La costa cafe — Restaurant in London

Extremely Disappointing and Unfair Experience – Avoid This Place

During our one-week trip to London, we decided to try this restaurant because it was close to our hotel, we were hungry, and a sign outside advertised a pizza and drink menu for £9.99, which seemed reasonable. When we walked in, there were various food options but no prices displayed anywhere. So we asked, and were told that prices were generally between £10–£15. We chose the £9.99 pizza menu shown on the sign, pointing to it specifically, and asked for vegetarian options.

The lady in charge offered to prepare one Margherita and one vegetarian pizza. We agreed, and she started a friendly conversation, even speaking Turkish with us. She asked whether we were tourists or living in London, and sat us at a table while she started making the pizzas. No cutlery, napkins, or drinks were brought to the table.

She served the first pizza hot on a wooden board and encouraged us to eat while it was fresh. However, our drink still hadn’t arrived. When we reminded her, she claimed that the pizza we were eating was not part of the menu because we were dining in – not taking away. This was never mentioned before. We were confused and uncomfortable, and since there was still no sign of a drink or proper service, we asked for the second pizza to be packed as takeaway.

At the counter, we were shocked to be charged £31 for one dine-in pizza, one canned drink, and one takeaway pizza — even though the advertised price for a menu was £9.99. We asked for a receipt or explanation, but she refused and simply said, “I decide the prices here. That was the takeaway price. You didn’t ask.”

This was the most upsetting part: being blamed for not asking about something that wasn’t written anywhere. We were deeply embarrassed by the situation. My husband said, “This was shameful,” but she remained completely indifferent.

Only later did we realize the pattern: no visible prices, vague offers, and discriminatory pricing based on your nationality or whether you’re a tourist. It felt like we were targeted simply because we were visitors.

Avoid this place. It’s misleading, unprofessional, and deeply...

A Deeply Disappointing Experience – Unworthy of Hospitality

Our recent visit to La Costa Cafe was, unfortunately, one of the most unsettling experiences we’ve had in any public setting. My friends and I entered seeking a peaceful time over coffee and light snacks. The ambiance appeared calm and welcoming at first; however, what followed was both unprofessional and deeply disheartening.

While we sat and conversed—as any group of friends would in a café—we were approached by a staff member, an older woman wearing glasses, who asked us to lower our voices, stating that she didn’t have her headache medicine. The request was delivered with a tone that felt more like a personal grievance than a courteous suggestion, leaving us shocked and confused.

What made this incident especially troubling was the clear sense of discrimination we felt. We could not ignore how her attitude shifted the moment she saw us—women of color wearing hijabs. Her approach lacked basic hospitality and respect, giving the impression that we were being singled out not for our behavior, but for our appearance.

A café should be a space of comfort, inclusion, and respect—not one where customers are made to feel like intruders. The management at La Costa Cafe needs to reevaluate the values they promote and the individuals they choose to represent them.

We left feeling humiliated, unwelcome, and hurt. This establishment failed us on...

AVOID AT ALL COST! The man that works here is not only arrogant, but rude as hell too. This morning was our 6th time going there and like every morning, we ordered ‘extra hot’ coffee (1st day we went we noticed their coffee was luke warm at best). Coffee arrived, took a slip and realised it wasn’t hot, called the bloke over and asked for it to be heated up. The man then rudely refused by saying ‘they can’t as we’ve already taken a sip’… I mean really..? How else would we drink the coffee and notice the temperature..? Begrudgingly he then brought a new cup. He proceeded to ignore us for the rest of our time there and when we got up to pay and leave, the atmosphere was far to hostile to stay and have food, he gave me a bill on which he charged me for an extra coffee and 4 additional double shots..! This guy is a cheat who’s on a massive power trip!

We went across the road and had a very...