Origin Coffee at The British Library — Restaurant in London

What a shambles! Poor service and lack of care from disinterested staff who got order after order wrong.

Called in for a coffee and snack while waiting for a train but wish we'd gone elsewhere. Having ordered a batch filter it was luke warm when served with a cold cup to then poor it into to drink, so no time to enjoy it then. I was then told that the avocado on toast I'd ordered was unavailable as they were out of bread (at 1230 on a Saturday afternoon I might add) and weren't willing to serve it on a couple 'end cuts' so I would have to reorder.

The toasted banana bread came quickly and was lovely but the toast and marmalade I'd ordered took some time having been advised that it would take a little longer. When it arrived along with the comment of "turns out it didn't need any longer afterall" I was presented with a plate of several black and burnt end cuts. Far from acceptable to serve food in such a state but clearly the staff didn't care enough to apologise let alone have the decency to not serve it.

At this point my friend then had to go and remind the staff that he was still waiting for his toasted sandwhich which it turned out she'd not even put on the order in the first place. Similalry in the half an hour we were there two other customers also had to remind the staff that they hadn't received the food they'd ordered after a lengthy wait assuming it was in hand when it had clearly been forgotten.

How can such a small spot that was by no means busy get it so wrong, again and again? The staff spent more time either out the back or talking to their own friends at the end of the counter than tending to customers and getting the simplest of tasks right. This is not the Origin Coffee I know, but I'll be certain to question returning again in the future when there's so many other decent spots...

I cannot sing the praises of your Euston Road and British Library locations enough. Returning to London after many years in Canada, I find myself appalled, sometimes to the point of violent nausea, by the criminally terrible customer service that has festered in England during my absence. And the coffee in England, as before, is even worse.

The Origin Coffee Roasters locations here are the shining exceptions that prove the rule. The service is exemplary; and your staff set a powerful example of what customer service should be; not the insulting farce it has sadly become in my absence. They establish a template that the rest of England should follow.

And the coffee is even better. One of the biggest complaints shared among transplanted North Americans is the terrible state of coffee in this country. Again, Origin is the exception that proves the rule; and I recommend your coffee every time the discussion comes up -and it comes up a lot. I have never had a bad cup of coffee here, and even trust one of your regular baristas to the point of drinking whatever he decides to fill my cup with, rather than making the choice myself -a trust I have never felt, even in Canada. And I have never been even mildly disappointed.

My praise may flirt with hyperbole; but the sentiments behind it are rock-solid and sincere. If you're in London seeking a great cup of coffee and great customer service (especially North Americans!); you will never be disappointed. It is, quite simply the best.

Raises...

I had a very bad experience this morning at Origin. Being a regular due to working in the area, I very often get batch brew coffee some mornings and coffee beans twice a month for V60 at home. Today, I bought a bag of Mano Del Puma and ask for the staff to grate it for me. After it was poured in the grinder not all of the beans went thorough. Maybe 35 to 45 grams got stuck . I was literary in front of this. The member of staff operating the grinder notified their colleague who looked at it , and did nothing. I was then given my coffee bag with minus whatever was left in the grinder ,and I saw the same person who was told about the remaining coffee, to grind it and put it aside in order to grind the next dose of beans. I then explained that I was unsatisfied and I was told that they were sorry. Nothing else. I then insisted saying that I have been charged for that waste. The reply was sorry again. I then made it clear how wrong that is and then, after all this drama I was told that I would be offered a freebie, at which stage didn't interest me and I just left. It is a shame because I like the place and the product and most of the staff , but today's people working there had no clue of how to treat and respect clients. Very...