Black Sheep Coffee — Restaurant in London

For anyone interested in experiencing the power of invisibility, head to this place on a Monday morning around 9.32am and try ordering a coffee.

Best part of 30 years supporting local/independent coffee outlets and have never experienced and ordering experience so slow, so poor and ignorant and so impolite.

Near empty shop with and 4 servers behind the counter. Walk in, manager averts eyes and decides to chat to his delivery mate. Next server averts eyes and stares at iPad on counter.

Not to worry, I’m left with 2. (By the way, not a soul has said good morning yet). Unfortunately, I wasn't aware the pair are deep in conversation, so sarcastically ask ‘sorry are you open?’

Order simplest of coffees from menu, acknowledging that serving coffee is an inconvenience rather than a service for the over stretched workforce.

5 mins later - no coffee. Asked server ‘did you take my order?’ Reply ‘ yeah flat white right? It’s coming’ Then staff start to embark on quite clearly a unique coffee making expedition.

As i watched the trainee bare-handedly fish some beans from a bag and measure them into a cup, I immediately cancel my request and walk out.

One of the baristas followed me out and apologized by saying the coffee machine had been broken all morning.

At that point I start looking for the hidden...

The first and last time I ate at Black Sheep Coffee. The machine took my money twice. One breakfast that I bought (waffle, espresso, cookie) cost £27.93, but the employees said the order didn't go through, so I paid for the same order again. They said the same thing. I looked at my account and saw the money went through twice, so they gave me my order, but I paid double the amount, £55.86, for one order. The employee said I'll get a refund, but I didn't get it. Although you can't even call it a refund, it's just me rightfully getting my stolen money back. So I emailed the company (this was September 2023) and we went back and forth, as they kept saying that my refund was processed even though it wasn't, and they kept sending vouchers as apology that I was never even going to use. The last email was them telling me I'll have my refund within 5 working days and it never came. I'm still not over this theft, but it's not like I can just write them a message after 6 months now, they definitely won't return my money! As you can see in the picture they also robbed me of my last pennies while I was already in a really bad...

People don’t go to coffee shops for a McDonald’s-style, fast-food experience. It’s about the atmosphere, the interaction with the barista, and the overall vibe. Unfortunately, this place fails spectacularly in that regard. From the moment I walked in, the service was a joke. The staff were too busy gossiping to even acknowledge my presence. I had to interrupt their chat just to place my order, only to be dismissively pointed toward the self-ordering screen. There was no preparation underway, just a palpable irritation that I had dared to interrupt their conversation.

I always thought the screens were supposed to be a choice, not the only option. Coffee is meant to be a relaxing experience, but this was nothing short of frustrating. With great alternatives like Bird Hill Coffee just across the street, I refuse to support a place that values a soulless ‘smart’ ordering system over actual human interaction. Management should take a long, hard look at what they’ve created here, because they’ve completely missed the mark when it comes to what makes a coffee shop...