, particularly the “Disgruntled Laptopper” comment. Had I read your previous responses to other customers, I wouldn’t have bothered reviewing. My intention was never to challenge your rules but to suggest a more flexible approach, especially during quiet hours. Policies are important, but so is making all customers feel welcome, regardless of whether they are alone or in a group. And no it’s not antisocial to write on a laptop, it’s a public space therefore it’s expected for people to be loud and have fun…someone sitting alone on their laptop will not cause harm to anyone or threaten other people’s enjoyment “if a persons enjoyment is threatened by that, i find it very weird and particularly funny” :)

I changed the star rating just out of genuine kindness, nothing more. Because i am not a vicious person.

I won’t be deleting my review fully specifically because of how you choose to respond to criticism on here, people should read this. Your tone was not nice, and that reflects poorly on the experience. I wish you and your business the best, but I stand by my review.

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Original review: It was my first time visiting, and initially, I was genuinely enjoying my experience. Since I wasn’t wearing my glasses and have limited vision from afar, I didn’t notice any signs about specific policies. I ordered a drink and a dessert, enjoyed them, and liked the coffee enough to go back and order another drink. I then decided to pull out my laptop to do some writing.

However, the moment I opened my laptop, a staff member came over and told me the café is laptop-free after 4 pm. I understand the reasoning behind such policies, but the way it was enforced felt abrupt and unwelcoming. The café was far from busy, with more than five free tables around me, and I had already spent over £10 there in less than an hour. I felt very disappointed that i was looking for a local spot to just chill at alone and do some writing and then this happens to me….

I feel this approach is quite alienating, especially for individuals who enjoy spending their alone time reading, writing, or working quietly in a local café near their home. Some customers like me don’t come in with friends or for social gatherings on weekends or weekdays because I simply don’t hangout with people often. Policies like this make those experiences difficult, especially when it’s clear that the customer is actively supporting the business by purchasing multiple items during their stay.

As someone who works in a coffee shop, I understand the challenges of managing space and rising costs. But there are better ways to handle such situations—like addressing customers who overstay after only ordering one item, especially if the shop is busy. Making paying customers feel unwelcome for simply using the space respectfully is disappointing.

Unfortunately, this experience has left a bad impression, and I won’t be returning. I respect independent businesses, but only when they value their customers in a thoughtful and...

*second edit Hey! Left a three star review, but since you said I left one I just changed it to one☺️

*edit

Thought I will reply. It’s not just the laptop policy, obviously it’s one of the key factors but the service is also not good. Imagine ordering a £10 nacho and one of the main guac dip is just missing, which the staff did not inform me at all beforehand and just brushed it off with a passive aggressive “no, sorry” afterwards. It’s all these different things that build up and make the experience very uncomfortable. When I said the coffee wasn’t as good anymore, that was comparing to last year when ruby was still working there and other coffeeshops I frequent. I’m not being mean, I’m just speaking from my experience.

As for the library, I want to mention again that NO ONE, not a single person was sitting there except me for the entire Monday evening. So I don’t see how using my laptop is a problem when there is literally no traffic for your downstair seating? Also the fact that I just pulled out my iPad to work…there are many ways around it. Might as well ban phones and iPads and kindles and every digital device at this point?

I respect the changes you have made and I’m glad it’s working for you, but I still want to keep this review here as someone that used to come multiple times a week last year and always ordered accordingly to the time spent here.I also wouldn’t be writing such a long review if I didn’t care. It’s just too obviously you are trying to make money with all of these implements. It seems like with any review that talks about the laptop policy you immediately come to the conclusion that they are “offended” and it hits some sort of sore spot. No one is offended, it’s just uptight to the point where it’s absurd. Regardless if I’m working or not, the subconscious atmosphere is a constant pressure of being asked to leave. I understand the economy and raising bills are hard for family businesses in London, but maybe finding a balance between the old and the new Bartons is a good idea. Because it no longer feels welcoming for anyone that is coming alone or not here to socialize.

I haven’t visit Bartons for a while now because the coffee just wasn’t as good anymore…and the new change in policy for laptop use is frustrating. I get it on the weekends, I came here yesterday and wasn’t aware. The staff did not tell me there’s a policy of no laptop after 4pm on weekdays as well…otherwise I would not have wasted my time. Considering this is one of the only cafes that open till late in the area it’s really saddening. And the fact that the downstairs seating is literally for study and not a single person was occupying it. Really sad that this is the inflexible mess of what my old favourite cafe has become. I see that some loyal customers from before are also frustrated so maybe reconsider the policy when your front facing area is already laptop free now to ‘attract customers’, because this was such a cozy place.

Also, got nachos and the staff didn’t tell me ahead there’s no guacamole…seriously? After two horrid days would unlikely come again for now....

Good vibe, lackluster coffee & store-bought pancakes.

Edits marked (**) based on initial owner response 28.10.24 / Owner has since updated response again, but my comments are in reference to the first response. Side note: Enjoyable and telling content reading the other owner responses.

// Liked the decor and the service was good. Offering genuine advice below because the space is amazing.

Focus on improving the coffee. The espresso here is bitter and watery because the beans were old/bad and/or the draw was not right. Might be fine hidden by milk, but had to drown the bitterness in sugar. If paying a normal amount for coffee expect it to be done well or at least average.

**Thanks for your response. I understand that the beans may be award-winning, so as you mentioned, I assume the issue was either with the espresso extraction process on that particular day or a problem with the machine. Hopefully, it was an isolated incident.

“American” Pancakes honestly needs a new recipe and more care. A little research would help a lot, spend 15 minutes watching a video on how to make American pancakes before serving them again. Paying 9 pounds for undercooked, chewy, rubbery, skinny pikelets which are honestly better from a supermarket pre-made packet shouldn’t be called American Pancakes and shouldn’t be served at such a beautiful cafe. To top it off the strawberries and blueberries were not fresh.

**While the feedback may seem harsh, it is honest and intended to be constructive too. First, you don’t need to be a gourmet restaurant to make good pancakes. Second, although I appreciate that you’re a simple coffee shop doing your best, the term ‘American Pancakes’ on the menu suggests a very specific expectation—fluffy, thick hotcakes—which was not reflected in the final product. Lastly, for any product where a descriptive term is used to attract customer interest but falls short of expectations, I believe it’s important to be transparent for future customers.

Two YouTube accounts as a starting point to learn how to make American Pancakes: Joshua Weisman and Matty Matheson.

** Finally, I personally avoid chains because they often lack the soul and unique vibe that places like yours have. Setting aside Instagram and TikTok critiques (neither of which I use), food doesn’t need to look perfect to taste good. However, when I visit a simple, family-run coffee shop, I expect to find homemade recipes rather than something which is store-bought, and I believe that’s a fair expectation.

Love to see some...